20 Explosive POWER POP gems! VOLUME ONE

Power Pop.

If you are absolutely clueless on what those two words mean, that's OK.  You can begin your journey here. There are Power Pop experts that may steer you in a different direction, but if you are here right now and reading this, you may as well stick around and hear what it is all about... unless one of those Power Pop experts threatens your life, of course.  Always listen to the experts, especially if they are wielding some sort of weapon...

Power Pop. 

If those two words make your heart skip a beat, then you are more than likely aware that everyone has their own opinion about what defines Power Pop. The fact is, they are all right. The pure, raw essence of Power Pop is in every band that anyone bothers to fit under this genre, whether other people agree or not.

In all things Power Pop, you're going to get a 3 minute song - give or take 30 seconds - with a cracking tune, killer harmonies, joyful guitars, maybe some keyboards, energy and a chorus that you'll be humming mere seconds after the song has ended.  More than likely, that song will be stuck in your head for the next 24 to 48 hours.  Power Pop bands don't just write smashing melodies, they create universal ear worms that naturally fit anyone willing to listen.

You can search all over the internet for Power Pop lists from respected experts. I agree with nearly everything I see on those lists. As I said before, the experts know what they are talking about. 

However, I am not an expert.  I'm just a guy who loves Power Pop. So, instead of posting a list of bands/songs that I believe define the genre, I thought I'd share 20 tracks that I believe are essential for anyone wanting to explore the outer -and obscure - regions of Power Pop. Everything here was originally released during my favorite era of Power Pop - the late '70s and early '80s. And as you can tell by the subject of this blog post, this is only VOLUME ONE. There is much more to come...

Some of these bands are not generally labelled Power Pop, while other might be some of the genre's most respected artists but I've chosen songs that don't always end up on the experts' 'best of' lists. And some may just be no-brainers but I chose to include them anyway.

P.S. Yes, there are many bands and songs I've left out for now... gotta save some great ones for future posts!

Enjoy!

Your BFF,
SPAZ

GRUPPO SPORTIVO/Happily Unemployed

THE LAUGHING DOGS/Reason For Love

THE KILLERMETERS/Twisted Wheel

SQUIRE/I Know A Girl

THE SCOOTERS/Someone Tonight

THE PLIMSOULS/Now

YACHTS/Semaphore Love

THE KNACK/I Want Ya

THE INNOCENTS/Sooner Or Later

SHOES/Okay (Single Version)

4 OUT OF 5 DOCTORS/Heart On A Chain

THE RECORDS/Hearts Will Be Broken

THE MONROES/What Do All The People Know

PHIL SEYMOUR/Baby It's You

THE JAGS/Back Of My Hand

THE LAMBRETTAS/Da-a-ance

20/20/The Night I Heard A Scream

THE LAST/This Kind Of Feeling

THE PINKEES/I'll Be There

THE KEYS/I Don't Wanna Cry

An Appreciation: RAY MASON

An Appreciation:

RAY MASON

The fact that many of you have never heard of Ray Mason, let alone heard his music, is an absolute shame. If his music could only be heard by a wider audience, he would be embraced and beloved by tens of thousands of new fans.  Perhaps that day will come, but if it does, I want Ray to be alive for a long, long time so he can enjoy the well-deserved adulation. I hope that happens sooner than later.

Ray Mason turns 63 this year and has been a musician for roughly 45 of those years. He's not flashy, although he certainly has the talent.  His instrument of choice is a '65 Silvertone guitar. Yes, as in the Silvertone guitar made exclusively for Sears.  If you don't think that's cool, there are musicians such as Jack White who use Silvertone equipment. Beck plays a Silvertone guitar.  Chris Isaak named his debut album Silvertone.  Other musicians who have used Silvertone equipment include  Jerry Garcia, Rudy Sarzo, Chet Atkins, Bob Dylan, David Lindley, Garry Nutt, John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Joan Jett, James Hetfield, Dave Grohl, Mark Knopfler, Brad Paisley, and many more.

But back to Ray Mason.  An unassuming but enormously talented musician, Ray has been a staple on the East Coast for many years.  Based in Massachusetts, he has pretty much built up a great reputation as a guitarist and all around performer, but he hasn't really broken out of the 'most under appreciated' category since he started releasing solo albums in the '90s.

So, what does Ray Mason sound like?  He has a very unique style that sounds like the perfect mix of Neil Young, David Lindley and NRBQ with a little dash of Rockpile (Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) and some of Ric Ocasek thrown in for good measure. The Ocasek reference may not be immediately apparent, but if you listen to The Cars, you'll notice that Ric had a tendency to recycle old Rock 'n' Roll ideas and create something new out of them.  Like Ric, Ray simply takes a bit of Rock's tapestry and sews together a new quilt!

Is he a Blues musician?  Well, some of his songs are informed by the Blues, but his songs are far too melodic for him to be classified as such. Some could say he's Americana/Y'Alternative/Roots Rock, but the best way to describe him is Rock 'n' Roll.  His influences seem to encompass the best of '50s and '60s Rock music yet everything comes out sounding like Ray Mason!

Ray covers a lot of musical ground on his albums. For example, the glorious "I Own The Ending" (from the album When The Clown's Work Is Over) sounds like it cold have come straight out of the Brian Wilson songbook yet it still manages to sound like no one else but Ray Mason. "We Don't Get Along Anymore" (from the album Between Blue And Okay) is a Power Pop delight that is distinctly Ray Mason.  This is pretty much the case for a lot of Ray's catalog.  There are no Rock pastiches in his ouvre, but there are subtle tributes to the music that inspired him.

Ray's music is far from pretentious. It is pure and it is real.  For an artist with a dozen full length albums to his name, there's not a weak one among them.  Even his most recent release, 2009's Like Bugs Chewing On Paper, sounds as fresh and inspired as his debut, the aforementioned Between Blue And Okay (1994).  When trying to decide which titles to start with, go ahead and listen to some of the samples provided on CDBaby.com

You can access the Ray Mason albums HERE 
Or you can access the Ray Mason Band albums HERE

There are a few albums on Spotify, so I've thrown together a mini sampler for you to listen to HERE

I've been a Ray Mason fan for nearly 20 years.  He sent a copy of his debut to the POPsided offices back when I was a co-editor there and I was hooked.  I'm a lifer.  Ray is the man.  Don't you forget it!

Oh, that reminds me.  I have to start tracking down albums by The Lonesome Brothers, which Ray is a member of. They have seven albums out.... and I have a lot of catching up to do!

SELECTED TITLES FROM RAY MASON'S CATALOG: 

LIKE BUGS CHEWING ON PAPER

OLD SCHOOL

WHEN THE CLOWN'S WORK IS OVER

IDIOT WISDOM

THREE DOLLAR MAN

THE DURUTTI COLUMN Reissues!

THE DURUTTI COLUMN

Reissues

Available NOW!

Let's be honest: there is no artist out there quite like VINI REILLY, who has been recording as THE DURUTTI COLUMN since 1980.  For over three decades, Vini and his cast of bandmates (drummer Bruce Mitchell is the only other constant) have created some of the most emotional music released in the last half century.  What you hear on record never changes, but The Durutti Column is one of the few acts that can record music that can only be interpreted by the emotions of the listener.  So, if you are feeling sad, then the songs feel quite lonely and melancholy.  If you are upbeat, then those very same songs feel warm and life-affirming. Very few artists are able to achieve that sort of magic, but for Vini, it is simply natural.  

Vini is an incredibly gifted guitarist and most of Durutti's recordings have been chiefly instrumental.  When vocals are needed, Vini has handled the bulk of the singing but he has worked on plenty of Durutti albums that featured guest vocalists.  In many cases, the vocals are merely another instrument laid upon Vini's shimmering musical landscapes.  They are important because they do convey thoughts, but it is the atmosphere and melodies that draw the listener in. They are such works of beauty that each and every song by The Durutti Column is a piece of art... and Vini paints gorgeous aural pictures with his guitar!

Vini hails from Manchester, a city bursting with musical talent (including everyone from 10cc to Joy Division to Oasis).  Signed to the legendary Factory Records by Vini's mentor Tony Wilson, Durutti recorded a series of albums that were sometimes labeled 'New Age' and other times 'Post Punk'.  While neither of those genres are accurate, Vini's music does fall somewhere in between those styles.  But trying to pin Durutti to one particular genre is useless: they are indescribable...  

With many albums to choose from, sometimes it can be tough for the uninitiated to find a place to start their Durutti collection.  The fact that many of them are out of print for the time being doesn't help.  Luckily, there have been a series of reissues that have hit the market in the last few years that are excellent places to begin your love affair with all that is The Durutti Column. Here are a few of them...(and there's more to come so stay tuned!)

P.S. You might recognize Vini's guitar playing from Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate.  Vini was the main guitarist on that album.  And if you manage to stop by The Durutti Column's webstie (www.thedurutticolumn.com), please wish Vini well.  He is recovering from three strokes over the last few years but is on the mend...

LC 
(Expanded 2CD Edition)

The second Durutti Column album, LC was originally released in 1981 and has become a firm favorite amongst fans.  The album's original 10 tracks are now joined by an additional 23 tracks including non album single and EP cuts, compilation tracks and demos. The album itself is a stunner, but the bonus material makes this a must-own and one of the best places to start your DC journey...

CIRCUSES & BREAD 

(Expanded Edition)

Expanded edition of Vini Reilly and DC's 1985 album Circuses & Bread featuring ten bonus tracks. One of DC's finest albums as a whole, Circuses & Bread is as beautiful as it is emotional. The bonus tracks include the rare Japanese single 'For Noriko'/'Love Fading', compilation tracks 'Verbiers' and 'The Aftermath' plus four previously unreleased tracks from the cancelled 1983 album Short Stories For Pauline. Also includes the rarely heard 1983 single 'I Get Along Without You Very Well', a Hoagy Carmichael cover sung by Lindsay Reade and dedicated to her former husband, the late Anthony H. Wilson (Factory Records founder and Durutti Column manager). The booklet restores the original cover design by 8vo.

SHORT STORIES FOR PAULINE (2CD Set)

Short Stories for Pauline is the legendary 'lost' fourth album by cult Manchester group The Durutti Column, recently issued as a limited edition vinyl album on the Factory Benelux imprint. Originally recorded by Vini Reilly in Brussels for Factory Benelux in 1983, the 14 track album features several exquisite pieces including College, A Room in Southport and (most notably) Duet. Recorded with Tuxedomoon viola player Blaine L. Reininger, this poignant instrumental proved - ironically – to be the downfall of the album, after Factory director (and Durutti manager) Tony Wilson insisted that Duet form the basis of an entire neo-classical album. As a result, Duet became Without Mercy in 1984, and Short Stories for Pauline was shelved. Although individual tracks from Short Stories for Pauline have appeared on several compilations, notably highbrow Crépuscule collection Hommage à Marguerite Duras, this is the first time the original album has appeared in its entirety. The 2012 remastered edition is a must for Vini Reilly and Factory collectors alike, and a priceless addition to the Durutti canon. The CD edition comes with a bonus disc, comprising 10 tracks recorded live in Brussels on 13 August 1981 together with a Vini Reilly radio interview.

VINI REILLY 

(Expanded 2CD Edition)

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of this seminal 1989 album from Manchester guitars Vini Reilly AKA The Durutti Column. Disc two was curated from a TDK tape which was found in a storage box recently. It was marked 'Sample tunes' and contained the demo's and sketches which were used by Vini during the making of the record in London. Bruce Mitchell recalls that the recording was not a particularly easy time. The artist was unwell and had to be wheeled in and out to get the material together with Stephen Street. 'I could not bring myself to even listen to the finished article until a couple of months had passed' recalls the drummer, 'but when I heard it I knew what a great record we had made'.