UK Guitar Teacher, Tom Moloney, 26, Reacts to Hearing Power Pop for the First Time, Pt. 2
Raspberries, Cheap Trick, Big Star, and more! The power pop tower of power headlines Tom's Part 2 of his initial exposure (ever!) and responses to the bangin'-est set of hummin' 'n' strummin' extant!
Our favorite “Is that what that sounds like?!?”-kid is back!
of , is a 26-year-old British guitar teacher! What’s more, until Spring of this year, he had little-to-no-idea as to what power pop was, let alone having heard any of its fabulous melodies, glorious harmonies, and the rivetingly catchy songs this rock sub-genre has to offer! Well, he’s heard ‘em now, and here’s what he thinks!
Here was Tom’s first foray into the Power Pop Arena back in May:
UK Guitar Teacher, Tom Moloney, 26, Reacts to Hearing Power Pop for the First Time, Pt. 1
It all started here, from an off-hand discussion online…my love and admiration for Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull, and hearing Tom say, “I’ve never heard them before.” That’s all I needed to hear!👇
#1: Raspberries, “Go All The Way,” single released in 1972—1974 lip-synched studio version:
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Tom: The change in dynamics between the intro and verse on “Go All The Way” is incredible and is really something I was not expecting. “Go All The Way” starts out with a very groovy guitar riff that gets you shuffling and is the sort of riff that makes you want to learn guitar. Then everything slows and the vocals enter almost as a welcoming gift. It is the vocals and their harmonies which really make the song stand out as they are very soft and charming as if coming from a gentleman letting his love know how much she means to him.
When we move into the middle 8, it is completely different to the rest of the song. Singer Eric Carmen becomes much more powerful and shows his passion for the love of his life. This really catches my attention and has everyone singing along with Carmen.
From this little summary, we can see three clear styles within “Go All The Way”: Firstly, there is the intro (and outro) which are very rock‘n’roll, and I wish it got dragged out for longer; secondly, the main body of the song is a charming love song as described above; and finally, the middle 8 is edging on heavy rock. If only the vocals added a little more distortion.
Song #2: Bob Segarini, “Gotta Have Pop,” 1978
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Tom: The opening to “Gotta Have Pop” is wonderful, and is the first one from this list that is developed around a piano rather than guitar. It simply revolves around repeating the same piano chord over and over, with a looping sequence over the top, making up the basis of the song.
As a song, this is the furthest away from my previous experience with power pop due to the vocals being much less melodic. However, it has all the elements you may expect from the genre; soothing harmonies, powerful instrumentals and colourful guitars behind easy-to-sing vocals.
Brad’s 2 cents: YouTube content creator, CD Junkie, provides a lot of info on American/Canadian, Bob Segarini’s career, and introduces you to his many musical iterations (dating back to the late-’60s), including Family Tree, Roxy, The Wackers, The Dudes, and more.
Click here to view on YouTube if video doesn’t appear below:
Song #3: Big Star, “September Gurls,” 1972
“Basically, in the mid-1970s, the only people on the planet who knew Big Star were rock critics and record store clerks!”—R.E.M. guitarist, Peter Buck, one of the countless musicians to take influence from Big Star after the fact (from “Drummer, Jody Stephens Lifts the Lid on Big Star,” 6/15/2020 LongLiveVinyl.net)
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Tom: “September Gurls” is a very fun, quick song with jangly guitars. The chorus is incredibly short and acts more like a hook between verses.
What I like about “September Gurls” is it is very raw, and you can hear each instrument very clearly and distinctly [produced by John Fry, Ardent Records’ founder]. The song’s structure is simple, and you can almost picture the writing session for the basis of the song being an off-cuss five-minute improv when lead singer and the song’s writer, Alex Chilton, was bored one rainy day.
Song #4: The Beckies, “Run Jenny Run,” 1976
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Tom: The Beckies’ “Run Jenny Run” is straight up a joy to listen to, revolving around a bouncy piano progression. There are interesting changes throughout the music to keep it evolving, even though it only really has two obvious parts to the song: One part is incredibly quick paced to match the song’s title, and a second where the vocals are dragged out as the music slows.
These sections go back and forth between themselves, with additional hooks and an outro, giving the music enough variation within its short two minutes, 45 seconds to maintain the listener’s interest.
🎵✨Brad chimes in with a sneak peek (more like a tease): The bass player on that Beckies’ 1976 debut album is a long-time subscriber to FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, and will be featured, quite prominently, on upcoming Tune Tag #100!
Not an official band member, contractual issues precluded his name from being featured on the album’s credits as having played bass. He was filling in on the sessions until the band found a permanent bassist. Stay tuned!
Song #5: Cheap Trick, “Surrender,” 1978
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Tom: “Surrender” starts out with heavy drums, bass and guitar which surprised me for a second as it sounded very modern. However, once the vocals enter, it is exactly how I imagined power pop to be: It has a lot of energy and a perfect blend between distortion and what I’m going to describe as “easy-on-the-ear” sounds. The vocals are fun and the melodies flow. The structure is simple and divided kindly with hooks, something I feel we are missing in modern music.
Finally, the bridge before the final chorus is perfect. Stretching out the vocals at this time in the song gives us something to sing and make us feel like a rock star, or pop star if you prefer, as the song is reaching its climax.
Click here to watch on YouTube if video doesn’t show up below:
Tom’s Final Thoughts
Terms I have used throughout this piece are “fun,” “joy” and “cheerful.” This is exactly how I envision power pop and would describe it to a friend. The songs are all bursts of energy and played through relatively standard structures, with lyrics which are easy to sing, meaning we know exactly what is going to come next. However, this doesn’t mean the songs aren’t without their own creative elements, and pleasant surprises are always scattered throughout the songs.
The One That Started It All
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All superb choices. Living in New Orleans, I got to be friends with Alex Chilton. Seeing him play "September Gurls" with Big Star was amazing. Jody Stephens drum break was spot on, and Ken and Jon from The Posies pulled it off superbly that night. And the fact that The Posies opened, and then The Continental Drifters also played (power pop legend Peter Holsapple of The dBs band), it was power pop heaven 😊 ❤️
I thought Segarini reminded me of a poppier April Wine — must be a Canadian sound of the time!;) And The Beckies I also really liked. It had more of a Big Star vibe. Are they British or American? I couldn’t find the answer in a quick search. I know it was recorded in NY but that doesn’t mean anything. And I am sure the coffers are filled with power pop gems like these bands I’ve never heard before. That’s what I count on you for!