Don_Krider's Full Review: Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the 90's
The golden age of "power pop" (some folks call it "powerpop" or "power-pop," but Rhino Records and writer Ken Sharp (author of the book, "Power Pop") refer to it as two seperate words, so for the purpose of style that's how I refer to it) may have been the 1970s, but the third volume in Rhino Records "Poptopia!" CD series proves that the sound was still very much alive in the 1990s.
Power pop history:
The jangly guitar sound, hook-packed, harmony-filled genre first embraced by acts such as The Raspberries ("Go All The Way"), Badfinger ("No Matter What"; Mariah Carey had a hit with their "Without You" a few years back), Cheap Trick ("I Want You To Want Me"), Big Star, Blue Ash and Artful Dodger in the 1970s continued with less success in the 1980s.
While acts such as The Knack ("My Sharona") and The Romantics ("Talking In Your Sleep") did keep the sound alive in the 1980s, by decade's end power pop was hard-to-find on radio or music television.
Then along came the 1990s and a bit of a power pop revival via acts such as Matthew Sweet, Jellyfish, The Posies, The Wondermints (once managed, briefly, by ex-Raspberry Eric Carmen), The Lemonheads and Velvet Crush, among others.
The "Poptopia!" CD series:
All three decades have been compiled by Rhino Records into three seperate CD volumes as "Poptopia! Power Pop Classics Of..." ("...The '70s," "...The '80s" and "...The '90s"), each with 18-tracks and wonderful, 14-page, well-illustrated CD booklets.
The project was supervised by Goldmine contributor Ken Sharp (well-known in the power pop field for books on The Beatles, The Raspberries and Cheap Trick, among other projects) with "...The '90s" CD booklet being written by Carl Cafarelli.
Among the artists who contributed short comments for the booklet are Jason Falkner of Jellyfish, Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and Matthew Sweet.
Sweet says of the genre, "Songs like The Raspberries' 'Go All The Way' or Cheap Trick's 'Hot Love' are what I think of as power pop - lots of crazy sound, really compressed, with a great melody on top."
The best tunes:
Matthews Sweet:
Matthew Sweet first gained attention in the 1980s as a member of Oh-OK, an Athens, Ga., outfit that included REM's Michael Stipe's sister.
His 1991 solo album, "Girlfriend," established him with a Top 40 hit title track (which featured guitar-work by Richard Lloyd of Television).
That album included the lush, gorgeous, ultra-jangly guitar-pop of "I've Been Waiting," the track offered on this set.
"I've Been Waiting" is thinking-person pop with melody, romance and heart-worn-on-the-sleeve lyrics:
"...I didn't think I'd find you / perfect in so many ways / but I've been waiting / and I want to have you / secret on your lips / that nobody knows / gentle in your eyes / you can wear my clothes..."
Jellyfish:
With music styled after The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Queen on their albums, Jellyfish was quite popular on MTV for a time via '60s-psychedelia-inspired videos for their songs "That Is Why," "The King Is Half-Undressed" and "Baby's Coming Back."
The band's chart success was minimal, though (their brilliant "Bellybutton" album peaked at # 124 in Billboard, for instance), but they did get Top 40 airplay for the track presented here, "That Is Why."
A lovely Paul McCartney-style ballad (Jason Falkner's guitar is positively George Harrison-ish here), the tune boasts strong, intelligent lyrics:
"Though it's hard to admit it's true / I've come to depend on you / you and your angelic shout / loud enough for two / and that is why / I'll confide in you the truth this time / that is why / I just can't go on and live this lie..."
The Rembrandts:
Best known for performing "I'll Be There For You," the theme song to the TV series "Friends," The Rembrandts (aka Danny Wilde and Phil Solem) deserve to be more than a mere footnote in music history.
Their track on this album, "Rollin' Down The Hill," is a little bit like The Everly Brothers-meet-Seals & Crofts singing over a Steely Dan rock track (sounds odd, but it's pretty cool, actually):
"...and when the gears begin to grind / think of all the mountains we have climbed / not so long ago we were standin' still / and now we're rollin' down the hill..."
The Tearaways:
Formed out of the ashes of Santa Monica's The Volcanoes, The Tearaways have recorded some fine albums and been praised by Spin magazine. In 1998, they backed ex-Raspberries' bassist Scott McCarl (in a set also featured Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson and drummer Bruce Gary, formerly of The Knack) for a solo gig in Los Angeles.
Bronson Johnson in Discoveries magazine described their music as "a cross between The Hollies on acid and Black Flag on key," while Bill Locey of the Los Angeles Times says they are "heavy on hooks and an incredible vocal blend," according to quotes from their website.
Their music has appeared in several TV shows (such as "Meet My Folks" and "Just Deal") and films ("God, Sex And Apple Pie" and "I Think I Do").
Their track here is "Jessica Something," a sweet little ballad with a gentle, acoustic opening that disappears in a thunderous chorus of stirring harmony:
"...just as I feared / she disappeared / with her name / Jessica something / what was her name?..."
The Wondermints:
Managed by Eric Carmen (The Raspberries) for a time, the band must have been blown away when Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys said of them, "If I had The Wondermints back in 1967, I would have taken 'Smile' on the road."
Wilson took the band on tour a couple of years ago as his back-up group. That tour is documented on Wilson's outstanding "Live At The Roxy Theatre" CD.
For this collection, The Wondermints perform their "Proto-Pretty," a showcase of their strong songwriting craft and very Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" production:
"I wanted to give my soul to you / I thought I could feel you pulling me through / the DNA is pretty - you know it makes me smile / the oxygen is plenty - don't touch that dial..."
The Lemonheads:
Finding a more up-lifting piece of music than The Lemonheads' "Into Your Arms" is hard to imagine. It even achieved minor chart success, peaking at # 67 in 1993.
Filled with the classic guitar-bass-drums sound of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival on this tune, The Lemonheads sing:
"I know a place where I can go when I'm alone / into your arms, whoa, into your arms / I know a place that's safe and warm from the crowd / into your arms, whoa, into your arms I can go / and if I should fall / I know I won't be alone, be alone anymore..."
The Posies:
One of my personal favorites, The Posies dominated my CD player in the mid-1990s with their album "Dear 23" (when Rolling Stone magazine said they sounded like an updated mix of The Raspberries and The Hollies, I bought the album having never heard any songs off of it --- it remains one of my favorite CDs).
Their sound on that album evolved to a much harder, rockier style on later, equally fine CDs, as evidenced by their track on "Poptopia!...", "Solar Sister" (from their "Frosting On The Beater" album).
From the distorted, Radiohead-ish guitar hook burning through harmonies sung atop the drummer's pounding backbeat, "Solar Sister" refuses to let the listener sit still while listening:
"I'll call you Sister Carrie but I never say it / muted to a whisper / and spin your solar sister / and magnet will deliver / an arrow from her quiver / ... / I'll close my eyes and listen to you read the story / knowing I'll soon be left behind..."
Velvet Crush:
If Elvis Costello sang lead for The Raspberries I think they would sound something like the always enjoyable Velvet Crush does on "Hold Me Up."
Drummer Ric Menck's style is to be studied and adored, folks, he's that impressive --- right up there with The Who's Keith Moon in talent, in my opinion.
Produced by Mitch Easter (of the band Let's Active) and Velvet Crush, the track features guest guitar work from Easter and Stephen Duffy (from the band Lilac Time).
"Hold Me Up" is from the band's "Teenage Symphonies To God" album. A great little rocker with the band singing:
"...one is too alone / suffer as the days / linger on and on / miles and miles away / but hold me up when I'm gone..."
Idle Wilds:
David Gray, most recently creative manager of Zomba Music Publishing (he's not the British pop star of the same name, however), led The Idle Wilds out of Pennsylvania hoping to hit the big-time in the 1990s.
Like a number of major 1990s power popsters (acts not represented on this compilation like The Gin Blossoms, Oasis and The Smashing Pumpkins), The Idle Wilds have a true historical connection to the "Godfathers Of Power Pop" --- they were signed to the Ardent label by Jody Stephens of Big Star (if you think you've never heard of Big Star, you actually have heard their music if you watch "That '70s Show" on Fox --- the show's opening theme, sung by Cheap Trick, is based on Big Star's "In The Street"; Big Star's "September Gurls" was also covered by The Bangles).
On "You're All Forgiven," the band plays with tight, melodic precision while giving some glorious, high-range harmonies on the chorus:
"I'm not bitter any longer / it gets heavier and stronger / ... / so soon you're all forgiven..."
The tracks:
"I've Been Waiting" by Matthew Sweet, "That Is Why" by Jellyfish, "Twisterella" by Ride, "Cope" by The Gigolo Aunts, "Rollin' Down The Hill" by The Rembrandts, "Jessica Something" by The Tearaways" and "Solar Sister" by The Posies.
Also, "Proto-Pretty" by The Wondermints, "Into Your Arms" by The Lemonheads, "Lady In The Front Row" by Redd Kross, "Same Thing" by The Grays and "Reasons" by The Rooks.
Also, "Trampoline" by The Greenberry Woods," "I Can't Stop Smiling" by Velocity Girl, "Hold Me Up" by Velvet Crush, "The Party Rages On" by Zumpano, "Every Minute" by P. Hux and "You're All Forgiven" by The Idle Wilds.
Recommendation:
A fine set that offers proof that power pop is alive and well --- though some of the bands have ceased to exist, the music lives on.
This album offers a great chance to experience 18 different acts on one collection and I highly recommend it.
Carl Cafarelli, author of the CD booklet:
Cafarelli is a great choice here. His work as a writer for the "Music Hound Guide To Rock" and for music magazines such as Goldmine shows a knowledge of the genre.
Cafarelli also loves the music --- he hosts (with Dana Bonn) a Syracuse, New York, power pop radio series called "This Is Rock 'N' Roll Radio" on WXXE-FM/WXXC-FM every Sunday night for three hours beginning at 9 p.m. EST. The show is broadcast live on the internet via Live365 at http://www.wxxe.org (the Feb. 9, 2003, show is a celebration of the 39th anniversary of The Beatles' 1964 "Ed Sullivan" appearance).
The CD booklet:
Written by Cafarelli, the booklet includes a "recommended reading" section which will connect you with books and magazines (such as "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and "Amplifier") that cover the genre in detail.
The 14-page booklet is informative and well-illustrated. The song listings include track-by-track personnel listings, chart info and info on the albums each track originated from.
The CD tray:
If you lift the CD out of its tray and tilt the tray back-and-forth, there's a picture of a 45 rpm record on a turntable that comes to life as the record player's "arm" appears to move across the record in the picture as if the "record" is being played on an old turntable. That cool effect is in the other two "Poptopia!" volumes as well.
On the web:
Of interest, here's a selected list of some sites I've enjoyed on the internet related to the bands on this CD:
Official Velvet Crush website: http://www.velvetcrushrockgroup.com
Unofficial Wondermints website: http://members.home.nl/patriczik/news.htm (an official website at http://www.wondermints.com is under construction)
Official Tearaways website: http://www.tearaways.com
Carl Cafarelli and Dana Bonn host "This Is Rock "N' Roll Radio," a three-hour power pop (and other goodies) radio series aired in Syracuse and heard on the web at: http://www.wxxe.org
Recent shows have featured such acts as Slade, The Raspberries, Badfinger, The Ramones, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Hole, Ronnie Spector, Paul Revere & The Raiders and The Flashcubes (Carl loves The Flashcubes) --- a little power pop mixed with glam and classic rockers; lots of fun and memories.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.