Like revisionist history, bad commercial groups and disco divas are lauded at the exclusion of some of the most seminal bands of the last quarter century. God knows how many Time-Life and K-Tel infomercials and magazine ads trumpet the "greatest collection of music ever assembled" while people like Nina Blackwood (ex-MTV jock) to Dick Clark (who should know better, dammit!) try to pry the wallet out of my pocket by massaging my memory banks. The problem is, my favorite musical moments of the past thirty years of music don't involve disco, synthesizers or hair and spandex bands. (Maybe there's a good reason that these collections are "not sold in stores"!) How depressing it was to realize that as the years passed, it looked more and more like the only legacy from the era would be vapid videos and a collections of "hits" from what has arguably been radio's most banal period.
Thanks to Rhino, this is no longer the case. Literally borrowing the title from the two-year old Los Angeles music festival, Rhino has assembled fifty-four slices of pop under the title POPTOPIA, with three individual eighteen song CDs representing the best of the 70s, 80s and 90s. And although longtime pop lovers like myself may already have most or all of these songs in some format, those just discovering the world of power pop are in for a musical education that will change their lives.
Naturally there are great songs that are not included for one reason or another. With eighteen songs per decade and one appearance per artist, it's tough to whittle down an era, but the staff at Rhino did an admirable job at band and song selection. Some omissions are due to licensing problems (XTC and Squeeze are nowhere to be found, nor is Badfinger's "No Matter What", arguably the best example of the genre of power pop). And of course there will be differing opinions - I'd take Adam Schmidt, Material Issue or The Gladhands over Velocity Girl in a heartbeat - but that should only make you realize how much great pop music is being made, despite the anal retentive radio formats that have yet to fully embrace it.
But this collection is not meant to supplant or even sum up an era. What it does well is whet the appetite for more upbeat, heartfelt three minute songs. And where some collections celebrate a long-gone movement in music, consider that the pop scene is exploding all over again on an international level. Amazingly, many of the artists featured on the 1970s disc are still playing together!. Some, like 20/20, reformed by demand, others like Cheap Trick and The Shoes have been going all along. Survey the artists on the 1990's disc and you'll find bands that without exception can be traced back to Big Star, Badfinger or the Raspberries.
The 1970's disc features the bands that took the pop foundation and melodic sensibilities of the Beatles, Kinks, Who and Beach Boys and nurtured it to create a hybrid sound. Although some of these songs became bonafide hits, radio had changed enough after the 1960s that for every "Go All The Way" on the charts there was a "September Gurls" that wasn't. Still, bands from all over the world found an exciting common ground, whether they came from the British pub scene, the industrial Northeastern US or the heartland. Most of the selected songs are as fresh today as ever - there's a truly timeless quality to Dwight Twilley's "I'm On Fire" and Todd Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You". Other tracks range from the denser sound of the Flaming Groovies' "Shake Some Action" to the unbridled joy of the Rubinoos' almost-bubblegum anthem "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". But radio feasted first on progressive rock, then formulaic corporate music and its cross eyed cousin, disco. As the decade passed its midpoint, bands in New York and London revolted with New Wave and punk. Somehow pure pop got left behind.
The 1980's was the first video decade, as MTV made its mark and the ability to write a good hook took a back seat to the ability of spandex rockers bedding models on videos. Pop bands were cranking out great music once more, but found it harder to make a dent. Even established artists like Rundgren (captured here with Utopia's "Crybaby") struggled to get airplay. Pop music became defined more by groups like Duran Duran and the Human League, who wrote more for the visual medium than the radio. Occasionally a great song would cross over - The Romantics' "What I Like About You" was irresistible enough to have club play and power pop credibility - but more often than not a brilliant pop statement would be relegated to cult hit status rather than the Top 100. Witness the Plimsouls' classic track "A Million Miles Away" which remains little known despite being included on a film soundtrack and twice being released as a single!
This middle disc walks the line between several better known classics and some excellent choices from lesser known acts. Besides the Romantics, probably the biggest "hit" is the Bangles "Going Down To Liverpool" (speaking of overlooked bands, this was a Katrina And The Waves cover). But savor these great artists - the late, great Phil Seymour with "Baby It's You"; the underrated Spongetones with "She Goes Out With Everybody"; Mitch Easter's combo Let's Active and "Every Word Means No". How about Marshall Crenshaw's picture perfect "Whenever You're On My Mind", or the La's and the stunning "There She Goes"? Two I was particularly proud to see included were Bill Lloyd's beautiful "Lisa Anne" and "She's So Young" from the wonderful Canadian band The Pursuit Of Happiness. Next time somebody complains that the eighties sucked, you might want to correct them with this CD. Maybe radio sucked, but the eighties didn't!
The last disc might be the toughest to audit, as the nineties were only two thirds over when these songs were compiled. Unfortunately, many of the bands included here are already defunct (Jellyfish, The Grays) or one step away from it (Velvet Crush, The Posies) because of the state of the music industry. Others like Matthew Sweet and Redd Kross survive but are anything but secure. Yet as the 90's progress, pop may have finally turned the corner. The Internet is becoming an important marketing tool, pop oriented magazines are flourishing, smaller independent labels are growing, and bands like The Records, 20/20 and Cheap Trick are producing new music that is as vital as their older material. Most importantly, hundreds of new bands weaned on the originals are writing, recording and touring. Some of the brightest new lights are included here - The Tearaways, The Rooks, Wondermints, P. Hux - household names to the true pop aficionado, exciting new acts for the newcomer. It's probably the most prolific and exciting time in power pop's history, and you couldn't ask for a better charter than these three CDs.
The liner notes are written by three of the most respected names in pop journalism - John Borack, Carl Cafarelli and Jordan Oakes, whose own Yellow Pills series is a less commercial yet equally indispensable collection of pop songs. In addition, many of the artists included in the series contributed short notes about their bands, their songs, and their perception of the movement then and now. And although the bands and songs are featured on the back sleeve as stacked-up soup cans, don't associate them with the Andy Warhol version - you'll give these classic tracks far more than Andy's "fifteen minutes of fame".
Here's a tip - if you have a multi-disc CD player, pop these three in and set it to "shuffle" play. Regardless of the order, you'll hear song after great song, and that few seconds of mechanical noise in between numbers will make you think you have just pumped a roll of quarters into the greatest jukebox in the world. Which, of course, you have.
