Customer Reviews

Roots of Powerpop

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All of the tracks on this collection are NOT "from the 80's" as mentioned in a previous review. Also, the same review implies that the songs here are "filler" and stated that the omission of more commercially successful tracks by the Romantics and Plimsouls was "very telling". All of these comments are incorrect, this is a ROOTS compilation and features EARLY tracks by the featured artists.

Regarding the Amazon Editorial Review; Amazon reviewer Chris Nickson once again inserts his foot into his mouth by attacking a legendary power pop group like the Romantics. It should be noted that the Romantics went on to have more success and longevity than any of the other groups on this collection. The substantial legacy of the Romantics is undeniable and those who are fans will find two ORIGINAL (70's) "BOMP" releases on this CD issue (different versions than those found on their debut LP).

Fans of the Nerves, The Beat and the Plimsouls will be happy to own the two songs included on this release by the Breakaways. After Jack Lee left the Nerves, remaining members Peter Case and Paul Collins formed the Breakaways. The Breakaways were a stepping stone for Paul Collins to his group "The Beat" and also for Peter Case who went on to form the Plimsouls. The song "one way ticket" is a power pop classic in the tradition of the Nerves (One of the best power pop groups of the 70's), while the song "walking out on love" was later re-recorded and re-released by Collins with his group "The Beat".

I've never seen a truly great, well rounded collection of power pop available, but this is a very good compilation by a label (BOMP) that knows the subject well. BOMP was a haven for new and exciting music in the 70's and was particularly influential in the power pop genre. In my opinion they've done an excellent job of selecting early tracks by key power pop artists.

This compilation is a great starting place for new power pop collectors or for those looking for a specific song or version of a song by one or more of these artists.

-JM

This is an excellent CD. The first 18 cuts are first-rate. It goes downhill a little after the Nashville Rambler's The Trains (which is the best cut on the disc). One thought that came to mind was how much of an influence The Ramones were on most of these artists. Compare the pre-Ramones cuts with the tunes recorded after 1977. The latter feature a more prominent and distorted guitar sound which only adds to the appeal to these cuts. In particular, The Breakaways really absorbed Johnny R's slashing sound to great effect. If one listens to their follow-up work (Paul Collins' Beat, The Plimsouls) then one can see the connection. The earlier cuts are very entertaining as well. Most of these cuts are hard to find which makes this collection more attractive. I'd love to find the other rare Poppees A-side (Bomp Records from a bout 1976), "If She Cried", a stylistic virtual copy of "She Loves You". The vocals on all of these cuts are uniformally top-notch and so are the tunes; full of catchy hooks, sing-along chorus, and clever bridges. Highly recommended.

Not much of collection - essentially the scraps of the Power Pop Colection barrel. First, since these are all tracks from the 1980's - these are hardly from the "root" era of the power pop movement/sub-genre. But more importantly, while the Plimsouls and Romantics are featured and yes, we really don't need yet another collection with MILLION MILES AWAY or WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU - the fact that those two tracks are NOT on this CD is very telling - Very few people need some filler tracks from the Plimsouls or the Romamtics. There are no hidden gems or forgotten tracks, just a collection of passable power pop tracks from the 1980's - if you're a completist and you don't have the original LP's/CD's, you might want this ...

If you want the real roots of power pop, check out - Friday at the Hideout: Boss Detroit Garage