The group's line-up initially included bassist Phil Brown and lead guitarist Brian Alterman, whose guitar riffs have been compared to those of the Byrds.
[1] Their debut single, "Starry Eyes", was released in the UK that December and has since become their best-known song,[1] and an oft-covered power pop standard.
[2] Due in part to its clear influence by American power pop, the song was a bigger hit in the US than in the UK; it peaked at No.
Huw Gower produced "The Phone", which was added to the album in preference to one of Lange's efforts, a cover of Tim Moore's "Rock 'n' Roll Love Letter".
The album was released in the US in July 1979 as The Records with different song sequencing and with the original single version of "Starry Eyes" replacing Lange's re-recording that appeared on the UK edition.
Returning to the UK, Will Birch engaged the services of producer Craig Leon to record two new songs and to remix two tracks from Shades in Bed for a possible single release.
[1] The album was not a hit, and did not yield any successful singles, and record company support for the band dried up during the Crashes tour.
In 1990, the original band briefly reformed to contribute a track for the 1991 Brian Wilson tribute album, Smiles, Vibes & Harmony.
Birch, Brown and Wicks cut the basic track for "Darlin'" in London; Gower added his parts and mixed it in New York.
Both recordings received great press, but were not enough to outweigh unresolved past issues within the core membership, which effectively killed any possibility of restarting the group.