Front Row & Backstage

Front Row & Backstage

Share this post

Front Row & Backstage
Front Row & Backstage
Audio Autopsy, 1981: The Producers, "What's He Got?": Bubbling-Under Corporate Power Pop

Audio Autopsy, 1981: The Producers, "What's He Got?": Bubbling-Under Corporate Power Pop

The skinny-tie trade was booming in the early '80s, with power-poppers catching the crest of the late '70s New Wave, biding their time until the synth and hair metal dinosaurs began roaming the earth.

Brad Kyle's avatar
Brad Kyle
Jul 14, 2022
∙ Paid
5

Share this post

Front Row & Backstage
Front Row & Backstage
Audio Autopsy, 1981: The Producers, "What's He Got?": Bubbling-Under Corporate Power Pop
3
Share
“Just Say No to Rugs”: Apparently ceding the hair concession to the others, keyboardist Wayne Famous gets high during an Epic photo shoot.

Power pop, the well-behaved bastard child of mid-’70s punk (think Ramones, et al) and late ‘70s New Wave (Police, Talking Heads), had its early indie-label’n’fanzine grass-rooters overtaken by the inevitable encroach…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Front Row & Backstage to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Brad Kyle FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share