American Power Pop Poll: Rhino's "Come Out and Play" and "Shake It Up" Comps

narrowly voted tommy hoehn's "blow yourself up" over shoes' "tomorrow night."

dunno, i love "summer sun" by chris stamey, i could vote for that over shake some action. maybe not i am the cosmos.
these comps are pretty great. never gotten too heavy into the power pop obscurity world, but as samplers they are very enjoyable.

for the uninitiated, these songs are all over youtube.

another favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wbn0gBiueM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq4SKzeM4oU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DfyEiw6yM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shYf4x7PWg4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJchy6fAJ8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gZSH9QeOqQ

I was really hoping to pull for something more obscure, but "Southern Girls" rules. Really dug these comps, though. I like Holly & The Italians' album tracks more than their big single.

(I created a parallel poll for the UK comps that rocked my little world: UK Pop Poll: Rhino's 'Teenage Kicks' and 'Starry Eyes' Comps)

I Am The Cosmos.. duh.

The 2 Nerves songs tie for 2nd place.

"Southern Girls" on my short list, but I don't think it's really that much of a power pop song.

It doesn't need to be power pop.

pulled my copy of this great CD from the shelf and the case was empty :(

get bent has great taste - "blow yourself up" and the live pezband track ("stop") are my favorites. also love the artful dodger and off broadway songs.

Artful Dodger for personal and "regional pride" reasons. (They're from Northern Va but were always HUGE in the Cleveland area.)

Aside from that, The Nerves or Chris Bell.

Lurve these comps as well as this entire series. I've been digging back into power pop lately and just ordered the Yellow Pills: Prefill comp which is a nice companion for these.

I could vote for "Shake Some Action," but this might be the only time I ever get to vote for the Shoes in a poll, so "Too Late." It's not their best song, but it's one of their 10 best, which is good enough. Besides those two, also love: "My Mind," "Southern Girls," "Tired of Waking Up Tired," "The Summer Sun," "and "Tomorrow Night." I don't really remember "I am the Cosmos"--I kept "Speed of Sound" on my computer instead. Three things I wish were on one of these compilations: Creme Soda's "Tonight," Pointed Sticks' "Apologies," and the Martians' "Baby Hold On." I saw Artful Dodger open up for Blue Oyster Cult and Kiss in 1976.

Shake Some Action is the best song, but The Scruffs were a fine fine band. If you haven't heard My Mind, you are in for a treat.

Lots to like on here, but I went with "Hit The Floor." (Had never heard of these comps before -- The Rhino one I have is Poptopia! Power Pop Classics Of The '70s, from 1997, which unfortunately does not have anything by Piper, Earthquake, Real Kids, the Pop, or the Diodes.)

"Southern Girls" over "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," I guess. Never heard some of them.

BTW Fotomaker is Wally Bryson's post-Raspberries band. "Where Have You Been All My Life" is like an Eric Carmen song with none of the gutsiness of The Raspberries.

Voted Off Broadway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOTXWoeIew
Played on WLS-AM Chicago with the regularity of a traffic report in 1979.

Wow, first time I've ever heard that--excellent.

BTW Fotomaker is Wally Bryson's post-Raspberries band. "Where Have You Been All My Life" is like an Eric Carmen song with none of the gutsiness of The Raspberries.

Disagree. This is one of the most unintentionally sad songs ever, a lament about finding your perfect lover in middle age, and realizing how great your life would have been if only you'd met when you were young instead of the agonizing life and dysfunctional relationships you actually did have. For those who can relate to it, it hits hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TAK4tKI_bI

You could kind of hear the Rapsberries rhythm section rocking that out more, though.

Agreed, though the bigger problem here is that the producer/arranger buried the rhythm section in the mix behind strings/harmonica/piano that shouldn't have been there at all. Even then it still wouldn't be "gutsy", but it's not trying to be.

"What I Like About You".

and these CDs are even better than the UK ones - I like the cheesy side of power pop more than the mod side.

#1 Shoes – Tomorrow Night 3:00
#2 Tommy Hoehn – Blow Yourself Up 2:56

Honorable mentions to Fotomaker, Off Broadway, Cheap Trick, The Real Kids...etc...and the Flamin Groovies and Chris Bell tracks are probably best of all but almost too canonical for their own good.

reviving because the companion poll is at the top of new answers.

Nerves, Hangin'

Need to quickly spin these again before voting. Have the whole series but spent more time with the UK pop ones.

Holly & the Italians just barely over Flamin' Groovies.

This isn't any harder than the UK set, though I think I like these songs better, overall. "Shake Some Action" hands down, no questions or regrets. Not saying it wasn't close. Love these, too:

Nerves, The – Hangin' On the Telephone
Cheap Trick – Southern Girls
Real Kids, The – All Kindsa Girls
Diodes, The – Tired Of Waking Up Tired
Chris Bell – I Am The Cosmos
Cryers, The – Shake It Up (Ain't It Time?)*
Shoes – Tomorrow Night
20/20 – Yellow Pills
Romantics, The – What I Like About You
Know, The – I Like Girls ("and, without exception, they like me" lol)

* the real sleeper here, imo. verse vocals occasionally remind me of phil lynott.

lol @ 3 songs about girls, two about shaking

I voted for Holly and the Italians but wondering now whether I should have gone with "What I Like About You" -- overexposure has dimmed my ability to hear its merits but not the merits itself. No, I think I'm happy with "Tell That Girl To Shut Up."

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Hard to argue with this result.

True. I voted for the winner, but maybe should have gone with The Rubinoos "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" so it wouldn't have received a zero

Oh fuck. I had no idea Tommy Hoehn died. RIP

http://memphismeansmusic.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/beloved-memphis-musician-tommy-hoehn-1955-2010/

Nice to see Rubinoos shout-out.

(But not nice to see them SHUT OUT!)

as in the other thread, some of my favorites got shut down cold:

Know, The – I Like Girls
20/20 – Yellow Pills
Cryers, The – Shake It Up (Ain't It Time?)

glad that the diodes' "tired of waking up tired" and the real kids' "all kindsa girls" each got at least one vote. otoh, my mind is kind of blown by the fact that chris bell's "i am the cosmos" tied with them. damn! i thought that was ILX canon. i'd have voted for it back in '92 when i first heard it, but i'm not so fond of it now as i was then.

I Am the Cosmos almost feels like a different genre than the rest of the CD. obviously a classic but it's going for something different.

disappointed that pezband got no votes. also surprised at the low voter turnout for "i am the cosmos."

jbr otm