The Scruffs - Midtown (1998)

They looked like New Yorkers and they sounded British, but the Scruffs hailed from the South -- Memphis, Tennessee to be exact -- and had a full 15 minutes of fame with the release of their lone 1977 LP Wanna Meet the Scruffs? Taking their musical cues from fellow power-popsters the Raspberries and Memphis legends Big Star, the Scruffs, despite their cutesy name, were a solid rock band that simply got lost amidst all the other less talented, skinny-tie posers. They did manage to turn the head of one influential critic, the dean himself, Bob Christgau, who, upon awarding Wanna Meet an A- in his monthly Consumer Guide, said "it bursts with off harmonies, left hooks, and jolts of random energy." He was right, but that wasn't enough to keep the Scruffs from disappearing from the face of the earth.