The Records

While they never matched the success of that record, their high-quality output from 1979 to 1982 held up better than most of the era and has also served as a blueprint for the various waves of UK and US power pop since.

Within their genre, they're seen as giants, yet the general public has missed them for the most part.

The band was formed around 1977, when pub rockers Kursaal Flyers broke up. The drummer from the band, Will Birch, and vocalist/guitarist John Wicks, began writing together, inspired by the pure-pop tradition of The Raspberries, Badfinger and Big Star.

By 1978, they had completed the group by adding bassist Phil Brown and guitarist Huw Gower. After a series of live gigs, they released their debut, Starry Eyes. They received some valuable early exposure on the Stiff label's 'Be Stiff' tour which, lead to their signing with Virgin Records.

Wicks and Birch continued to churn out should-have-been-hit pop classics over the next three years and three albums; 1979's Shades in Bed (released in a slightly modified form as The Records in the US), 1980s Crashes and 1982s Music on Both Sides .

The band broke up in 1982, though they reformed temporarily in 1990 to contribute a track to a Brian Wilson tribute album. Birch went on to become a notable music critic and historian.