1978

The Saints, who formed in Australia in 1973, were arguably the first punk band of all – but they always claimed not to be punks. Whatever they were, they were fantastic.

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Sibling duo La Bionda were pioneers of the Italo-disco sound in the late Seventies. This was their biggest hit.

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The best thing about Television Personalities – the DIY punk band, not the narcissists on your telly – is their titles incorporating famous figures. And this song.

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Like everybody else I didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp in admiration when I first heard this. The Flying Lizards took Eddie Cochran’s 1958 hit Summertime Blues and deconstructed it to the point where the original barely existed.

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The Records were one of the handful of UK bands to flourish during the second wave of Power Pop at the end of the Seventies.
 

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Moon Martin was one of those characters who hitched a ride on the New Wave and followed its tributary into the smoother waters of Power Pop.

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Pere Ubu – Codex

3rd August 2024 · 1970s, 1978, Music, Postpunk

The very first time I heard the twang of that guitar motif, wobbling and bending out of shape, I was hooked on what must be one of the strangest love songs of all time. And it’s stayed in my head since 1978.

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Hugh Mundell could have been a contender. He was once heralded as the rising star of roots reggae – as a singer and DJ (Jah Levi) – before he was shot dead at the age of 21 – after an argument over a fridge.

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Gina X Performance were ahead of their time in 1978 with their dark, detached synthpop and the glacial vocals of Gina Kikoine.

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When I first heard Domino on The Cramps’ landmark debut Gravest Hits EP, prompting the birth of psychobilly in 1979, I had no idea it was a Roy Orbison song.

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