I know, I know, 7 days is like 7 months in blog years, but I'm finally sitting down to introduce my entries in Splotchy's Green Monkey Music Project Power Pop Mix. I am a techno-tard, so you'll get no downloadable links here. Nope. You'll have to visit I, Splotchy for that kind of digital interactive fun.
When I think of power pop I think back to a pretty specific time in my life, in high school in the late 1970's. I think the first time I saw the phrase "power pop" was in Rolling Stone magazine, in a story about Nick Lowe. While possibly the best power pop tunes are by Americans--Surrender by Cheap Trick, My Sharona by The Knack, and What I Like About You by The Romantics--the sound of Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe from the late 70's comes to mind first for me. Probably because that's what I listened to when I was first buying records and enjoying music on my own.
Here's what power pop sounds like to me: lots of chords, not many guitar solos, driving beat and a damn catchy, even hummable, tune.
Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand was the archduke of Austria, and heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire. In 2001 he formed a band in Glasgow, Scotland and the rest was history. When my youngest discovered them and played them for me I was struck by how familiar they sounded (along with another favorite of hers, the Futureheads). They reminded me of stuff I listened to in the late 70's and early 80's.
Dreaming Blondie
One of my favorite songs of all time. Just perfect. It makes me happy and sad at the same time.
Cruel To Be Kind Nick Lowe
Crawling to the USA Elvis Costello
Girls Talk Dave Edmunds
Three of my favorite songs from what I regard as the heyday of power pop. Insanely catchy tunes, great chord progressions, kind of a cool galloping sound. Yeah.
Everybody's Happy Nowadays
Ever Fallen In Love
Two great tunes from the Buzzcocks' 1980 compilation Singles Going Steady. The Buzzcocks are the bridge to newer bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads.
Basket Case Green Day
Our eldest always hated it when people referred to Green Day as a punk band. Believe it or not, she'd never heard the term power pop, and now that she has she thinks it fits Green Day.
Now head back over to the Green Monkey Music Project Power Pop Mix and give it all a listen. All the hep kids are doing it.
Way back in ought-six, when I was new to all this, I was introduced to a swell group o' bloggers by the lovely Melinda June. Soon after that, the fabulous Beth of A Cup of Coffey, and silken-voiced Canadian Dale co-hosted the Little Miss Sunshine Online Pageant.
It was a roaring success. About 30 participants dug up old pictures of themselves from 3rd or 4th grade and posted them. And, for the record, may I say that in those brainy-cool glasses and knee socks Ms. Beth was anything but a "nottie" as she puts it. My studious and groovy self would've chased her like crazy.
I digress.
The reason I'm telling y'all about this is that Beth and Dale have graciously agreed to co-host a little something I thought up in a fit of whiskey-lubricated nostalgia:
Go click on that link, like now, and read about it and enter. Here's the rules:
• Scan a photo from your Halloween past.
• Post it on your blog Monday evening, October 28.
• Once you post your photo, e-mail Beth at the address on her navbar. If you can, include the URL to that specific post.
• Beth, our hostess, will post a link to every participant’s blog Tuesday morning by 9 a.m..
I will sit around with Dale, snickering and poking each other in the ribs about how we got the girl to do all the work. And then I'll pat myself on the back for having such a swell idea. Dale will undoubtedly provide some wonderful commentary. (Added 10/14/08--you can see some of that commentary from Dale here.)
So, you go now. Find those old yellowed Polaroids. Show us your best hobo, your best gypsy, your best eyeholes-cut-out-in-a-plain-white-sheet ghost. And if you can't find anything that old, just find the best, most mortifying Jaegermeister and draft-beer Halloween party moment from your more recent past and send that instead. I'm just saying.
If you're good, maybe you'll earn the coveted Sprawling Ramshackle Compound Freak of the Week...
