Five Forgotten Power Pop Bands (That Are Actually GREAT!), Vol. 3
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 8. 05. 2024
- Join Bijan and Pop Rocks Radio as he explores five more forgotten power pop bands that are actually GREAT! The more we dig, the more bands we find that deserve their due!
For those of you who have never forgotten these bands, thank you! I am grateful to those of you who have brought them to my attention! I aim to spread the word to our little corner of the internet, as well.
If you're interested to pick up The Bings album (and you know you are), you can find it here:
thebings.bandcamp.com/
And, of course, if you like these videos and want to see more, please subscribe to Pop Rocks Radio and stay tuned for more musical adventures with Bijan! Don't forget to hit that like button if you enjoyed the video and share it with fellow power pop lovers. đ„
Some great reading on Power Pop:
amzn.to/3rPybRQ
amzn.to/45lg6ZF
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Number 5
01:51 Number 4
02:40 Number 3
03:40 Number 2
04:37 Finally, Number 1! - ZĂĄbava
Saw the Elvis Brothers several times in the 80's here in Middle-America. What a great live band and the two albums I have from the band are great! đ
That's awesome...would love to have seen them live. Brad's latest band, The Handcuffs, is very cool, as well...check them out here! thehandcuffs.com/. Thanks for watching!
Hey, Bijan! Thank you for including The Bings in this edition. "Power Pop Planet" has just been released on vinyl by Bachelor Records, and includes a nifty color insert and 3 live songs from a Manhattan Beach show in 1981. I really enjoyed this week's show, as I also remember Peter Noone with The Tremblers and The Pop (have always loved "Down On The Boulevard"). Keep on a-rockin' us, baby! đ ~ Dave from The Bings
Thanks, Dave! I have a link to The Bings' Bandcamp in the description, as well, for everyone (and I do mean, EVERYONE) who will want this awesome record! Cheers!
Subbed!!!!! Power Pop chasms in my mind getting filled. I continue upon the Power Pop Path again it would seem. Thank you!
Thank you, and welcome! Glad to walk that path with you and hope we can keep those chasms filled! Thanks!!
Love your channel! And this episode was epic! How about The Flashcubes from Syracuse NY? Cheers đ»
Thanks, Matt! I really appreciate that...love your channel, as well! And any band that covers Shoes and Twilley is great in my book...The Flashcubes go on the list! Thanks for watching, sir!
Wow, thank yo so much for the shout out!
Thanks for watching, David!
Another great five choices and further draining my income, have to check out The Bings. Thanks for The Tremblers, hope they get some love. This may not fit as Bob Segarini released many albums solo, groups and produced the demo's of the Romantics but he is another great and forgotten power pop artist. Keep up the great work and perhaps you could release these on payday, not after!!!
Had not heard Bob Segarini...just watched a performance of "Goodbye L.A."...great song! Unfortunately, looks like he passed away last July. Will have to dig into his stuff. more. Thanks for that! And thanks for the kind words...I think my wife would be happy if I was doing something besides record shopping on payday, as well. đ. Thanks!!
@@poprocksradio You might have done this but en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Segarini He has no bad albums, some production issues because of no major label but I highly recommend Gotta have Pop. My girlfriend has no issues with my buying records, except when I can't cover a round because of it lol, her main issue is I make her listen to them!!!!
@@johnny5475 Thanks for that! Couldn't find that album streaming, but thankfully someone put it up on CZcams. The title track is great! Looking forward to digging into the rest as well! And if you can tell me how you get your lady to actually listen to the records you buy with you, that would be most appreciated. đ€Ł
Gilby! Oh how we loved to tease him about Candy, while Kill for Thrills was riding the hairspray fumes of the Sunset Strip. Had the best damn leather clad legs in Hollywood!
lol...that's hysterical! Quite a distance he covered from Candy to the other badass bands he's been in. From the interviews I've seen with him, he seems like he'd be a good sport about all of it. đ Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching!
The PopâŠdamn. I love their first two records. The second one is particularly close to my heart, like only a record you fell in love with at age 16 can be, yâknow?
Ahhhhh...when you say it like that, I think everyone can feel it. đ Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
One of my favorite "forgotten" power pop bands is the Pandoras, especially the first two albums before Paula Pierce forgot that they were a power pop/garage band and decided to be Lita Ford. Classic tunes like It's About Time, Stop Pretending and In and Out of My Life in a Day. RIP Paula, RIP Kim.
Great rec! The Pandoras have such an interesting and twisty history...they go on the list (I may have to do a whole Paisley Underground episode!) Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
"Stop Pretending" is a great girl group song!
@@TheBings Great song (and a fun time capsule of a video!)
@@poprocksradio I'll be looking forward to that Paisley Underground episode!
Love 20/20, the Plimsouls, and the Pop. Drove around with honk if you hate the Knack bumper sticker. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Also saw the Bings at a church dance.
That's awesome...must have been such a great time to be in SoCal. Thanks for watching!
I think Iâve seen Jellyfish featured on your channel. Would you consider solo works by Jason Faulkner and Robert Joseph Manning Jr power pop? Also a Faulkner founded band called The Grays? At least I suppose they were Pop Rock.
Great question! Power pop, as a genre, tends to be somewhat fuzzy in its definition. When it comes to Jason Falkner-both as a solo artist (with the excellent album Presents Author Unknown) and as part of The Grays-there are definite power pop elements. The music ticks many of the genreâs boxes, yet Falkner adds his own distinctive flair to it. On the other hand, Roger Joseph Manning Jr.'s solo work leans a bit more into pop territory, I think, though there are also power pop elements in much of his work. By the way, his latest album, Radio Daze & Glamping, is an absolute delight to listen to!
I didnât know he had a new album. Iâll be looking for that! Thanks!
Iâve just started watching your channel and maybe youâve mentioned these already: Velvet Elvis from Lexington KY released one LP on Enigma in 1988 produced by Mitch Easter and Robert Johnson (no not him another Robert Johnson) had one LP called Close Personal Friend released on Infinity in 1978.
Ah! Robert Johnson has come up before...Close Personal Friend is a great album! Hadn't thought of Velvet Elvis for a long time...thanks for bringing them up! They go on the list (just about anything involving Mitch Easter is GOLD). Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
Ever hear of Yipes, from Milwaukee? I believe they released two albums in the late 70's, and a third "reunion" album decades later. They were great in concert.
I admit I hadn't heard them...just listened to "This is Your Life" and "East Side Kids"...they go on the list! (not sure if they're "Yipes", "Yipes!", or "Yipes!!!"). đ. Thanks for that rec and thanks for watching!
This was great! I learned some things even tho I consider myself to be an almost- expert on powerpop!đ
Elvis Brothers were great! We(band I was in at the time in Chicago - Oh Boy!), played with them a bunch on the Chicago music club circuit! And - yes Brad Elvis was/is awesome! He's doing good stuff currently with The Handcuffs and sometimes with The Romantics!
Thanks, Chris! Oh Boy! is a great name for a band! Is this you guys? ohboychicago.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-album. Can't wait to dig in there. And Brad is still so fun to watch in The Handcuffs...same flair as always. đ. Thanks for watching!
@@poprocksradioit is indeed!đ
If we're thinking primarily of 2nd wave power pop from the late 70's and early 80's, I think Critical Mass (FL) and Heroes (AUS) were are two prime candidates. Their debut albums (" It's What's Inside That Counts" and "Heroes") are insanely good. Hooks galore. Critical Mass are now reactivated and gigging in the southeast. Heroes regrouped a few years ago and released a self-produced follow-up. They performed their final gig and split just recently. Definitely both worth digging into.
Listened to a few tracks by both...great stuff! The Star Hotel Riot story with Heroes seems like a great subject for a video by itself! Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
Several 1980âs Springfield MO bands fall into this category. The Morels, Fools Face, the Dog People and The Misstakes.
Had no idea Springfield had so many great bands! I found The Morrels, Fool's Face, and The Misstakes ("Shelter from the Storm" is a pretty cool song). Couldn't find The Dog People's album...if you have any links, please send my way! Thanks for the recs and thanks for watching!
@@poprocksradio Bilboard magazine did an article in the early 80âs touting âthe Springfield Soundâ
Iâm not sure the Dog People ever recorded one. Tom Whitlock was the drummer who wrote the lyrics for most of the Top Gun soundtrack. Including Take My Breath Away.
My brother was in the Misstakes and wrote Shelter From the Storm. Here is clip of the band before my brother joined. czcams.com/video/3ZeIk4QoYv0/video.htmlsi=iZIS4XaV4f0AHSGt
Bill Brown was one hell of a guitarist. In later years was member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Tragically was killed along with local blues legend Don Shipps in a fire.
Fools Face do reunion shows every year around the Holidays. czcams.com/video/BhuSmLRdvSc/video.htmlsi=hLqWz04Kel7EK1sd
The bassist Jim Wirt has produced several major albums including Incubus.
The Morels were the old guard. Bassist Lou Whitney had a studio and produced many national artists. Brewer & Shipley, Del Lords, Eric Amble. czcams.com/video/X87mfrXqcwA/video.htmlsi=y9-pPVK0EOU7Qe03
@@poprocksradio wrote a whole reply that has now disappearedc. So if this is a replay, I apologize.
Billboard Magazine in the early 80âs did an article where they referred to âthe Springfield Soundâ.
The Morels were the old guard. Later they morphed into the Skeletons. Bassist Lou Whitney owned a studio and produced many regional acts and also national acts like The Del Lords, Brewer & Shipley, Wilco, Jonathan Richman, the Bel Airs, Eric Ambel, Domino Kings, Scott Kemper, the Urge, and Boxcar Willie just to name a few.
czcams.com/video/X87mfrXqcwA/video.htmlsi=uCD3ZHYFYeB1aJE3
Iâm not sure whether or not the Dog People ever recorded an album. Drummer Tom Whitlock later wrote most of the lyrics with Giorgio Moroder on the Top Gun soundtrack including âTake My Breath Awayâ. Guitarist Terry Wilson later was a founding member of The Rave-Ups.
Fools Face still plays reunion shows every year during the holidays. Bassist Jim Wirt is a producer working with the likes of Incubus, Something Corporate, Alien Ant Farm, Live, The Automatics, LA Guns, and Hoobastank.
czcams.com/video/BhuSmLRdvSc/video.htmlsi=1ivgfs-ZO7AlFWRo
The Misstakes had a fabulous guitarist, Bill Brown who later played with Ozark Mountain Daredevils until his death along with local blues legend Don Shipps in a fire in 2004. Mt brother was the bassist from 83-88 and wrote âShelter From the Stormâ.
This clip is from the early days of the band, 82 or 83 I imagine.
czcams.com/video/3ZeIk4QoYv0/video.htmlsi=ZjTcTJOy8vFHoGt8
Enjoy!
@@ryanbutler74 So weird...looks like it disappeared for me now, too (was working on a reply on the previous one). Sorry about that! Watched the Misstakes video (public access! remember that??)...what a great sound! You're right...that guy really was one helluva a guitar player. Very cool about your brother..."Shelter From the Storm" is a cool song! Watched the Fools Face video, as well. I'm going to have to find more on them, as well. Now, looking for the Billboard article... Thanks (for both replies!). đ
Elvis Brothers!! I have the ultra rare release with their first two albums on one CD. They even played a Halloween party at my college back in the mid-ish 80s. Looking forward to digging into the other bands, too. THX for posting!
So cool! That must have been something. I never saw them live, but the videos I've seen are amazing. Thanks for watching!
There is another forgotten NY area powerpop band, signed to Columbia, played the clubs hardcore, a label like BGO put out a rare CD of the first 2 (only 2??) albums on 1 CD...the Laughing Dogs!! Discovered em when their song "Get Em Out of Town" was on a recent Cherry Red 3CD box of US powerpop...I was like dang, killer song!! The CD goes for top dollar so I might just buy the 2 Columbia vinyls for much cheaper...
@@lawrencedavis4406 ha! I hadn't heard of them either till I saw them on that Cherry Red collection, as well! They're on the list. The video for that song is kinda fun, too...seeing Times Square in its seedy glory: czcams.com/video/lNDm7z06bCI/video.html. Thanks!
@@poprocksradio yep love that video too...and late 70s Times Square was an unforgettable time & place indeed...that song packs a cool punch...I want to hear more & will buy either that 2 on 1 CD or the 2 Columbia vinyls...
Here are 2 more...the Caulfields & Long Island band Coward!! Oh boy, Coward's sole album for Elektra is one of my fave powerpop albums ever...and your take on Redd Kross?? Exciting news...new 18-song self-titled "Red" album June 28 (first track "Candy Coloured Catastrophe" is just brilliant), tour, book & doc film...my mind practically exploded at the news!!
Awesome
Thanks for watching!
They're forgotten because no one ever heard of them in the first place.
That could very well be, but they're still GREAT! đ. Thanks for watching!
love this topic. check out my band minster hill from the late 90's early 2000's :)
Just listened to "Beg You Back"...great song! Looking forward to digging into your catalog some more. Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
@@poprocksradio Awesome thanks! :)
Ha, I knew of 4 of these 5 bands...not the Bings though.. and regarding the Elvis Brothers, wasn't powerpop genius auteur Adam Schmitt in that band?? I heard he was...
I didn't know that about Adam, but found this review that refers to him being in The Elvis Brothers: trouserpress.com/reviews/adam-schmitt/. Very cool! I keep saying, they must be putting something in the water in Illinois, cuz too many great power pop artists come from there... Thanks for watching!
@@poprocksradio absolutely!! Even, um, REO Speedwagon (from Champaigne) have some powerpop goods in their catalogue...
@@lawrencedavis4406 They do! I think some of their 80s ballads (that were just HUGE) have overshadowed what a great band they really are. Thx!!