Welcome to Pop Rocks Radio, your channel for all things Power Pop. Our mission is to shine a spotlight on both classic and emerging bands within this electrifying genre, providing a unique blend of insight, history, and musical exploration.
From the iconic hooks of the '70s to the catchy melodies of the latest bands, we dive deep into the world of Power Pop. Our Pop Rock Shorts bring you up close with your favorite artists, uncovering their stories and inspirations. We also introduce you to the fresh faces on the scene, giving you a first look at the new wave of Power Pop talent.
Whether you're a longtime fan of bands like Big Star and Raspberries, or you're just starting to discover the allure of Power Pop, there's something for everyone here. So join us on this journey through the vibrant world of Power Pop, where the hooks are tight, the melodies are catchy, and the music is forever captivating.
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An old girlfriend gave me The Right to Be Italian in 1981. It's still one of my favorites. Rock Against Romance is one of the greatest power pop songs of all time.
They were not a power pop band, but this is the only way I know how to get this message out! Music fans who like power pop have got to start to realize just how great the first three ''Grin'' albums are. number four was a dud. I mean songs like ''White Lies'' ''Lost Number'' ''Everybody's Missing the sun'' ''We all sung together''Sad Letter'' ''Love or else''Maybe it dos not fit the definition of Power Pop ,but it is close enough.Combine that with their country pop songs and Nil's great acoustic guitar playing and you have a truly great forgotten band! Nil's first solo album is also a great record! If he didn't hook up with Springsteen I can't even begin to guess how few people would even know about them.
Fair question! (And my English profs would be cringing, as well). 🤣. For me, those are the actual (ahem) words I kept saying to myself every time I came across a band I hadn’t heard before that was so good I just couldn’t understand why they weren’t huge. Thanks for watching!
@@poprocksradio I just meant that to me it comes across as - This is unbelievable, I found five power pop bands that are good. Rather than, here’s another five great power pop bands. 😀
Another fun showcase of 5 groovy bands! I'd like to recommend Irish Power Pop-Punk-New Wavers, "Boomtown Rats", led by Bob Geldof of "Live Aid For Africa" fame. They were quite versatile, with songs like I Don't Like Mondays, Mary Of The 4th Form, and She's So Modern. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MfXc1Iefs8U.html
Wow, hadn’t listened to “She’s So Modern” for such a long time…just put it on and am blown away at how cool it is. I’ll have to dig into their catalog a bit more. Thanks for putting them back on my radar and thanks for watching!
For some catchy alt/power pop, I highly recommend the brand new album ‘Avoider’ by Ahem. I’ve been a fan of this MN trio for years and their latest is a gem.
Funny you should mention them! I just heard their song “Sunroof” today by recommendation (if you don’t subscribe to “Remember the Lightning” on Substack, check it out…always great stuff). Loved that song! Have it in the next MixCloud episode, as well. Thanks for the rec and thanks for watching!
Thanks, Terry! You know, I read about the Sponge Bob thing and it just slipped my mind when it came to putting the video together. My bad…that would have been a great bit! Thanks for that and thanks for watching!
Love Josie Cotton! She’s still putting out great music, too…would love to feature her as part of this series or just by herself. 🤞🏼 Thanks for watching!
I figure most of what I can think of you already know, but if you look up "The Form: Burp!" on YT, I was chatting with a member of the band online and he turned me on to that enjoyable live set. Their TwinTone 45 of "It Happens That Way"/"All the Young Dudes" didn't do much for me, but you might like it.
I absolutely love all their songs, but I’ll pick When I Look In Your Eyes! A track on first album that is just as great as What I like About You! Honorable mentions: Still We Remain and Out Of My Mind from their last album “61/49”!! A classic Romantics album!! Why oh why has it been 21 years!!! Please 🙏 one more!! Great interview with Mike. He gave me a high five at a show a few years ago! What a night! They always deliver!! Cheers, Matt 🍻😎👍🎇💥☘️❤️🎆
Good list! Took me forever to find a copy of that Keys album. Its soooooo good. Exploding Hearts were friends of friends. Will have to check out the Heats and Screams. Cheers!
Having been a private disc jockey for hire for over 30 years, I have to say "What I Like About You" is a massive party favorite. It always packs the dancefloor! So that's my answer and I'm stickin to it!
@@doctorkayak That song is nuts how it's taken off! I understand it wasn't a hit for the longest time, now everyone (even my kids) know and love that song!
Love that song! When Mike said the producer told them when they finished recording "In Heat" that they still needed a single (so they wrote "Talking In Your Sleep"), I couldn't believe it. "Rock You Up" would have been an awesome single. Ah, well... Thanks for watching!
How about LA's, The Quick? Their sound was similar to another LA band, Sparks. A favorite of Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, their downfall could be attributed to their manager, Kim Fowley, placing all his attention to the other band he was managing at the time; The Runaways.
Ahhhh...The Quick was a great band! I believe one or two of them went on to Great Buildings, as well. Interesting, too, that Kim Fowley seems to be at the center of many "stories" from that period. 😳. Thanks for watching!
@@seminolefantodd4736 Didn't know that! The Three O'Clock is a great band, too. Planning a Paisley Underground video for the channel that will cover them, as well!
Had the pleasure of working with Jeff on our record Mr. Deelish with my band at the time The Quick. Jeff was so great. As he indicates in this interview he loved the creative process. He also sang background vocals on Caroline is Crying. Can’t say enough about Jeff and Shoes!
Hi Dave - Mr. Dee-lish is an awesome album! I admit I only came to know about The Quick and Oh Boy! recently (thanks to Chris Cerasoli) and didn't realize Jeff produced it, but man, is it great. You guys obviously worked well together! Thanks for watching!
We have a write up coming out this weekend I believe on Remember The Lightning SW Laudens great site. Please look for that. We talk power pop in Chicago in the 80s. Your shows are amazing btw. I drive around with a note pad writing down songs and artists to support! Thank you!
The ," I'm on fire " 1975,i will listen till I'm dead! R.I.P! Thank You ,Youngstown s Thomas John WSRD,for hipping me to this song!I just heard it for the first time on decades,a movie, CANDY LAND!
Ah! Someone else mentioned them, as well (on one of the "Forgotten Power Pop" videos.) Great band...fun albums...shoulda been bigger. Really love "Leave Me Alone". Thanks for that!
Great album! I made an error in the video by saying they had only one album...didn't count this live treasure. And if you haven't already heard...new music is on the way from them!! Thanks for watching!
Omg…did someone say he was English? (Hope it wasn’t me!). Absolutely…he was a proud Irishman. Think they have a statue of him in his hometown in Ireland, too. Thx for pointing that out!
Hey Matthew! Absolutely...and his version of "Tell Me" on the tribute album is awesome. The Midnight Callers do a great version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" on that album, as well. Thanks (as always) for watching!
I think I’ve 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 genre’s 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!
It wasn't called "Hair Metal" back then. Actually, they weren't considered metal at all. We all knew it was Hard Rock. 80s Metal was the greats like Iron Maiden, DIO &Helloween but also the important unmentioned acts like Armored Saint, Candlemass, Coroner, King Diamond, Grim Reaper and quite a few others...
I think you're absolutely right. Though I'm not sure exactly when the term came about, I am sure it's something that was tacked on post-grunge. Love the greats you mention (and no disrespect to Dave Matthews, but how is DMB in the RHOF and Iron Maiden and Dio are not???). I admit I haven't heard all the other bands you mention...looking forward to diving in there. Thanks for watching!
Ah! Great call! Grace Pool has come up before...both of their albums are awesome and Elly Brown's voice is just lovely, if you ask me. Thanks for that!
Ist gracepool has better line up and Steve Nye producing. But where we live has autumn freeze a song that defines gracepool. Taylor Swift should do covers of stay and still the heart
All great recs! No spoilers, but check out the next video in the series if you haven't already: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SIOQPlX_xd4.html. I can neither confirm nor deny that one of those bands may be there! And 20/20 is absolutely one of my faves...have a separate video planned for them. Thanks for those and thanks for watching!
The Pop…damn. 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, y’know?
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! 😎 ~ 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!
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. 😂. 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 RU-vid. 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. 🤣
Fun fact about Screams - their self-titled album was produced by Terry Luttrell, original singer for REO Speedwagon, and who would go on to sing for prog band Starcastle!
Oh! Had no idea...very cool! Funny, but someone else brought up REO Speedwagon the other day (and some of their power pop explorations)...will have to dig into that more. Thanks for watching!
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 80’s touting “the Springfield Sound’ I’m 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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3ZeIk4QoYv0.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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BhuSmLRdvSc.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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X87mfrXqcwA.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 80’s did an article where they referred to “the Springfield Sound”. 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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X87mfrXqcwA.htmlsi=uCD3ZHYFYeB1aJE3 I’m 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 ‘Take My Breath Away’. 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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BhuSmLRdvSc.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 “Shelter From the Storm”. This clip is from the early days of the band, 82 or 83 I imagine. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3ZeIk4QoYv0.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!). 😀
