Generation X

Of the bands that came out of the first wave of British punk, Generation X were (along with the Buzzcocks) one of the few who believed you could embrace a pop sensibility and still sound authentically punk. On their self-titled 1978 debut album, they played songs that were fast, tough, and energetic, but also had pop hooks and hummable melodies that made them user friendly in a way the Sex Pistols, the Damned, and the Clash were not. They were also less musically doctrinaire than other bands on the scene, proudly embracing glam influences on 1979's Valley of the Dolls, and add...