REVIEW: Various Artists, Yellow Pills Volume 4 (Big Deal)
Yellow Pills - the St. Louis-based magazine which also releases compilation discs - returns with a bang in the fourth of its series of power pop collections.
Power pop, the underappreciated style of music that you can actually sing along with, has been making a comeback in the 90s. Although commercial success has eluded many of its 'stars' (with the exception of the periodic Matthew Sweet or Cheap Trick), more and more performers are taking the style under their wing and making it their own. Amidst a combination of established artists and newcomers, Volume 4 stands on its own as a solid release filled with quality songs.
Lovers of power pop will find plenty here to choose from. Name artists include Richard Barone's "Show And Tell" (showcased here in its demo version before Marti Jones' commercial release), the Plimsouls ( "Playing With Jack"), and Scott Miller's Loud Family ( "Chicago and Miss Jovan's Land-O-Mat" ). Material Issue, featuring the late Jim Ellison on lead vocals, cover the Grass Roots "I'd Wait A Million Years" in their own straight ahead, take-no-prisoners, style. Because Ellison took his life last year in his own garage, it is likely that this (coupled with Rykodisk's Telecommando Americano ) will be the final tracks released by the great Chicago band.
While those performers are known in the marketplace, Volume 4 shines on the artists who haven't quite become household names, but can easily be compared to veteran performers. They include the Pet Sounds era Beach Boys (Andrew Gold, "Love Tonight" ), "There She Goes" of the La's (John McMullan, "The Thought of Your Name" ), Paul McCartney (David Grahame, who played Macca in Beatlemania, in 1981s "I Love You Better" ), Randy Newman (Joe Marc's Brother "She's Gonna Be My Girl" ), Oasis' "Cast No Shadow" (Dan Markell, "You Mighta Made The Sun"), and Matthew Sweet (John Velora's "Coming Home" ). All of the aforementioned tracks by the 'unknowns' would fit in nicely on an album from their better known counterparts.
As usual, there are some misses on this collection. But for purveyors of power pop, Yellow Pills Volume 4 hits the mark.
