I've been going through a power pop phase, possibly due to the weather, mostly because it makes the hellish tube journey surrounded by grunting sweating cow people bearable on the way to werk...OK OK I'm going a bit Son of Sam, it's this dam heat!
Here is a classic ten track comp of the very best of Power Pop for you...
The Raspberries: Go All The Way
Dig the furry bouffants, Revlon trousers and double necked "axe", Snap your fingers to the groovy graphics and wah wah intro music of the show, revel in the "recorded in a coal mine" sound...Everything you want from a 70's talk show and power pop band! The Raspberries were the rocking grandpappies of all things power and popping providing its basic ingredients namely an Anglocentric love of crunchy guitars from The Small Faces and The Who, a layering of American street corner Doo Wop, short catchy tunes as a reaction against the meandering heavy rock soloing of the time and a desire to get back to when music was fun and made for drinking cokes at the drive in, copping a feel in your dad's caddy...and big big hair and collars..
These guys started with a bang and a top 10 hit as "Go All The Way"'s saucy lyrics escaped the censors in a wash of sweet harmonies (yes they had censors back then kids), released four killer albums that went unbought, then imploded after the brilliant last gasp hit of "Overnight Sensation". The list of classics is endless: "On The Beach", "Tonight", "Ecstasy", "I Reach For The Light"....
Dig the furry bouffants, Revlon trousers and double necked "axe", Snap your fingers to the groovy graphics and wah wah intro music of the show, revel in the "recorded in a coal mine" sound...Everything you want from a 70's talk show and power pop band! The Raspberries were the rocking grandpappies of all things power and popping providing its basic ingredients namely an Anglocentric love of crunchy guitars from The Small Faces and The Who, a layering of American street corner Doo Wop, short catchy tunes as a reaction against the meandering heavy rock soloing of the time and a desire to get back to when music was fun and made for drinking cokes at the drive in, copping a feel in your dad's caddy...and big big hair and collars..
These guys started with a bang and a top 10 hit as "Go All The Way"'s saucy lyrics escaped the censors in a wash of sweet harmonies (yes they had censors back then kids), released four killer albums that went unbought, then imploded after the brilliant last gasp hit of "Overnight Sensation". The list of classics is endless: "On The Beach", "Tonight", "Ecstasy", "I Reach For The Light"....
Cheap Trick: Candy
After the Raspberries, power pops greatest band, and biggest sellers. In fact the only reason they are not the top pick is their later decent into hair metal horribleness in the 80's with No1 power ballad "The Flame"...Mutated the basic template for PP by beefing up the guitars and warping the previously innocent fun and girls lyrical imagery with tales of pedophiles and gigolos. This song takes suicide as the cheery template but wraps up in jangle and harmonies until the chilling final line. Da Trick also had the amusing conceit of playing up the discrepancies in looks between the dorky guitarist and overweight drummer, who would feature on the back covers of the albums and the interchangeable dreamboat singer and bassist. On one album the dreamboats lounge on custom choppers under the albums title, on the back the uglies are riding tiny midget peddle bikes..
After the Raspberries, power pops greatest band, and biggest sellers. In fact the only reason they are not the top pick is their later decent into hair metal horribleness in the 80's with No1 power ballad "The Flame"...Mutated the basic template for PP by beefing up the guitars and warping the previously innocent fun and girls lyrical imagery with tales of pedophiles and gigolos. This song takes suicide as the cheery template but wraps up in jangle and harmonies until the chilling final line. Da Trick also had the amusing conceit of playing up the discrepancies in looks between the dorky guitarist and overweight drummer, who would feature on the back covers of the albums and the interchangeable dreamboat singer and bassist. On one album the dreamboats lounge on custom choppers under the albums title, on the back the uglies are riding tiny midget peddle bikes..
The DB's: Bad Reputation
Coming a bit after power pops 70's peak, The DB's meshed the same basic ingredients as their predecessors but replaced the Doo Wop elements with a gnarly punky attack borrowed from GBGB's band Television. However they still worshiped The Beatles, unlike punks, and were generally superior players, again unlike punks, leading to a new wiry version of classic PP. This song also enshrines the classic PP lyrical subject, the cool girl who is always just out of reach to the inevitably specky singer.
Coming a bit after power pops 70's peak, The DB's meshed the same basic ingredients as their predecessors but replaced the Doo Wop elements with a gnarly punky attack borrowed from GBGB's band Television. However they still worshiped The Beatles, unlike punks, and were generally superior players, again unlike punks, leading to a new wiry version of classic PP. This song also enshrines the classic PP lyrical subject, the cool girl who is always just out of reach to the inevitably specky singer.
The Knack: Baby Talks Dirty
Oh god should this go on the list?? The Knack had a huge hit with "My Sharona", one of the biggest singles of the 70's which sold like an album. They were then subject to a brutal backlash dubbed "Knuke The Knack", instigated by a press disgruntled by their perceived lack of integrity (who cares?) and sexist lyrics (fair enough). This was the follow up single after the campaign and it scraped the top 40, if The Knack were trying to make up lost ground this unpleasantly catchy ode to picking up teenage sadomasochists was the wrong way to go about it. The gasping mewls in the verses are teeth grindingly obscene, while the fact that singer Doug Feiger looked like a deranged insurance salesman and sings with such lipsmacking relish only completes the package...there is also a negative side...
Oh god should this go on the list?? The Knack had a huge hit with "My Sharona", one of the biggest singles of the 70's which sold like an album. They were then subject to a brutal backlash dubbed "Knuke The Knack", instigated by a press disgruntled by their perceived lack of integrity (who cares?) and sexist lyrics (fair enough). This was the follow up single after the campaign and it scraped the top 40, if The Knack were trying to make up lost ground this unpleasantly catchy ode to picking up teenage sadomasochists was the wrong way to go about it. The gasping mewls in the verses are teeth grindingly obscene, while the fact that singer Doug Feiger looked like a deranged insurance salesman and sings with such lipsmacking relish only completes the package...there is also a negative side...
Tom Petty: Century City
Dear old Tom Petty, was there ever a more silky blonde barnet? The fact that Tom spent his entire career trying to cross Dylan and The Byrds and ends up being ripped off by The Strokes (compare "Last Nite" with "American Girl") only shows how wrong he got it, but in a good way. All of "Dam The Torpedoes" is great but this is the most rocking song, I enjoy the fact that admitting to enjoying artists like Petty will make certain of your friends look at you like you are a rapist, which makes the guilty pleasure all the guiltier and more pleasurable...
Dear old Tom Petty, was there ever a more silky blonde barnet? The fact that Tom spent his entire career trying to cross Dylan and The Byrds and ends up being ripped off by The Strokes (compare "Last Nite" with "American Girl") only shows how wrong he got it, but in a good way. All of "Dam The Torpedoes" is great but this is the most rocking song, I enjoy the fact that admitting to enjoying artists like Petty will make certain of your friends look at you like you are a rapist, which makes the guilty pleasure all the guiltier and more pleasurable...
Todd Rundgren: Couldn't I Just Tell You
Amid the egocentric jumble of philly soul, garage rock, show tunes and in-jokes that was Todd's classic album "Something/Anything" lay a brilliant stab at ringing power pop. This is a period where even John Lennon referred to Todd as "God" and he just seemed to churn out classic songs, it all went horribly wrong of course...Growing bored with the ease with which he had mastered classic songwriting Todd yearned for greater complexity and formed the hideously misnamed prog band "Utopia", the hits dried up and he ended up joining The Cars...There is a moral here I feel..
Amid the egocentric jumble of philly soul, garage rock, show tunes and in-jokes that was Todd's classic album "Something/Anything" lay a brilliant stab at ringing power pop. This is a period where even John Lennon referred to Todd as "God" and he just seemed to churn out classic songs, it all went horribly wrong of course...Growing bored with the ease with which he had mastered classic songwriting Todd yearned for greater complexity and formed the hideously misnamed prog band "Utopia", the hits dried up and he ended up joining The Cars...There is a moral here I feel..
The Cars: My Best Friend's Girl
Which brings us to..The Cars! Another basically awful group, like The Knack, who seemingly sold their souls to the devil for the ability to churn out toe tapping new wave. The down side being that most people would rather be flayed alive than admit to liking them. Tall beaky singer Ric Ocasek produced some pretty cool bands like Suicide and Bad Brains so he can't have been all bad but The Cars were a cold hearted hit machine like The Police. It is odd that they were so popular as the underlying sound is of 60's garage rock and bubblegum pop but played by machines who will one day turn on their creators and destroy them...this is their best track before the fear and loathing of "Drive"...
Which brings us to..The Cars! Another basically awful group, like The Knack, who seemingly sold their souls to the devil for the ability to churn out toe tapping new wave. The down side being that most people would rather be flayed alive than admit to liking them. Tall beaky singer Ric Ocasek produced some pretty cool bands like Suicide and Bad Brains so he can't have been all bad but The Cars were a cold hearted hit machine like The Police. It is odd that they were so popular as the underlying sound is of 60's garage rock and bubblegum pop but played by machines who will one day turn on their creators and destroy them...this is their best track before the fear and loathing of "Drive"...
The Nerves: Hanging on The Telephone
These guys produced one four song EP and then broke up so there is not much to tell other than that it contained this track, subsequently a massive hit for Blondie. While the version by Debs and the boyz is fine the jittery clammer of the original is much more effective in conveying the paranoia of the lyric. Two of the band went on to form cult acts The Plimsouls and The Beat (US version not the ska band), while the guy who wrote this vanished into probably very wealthy obscurity...
These guys produced one four song EP and then broke up so there is not much to tell other than that it contained this track, subsequently a massive hit for Blondie. While the version by Debs and the boyz is fine the jittery clammer of the original is much more effective in conveying the paranoia of the lyric. Two of the band went on to form cult acts The Plimsouls and The Beat (US version not the ska band), while the guy who wrote this vanished into probably very wealthy obscurity...
Blondie: Will Anything Happen
...But not before penning this song which Blondie also covered on the classic "Parallel Lines" album. A fraught tale of unfullfilled rock n' roll dreams, ambition and failure, the song works so well because Deborah Harry seems to have lived every word she sings. Great guitars as well from Chris Stein and Frank "the Freak" Infante, never really mentioned on all time best guitar band lists the Blondie guys could really churn out a racket for a supposed "pop" act.
...But not before penning this song which Blondie also covered on the classic "Parallel Lines" album. A fraught tale of unfullfilled rock n' roll dreams, ambition and failure, the song works so well because Deborah Harry seems to have lived every word she sings. Great guitars as well from Chris Stein and Frank "the Freak" Infante, never really mentioned on all time best guitar band lists the Blondie guys could really churn out a racket for a supposed "pop" act.
Big Star: September Gurls
Maybe the definitive power pop anthem, Big Star's first two albums basically invented 90's indie, for better or worse..Needless to say in the era of Emerson, Lake and Palmer their albums sold virtually nothing but their influence is huge. One of the few bands who never recorded a bad song and broke up while still good.
Maybe the definitive power pop anthem, Big Star's first two albums basically invented 90's indie, for better or worse..Needless to say in the era of Emerson, Lake and Palmer their albums sold virtually nothing but their influence is huge. One of the few bands who never recorded a bad song and broke up while still good.
Other bands who have produced at least one classic that fits the power pop template include:
The Flamin' Groovies: Shake Some Action
The Records: Starry Eyes
The Replacements: Alex Chilton
Joe Jackson: Is She Really Going Out With Him
The Pretenders: Kid
Badfinger: No Matter What
The Only Ones: Another Girl, Another Planet
Maningrey
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