By Matthew Lake

THE CATALOGS OF many important underground bands from the past are best likened to Chinese food and disco: 80 percent of it is better left untouched, but that 20 percent that's good, well, it's really, really fucking good.

Such is the case with San Francisco post-punk pioneers Tuxedomoon. Between 1977 and 1988, Tuxedomoon released a small horde of singles, EPs, and full-lengths, which would be, by and large, forgettable if it weren't for their occasional moments of brilliance.

However, it's their subsequent imprint on countless artists and bands that has earned them particular reverence. The recent resurgence of music that blends electronic and dance with rock owes as much a debt to bands like 'Moon as it does to that cracked copy of Logic you have stowed away on your laptop.

"We were seen as an intellectual band. A lot of the punks didn't like us," Tuxedomoon vocalist and founding member Winston Tong recently recalled. "The Sleepers and the Mutants – all these bands in the scene like us were artier, had a more connection-breaking bias."

Emerging as a collective based on Minna Street, Tuxedomoon consisted of Tong, Peter Principle, Blaine L. Reininger, and Steven Brown. One of only a handful of avant-garde art-punk bands to emerge from the Bay Area underground during the mid- and late '70s, Tuxedomoon quickly carved out a niche for themselves, opening for Devo during their first U.S. tour. Whereas the East Coast had DNA and Suicide, the best coast boasted the likes of Tuxedomoon, Chrome, Flipper, Nervous Gender, and Factrix.

Pioneering theatrical, electronic live performances of raw noise and song – held aloft by an arsenal of eclectic instrumentation and visceral imagery – the band's shows were challenged only by the mythos surrounding early Throbbing Gristle performances.

As with most bands of their kind, 'Moon's later years were marked by a continued eccentricity in their sound, which all but castrated the edginess and inspiration of their early recordings. Lineup changes and poorly executed explorations in jazz led to a slow death. Still, a couple of their records, which can be found today, are important – and listenable – testaments to their pivotal, if esoteric, subgenre.

'Joeboy Police R' (1978) The B-side of 'Moon's first 7-inch single is the highly popular and oft-covered song "In the Manner of Speaking."

Tuxedomoon (Time Release, 1979) This self-titled 12-inch EP on San Francisco label Time Release is an absolute must-have. Easily 'Moon's finest moment, Tuxedomoon's four songs are all edgy, synth-heavy gems. Moreover, "No Tears" is pure crack-candy for the ears and the closest thing Tuxedomoon have to an anthem. It's not easy to get but not impossible either.

A Thousand Lives by Picture (Ralph, 1983) The closest thing to a greatest-hits collection you can find, this album boasts nine strong tracks, which balance a coherent pop sensibility with sonic experimentation incorporating a variety of horns, strings, and synths, along with electric guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. The last track, "Crash," is an instrumental that sounds like a blood-splattered car doing 95 mph.

Tuxedomoon perform March 19, 9:30 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 861-5016.

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Various Tuxedomoon releases