"Connection"

Elastica
(DGC/Geffen, 1995)

With a sound and a look right outta 1977, Elastica's homonymous full-length debut offered a giddy, effervescent update of taut 'n' snotty Buzzcocksian Brit-punk that did more than merely draw on the legacy of the band's idols. "Connection," Elastica's obsessively catchy stateside breakthrough, nicked its signature opening riff from Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba" -- an overzealous (and uncredited) "homage" that proved that though imitation may indeed be the highest form of flattery, it can also cost in publishing royalties. Great song, though.

-- Jonathan Perry