X-Ray Spex

One of the most original-sounding groups of British punk's Class of '77, X-Ray Spex used the liberating openness of the DIY movement to explore tuneful, saxophone-driven songs that nonetheless dripped with anger, rebellion, and attitude. Poly Styrene's lead vocals were strident and ballsy, while sax player Lora Logic offered a postmodern wild-card element, one she took to new levels with her next outfit, Essential Logic. The original Spex recorded one classic album, which spawned several charting hits in the U.K., and then disbanded in 1979, after which Poly Styrene recorded a solo album and then joined the Hare Krishnas. The band made a little-heard, one-off reunion album in 1995, but have remained quiet since.