Nearly unknown in the United States, The Boys were an English version of Ireland's Undertones, cutting propulsive little punk ditties about cars and girls while ignoring the politics that preoccupied the Pistols and the Clash. Their sound was not dissimilar to Sham 69 (without the yelling). Their first two albums, The Boys (1977) and Alternative Chartbusters (1978) are just fabulous, some of the most enjoyable long players to come out of the era. Those albums were issued on one CD (see picture) as were the next two, less fab follow-ups, To Hell With The Boys (1979) and Boys Only (1981).

You'll have a bitch of a time finding those CDs, though; each album appears to have been reissued on its own. The real challenge, however, will be tracking down the band's Christmas album, released psuedonymously as The Yobs (get it?). The Yobs' Christmas Album (1980) is real corker - fun, hilarious, and filthy - and is highly recommended for punk fanatics and Christmas collectors (read more). Far easier will be picking up one of the Boys' multitudinous best-of packages; Cherry Red's Complete Punk Singles Collection (2000) is a good one, and it includes a few Yobs cuts.