The Adventures of the Hersham Boys (Bonus Track Edition)

Punk rock was all but done when Sham 69 recorded their third album—1979’s The Adventures of Hersham Boys—so they softened up the working-class sucker-punches and added some organs, pianos, and slide guitars. The big-budget affair was a mighty long way from the band’s “cockney Ramones” roots; Adventures was recorded at the famed Le Chateau in the south of France, where Elton John, Pink Floyd, and Cat Stevens had made hit records. But in retrospect, it’s a keen artifact of punk's evolution, down to the Springsteen cops on “Joey’s on the Street Again.” Punk guitar hero Dave Parsons and bassist Dave Tregunna kept the music spirited, especially on the hit anthem “Hersham Boys” (the band’s best single) and “Questions and Answers.” Singer Jimmy Pursey reeled in his rallying calls in favor of reverb-drenched sentiments and melodies. The album was the band’s biggest seller (making the U.K. Top 10). One more LP (1980’s The Game) followed before Sham 69 split into various groups that featured ex-members of The Sex Pistols, The Damned, and The Dead Boys.