The Vibrators

When the mainstream media and trendies of yore decided, in the late 1970s, that punk version 1.0 was over, the Vibrators never got the memo. Perhaps, in true spiky Brit fashion, they just ripped it up and spit on it. Either way, the London-based band boasts the distinction of existing continuously since its formation in 1976. Of course, this means a hopelessly tangled Vibrators family tree, with something like five times as many ex-members as current ones. Little matter, because the songs and essential attitude remain the same. While the band counted more aggro acts like the Adicts among its early peers, the Vibrators always had surprising melodic chops. As such, the Vibrators' debut album, 1977's Pure Mania, hit number 49 on the U.K. Albums Chart; the 1978 follow-up, V2, reached number 33. And the group's songs have always been essentially pop songs. "Baby, Baby," from Pure Mania, is a heartfelt, unironic plea for a special lady's attention, with a brain-sticking simple chorus and a structure that could work pretty much in any genre. That's a pop songwriting compliment of the highest order, and it's the reason, in the late '00s, the Vibrators still play the song live to great moist-eyed effect.