The Records

The Records rose out of the wreckage of the Kursaal Flyers, the pub rock outfit that had Will Birch behind the drums. John Wicks joined that band as rhythm guitarist in 1977, and the two of them started writing right away, Wicks handling the music and Birch the words. When the Kursaals folded a few months later, the partnership didn't: they kept at it, plotting a four-piece with Birch drumming and Wicks singing and strumming, and Birch came up with the name.

Phil Brown came in on bass and Brian Alterman on lead guitar, chiming away in a style people likened to the Byrds, before Huw Gower, late of the Ratbites from Hell, took over the lead guitar spot in 1978. Every one of them had been around the block, and it shows in how little they waste.

What they made was English power pop of the purest strain, and "Starry Eyes" is the proof: a hit single that became a cult treasure, all ringing guitars, nervy energy and a chorus you can hum after a single spin. It sits on Shades in Bed, their 1979 album for Virgin, and the band carried on until 1982.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.