signed with Slash Records

As the band became the flag bearer for the local scene, a larger independent label, Slash Records , signed them. The result was their debut album, Los Angeles (1980), which was produced by the Doors ‘ former keyboard player Ray Manzarek . It sold well by the standards of independent labels. Much of X’s early material had a rockabilly edge. Doe and Cervenka co-wrote most of the group’s songs and their slightly off-kilter harmony vocals served as the group’s most distinctive element. Their lyrics tended to be straight-out poetry; comparisons to Charles Bukowski and Raymond Chandler were made from the start.