Under The Big Black Sun
by X (US)

Under The Big Black Sun by X (US)
Year: 1982
Overall rank: 5,214th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
74/100 (from 85 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1982 (85th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (759th)
Award Best albums of all time (5,214th)

Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY
Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
X Under The Big Black Sun CD Extra Tracks Original Recording Reissued EXCELLENT
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
X Under the Big Black Sun LP 1982 Elektra Vinyl
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
X, Under The Big Black Sun, Cassette Lot See How We Are, Exene solo
Condition: Like New


  My favourite store:  

X (US) bestography

Under The Big Black Sun is ranked 3rd best out of 15 albums by X (US) on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by X (US) is Los Angeles which is ranked number 1068 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,625.

X (US) album bestography « Higher ranked (2,958th)
Wild Gift
This album (5,214th)
Under The Big Black Sun
Lower ranked (6,399th) »
More Fun In The New World

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
07
Sat
Chef Boy
The Regent Theater, Los Angeles, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
11
Wed
Joyce Manor, Militarie Gun, Teen Mortgage, & Combat
Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
17
Fri
Matute - Disco Stereo Tour
Bob Hope Theatre, Stockton, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

Listen to Under The Big Black Sun on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

Under The Big Black Sun rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 5,214th | 1980s rank: 759th | 1982 rank: 85th

Under The Big Black Sun collection

Under The Big Black Sun ratings

Average Rating: 
74/100 (from 85 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 85 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
08/07/2025 22:23 UofTBlues  Ratings distribution  3,62871/100
 
65/100
 
06/13/2025 18:01 Invader666  Ratings distribution  2,62365/100
 
85/100
 
04/15/2025 00:25 Skerns  Ratings distribution  5,08080/100
 
70/100
 
11/05/2024 13:43 JamesMowbray  Ratings distribution  5,36169/100
 
85/100
 
07/23/2024 03:45 traistboar  Ratings distribution  1,61079/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 22% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 73.7/100, a mean average of 72.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 73.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.4.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

Under The Big Black Sun favourites

Showing all 8 members who have added this album as a favourite

Under The Big Black Sun comments

Showing all 5 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

From 07/29/2018 00:55 | #218896
There is nothing bad here, though it can sometimes get boring.

B
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/29/2015 21:29 | #138193
Another great album from X. There are a couple of non-punk songs on here that I think are among the most beautiful in the X catalog: "Riding With Mary", "Come Back to Me", and "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" (a cover of a much older song). Exene's sister Mary had died in a car crash before this album was recorded and that tragedy was the impetus for "Riding With Mary" and "Come Back to Me". "Blue Spark" and "The Hungry Wolf" both received minor airplay, but my favorite songs on this album are "The Have Nots", "Real Child of Hell", "Under The Big Black Sun", and "Because I Do". Most listeners and critics regarded X's first two albums as their best, but I'm a true X fan, and I think this is equal to or better then either of the first two. The lyrics of the two songs for Exene's sister, the cover song...demonstrated some real artistic growth, I think. Billy Zoom continued to kick ass, and John Doe and Exene's male/female harmonies continued to be a fairly unique combination.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 09/29/2014 06:23 | #122983
Stands up to the first two albums, and even has a haunting single ------
The hungry wolf
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/27/2011 19:03 | #31521
Don't know if I'd put it above Los Angeles or Wild Gift, but this is still a great album. X is sorely overlooked on this site!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/17/2010 01:31 | #12963
Great rockabilly influence. I think I prefer this to their debut. If you like the Gun Club, you'll love this !
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for Under The Big Black Sun

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this album by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this album.
Best Albums of 1982
1. Thriller by Michael Jackson
2. The Dreaming by Kate Bush
3. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
4. Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen
5. Pornography by The Cure
6. 1999 by Prince
7. Avalon by Roxy Music
8. Rio by Duran Duran
9. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits
10. The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
11. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) by Simple Minds
12. Combat Rock by The Clash
13. Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
14. Peter Gabriel (1982) by Peter Gabriel
15. Big Science by Laurie Anderson
16. English Settlement by XTC
17. Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest
18. Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall
19. Bad Brains by Bad Brains
20. The Lexicon Of Love by ABC
Back to Top