XTC

XTC virtually defined the dividing line between punk and new-wave, adding punk's raw energy to their herky-jerky rhythms, funhouse arrangements and Beatles-influenced songcraft. In the early 1980s, bandleader Andy Partridge surrendered to his stage fright and retired the band from live performance, but XTC continued to make smartly crafted pop records. By the end of the decade the band even began to make mainstream inroads, popping up on MTV and charting a 1988 modern rock #1 with "Mayor of Simpleton."

• rock
• pop
• dance