Somehow missed this thread. Lots of great stuff already accounted for, but a few omissions worth checking out:
Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club English Garden
A band that marks the starting point of Thomas Dolby and the Buggles, also includes the original version of "Video Killed the Radio Star." Dolby and Trevor Horn went on to careers that eclipsed Wooley, but none of them ever came up with an album as all-around enjoyable as this one. Sounds like the non-existent Bowie album that bridges
Diamond Dogs with
Low far more logically than the actual Bowie albums between those points.
Squeeze Cool for Cats
The start of Difford/Tilbrook's short three album run as declared heirs to the Lennon/McCartney pop songwriter throne.
Phil Rambow Shooting Gallery
Ex-leader of the Winkies, an ill-fated pub/glam band that started with so much buzz Brian Eno chose them to be his backing band for his first solo tour (which ended before it began with a collapsed lung), Rambow released two solo albums before disappearing (although he popped up occasionally as a songwriter, penning "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" for Kristy McColl). This was the first, and it's an interesting meld of Van Morrison and the Costello/Parker/Jackson/Lowe strand of the era's new wave, slightly ruined by the dated production. His follow-up (
Jungle Law) was considerably better, but this one is definitely worth a listen.
Jules and the Polar Bears Fenetiks
Not quite as striking as
Got No Breeding, but more pop oriented and with at least two tracks ("One Good Reason" and "Faded Red") that may have exceeded anything on that debut. After this there was a 3rd album that never got an official release, and then Jules Shear started his solo career.
Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons Screaming Targets
After years on the Aussie pub circuit, Jo Jo Zep seemed poised for major success with this album. They incorporated strains of reggae and Rolling Stones worship into a
My Aim Is True songwriting sensibility (Costello even chose their "So Young" as one of his b-sides at the time). One of those albums where every song might be your favorite at any given time, the band stuck together for one more shot before singer Jo Camilleri pulled the world's worst Rod Stewart imitation and went solo with a thud.
The Buzzards Jellied Eels to Record Deals
Yet another great forgotten late '70s Brit punk band. Originally known as the Leyton Buzzards, Jellied Eels compiled the entirety of the lads' two-year discography for a terrific overview of a criminally neglected career. Smart enough to pen songtitles like the anti-Floyd indignation of "No Dry Ice Or Flying Pigs", but also dumb enough to believe their opinions mattered. Completely endearing on all levels.
