The Ultimate Power Pop Guide, Part 1 of 2

I took this a while ago from the great Power Pop Criminals blog
(http://powerpopcriminals.blogspot.com.br/), quite a while back (2008 to be specific),  hard to believe I've never put these fab discs up......it's a NINE disc set, so we'll bust it in half, five discs today and the other four whenever I get around to it (likely tomorrow).

Haven't posted a lot of power pop of late, but as I've tried to explain before, it's probably the genre that works the best in the compilation format, as it so much simulates the radio listening experience on record (punk/new wave also work well this way, as does "Nugget rock", as opposed to, say, metal or stoner rock)....

Anyway, the idea here is these are supposedly someone's list of the top 200 power pop tunes of them all, 25 tunes spread over 8 discs, the ninth disc being cover versions......I see no reason for ME to elaborate on any of this, seems like to me the copy/paste method is the way to go here as this is not exactly my field of expertise, nor, do I have any serious disagreements with anything on the "list"......the first five volumes are here for you though, and I listened to them all in the past week or so.....all GREAT trust me.

So, rather than typing out the whole track list for each one and blathering about each track, I'm going to let ya just read the original texts, which I'm sure are much more entertaining AND informative than anything I could put out there.......believe me though, this is some DAMN great stuff, you'd be doing yourself a disservice should you miss it.

VOLUME 1

If you're blogging around, now you know there's a list of the 200 most essential power pop recordings of the last +35 years. John M. Borack has put together the list for the excellent "Shake Some Action" book published by Bruce Brodeen and Not Lame. John Borack is one of the preeminent writers/reviewers covering the power pop/pure pop musical style we all know and love. You may or may not agree with the list (IMHO i do agree mostly with that list, even though mine would have been different) but i guess it would be interesting to post a complete "Best" of the ultimate power pop guide. So, i picked one song from each album selected by John Borack. My picks were totally subjective, so you won't get any "September Gurls", Rock'n'Roll Girl"', "Tomorrow Night" or other all-time classics. I tried (but not always) to not chose the songs you could already find on some famous power pop compilations ("Yellow Pills", "Poptopia" or the Rhino "DIY Series" and many others...). This is the 1st part of the unauthorized best of the ultimate power pop guide. Whenever available each album will be linked to an online record store.

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The List (1 -> 25) Rank Band - Album (Song)

1 Raspberries -Starting Over (Overnight Sensation)
2 Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City (Back Of A Car)
3 Shoes - Present Tense/Tongue Twister (Every Girl)
4 Cheap Trick - In Color (I Want You Want Me)
5 20/20 - 20/20 & Look Out (Remember The Lightning)
6 Chris Von Sneidern - Big White Lies (Mindreader)
7 Tommy Keene - Songs From The Film (Gold Town)
8 The Orange Humble Band - Assorted Creams (It Doesn't Matter)
9 Adam Schmitt - World So Bright (Can't Get You On My Mind)
10 The Beat - The Beat (U.S.A.)
11 DM3 - Road To Rome (Second Floor)
12 Badfinger - Wish You Were Here (Know One Knows)
13 The Toms - The Toms (You Must Have Crossed My Mind)
14 Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (I've Been Waiting)
15 The Someloves - Something Or Other (Know You Know)
16 Game Theory - Big Shot Chronicles (Erica's Word)
17 Nick Lowe - 16 All-Time Lowes (American Squirm)
18 Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw (Cynical Girl)
19 Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack (One Simple World)
20 Fountains Of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers (Stacy's Mom)
21 Dwight Twilley Band - Sincerely (You Were So Warm)
22 The Smithereens - Especially For You (Hand Of Glory)
23 Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action (I Can't Hide)
24 The Rooks - Encore Echoes (Reasons)
25 The Spongetones - Beat & Torn (Every Night Is A Holiday)

VOLUME 2

Second part (26->50) of the unauthorized best of the ultimate power pop guide. A new bunch of 25 great powerpop albums. Most of them are available through Not Lame or any other online record store. Only a few of those albums ("Jimmy Silva", "Myracle Brah", and "The Late Show"...) are really hard to find. The Late Show has never been reissued on cd but was posted earlier on your favorite blog. The "Myracle Brah's first album" can be purchased from Jam Records(limited quantity). "Jimmy Silva's Heidi" is now an OOP "collector's item" (i guess i'll post it later).

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THE LIST(26 -> 50)
Rank Band - Album (Song)

26 Cotton Mather - Kon Tiki (Password)
27 The Knack - Get The Knack (Your Number Or Your Name)
28 The Scruffs - Wanna Meet The Scruffs (You’re No Fun)
29 Velvet Crush - Free Expression (Goin’ To My Head)
30 Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution (Congratulations...)
31 Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (With My Face On The Floor)
32 Utopia - Utopia (There Goes My Inspiration)
33 Chris Stamey - Fireworks (The Company Of Light)
34 The Records - Crashes (The Same Mistakes)
35 The Plimsouls - The Plimsouls...Plus (Everyday Things)
36 The Rubinoos - Paleophonic (Pursuit Of Happiness)
37 Bill Lloyd - Set To Pop (I Went Electric)
38 The Merrymakers - Bubblegun (I’m In...Love!)
39 Jimmy Silva & The Goats - Heidi (St Catherine’s Statue)
40 The Shazam - The Shazam (C’mon Girl)
41 The Heats - Smoke (Have An Idea)
42 The Greenberry Woods - Big Money Item (Super Geek)
43 Myracle Brah - Life On Planet Eartsnop (Whisper Softly)
44 Mark Johnson - 12 In A Room (Earn That Love)
45 Splitsville - The Complete Pet Soul (The Popular)
46 The Late Show - Portable Pop (Hey Sue)
47 Phil Seymour - Phil Seymour (I Found A Love)
48 Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings - Love Songs To Myself (Real)
49 Cheepskates - It Wings Above (Goodbye Princess)
50 XTC - Upsy Daisy Assortment (The Mayor Of Simpleton)

VOLUME  3

Third part (51->75) of the unauthorized best of the ultimate power pop guide. Some of the albums featured are quite hard to find. Two of them have never been reissued in CD format (LMNOP and Green). A few ones were available on CD but are now out of print (Squire, Bobby Sutliff, David Grahame, Flying Color and The Innocents). The Green album (expanded with bonus) is now available from online stores.

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THE LIST(51 -> 75)
Rank Band - Album (Song)

51 Bobby Sutliff - Only Ghosts Remain (Couldn't Help Myself)
52 Pezband - Pezband (When I'm Down)
53 The dB's - Like This (Not Cool)
54 The Barracudas - Drop Out with ((I Wish It Could Be) 1965 Again)
55 The Romantics - The Romantics (Till I See You Again)
56 David Grahame - Toy Plane (Steady Thing)
57 Richard Lloyd - Alchemy (Alchemy)
58 Squeeze - Argybargy (Pulling Mussels (From The Shell))
59 Off Broadway - On (Bad Indication)
60 Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix (Discolite)
61 Squire - Big Smashes (Does Stephanie Know)
62 The Windbreakers - Time Machine 1982-2002 (Girl From Washington)
63 Mockingbirds - Mockingbirds (Submarine)
64 Jellyfish - Spilt Milk NEW Mistake)
65 Lolas -Something You Oughta Know (Something You Oughta Know)
66 Green - Green (Curry Your Favor)
67 The Shivvers - Lost Hits From... (No Reaction)
68 LMNOP - Elemen Opee Elpee (Comparative Analysis)
69 The Innocents - No Hits Wonder From Down Under (Come Tonight) 
70 Flying Color - Flying Color (Farewell Song)
71 Sex Clark Five - Strum & Drum (Faith)
72 Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (Just One Kiss)
73 The Beatifics - How I Learned To Stop Worrying (Happy To Be Sad)
74 Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything (Couldn't I Just Tell You)
75 Brad Jones - Gilt-Flake (Miss July)

VOLUME 4

Fourth part (76->100) of the unauthorized best of the ultimate power pop guide. A couple of albums (The Secrets* and The Keys) are not available in CD format (tryTHE LINKS provided, if you don't have them). The Michael Guthrie Band LP will be reissued soon (see link). Apart from the aforementioned, nothing really scarce, except maybe the Wondermints and Jeffrey Foskett's albums.

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THE LIST(76 -> 100)
Rank Band - Album (Song)

076 Candy - Whatever Happened To Fun (American Kix)
077 Cliff Hillis - Be Seeing You (Coming Out Alive)
078 Nick Heyward - The Apple Bed (Stars In Her Eyes)
079 Richard X. Heyman - Living Room (Wouldn't That Be A Riot)
080 Swag - Catchall (Eight)
081 The Secrets* - ...Secrets (I Need A Rock)
082 Cherry Twister - At Home With... (Sparkle)
083 Feel -Feel  (Until TheyClosed The World)
084 P.Hux - Deluxe (Live Like A King)
085 The Posies - Dear 23 (Golden Blunders)
086 Receiver - Inspiration Overload (Faster)
087 Michael Guthrie Band - Direct Hits (Do What You're Doing)
088 Gigolo Aunts - Pacific Ocean Blues (Mr. Tomorrow)
089 Kyle Vincent - Kyle Vincent (In The Worst Way)
090 Jeffrey Foskett - Thru My Window (Thru My Window)
091 The Singles - Better Than Before (See You Again)
092 Redd Kross - Show World (Stoned)
093 Sparkle*Jets U.K. - Bamboo Lounge (She May Be Nice)
094 The Keys - The Keys Album (I Don't Wanna Cry)
095 Wonderboy - Napoleon Blown Apart (Taken)
096 Wondermints - Wondermints (Libbyland)
097 Doug Powell - Curiouser (Goodnight)
098 Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (You And Your Sister)
099 Idle Wilds - Dumb, Gifted And Beautiful (You're All Forgiven)
100 Brendan Benson - One Mississippi (Sittin' Pretty)

VOLUME  5

Fifth part (101->125) of the unauthorized best of the ultimate power pop guide. "Yankee Rose" and "The Pinkees" are the ones (read never reissued)REALLY hard to find (try ebay). "Stars on Mars" were a Swedish band on Polar Records (same label as Abba). "The Bongos" and "The Elvis Brothers" CD's are the scarce ones.

Note: Special thanks to a southern friend who gave me a copy of the "Yankee Rose" LP.

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THE LIST(101 -> 125)

Rank Band - Album (Song)

101 Stars On Mars - Poster (Morris Minor)
102 The Blow Pops - American Beauties (Without Reason)
103 Fools Face - Fools Face (I Want To Be Her Man)
104 The Model Rockets - Tell The Kids... (He Didn't Think It Was Real)
105 The Loud Family - Plants & Birds & Rocks & Things (Give In World)
106 The Bongos - Numbers With Wings_Beat Hotel (Tiger Nights)
107 The Rutles - The Rutles  (Another Day)
108 Eric Carmen - Eric Carmen (My Girl)
109 Darin Murphy - Solitarium (Don't Look At Me)
110 Nick Gilder - City Lights ((She's) One Of The Boys)
111 The Elvis Brothers - Movin' Up_Adventure Time (Movin' Up)
112 Clovis Roblaine - The Clovis Roblaine Story (Cry All Over Me)
113 Cloud Eleven - Terrestrial Ballet (The One)
114 Scott McCarl - Play On (In Love Without A Girl)
115 The Vandalias - Mach V (Build This House)
116 Martin Luther Lennon - Music For A World... (Tabernacle O' Clay)
117 Liverpool Echo - Liverpool Echo (Sally Works Nights)
118 Jupiter Affect - Instructions For The... (White Knuckle Sound)
119 Richard Barone - Primal Dream (Before You Were Born)
120 The Tories - Wonderful Life (Not What It Appears)
121 Yankee Rose - Yankee Rose (Any Time Of The Day)
122 Van Duren & Tommy Hoehn - Hailstone Holiday (Outsmarted)
123 The Pinkees - The Pinkees (Say What You're Thinking)
124 Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience (Allison Road)
125 The Lackloves - Star City Baby (Down Deep)

LINKS IN COMMENT SECTION! ENJOY!