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POWER POP
VA - Hooks In The Dark, Rare Power Pop 1977-1985 (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)
What you’re about to listen to isn’t just another power pop collection, it’s a four‑disc journey into the parts of the genre that rarely see daylight. I’ve spent years tracking these songs down, checking pressings and making sure every track earns its place. Nothing here is filler. Each song captures something essential about the era, the spark, the innocence, the bite, the ambition, and that unmistakable DIY electricity that ran through 1977 to 1985.
Across these 4 CDs you’ll hear bands who pressed a few hundred copies, groups who never made it past their local pub or community hall, and artists who had the songs but not the luck. That’s the heart of this set, the stories that almost slipped away. These aren’t the usual “rare power pop” suspects that get recycled over and over. This is the real underground, the 7‑inches that lived in basements, the private‑press gems, the regional scenes that flared brightly and vanished.
Each disc has its own character.
CD1 carries the raw edge, the punk‑leaning power pop that still smells like sweat and photocopied gig flyers.
CD2 moves into the sharp, hook‑driven UK/Euro sound.
CD3 leans toward the jangly, indie‑minded side of the genre, the sound that would eventually feed college radio.
CD4 is the late‑night disc, the cult tracks, the darker corners, the songs made for people who stayed up too late with a tape deck and a stack of singles.
What ties everything together is the rarity. More than sixty of these tracks were pressed in tiny quantities, sold at gigs, traded between friends, or left behind in record shops that no longer exist. These are the bands who never got the break, the singles that never crossed a border, the songs that survived on cassette dubs and collector whispers. Bringing them together in one place shows just how wide, inventive, and unpredictable the power pop underground really was.
This isn’t nostalgia and it’s not a rehash. It’s preservation, a way of giving these lost sparks a home again and letting listeners hear how much brilliance was happening far from the spotlight. Only a handful of artists across the entire set ever had anything close to wider exposure. Everything else sits firmly in the deep‑cut, hard‑to‑find, “how did this even exist?” category.
If you’re already deep into power pop, you’ll recognise the thrill of seeing names you’ve only heard rumours about. And if you’re new to this world, you’re about to discover just how strange, catchy, and wonderful things get when you step outside the obvious choices. (B)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Jumpers - Sick Girls 3:48 1979
02 Flys - We Don't Mind The Rave 3:03 1978
03 Suicide Commandos - She 2:59 1977
04 Twisters - Heartless 2:32 1979
05 Flyin' Spiderz - Stupid Photographs 2:54 1977
06 Catch 22 - Scotty and D 3:09 1985
07 Dick 'n The Donuts - Saturday Night 2:42 1981
08 Badbeats - One and One is Two 2:06 1979
09 Heat - High School Sweater 2:59 1978
10 Back Street Romeos - In The Night 3:07 1980
11 New Math - Die Trying 2:00 1979
12 Modulators - Spin Me Around 2:03 1980
13 Trend - Band Aid 2:20 1980
14 Features - City Scenes 3:31 1980
15 Reactors - Do That Thing 2:57 1980
16 Bompers - Do The Bomp 1:55 1979
17 Hitmen - I Don’t Mind 2:43 1979
18 Classic Ruins - Nyquil Stinger 2:47 1980
19 Steroids - Out of Control 3:08 1981
20 Rousers - Party Boy 3:43 1980
CD2
01 Orbits - Phenominal World 2:24 1980
02 Reeperbahn - Havel Ligger Blank! 3:29 1979
03 Pop - Nobody's Toy 3:19 1977
04 Donkeys - Don't Go 3:23 1979
05 Hi-Fi's - Look at What You've Done 3:34 1978
06 Marbles - Red Lights 3:01 1976
07 Quads - There Must Be Thousands 3:21 1979
08 Really 3rds - Everyday, Everyway 2:51 1981
09 Sponsors - In and Out of Love 2:39 1982
10 Tattoo - I Still Want You 3:47 1977
11 Ascenders - She's in Love 2:49 1983
12 Blazers - Top of My World 3:50 1980
13 Elevators - Your I's Are Too Close Together 3:22 1980
14 Fans - You Don't Live Here Anymore 3:22 1980
15 Favourites - S.O.S. 3:19 1979
16 Marshalls - AM 2:47 1980
17 Nits - Yes Or No 3:02 1977
18 Orbits - Rear View Mirror 4:02 1981
19 Shout - Sha-Day-La-Da 2:43 1982
20 Signals - Cold as The Rain 3:08 1984
CD3
01 Poppees - Jealousy 2:34 1978
02 Rattlers - On The Beach 3:04 1979
03 Dabs - Love The Army 3:00 1981
04 Wigs - 180 Degrees 3:22 1981
05 Know - I Like Girls 2:09 1980
06 Secrets - It's You 1:37 1982
07 New Hearts - Just Another Teenage Anthem 1:57 1977
08 Chaser - Lovin' Eyes 3:56 1979
09 David Burdick - Can't Sit Still 3:32 1985
10 Bings - Please Please Please 2:38 1981
11 Zones - You're Not Fooling Me 2:40 1979
12 Lookalikes - Don't Cry for Me 3:36 1980
13 Riptides - Magic Castle 1:46 1979
14 Bats - Not My Girl Anymore 3:20 1982
15 Shake Shakes - You Can Run 3:33 1979
16 Shivvers - Please Stand By 3:04 1980
17 Bats - Popgun 3:24 1982
18 Readymades - Supergirl 1:43 1977
19 Zippers - She's A Rebel 2:36 1977
20 Scarlet Party - 101 Damn-Nations 3:37 1982
CD4
01 Probers - Caught You in The Corner of My Eye 4:27 1982
02 Marching Girls - First in Line 2:53 1980
03 Local Operator - Mumbo Man 3:16 1980
04 Poppees - Love of the Loved 1:51 1978
05 Ronnie Mayor - Can't Wait 'til The Summer Comes 2:52 1981
06 Brats - First Rock Star on The Moon 4:07 1976
07 Pencils - If You Really Wanna Hurt Somebody 3:03 1984
08 Spoons - Red Light 4:40 1981
09 Times - Red With Purple Flashes 3:20 1981
10 Mumps - Rock & Roll This, Rock & Roll That 2:31 1978
11 Moberlys - Sexteen 3:33 1984
12 Tactics - Standing By The Window 2:39 1981
13 Trend - Teenage Crush 3:21 1979
14 Reruns - So So Alone 2:51 1978
15 Agents - Suburban Paradise 2:26 1981
16 Techtones - That Girl 3:13 1980
17 Colors - West End 1:47 1980
18 Names - Why Can't it Be 3:59 1982
19 Smirks - O.K. U.K. 2:17 1978
20 Mosquitos - This Was Then, This is Now 4:08 1981
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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another mind bending compilation from the King!
ReplyDeleteButter, got a request sir...looking for;
Blues Women Anthology 18 CD Box-Set (2007)
https://dixie8049.blogspot.com/2011/12/blues-women-anthology-18-cd-box-set.html
(hot cover art as well NSFW)
Thanks, D.
DeleteVA - Hooks In The Dark, Rare Power Pop was a labour of love. Glad you like it.
As for the Blues Women Anthology set, I do have it. It’s a substantial collection and I will keep it in mind for a future post.
Cheers.
Decameron nailed this "....and the family man who brings the milk to your door / was probably almost a star...".
ReplyDeleteThe support bands who never quite made it to stardom but who you prayed would; superstars at the music nights in their local pubs; sounds birthing memories of THAT night with THAT crowd and thoughts of "I wander what happened to.....?" as the music sets your feet beating to a melody you thought you'd forgotten.
Groups too obscure for Wikipedia.
BB - this set makes me think of the Old Grey Whistle Test - liminal talents who deserve to be remembered and celebrated. Thank you!
Hi twinsoulz.
DeleteThose almost‑stars and nearly‑theres are often the ones who stay with us the longest, the pub‑night heroes, the support acts you quietly rooted for, the names that never made it to Wikipedia but still shaped a moment in your life. That Decameron line captures it perfectly.
I love that this set brought back those feelings for you. These talents deserve to be remembered.
Cheers.
Superb collection. Almost everything - not familiar with. Power pop has always been an enigma to me. Is it punk? Is it hard rock? Is it shoegaze? Is it pop? Is it too soft? Is it too hard? Whatever. There were many many great melodic songs produced under this umbrella over decades. And that's everything that counts. Thank you BB again for this, hardly waiting to check. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHi StoneRose.
DeletePower pop has always lived in that in‑between space, too sharp for pure pop, too melodic for punk, too direct for shoegaze, too clean for hard rock. That tension is part of what makes it so addictive.
I’m glad you are excited to open this set and explore a few new "under the umbrella" adventures. Enjoy the dive.
Cheers.
And I always thought I knew (and loved!) POWER POP in (almost) all its forms... An amazing collection of new discoveries: it will brighten up my weekend (and hopefully the trip to the dentist on Monday too). Many thanks, BB, and extra praise for the perfect, ingenious artwork! Best from (definitely NOT) ‘Off The Hook’ TC
ReplyDeleteThank you, TC.
DeletePower pop has a way of surprising even the most seasoned listener, there’s always another gem hiding just out of sight. I’m really glad this set brought you some new discoveries and that it’ll keep you company through the weekend, dentist trip included. And thanks for the kind words about the artwork, that means a lot.
Cheers.
To me, power pop has always been the genre that, to plagiarize a Springsteen song lyric, taught us more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school. It's by far my favorite genre, and I see a lot of familiar tunes here, but also some I've not heard and I'm looking forward (for once!) to going back to school!
ReplyDeleteHi rugrat907.
DeleteThat Springsteen line really does capture the heart of power pop, those three‑minute bursts that somehow teach you more than they have any right to.
It’s a genre built on melody, momentum, and that spark of possibility, and I love that it’s your favourite.
Great to hear you’re finding a mix of old friends and new discoveries here. If this set sends you “back to school,” that’s the best kind of homework.
Cheers.
Beyond magnificent. Thanks so much BB. The 3 minute pop song is probably my favourite art form. SPx
ReplyDeleteSleepyPete.
DeleteThe three‑minute pop song really is its own little art form, tight, bright, and straight to the heart. I’m glad this set is a hit for you.
Cheers.
Ahhh Power Pop, now there was a "short-lived" genre (or was it?). An excellent set BB, thank you. The pop music you go to when you don't like the commercial pop music.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martin.
DeletePower pop was always tagged as short‑lived, but it never really went away, it just kept resurfacing in new shapes and new corners.
I’m glad are enjoying this set, and I like that description: the pop you turn to when the commercial stuff doesn’t quite do it.
Cheers.
Ah, my friends the Jumpers! "Sick Girls" is a great song, although "This Is It" is really their masterpiece!
ReplyDeleteHi, Mr. E.
DeleteThe Jumpers really had something special. “Sick Girls” is a blast, and I agree, “This Is It” is the one where everything clicks. Great to see them get a nod here.
Cheers.
Ahhh che Bellezza! Thanks heaps BB.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fabio.
DeleteAlways great to hear this one brings a bit of joy. What a beauty indeed.
Cheers.
Just: wow.
ReplyDeleteHi David D. Nowell, Ph.D.
DeleteThank you. I am glad this appeals to you.
Cheers.
What's so great about your new compilation is that you didn't go for the obvious, instead filled these volumes with unsung heroes. Not really my style (I went for punk and HC those days) but with the years I tend to appreciate the genre, so I'll give them a spin. And hats off to you BB for continuing to serve us your homemade compilations. How do you do it? You're a team or something? And always quality, stunning, really. You can be proud of yourself, you know, or so you should be in any case. A huge thanks for all you do, fantastic how you managed to create a whole community. Take care, grtz.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ja‑Mike.
DeleteI’m really glad you noticed the approach, going for the unsung heroes rather than the obvious names. It keeps these sets feeling alive rather than predictable. Even if this wasn’t your style back in the day, it’s nice to hear the years have opened a door to it.
As for how it all gets done… no team, just me, working away and enjoying the process. The community that’s grown around it is the real reward, and I’m grateful for the tone everyone brings here.
Cheers.