🎵UK Guitar Teacher, Tom Moloney, 26, Reacts to Hearing Power Pop for the First Time, Pt. 3
Some of the best from known power-poppers like Blue Ash, Shoes, Dwight Twilley Band, The Producers, and Great Buildings! Our resident guitarist/music lover, Tom, tackles each for his first time!👂❓
Tom Moloney of More About Music, Please!, is a 26-year-old British guitar teacher (and, he knows his way around a stage, to boot)! 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 are Tom’s first two forays into discovering some of power pop’s best artists and songs!👇
#1. Blue Ash, “Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?),” 1973
Tom: “Abracadabra” is an incredibly fun listen right from the opening few notes. As is the way with much of the power pop we have explored in this series, the song instantly begins with a catchy guitar riff that is full of energy and creates a movement to the song.
The vocals are sung very straight, cutting across the instruments which adds a confidence to the narrator. However, there is a nervousness to the lyrics as he is in desperation to find the girl of his dreams. The constant guitar sequences over the top of the vocals adds an additional melody that brighten the song and make it a joy to listen to.
“Abracadabra” is a song I could have on-repeat for hours. There is an excellent combination of energy, building of intensity and easy-to-sing lyrics that will keep me coming back for more.
This much is evident by the raucous album-opener, “Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her),” a song with all the melodic rush of Raspberries’ “Go All the Way,” but leaner and meaner.-Allmusic.com
Brad: Formed in Ohio in the summer of 1969, Blue Ash released their Mercury Records No More, No Less debut in 1973 (the year I graduated high school in Houston).
They were (Facebook friend), bassist Frank Secich and vocalist, Jim Kendzor. Guitarist Bill Yendrek and drummer David Evans joined later in the summer of ‘69. Bill Bartolin, who co-wrote “Abracadabra” with Secich, took over guitar chores in 1970.
Blue Ash toured and opened for such acts as The Stooges, Bob Seger, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and others, but for lack of sales they were dropped by Mercury Records in May 1974, exactly a year after their well-respected album was released.
Blue Ash, according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine on Allmusic.com, “were known as one of the key early power pop bands, standing alongside The Raspberries and Badfinger in how they drew equally from The Beatles and The Who.
“If anything, Blue Ash leaned on that Who influence harder than The Raspberries, rocking a vigor rarely heard in power pop, and also opening themselves up to the lyrical vistas of Bob Dylan by covering the rarity, ‘Dusty Old Fairgrounds,’ a move rarely made by power poppers.”
As for “Abracadabra,” Erlewine continues: “All this indicates that Blue Ash were a rock band first and foremost, placing the sheer rush of sound over hooks, something that a lot of their progeny never did. That’s what gives their debut, No More No Less, such a punch: They are one of the few groups that truly put some power in their pop.”
The Records, “Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her),” 1979 Cover
When one of the best covers your song, you know you hit the bullseye! The Records join Raspberries, The Rubinoos, and Jellyfish on my Mt. Rushmore of Power Pop:
#2. Shoes, “Tomorrow Night,” 1979
Tom: “Tomorrow Night” feels like a song built on a juxtaposition between the lead vocals and the backing instruments. The guitar opens with a very positive melody, however the vocals are much more monotone.
Even the harmonies, which are famously upbeat in power pop, carry this low energy to them. The song reminds me in a lot of ways of Nirvana, something I’d never thought was possible in power pop: The vocal style and accompanying lyrics, the back and forth on the chords and very simple instrumentation.
Something very noticeable about power pop that rings true in this song is how quickly the vocals enter after the intro. There is very little room for the instruments to ease the listeners into the song. Presumably, this was a requirement to maximize radio play, ensuring the bands tick-the-box of a hit song.
The venerable Ira Robbins, and his Trouser Press bio of the band: “The brilliant quintessence of American power pop hails from Zion, Illinois and began by recording at home on a 4-track, which resulted in a self-released LP that attracted national attention and (eventually) a major-label contract.
“Bassist John Murphy, guitarists Jeff Murphy and Gary Klebe and drummer Skip Meyer blend electric guitar — loud, distorted and multi-tracked, yet sweet — with breathy, winsome vocals to create melodic rock made most impressive by the strength of three equally talented singer/songwriters.”
Robert Christgau gave “Tomorrow Nights”s Present Tense an A- in this review: “Their voices are interchangeably breathy, their tempos unflappably moderate, their guitar hooks unfailingly right. And when, for a change of pace, one of them sounds bitter, the effect is as startling as a Johnny Ramone guitar solo.”
#3. Dwight Twilley Band, “I’m On Fire,” 1975
Tom: This song is totally brilliant! It is the epitome of Rock N’ Roll, and an absolute pleasure to listen to! “I’m On Fire” has a level of swag to the rhythm that oozes confidence and is passed onto us as the listener. This is largely thanks to the backing music, whilst the phrasing of the vocals puts the singer in complete control and holds everyone’s focus on him. It is the sort of song that grabs everyone’s attention when it is played. The guitars have the perfect level of crunch that creates a sophisticated toughness, and reminds me of a popular kid in a ‘70s high school ‘drama’.
“I’m On Fire” (Dwight’s Special Mix):
Tulsa local news report/interview following Twilley’s October 2023 death (video won’t play on other websites…click here to view on YouTube).
#4. The Producers, “What’s He Got,” 1981
Tom: “What’s He Got” is instantly striking. It has guitar power chords similar to punk music that give the song strength, whilst a bouncing piano at high tempo offers light-hearted energy. The song is centered around huge amounts of repetition, something I am a massive advocate for and will always promote when teaching guitar!
Using repetition simplifies the music massively, makes the listener feel more familiar with the song, and it’s far easier for them to sing along to both the lyrics and instrumentals. Whilst vocal harmonies have always been a massive part of power pop, in “What’s He Got,” the backing vocals are used differently:
They are much less about providing an additional harmony to the lead vocalist, instead creating a call-and-response style. This changes the dynamic of the song, maintaining the light-hearted nature that the opening chords introduced, making the song a fun, unique listen!
#5. Great Buildings, “Hold On to Something,” 1981
Tom: There is instant energy in “Hold On To Something,” as is the way in power pop! It introduces jangly guitars that have a bit of grit within, whilst holding back from becoming a heavy song.
“Hold On To Something” has a lot of dynamics, with jabbing of the instruments in the verses that give depth, yet in the chorus there is the familiar harmonies of power pop that opens the song and gives it plenty of space. The guitar solo is maybe the best solo I’ve heard from any of these power pop hits. Although only a short-lived section, it definitely is enough to get a young child asking family members for a guitar at their next birthday!
The solo bursts in, taking centre stage of the song, putting electricity into the air. Although the solo is very simple, it shines thanks to its incredible melodies, as it slowly works its way up the fretboard.
Good friend, Keith R. Higgons of Center Stage: An Abandoned Albums Podcast, incurred a healthy dose of my envy when he interviewed both Phil Solem and Danny Wilde of Great Buildings a couple years ago. The duo were the ones behind the lyric co-writing and recording (in their Rembrandts) of “I’ll Be There For You,” the hit that became the theme song for the beyond-popular Friends TV phenomenon (1994-2004).
Keith also wrote this fan-tastic Great Buildings article, focusing on “Hold On To Something” (click here).
It’s the most popular article on the FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE site (and, there are over 500 of ‘em)! Enjoy the one that started it all! I first heard Jethro Tull in 1968 (at 13), and saw them in several concerts in the early-’70s!
I self-taught the flute around 1970, and learned, by ear, every Ian Anderson flute riff on the six Tull albums from ‘68’s This Was through 1973’s A Passion Play!
Earlier this year, I discovered new friend, Tom, had never heard any Tull songs! That’s all I needed to hear…and, this is all Tom needed to hear to share his entertaining and informed insight on a thrilling and influential 20th century rock band from his 21st-century, Gen-Z POV!
UK Guitar Teacher, Tom Moloney, 25, Hears & Reacts to Jethro Tull For the First Time
Two months before this unlikely TV-studio merging of the band who would bring us Aqualung and the left-handed guitarist who would soon provide brontosaurian riffs behind Ozzy on metal behemoths like “War Pigs,” “Sweet Leaf,” and “Paranoid,” Jethro Tull released their debut album, perplexingly called
For more Power Pop fun, turn your dial to S.W. Lauden, and his necessary Remember The Lightning! Don’t miss this one (“Power Pop Memes”) from his archives, and certainly tune into his latest series, “Is It Power Pop?”!
 | A guest post by
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As I continue on my own path of trying to understand this genre that has been around almost as long as I have, I congratulate Tom for going down this road with you. I only knew one of these songs, I'm on Fire, which I recall being a moderate hit back in the day. My favorite of all of them though is the new to me "What's He Got?" by the Producers. This one feels right at home in the early 80s post punk/new wave era. (I've already put it on that playlist!) Why I never heard it before is beyond me. The other songs are fine and what I notice most about them is how contemporary they sound in an "alternative" music context. So much of what we've heard from the 1990s and on seems steeped in the structure and sound of these songs: catchy, melodic, vocals are pretty much front and center and the rock is not overly hard.
So much great music in one place. A perfect power pop primer.
Thanks for the shout out!