Gig #144: Power Pop Retrospective (1974 – 1984): The Three O’Clock, 20/20, Let’s Active, The Hollywood Stars, The Last, The Boys, The Jam, Shoes, Yachts, Plimsouls, The Records, Nick Lowe, The Bangles, The Headboys, The Nerves, Cheap Trick, Pandoras, Dwight Twilley Band, Flamin Groovies, The Undertones, The Bongos, The Neighborhoods, The Diodes, Great Buildings, The dB’s, Milk ‘n’ Cookies, Teenage Radio Stars, Rezillos, Wreckless Eric, The Quick, Tommy Keene, The Flys, The Dickies, Pezband *

*(restored)

 

The Three O’Clock
‘The Three O’Clock were the quintessential L.A. Paisley Underground band. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio in fact coined the term to describe the set of bands, including the Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, and the Bangles, who incorporated the chiming guitars of the Byrds and the Beatles into their pop songs with a psychedelic bent, and the clothes to match.’

Her Head’s Revolving (1982)

Jet Fighter (1983)

 

20/20
‘One of the key bands in the Los Angeles power pop explosion of the late 1970s and early ‘80s, 20/20 never quite scored a hit single, but they were a powerful draw on the West Coast in their heyday, and their signature song, “Yellow Pills,” became a cult favorite, covered by a number of later power pop acts and providing a noted pop fanzine with its name.’

Yellow Pills (1979)

Remember The Lightning (1979)

Nuclear Boy (1981)

 

Let’s Active
‘Mitch Easter carved his place in music history as a hip producer in the ’80s, most notably for the early R.E.M. albums Murmur and Reckoning; unfortunately, these achievements often overshadowed and distracted him from giving his full commitment to his own recording career with Let’s Active, a band that, between 1983 and 1988, released some of the finest Southern power pop/jangle pop of the decade.’

Waters Part (1984)

 

The Hollywood Stars
‘While they never earned more than a tiny cult following outside their home state of California, the Hollywood Stars became heroes to glam and power pop fans with their tight, hooky, guitar-driven music, which emerged at a time when prog rock and singer/songwriters were dominating the rock scene. The sole album they released during their heyday, 1977’s Hollywood Stars, was an overcooked disappointment with too much polish and not enough punch. But a pair of post-breakup collections of unreleased material, Shine Like a Radio: The Lost 1974 Album and Sound City, captured the band’s sound with fewer frills and revealed them to be a tough but tuneful rock band with a confident guitar attack, strong melodic hooks, and expert harmonies that didn’t blunt their swagger. Their style and approach wouldn’t have been out of place in the West Coast new wave pop boom that swept the city just two years after their album came and went.’

Escape (1974)

Supermen are Always Gentlemen (1974)

 

The Last
‘The Nolte brothers formed the band in 1976, and the band’s sound was influenced by garage rock, surf rock, folk rock and psychedelic rock. The first settled line-up also included Vitus Mataré (keyboards, flute) and Jack Reynolds (drums). After three self-financed singles, the band was signed by Bomp! Records, who issued the debut album L.A. Explosion! in 1979 (described by Trouser Press as “a near-perfect debut”). It was also issued in the UK by London Records. They reverted to their own Backlash label for second album Look Again (1980), and split up in the mid-1980s.’

She Don’t Know Why I’m Here (1979)

 

The Boys
‘The Boys have on occasion been described as The Beatles of punk, which seems a fair comparison if you think ‘Love Me Do’ rather than ‘I Am The Walrus’. Certainly, they were purveyors of a superior brand of high-speed guitar pop, with camp Cockney vocals, a tinkling piano and a tendency to keep most songs under three minutes. In addition, the band celebrated Christmas each year as did The Beatles (with their fan club Xmas flexis), but The Boys celebrated in proper punk style by recording abusive yuletide songs as The Yobs. They did not, however, go all Sgt Pepper on us.’

The First Time (1977)

Brickfield Nights (1979)

 

The Jam
‘Possibly the key to the groups overwhelming success was not only Weller’s outstanding ability as a songwriter and musician but also his ability to move with the times. Punk faded away in 1979 and whilst the group’s second album ‘This Is The Modern World’ contained elements of the Post-Punk songwriting that appeared on the previous Album, a new audience began to associate themselves with the group; the early 80s Mod Revival or ‘Jam Boys’ as they became known. Famously, the first draft of the ‘All Mod Cons’ album was scrapped in a trying period for the band with Weller temporarily lacking motivation. However the revised version of the album was well received and three more successful albums followed: ‘Setting Sons’, ‘Sound Affects’ and ‘The Gift’. The group became synonymous with the 70s/80s mod scene (partly against their will), influencing other bands in the process.’

All around the world (1977)

Strange Town (1979)

Private Hell (1980)

 

Shoes
‘Shoes pushed forward, beginning with the power pop classic Black Vinyl Shoes, a record which showcased their signature sound: fuzzy electric and bright acoustic guitars, jangly melodies, melancholy lyrics, and shimmering harmonies. When it was self-released in 1977, it received excellent press, including a glowing review in The Village Voice, and was eventually picked up for re-release by JEM/PVC Records. With increased distribution, Black Vinyl Shoes drew the attention of major labels, and Shoes signed with Elektra/Asylum in early 1979. Their three Elektra records—Present Tense (1979), Tongue Twister (1981), and Boomerang (1982)—won Shoes an international following and solid critical respect. They worked with Mike Stone, who had produced Queen, and Richard Dashut, who had helmed both Fleetwood Mac’s massive best-seller Rumors and its experimental follow-up, Tusk. Shoes’ videos—“Too Late” and “Tomorrow Night” in particular—were prominently featured on early MTV. But Shoes had signed during the devastating Crash of ’79, and they struggled to break out during these years against the backdrop of an industry in free-fall. They were released from their Elektra contract in late 1982.’

Now and Then (1979)

Too Late (1979)

When It Hits (1980)

 

Yachts
‘Retrospective appraisals of the band’s output vary. M.C. Strong dismisses Yachts as “one of the many outfits jostling for recognition in the overcrowded pop / rock marketplace”. Colin Larkin is more generous, writing that “Yachts’ popularity was fleeting but they left behind several great three-minute slices of pop, including a cover of R. Dean Taylor’s “There’s a Ghost in my House”. Vernon Joynson summed up Yacht’s approach. “Lyrically, much of their material was in the usual boy / girl realm but with humour. Musically, they ranged from sixties influenced rock with [farfisa] organ to fast-paced punk-cum-[new wave]”.’

Yachting Type (1978)

 

Plimsouls
‘Formed in Los Angeles in 1978, the Plimsouls merged roots, retro and guitar rock with a ramshackle punk aesthetic. At a time when rock music was shifting gears, the Plimsouls’ brand of soul-punk — a modern take on ’60s soul, British Invasion and garage rock sounds — fit right in with the ’80s post-punk American guitar band movement. Known for their kinetic live performances, the Plimsouls had an exceptional frontman in singer/songwriter Peter Case whose decision to pursue a solo career effectively ended their ’80s run, but whose songs have kept the group’s slight catalog and legacy in the public eye.’

Now (1981)

A Million Miles Away (1983)

 

The Records
‘Will Birch and John Wicks founded The Records in 1978. Will thought of the name in the bathtub. Influences included Big Star, The Raspberries, Blue Ash, Badfinger, Stealers Wheel and the Beatles’ Revolver LP. Will and John immediately wrote 11 songs including Teenarama, Up All Night and Held Up High. They advertised in Melody Maker and located Phil Brown (bass) and Huw Gower (guitar). In 1978 The Records joined the Be Stiff tour as backing group for Rachel Sweet. They recorded the 45 Starry Eyes and signed to Virgin Records. Their debut album Shades In Bed (aka ‘The Records’) helped to establish their reputation, particularly in the USA, where Starry Eyes was a minor hit. The Records disbanded in 1982.’

Starry Eyes (1979)

 

Nick Lowe
‘As the house producer for Stiff, he recorded many seminal records by the likes of the Damned, Elvis Costello, and the Pretenders. His rough, ragged production style earned him the nickname “Basher” and also established the amateurish, D.I.Y. aesthetics of punk. Despite his massive influence on punk rock, Lowe was never really a punk rocker. He was concerned with bringing back the tradition of three-minute pop singles and hard-driving rock & roll, but he subverted his melodic songcraft with a nasty sense of humor. His early solo singles and albums, Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust, overflowed with hooks, bizarre jokes, and an infectious energy that made them some of the most acclaimed pop records of the new wave era.’

So It Goes (1978)

Marie Provost (1978)

Cruel to Be Kind (1979)

 

The Bangles
‘The Bangles combined the chiming riffs and catchy melodies of British Invasion guitar pop with a hint of the energy of new wave. In the process, they became one of the handful of all-female bands of the ’80s to win both critical and commercial success. The critical success came first — with their self-titled debut EP and full-length album, All Over the Place — and popular success arrived once they polished their sound, added some synthesizers, and deviated slightly from their trademark jangling guitar hooks. Once they were selling at the platinum level, the Bangles didn’t stay together long, but they left several pop gems in their wake.’

Real World (1984)

 

The Headboys
‘Formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, from the ashes of pop group Badger, the Headboys – Lou Lewis (guitar/vocals), Calum Malcolm (keyboards/vocals), George Boyter (bass/vocals) and Davy Ross (drums/vocals) – secured a lucrative contract with Robert Stigwood’s RSO label on the strength of a set of superior demos recorded at Malcolm’s own studio. They enjoyed a minor hit with ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ (1979), but a faintly ludicrous schoolboy image undermined their grasp of power pop. The Headboys was not a commercial success and the group split up soon after its release.’

The Shape of Things to Come (1980)

 

The Nerves
‘L.A. power pop trio the Nerves are best known for writing “Hanging on the Telephone”, which was famously covered by Blondie (and, later, L7 and Cat Power, among others). The Nerves were only a band for a few years (from 1975-1978), and that– plus the fact that their only recorded output is a four-song, self-titled EP– has led them to be largely overlooked in the discussion of proto-new wave pop music.’

Hanging on the Telephone (1976)

Give Me Some Time (1976)

 

Cheap Trick
‘Combining a love for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the necessary links between ’60s pop, heavy metal, and punk. Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, the band’s early albums were filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of the Beatles, the sonic assault of the Who, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of the Move. A canny student of ’60s rock, Nielsen first worked with bassist Tom Petersson in the band Fuse, who released one album in 1969 before dissolving. Nielsen and Petersson continued working together in several formats until they teamed with drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Robin Zander to form the definitive lineup of Cheap Trick in 1975. After developing a cult following after three outstanding albums — 1977’s Cheap Trick and In Color and 1978’s Heaven Tonight — and relentless touring, Cheap Trick scored an unexpected hit with 1978’s At Budokan, a live album originally issued only in Japan that became their international breakthrough.’

Big Eyes (1977)

Southern Girls (1977)

Way of the World (1980)

 

Pandoras
‘One of the leading acts on the Los Angeles garage punk scene of the ’80s, the Pandoras were also one of the few all-female acts on the fuzztone and Farfisa circuit, though they were more stylistically diverse than most of their peers.’

It’s About Time (1984)

 

Dwight Twilley Band
‘Though the Dwight Twilley Band only had one hit (Twilley had another on his own), Twilley and partner Phil Seymour created an enduring and highly memorable brand of power pop that blended Beatlesque pop and Sun rockabilly “slapback” echo. Only a fraction of the band’s early output was made available at the time, but these records are highly revered by power pop aficionados. According to the legend, Dwight Twilley met Phil Seymour in 1967 at a theater where they had gone to see the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. After the film they immediately went to Twilley’s house to start writing and recording. The two continued the partnership over the next several years, calling themselves Oister and recruiting another part-time member, Bill Pitcock IV, on lead guitar. After developing their sound in their homemade studio, “the Shop,” they decided to take a stab at professional recording and headed out to Nashville, though they ended up stopping first at the legendary Sun Studios. Jerry Phillips (Sam’s son) was impressed enough to team them up with former Sun artist Ray Harris, who introduced them to “the Sun sound,” roughing up their Beatles-obsessed style a bit and creating a unique and endearing sound.’

That I Remember (1977)

England (1976)

Lookin’ for the Magic’ (1977)

 

Flamin Groovies
‘Shake Some Action is rightly championed by collectors and critics extolling its effortless pop perfection. If it had been released in 1966, it could have been a smash and a popular landmark, but a decade later, the Spector-loving sound and Beatle-loving songcraft (they even covered “Misery”) sank like a stone in the marketplace. It would be one thing if the record merely aped an era the band had spent playing other music, but the Groovies had the songs and nuanced understanding of the music needed to elevate themselves above pastiche.’

Shake Some Action (1976)

 

Undertones
‘The Undertones slam-bang punk-pop drew its strength from one simple fact: you didn’t need a secret handshake to enjoy it. John and Damian O’Neill mated infectious guitar hooks to ’60s garage, ’70s glam rock, and Feargal Sharkey’s signature vocal quaver. Those qualities came together on their breakout hit “Teenage Kicks,” whose simplicity harked back to ’60s ideals of when the song was king.’

Jimmy Jimmy (1979)

My Perfect Cousin (1980)

 

The Bongos
‘Hoboken’s Bongos — founded as a trio consisting of Richard Barone (guitar, vocals), Rob Norris (bass), and Frank Giannini (drums, vocals) — made no pretense of being anything other than a pop band; fortunately, they were a good pop band, covering guitar pop from the Byrds to T. Rex, all of it pulled together by Barone’s original songs.’

Bulrushes (1981)

 

The Neighborhoods
‘Led by singer and guitarist David Minehan, the Neighborhoods were a Boston-based rock band whose sound and approach found them residing in several camps at once, fusing the tuneful approach of a power pop group, the rebellious attitude of a punk band, and the big sound and swagger of a traditional hard rock act.’

Prettiest Girl (1979)

 

The Diodes
‘The first Canadian punk band signed to a major label, the Diodes are best-remembered for their moody, head-banging hit “Tired of Waking Up Tired” and their hard-hitting interpretation of the Paul Simon-penned tune “Red Rubber Ball.” With vocalist Paul Robinson backed by guitarist John Catto, bassist Ian MacKay, and drummers John Hamilton and, later, Mike Lengyell, the Toronto-based band roared with unabashed intensity.’

Tired of Waking Up Tired (1977)

 

Great Buildings
‘Great Buildings were a power pop/new wave group formed in the early ’80s by Danny Wilde (vocal/guitar), Richard Sanford (drums), Philip Solem (guitar/vocals), and Ian Ainsworth (bass/keyboard/vocals). They recorded one album for Columbia in 1981 before breaking up a short time later. Wilde went on to release one solo album in 1989 for Geffen before teaming up again with Solem to form the Rembrandts the following year.’

Another Day in My Life (1981)

 

The dB’s
‘Playing sharp, tuneful songs with a hint of psychedelia and some challenging melodic angles, the dB’s were the band that bridged the gap between classic ’70s power pop (defined by bands such as Big Star, Badfinger, and the Scruffs) and the jangly new wave of smart pop, personified by R.E.M. And while the dB’s spent the bunk of their career living and working on the East Coast, they were the among the first and most important representatives of the Southern branch of the new wave; most of the group’s members hailed from North Carolina, bringing a Southern warmth to music that sometimes sounded cold and spare in the hands of others.’

Black and White (1981)

Neverland (1982)

 

Milk ‘n’ Cookies
‘Milk ‘N’ Cookies were a band in the wrong place at the wrong time. If they’d shown up a few years later, they could have been part of the poppy end of the late-’70s/early-’80s punk/new wave explosion. If they’d made their name a year or two earlier, they could have been part of the glam explosion that inspired them. And if they’d been from Los Angeles or the U.K., they’d probably have found friendlier press. But it was their fate to emerge in Long Island, New York in 1974, where they didn’t fit in with the sound of the day. They had to settle for being an influential and revered cult item instead of achieving genuine rock stardom.’

(Dee, Dee You’re) Stuck On A Star (1975)

I’m Just a Kid (1976)

 

Teenage Radio Stars
‘Singer/guitarist Sean Kelly’s first band was Spred, which he formed in Melbourne (Australia) in 1977 with his school chum James Freud (born Colin McGlinchey). The band made its live debut on New Year’s Eve as part of a festival called ‘Punk Gunk’ (alongside The Boys Next Door). After joining the independent Suicide label (a Mushroom subsidiary through RCA) they changed the name of the band to Teenage Radio Stars. With a new rhythm section of Pierre Voltaire (bass) and Dave Osbourne (drums), Teenage Radio Stars contributed two tracks to Suicide’s punk compilation Lethal Weapons. The band also issued the single Wanna Be Ya Baby (April 1978) and appeared on TV pop show Countdown to promote its release.’

Sweet Boredom (1979)

 

Rezillos
‘Although frequently aligned with the punk movement, the Rezillos’ (later known as the Revillos) irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl group iconography set them distinctly apart from their peers. Formed in 1976 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the group was initially a fluid and highly informal collective centered around lead vocalists Eugene Reynolds (born Alan Forbes) and Fay Fife (Sheila Hynde), and fleshed out by lead guitarist Luke Warm (Jo Callis), second guitarist Hi-Fi Harris (Mark Harris), Dr. D.K. Smythe on bass, drummer Angel Paterson (Alan Patterson), and backing vocalist Gale Warning.’

Top of the Pops (1978)

 

Wreckless Eric
‘A gifted songwriter whose style is informed by playful eccentricity as well as “regular guy from the pub” wisdom, Wreckless Eric first earned recognition as part of Stiff Records’ willfully quirky roster of punk and new wave artists during the late ’70s. Early on, Eric bashed out a series of ragged, three-chord punk-pop singles driven by his pent-up energy and a knack for melodic pop hooks. Tunes like “Whole Wide World,” “Semaphore Signals,” and “Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)” made him a cult hero due to his engaging sense of humor and fondness for simple rock & roll.’

Whole Wide World (1976)

 

The Quick
‘The key component of The Quick’s sound was its guitarist and leader, Steven Hufsteter, a Jagger-esque figure whose playing combined a slashing Townsend style attack with a fussy, classically influenced melodicism. It seems that Hufsteter’s mission on Earth was to meld the Teutonic bombast of Wagner and Mahler with the power chord driven sound of mod era groups like The Move and The Creation. A trademark example of this is the band’s thundering cover of the Beatle’s “It Won’t Be Long”, into which Hufsteter worked melodic lines from Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” Unlike more mainstream classical rocks acts like ELO, however, Hufsteter wished only to incorporate classical music’s grandeur and drama, but not it’s gentility. His method was not to put a respectable face on rock, but to give classical music a much needed dirtying up.’

It Won’t Be Long (1976)

My Purgatory Years (1976)

Pretty Please (1978)

 

Tommy Keene
‘Keene first received critical acclaim with his pioneering pop band The Razz, who released several local independent singles. His 1984 EP Places That Are Gone became one of the year’s top selling independent releases. The EP garnered a four-star review in Rolling Stone, and was voted the No. 1 EP in the following year’s Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Keene recorded and released numerous albums on such labels as Dolphin, Geffen and Matador Records. He worked with producers T-Bone Burnett, Don Dixon, and R. Walt Vincent. He continued to record and tour and released an album with Robert Pollard, of Guided by Voices, as ‘The Keene Brothers.’ Keene also played guitar on the Goo Goo Dolls’ hit song, “Broadway”, on their 1998 album, Dizzy Up The Girl.’

Places That Are Gone (1984)

 

The Flys
‘The Flys were a British pop punk rock band that originally formed in 1976 in Coventry, England. After the self-release of their initial EP, Bunch of Fives, they were signed by EMI Records. With EMI they released the albums Waikiki Beach Refugees and Own. In 1980 they changed labels to Parlophone but soon disbanded.’

Name Dropping (1979)

 

The Dickies
‘The Dickies were the clown princes of punk, not to mention surprisingly longstanding veterans of the L.A. scene. In fact, by the new millennium, they’d become the oldest surviving punk band still recording new material. In contrast to the snotty, intentionally offensive humor of many comedically inclined punk bands, the Dickies were winningly goofy, inspired mostly by trashy movies and other pop culture camp. Their covers were just as ridiculous as their originals, transforming arena rock anthems and bubblegum pop chestnuts alike into the loud, speed-blur punk-pop — basically the Ramones crossed with L.A. hardcore — that was their musical stock in trade. As the band got older, their music slowed down little by little, but their sound and their sense of humor stayed largely the same, and they were an avowed influence on new-school punkers like Green Day and the Offspring.’

Fan Mail (1979)

I’m Stuck in a Pagoda with Tricia Toyota (1979)

Manny, Moe, and Jack (1979)

 

Pezband
‘Hailing from the same state as Cheap Trick (Illinois), the Pezband was a mostly fine, occasionally wonderful, power pop band that specialized in hook-filled hard rock with sweet multi-part harmonies. Led by the strong, blues-inflected singing of Mimi (a guy) Betinis and the rampaging Jeff Beck-influenced guitar playing of Tommy Gawenda, the Pezzers’ first LP (released in 1977) was not as hard and heavy as Cheap Trick, nor did it exhibit the berserk panache of their fellow Illinoisans. But that all changed with their second LP, Laughing in the Dark, which contained a high quotient of good-to-great songs, excellent production by Jesse Hood Jackson, and a wonderful lack of smugness and calculation that was slowly infiltrating every power pop band in America.’

Love Goes Underground (1978)

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** scunnard, Hi, J. I do try to only include usuals when all else fails. I’m alright. Three days left until whatever freedom will mean, probably not a ton. You? Your email arrived, yes. Thank you. My ‘fuck Chipotle’ is only valid until they reopen, and then it’ll be ‘thank god for a Chipotle in Paris’ again. I’m a slut. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. If that pill artist had done portraits of those two prime candidates, you can bet they would have been in the gallery. ** Dominik, Hello!!!! Well, that’s true, but, on the other hand, I think I was probably desperate to cover up my accidental crime for fear of imprisonment on death row, so my ‘being murdered’ fear did manage to sneak in there through the side entrance maybe. Wow, interesting. I’m going to try, I don’t know how, to look at my hands in a dream and remember doing that when I wake up. Very tall order. The thing I know is that you can’t run in your dreams. In my dreams that I remember, I’m always trying too run away from a murderer or someone like that, and my legs won’t cooperate. They only move a little in extremely slow motion, so I try to crawl away, and I can’t do that either. I read somewhere that’s because your body knows its lying down and can’t run, and it tells your dreaming brain that. Interesting. Yeah, but you can bet I’ll hitting up Chipotle as soon as I’m absolutely sure they’ve reopened, so my ‘fuck’ was a wussy one. Mm, no, I just ate my usual vegan blah blah yesterday, but I liked it well enough. But I am going shopping today. I realised I should try to really enjoy the weird emptiness outside since it well be gone, possibly forever (?), on Monday. Ha ha. Love like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs and thus benevolently paved the way for the appearance on earth of humans like you, Dennis. ** Joseph, Oh, no, I’m very used to it. Standard fare. No big. You’ve never disappointed me yet, sir, so the odds are heavily against that occurrence. Wow, you’re almost through a Vollman. I haven’t taken that valuable challenge in too long. Your partner is a very, very cool person! I hope to meet her and talk Nintendo someday. You can tell there’s also some ‘Conker’s Bad Fur Day’ in there too. You stay well to the max, man. ** Misanthrope, My grandma, who was a super skilled painter, sculptor, and taxidermist, made this amazing life-size Santa that we propped by our front door every year. I wish I had a photo. Your weekend ahead hit the spot, the spot I wish I had. That’ll be awfully nice. ** Steve Erickson, The Paris Chipotle has been problem free. I think they have different standards over here. Oh, sure, Gaga’s thing is fodder for word spillage, that’s true. Naturally I have now made note of ‘Darktown Strutters’ to locate and absorb. Thank you. ** Okay. Today I have restored an old gig post focused on the relatively short-lived but joyous genre Power Pop. So it’s a gig full of nothing but ear candy of varying degrees of greatness. If you want to be perked up, or if you want a sugar rush, or if you, like me, want to experience some genius formal play, exploration, and exercising in the verse-chorus-verse-finessed realm of rock/pop music, you will have a splendid day whilst in these confines. See you tomorrow.