VA -Looking for the Magic, American Power Pop in the Seventies [2023] (3 x CDs)

POWER POP

VA -Looking for the Magic, American Power Pop in the Seventies [2023] (3 x CDs)

“Various - Looking For The Magic (American Power Pop In The Seventies)” is a captivating journey into the heart of the power pop genre. Released by Grapefruit Records on November 17, 2023, this 3-CD compilation is a treasure trove of rock and pop tunes that defined an era.

Power pop began right about the time that psychedelia turned to meandering jams and the back-to-basics movement took all the poppy fun out of music. Bands who didn't want to travel down either of those paths turned back to the mid-'60s for inspiration, mixing the sunny hooks of the Beatles with the charged-up power of the Who to craft a new and somewhat nostalgic sound. Numerous collections have been released over the years focusing on the style; most of them have focused mainly on the skinny-tie groups that sprang up in the late '70s, when the sound evolved to serve as a more melodic version of punk. Looking for the Magic: American Power Pop in the 70s does a good job tracking the American arm of the power pop movement from the beginnings of power pop and following it as it evolved (a little) and grew up (a bit) throughout the decade. It kicks of with a clutch of songs from pioneers like the MC5, Flamin' Groovies, and Big Star, groups who definitely had all the hooks, energy, and style to get the ball rolling in style. The entire first disc takes place prior to punk, and songs like Blue Ash's hard-rollicking "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?)," Milk 'N' Cookies' "Little Lost and Innocent," the Wackers' "It's My Life," and the Raspberries' "Play On" give lie to the commonly held belief that the music scene was a total wasteland before the safety-pin brigade rode in to save the day. Once the landscape changed, power pop continued along next to punk, sometime crossing boundaries but more often sticking to the more melodic side of the street, or instead mixing with AOR (Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult) or soft rock (Andrew Gold). Basically, anything hooky and energetic was fair game, and the set even stretches to include Television’s "See No Evil" and NRBQ's note-perfect "Ridin in My Car." Once the "power pop" sound became more codified, it became a little more predictable -- if still occasionally transcendent -- and the songs here from late 1978 on tend to be more homogenic. Most of the bands took cues from the group that gives the collection its title: The Dwight Twilley Band's "Looking for the Magic" is a cornerstone that piles on reverb, sharpens its hooks to a fine point, and relies on vocal harmonies to send the sound to pop heaven. The Scruffs' "She Say Yea" is another perfect nugget that sounds like Big Star if they had made it to the punk era. The third disc captures power pop as it hit the big time with the Cars and the Knack; ropes in the Ramones; checks in with one of the originators of the sound, Badfinger; and digs up a few should-have-been classics like Segarini's "Gotta Have Pop," the Last's jangling psychedelic pastiche "She Don't Know Why I'm Here," and "She Said" by the improbably named Cheese. The collection does a great job digging up lesser-known tracks that even a serious power pop buff might never have heard as well as hitting all the big names (and not picking obvious songs by them, sticking to deep cuts instead.) It's hard to sum up a movement or a sound or an era in a way that doesn't either come across as too obvious or too obscure for hipness' sake; what the makers of this collection have done is hit right at the sweet spot where education and entertainment meet. They've captured this magical era of music in a way that truly makes it come to life, and when paired with their similarly excellent trio of releases -- Miles Out to Sea, Harmony in My Head, and Kids on the Street -- that examine the British power pop era, comes darn close to being definitive. That being said, there are enough great bands and songs not included to justify a second volume, but until then, anyone looking to revisit or discover some great pop music will find much to love here. (AMG review by Tim Sendra)

The compilation does an excellent job of showcasing the breadth and depth of the genre. It includes a variety of artists, each bringing their unique style and interpretation to the power pop sound. This diversity makes for an engaging and dynamic listening experience.

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Track lists

CD1

01 Mc5 - Shakin' Street 2:22

02 Crabby Appleton - Go Back 3:00

03 American Dream - Egg Carton Wall 3:02

04 Todd Rundgren - We Gotta Get You A Woman 3:10

05 Grin - Moon Tears 2:20

06 Bread - Down On My Knees 2:45

07 Flamin' Grooves - You Tore Me Down 2:50

08 Erik (Sid Bradley) - To Be Your Friend 2:39

09 Big Star - When My Baby's Beside Me 3:24

10 Stories - Top Of The City 2:58

11 Wackers - It's My Life 3:33

12 Sparks - I Like Girls (Bearsgrill Version) 2:53

13 Blue Ash - Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?) 3:07

14 Bang - Must Be Love 2:54

15 Earth Quake - Friday On My Mind 3:34

16 Rapsberries - Play On 3:04

17 Athanor - I Don't Mind 2:35

18 Fox Pass - Some Kind Of Jerk 3:52

19 Droogs - Ahead Of My Time 2:42

20 Nils Lofgren - I Don't Want To Know 2:44

21 Milk 'n' Cookies - Little Lost And Innocent 2:51

22 Tim Moore - Rock And Roll Love Letter 4:22

23 Jonathan Richman - Government Center 2:03

24 Alex Chilton - She May Look My Way (Take 2) 2:29

25 Target - Familiar Faces 4:40

26 Eric Carmen - Last Night 2:58

CD2

01 Runaways - American Nights 3:18

02 Blue Oyster Club - (Don't Fear) The Reaper 3:51

03 Hollins Ferry - Downtown Menagerie 2:52

04 Just Boys - All In All 2:59

05 Nerves - When You Find Out 1:59

06 Babys - If You've Got The Time 2:37

07 Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy 4:24

08 John Scoggins - To Stay 2:31

09 Television - See No Evil 3:53

10 Meyce - I Trust You 2:07

11 Cheap Trick - Oh. Candy 3:08

12 Nrbq - Ridin' In My Car 2:53

13 Shoes - Boys Don't Lie 2:00

14 Scruffs - She Say Yea 2:53

15 Marshalls - She's The One 2:27

16 Utopia - Love In Action 3:29

17 Venus & The Razorblues - Alright You Guys 3:04

18 Dwight Twilley Band - Looking For The Magic 3:17

19 Paley Brothers - Ecstasy 2:32

20 Marbles - Forgive And Forget 2:50

21 Tuff Darts - All For The Love Of Rock 'n' Roll 3:20

22 Quick - You, Yeah You 3:28

23 Van Duren - New Year's Eve 3:41

24 Leopards - Mind In My Own 2:49

25 Pop - Walk In The Rain 3:38

26 Sneakers - Decline And Fall 3:14

CD3

01 Cars - My Best Friend's Girl 3:46

02 Tommy Hoehn - Losing You To Sleep 5:14

03 Gary Valentine - The First One 2:38

04 Moberlys - Leave The Past Behind 2:37

05 Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated 2:33

06 Spitballs - Let Her Dance 2:30

07 Jules & The Polar Bears - You Just Don't Wanna Know 3:23

08 Segarini - Gotta Have Pop 3:37

09 Robert Johnson - Say Girl 2:59

10 Fotomaker - Come Back 3:21

11 Bill Kern - Don't Listen To Them 2:37

12 Badfinger - Love Is Gonna Come At Last 3:39

13 Rubinoos - Drivin' Music 3:16

14 Greg Kihn Band - Rendezvous 2:30

15 Knack - Your Number Of Your Name 2:57

16 Mumbles - Poly Vinyl 3:55

17 Moon Martin - Rolene 3:38

18 Laughing Dogs - Get 'im Outa Town 3:27

19 Last - She Don't Why I'm Here 3:30

20 Ian Lloyd - Slip Away 3:38

21 Richard Lloyd - Should Have Known Better 2:55

22 Names - No More Heartbreaks 4:29

23 Cheese - She Said 3:16

24 20 - Cheri 3:18

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