The term Power Pop was coined by Pete Townsend, of The Who, in an interview back 1967 when asked to describe what type of music his band played. So what makes an artist or song fall into the genre of Power Pop. The following link gives a great explanation of what Power Pop is, how it came to be starting with the Beatles and The Who in the 60's to the established sound it is today. http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style/power-pop-d383
The following You Tube links are videos that when watched, show the progression of Power Pop from its beginnings to current artists. For your listening pleasure :
1969: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgA4-bLcoN8 The Hollies-"Carrie Anne"
The Hollies had quite a few hits though the 70's and in March 2010 they were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The song showcases their great vocal harmonies, strong guitar rhythms and has a great hook with "Hey Carrie Anne...." Unfortunately, they did not drum up the same following as The Beatles. This group was an inspiration for The Posies, which was a Power Pop group of the late 80's and 90's.
1993: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYLNO-0CLHo&feature=related - The Posies - "Flavor of the Month" How alternative went Power Pop
Power Pop in the 21st century
For More Information:
This blog is dedicated to Power Pop. The blog author started in 2006 covering this musical genre and has averaged over 200 posts per year. Since 2008 he has posted the 'best Power Pop albums' for the year. Also on the site are links to his personal interviews with artists, links to radio shows, and provides samplings of music and his reviews. This is a great destination for information on this musical genre.
http://www.agooddayforairplay.com/ -
This blog layout style website began as a 'gateway' to the author's podcasts. It currently features 93 separate categories for the music they have reviewed. It has many examples of current Power Pop bands and provides multiple links to other Power Pop related sites, such as music festivals, blogs and venues, which make it easier to stay informed form one source. Last podcast was April 2011.
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/music-your-ears/259452-favorite-power-pop.html -
This is an open forum where people discuss their favorite band past and present and even future. Most people when posting their favorite band will post a You Tube performance or video, along with a comment. It is moderated by Tim Armstrong, the Doctor of Teleocity who stated, in post on February 2, 2011," "Power pop" is a style of music defined by a certain similarity to rock music from 1965-67, most notably stuff like the Beatles Rubber Soul and Revolver albums, but in general it's guitar-based, short songs with great hooks and vocal harmonies." Excellent place to get variety of examples without doing a lot of surfing through a website.
http://www.bigtakeover.com/-
This site is actually an extension for a New York based semi-annual music magazine that began in 1980; the editor and publisher is Jack Rabid. The magazine, as well as the site, contains reviews and interviews with the biggest alternative musicians of today. The magazine comes out in June and December, recent issues have been about 200 pages. There is also a link to BreakThruRadio.com a radio show broadcasting over the Internet, hosted by Mr. Rabid, it broadcasts Mondays 12:00 noon Eastern time.
http://www.bigtakeover.com/-
This site is actually an extension for a New York based semi-annual music magazine that began in 1980; the editor and publisher is Jack Rabid. The magazine, as well as the site, contains reviews and interviews with the biggest alternative musicians of today. The magazine comes out in June and December, recent issues have been about 200 pages. There is also a link to BreakThruRadio.com a radio show broadcasting over the Internet, hosted by Mr. Rabid, it broadcasts Mondays 12:00 noon Eastern time.
After 16 years of running the independent record label Notlame Recordings, the creator Bruce Brodeen, shut it down; he had released over 100 CDs from Power Pop artists like The Posies, Jellyfish, Tommy Keene and Dwight Twilley. He decided to create with his friend JB, Rock and Roll Tribe (RRT) and it launched in July 2010. The goal of RRT is keeping interest in rock alive, "a network for kick-*** grown-ups" ( line in quotes from: http://www.notlame.com/index.html?action=help&helpfile=aboutus.htm). It has forums, a wonderful library of shared music and a RRT manifesto.
Local Venue http://neumos.com/neumos.php -
Neumos (pronounced "new moe's") is located in Seattle at 925 E. Pike St.. Originally it was known as the Moe's Mo Roc'n Cafe when it opened in 1992. It was the starting point for many Power Pop groups of the 1990's for example the Goo Goo Dolls and Oasis. Currently it has performances several nights a week from local bands as well as ones from Europe. This Tuesday they have Peter Bjorn and John, from Sweden, click on the link above and learn more. And enjoy your night in Seattle at Neumos.
