Perhaps XTC was truly pioneering a trend that would domniate the 80's -- take a great band, a great song, and make an unbelievably bad video.

I don't know if Brit Ska has aged well. I certainly don't see a revival. But the combo of horns, Desmond Dekker inspiration, New Wave, and a bad economy and a brand new Thatcher made for excellent teenage musical creed. The Specials, 2-Tone entirely. I always thought this song stood out, in that it was very popular, and wasn't quite Madness.

Play some basketball, do some heroin, write a novel, and become part of the New York scene. Jim Caroll, perhaps forgotten, was a big piece of the NYC extension of Beatniks that became punk, although he was only persuaded to the stage after NYC punk's peak, when New Wave had hit. Still, his 1980 album Catholic Boy is full of NYC goodness.

Do not forget Devo. I urge you as a culture, nay, as a civilzation, do not forget Devo's contribution to Devolution. Ok, maybe there's some deeply ingrained geek connection, but the Brian Eno produced 'Q: Are We Not Men? Answer: We Are Devo!' might express the apogee of all geek music, only lately again taken seriously by MC Frontalot.

lyrics for lyrics sake:

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
Happier than you and me
Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see
Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
One chromosome too many
Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see
And he wore a hat
And he had a job
And he brought home the bacon
So that no one knew
Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
His friends were unaware
Mongoloid he was a mongoloid
Nobody even cared

Before REM and the Pixies there were The Feelies. They were like your tourettes inflicted step-cousin from Jersey. Any second, you felt they could just loose it, and become Pere Ubu (but thankfully did not). Not quite Devo or The Talking Heads, but geeky. Still, they were important in that they were sincere and spastic and if you had a Telecaster you could probably imitate them more than a bit.

I never hear The Jam played anymore. "Going Underground" came out a couple years before their hit "A Town Called Malice". I dunno, maybe Paul Weller's carpet-scarf thing was big with all the Mods. I'm sure it waved majestically while he zipped around on his moped. Anyway, great songs.

There's something about X which goes beyond punk, like a red neck Elvis on bad acid. And they weren't quite like the California punk that followed (Operation Ivy for instance) or the NYC punk that preceded. Some of their songs were downright hum-able. Regardless, any look at music from 1979-1981 that leaves X out is just plain wrong.

I couldn't find footage of Mission Of Burma playing this in 1981. I wouldn't be shocked if there wasn't any, most likely they were too busy doing what everyone else in Boston did: you played your show, either already really drunk or in the process of becoming really drunk, got in a fight with frat jackasses on Comm Ave on the way out -- probably with the wheel side of your skateboard. Maybe that was just me (I seem to remember otherwise).

I live in NYC around a large number of young people. They have great affection for the fashion and music for the late seventies and early eighties. I am routinely subjected to a really terrible selection of early eighties music in just about every bar I walk into, and I'd just like to point out a few things that are missing. First, let's start with Lene Lovich. I'm not saying she isn't left out for a reason, but New Wave and the eighties wouldn't be New Wave without her, and golly, who knew that "Lucky Number One" had Billy Corgan on guitar (insert 'I'm making a joke' icon here). I don't know, between her and Princess Leia maybe some hair bun/pigtail fetish subculture still lurks in whatever's left of Usenet. Your iPod playlist wishes Pat Benatar was genuinely this weird.