The nucleus of this American band began in Columbus , Ohio, but moved to Boston because the music scene was a better place for new bands to break into the business. They performed as Milkwood , Richard and the Rabbits, and even backed up comedian Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture. Eventually they came together wuth a new band and a simple name, “It's so easy to spell; it doesn't have a 'z' on the end; it's real authentic. It's pop art, in a sense.” They caught a break when a DJ on WBCN played their demo, and from that airplay came a record deal. Their debut album was #18 on the Billboard top 100 in 1978. One music critic said “they have taken some important but disparate contemporary trends—punk minimalism, the labyrinthine synthesizer and guitar textures of art rock, the '50s rockabilly revival and the melodious terseness of power pop—and mixed them into a personal and appealing blend.” Their most successful single, which came out in 1984, gained particular notability when it was used in a video of the Ethiopian famine prepared by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and introduced by David Bowie at the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Some of the members of this band are no longer with us, and others have had solo careers since the band broke up. While there hasn't been a reunion tour, a few of them still tour along with Todd Rundgren doing their famous songs (I know, everyone tours with Todd Rundgren doing their famous stuff).

While this artist was part of a pre-punk underground-breaking group, he is best known for his solo career. As a youth, he received electroconvulsive therapy to discourage his homosexual feelings. During his career he has worked with musicians such as J. J. Cale, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, David Bowie and Mick Ronson, and has been categorized as “Glam Rock.”
Never mainstream, one of his double albums was nothing but album guitar feedback (by placing guitars in front of big speakers, the sound would vibrate the strings) played at different speeds. One side of the double LP ended with a closed 1.8-second loop that repeated itself until you picked up the needle.
He still tours, with gigs this month in NYC with his trio.