Wild Gift

Wild Gift is the second album by the American punk rock band X, released in 1981. It was very well received critically, and was voted #2 for the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. In 2003, the album was ranked number 333 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

In 1988, Slash released Los Angeles and Wild Gift jointly on a single CD. Wild Gift was remastered and reissued in 2001 by Rhino Records, with seven bonus tracks.

The track "White Girl" was sampled by The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their 1989 album Mother's Milk during the song "Good Time Boys". Ensuing lyrics mention John Doe specifically, "whose voice is made of gold".

Critical reception

In a review published in his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau gave Wild Gift a rare A+ rating, writing that "hippies couldn't understand jealousy because they believed in universal love; punks can't understand it because they believe sex is a doomed reflex of existentially discrete monads. As X-Catholics obsessed with a guilt they can't accept and committed to a subculture that gives them no peace, Exene and John Doe are prey to both misconceptions, and their struggle with them is thrilling and edifying...Who knows whether the insightful ministrations of their guitarist will prove as therapeutic for them as for you and me, but I say trust a bohemian bearing gifts. How often do we get a great love album and a great punk album in the same package?" Christgau later ranked the album third on his 'Personal Best' list for the 80's, the highest placing of any rock album.