"Generation X rode the first wave of U.K. punk music along with some of their more-famous peers such as the Sex Pistols, the Damned and the Clash. The band was the starting point for the skyrocketing career of Billy Idol, the lead singer of Generation X, and although Idol would achieve smash solo success in the ‘80s, he owes it all to his first punk band.Named after a book detailing the battles between the Mods and the Rockers in the ‘60s, Generation X formed in 1976 with frontman Billy Idol, guitarist Bob Andrews, bassist Tony James and drummer Mark Laff. Chrysalis Records signed the fledgling punk rock outfit and issued their eponymous debut, which contained a different tracks version for the U.K. and U.S. releases of the record in 1978. Generation X made television history by being one of the first punk bands to be featured on Top of the Pops, a popular British television music program, and turned up their noses at the so-called rules of the punk scene by covering John Lennon (""Gimme Some Truth"") on their debut album. Generation X enlisted rock vet Ian Hunter to produce their sophomore record, Valley of the Dolls, which was released in 1979.By this time the band was having internal conflicts over the musical direction Generation X should take (some members wanted the group to stay true to their punk origins and others wanted to go in a more rock direction), resulting in Idol and James remaining as the only original members of the band. 1981's Kiss Me Deadly, which contained the original version of ""Dancing with Myself"" (a song that would later make Idol famous as a solo artist) was Generation X's last album before the group split up for good. After Idol secured solo success, a few best-of and reworked collections from Generation X emerged in the late ‘90s."
