Though the Dwight Twilley Band only had one hit (Twilley had another on his own), Twilley and partner Phil Seymour created an enduring and highly memorable brand of power pop that blended Beatlesque pop and Sun rockabilly "slapback" echo. Only a fraction of the band's early output was made available at the time, but these records are highly... [+] Read More

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Off Broadway was a late-'70s power pop group from Chicago. That put them in a position roughly equivalent to that of Shaquille O'Neal's backup. In this case O'Neal was Cheap Trick and Off Broadway was doomed to obscurity. Much like Cheap Trick, Off Broadway played a quirky hopped-up blend of Beatlesque melodies and Move-like power. They didn't... [+] Read More

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Prior to his career as a high-visibility producer of unbalanced older rock musicians (Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis) and pop bands (NRBQ, Greenberry Woods), Andy Paley teamed with his brother Jonathan in 1978 to form the power pop duo the Paley Brothers. They released a self-titled album that same year which didn't do much commercially but is... [+] Read More

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An important early figure on the Los Angeles power pop scene, Paul Collins was a key member of two bands that anticipated the "skinny tie band" explosion of the late '70s and early '80s, the Nerves and the Beat. Born in New York City, Collins' father was a civilian who worked with the U.S. military, a job that kept his family on the move, and... [+] Read More

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It may not have the hip thing to do at the time but Shoes carried on the pure pop traditions of the Beatles and the Raspberries during the late '70s and early '80s with a charming innocence and execution unmatched by the more derivative bands lumped into the category "power pop."

Shoes was formed by in Zion, IL, in 1975 by Jeff... [+] Read More

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A Los Angeles-based power pop outfit formed by Paul Collins (ex-Nerves), the Beat recorded its self-titled debut LP after signing to Columbia Records in 1979. Despite good reviews and some regional success, the album failed to make much impact. A second attempt, 1982's The Kids Are the Same (this time credited to Paul Collins' Beat), also failed... [+] Read More

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The first Canadian punk band signed to a major label, the Diodes are best-remembered for their moody, head-banging hit "Tired of Waking Up Tired" and their hard-hitting interpretation of the Paul Simon-penned tune "Red Rubber Ball." With vocalist Paul Robinson backed by guitarist John Catto, bassist Ian MacKay, and drummers John Hamilton and,... [+] Read More

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Forming in Los Angeles in the late '70s, the Knack (Doug Fieger, vocals/guitar; Berton Averre, lead guitar; Prescott Niles, bass; and Bruce Gary, drums) were neither punk nor rock, but pure simple pop, standing out among the musical dross that littered the Sunset Strip. Signing with Capitol after a feeding frenzy of label offers, the Knack... [+] Read More

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The Raspberries cut through the epic pretensions and pomposity of '70s-era rock to proudly reclaim the spirit and simplicity of classic pop, recalling the heyday of the British Invasion with their exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies. The group was formed in Mentor, OH, in early 1970 by singer/songwriter Eric Carmen and... [+] Read More

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The Records are probably best remembered for their cult classic and minor hit, "Starry Eyes" -- a near-perfect song that defined British power pop in the '70s. And while they never quite matched the success of that record, their high-quality output from 1979 to 1982 has not only held up better than most of the era with its timeless appeal, but... [+] Read More

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Such power pop founders as the Raspberries and Big Star may have been woefully underappreciated during their initial run in the early '70s, but by the end of the decade, several of their offspring had taken the style to the upper reaches of the charts -- including Cheap Trick, the Knack, and the Romantics. But what set the group apart from their... [+] Read More

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