Kix have often been knee-jerkingly dismissed as hair metal, but the truth is that they’re difficult to classify. With giant riffs, chewable choruses, and a penchant for sartorial glam, this Maryland quintet were more like an American version of ’70s-era Status Quo. Their 1981 self-titled debut album draws from power pop (the Knack-like “Heartache”), punk rock (“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,” which winks at both 999 and The Vibrators), '70s U.K. glitter (“Poison” recalls Slade and The Pink Fairies and was the namesake for the future Sunset Strip chart-toppers), metal (“Kix Are for Kids”), and a mix of the above (“Contrary Mary,” “The Kid,” “Atomic Bombs”). But Kix keep their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks here; spot the subtle musical reference to The Bay City Rollers. You’ll likely never find another hard rock ditty as witty and hooky as the self-evident “The Itch.” Singer Steve Whitman’s winning tenor sounds more suitable for clubs than arenas, and you can bet he had a killer record collection—he might be the only hard rock singer on earth to purposely imitate Richard Hell’s bird-call vocal style (see “Love at First Sight”).