Blondie

In contrast to the heroin-fueled, raw farage power offered by the Stooges, the stilettos-and-lipstick glam of the New York Dolls, and the turtlenecked, literary-minded experimentalism of the Talking Heads, Blondie were the embodiment of sweetly seductive, powder-puff pop wrapped in punk sandpaper. Built on a foundation of wistful '60s girl-group pop spiked with tough-chick lyricism, Blondie walked a fine line between innocent good girl/seductive bad girl imagery: in their songs, the dewy-eyed sex kitten may have been purring contentedly, but her claws were razor sharp. The formula worked well enough for the band to become a major mainstream force -- vocalist Debbie Harry's striking beauty was certainly no hindrance -producing new wave hits that appealed to types far beyond those who frequented CBGB's. The band continued to create new, inventive music by covering obscure artists (the Nerves, the Paragons) and delving into then-widely unexplored genres (ska, reggae, rap), cementing their reputation as founding punk figures and musical experimentalists.