The Records

The Records are probably best remembered for their cult classic and minor hit "Starry Eyes" -- a near-perfect song that defined British power pop in the '70s. And while they never quite matched the success of that record, their high-quality output from 1979 to 1982 has not only held up better than most of the music of that era with its timeless appeal, but has also served as a blueprint for the various waves of British and American power pop since then. Some have gone as far as to call them "the British <a href="spotify:artist:3UvcmAOZt64oKpP95f6MMM">Big Star</a>," which is probably a fair comparison -- within their genre, they're seen as giants, yet the general public has missed them for the most part.

The band was formed around 1977, when pub rockers <a href="spotify:artist:5tZudyAoWMu18RFmwdljjp">Kursaal Flyers</a> broke up. The drummer from the band, Will Birch, and vocalist/guitarist John Wicks, who had joined <a href="spotify:artist:5tZudyAoWMu18RFmwdljjp">the Kursaals</a> in the last stages, began writing together, inspired by the pure pop tradition of <a href="spotify:artist:7Kkx4dACo6kFSeT9wjfVA5">the Raspberries</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4pJCawaKSZ40EnxN0YEYw3">Badfinger</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3UvcmAOZt64oKpP95f6MMM">Big Star</a>. By 1978, they had completed the group by adding bassist Phil Brown and guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:4avMlUCmju4ip83BpCF5MY">Huw Gower</a>. After a series of live gigs, they released their debut, "Starry Eyes," on the independent <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Record+Company%22">Record Company</a> label in November of the same year. They received some valuable early exposure on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Stiff%22">Stiff</a> label's Be Stiff tour, which led to their signing with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Virgin+Records%22">Virgin Records</a>.

Wicks and Birch continued to churn out should-have-been-hits pop classics over the next three years and three albums -- 1979's Shades in Bed (released in a slightly modified form as The Records in the U.S.), 1980's Crashes (which found <a href="spotify:artist:6MxIoQ7GT947XGYca2irUU">Jude Cole</a> replacing <a href="spotify:artist:4avMlUCmju4ip83BpCF5MY">Gower</a>), and 1982's Music on Both Sides (which replaced <a href="spotify:artist:6MxIoQ7GT947XGYca2irUU">Cole</a> with Dave Whelan and added another vocalist, Chris Gent). Aside from a minor hit with "Starry Eyes" in the U.S., their efforts were criminally unrewarded. The band broke up in 1982, though they re-formed temporarily in 1990 to contribute a track to a <a href="spotify:artist:4Q82S0VzF8qlCb4PnSDurj">Brian Wilson</a> tribute album. Birch went on to become a notable music critic and historian; he also compiled several compact disc reissues, including Naughty Rhythms: The Best of Pub Rock. Wicks began a solo career in the mid-'90s, appearing on the Yellow Pills, Vol. 3 collection with a song co-written with Birch, "Her Stars Are My Stars" -- a pop gem that picked up right where they left off. "Starry Eyes" continues to be a cult pop classic -- still heavily requested on alternative radio retro shows. John Wicks died after a long battle with cancer on October 7, 2018 at his Burbank, California home; he was 65 years old. ~ Chris Woodstra, Rovi