Best Power Pop Songs of All Time?

Dum Dum Girls???

Cotton Mather - the entire Kontiki album

Aww man, "Whippings and Apologies" by Sparks as well, totally righteous.

putting this here for future generations:

this video by THE COLORS never fails to make me happy (1980 power pop stuff if you ain't never heard them)

the stiv bators album is terrible/great.

need more 80s power pop:

Scruffy the Cat - My Baby, She's Alright
Let's Active - Every Word Means No
The Bongos - Bulrushes

The fucking Toms record is rocking my shit right now.

There was a cool book that came out a couple of years ago, "The Ultimate Power Pop Guide" which selected the 200 best power pop albums of all-time. If you google that name you'll find some industrious fellow took one song from each album and put together a series of compilations. Quite nifty! 200 power pop songs in a row is a bit much for me, though.

The Modernettes -- Little Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi0uz8JD9Aw

Elastica - Blue is one of my current obsessions.

Two drunk dudes were walking round the pub singing "Airport" by the Motors the other day.

Brendan Benson's "Tiny Spark" is a nugget-sized wrecking ball. Don't like anything else I've heard by him, but must have played "Tiny Spark" 1000 times in the past 3-4 years. That'd be on my alltime PP comp.

Brendan Benson's "Tiny Spark" is a nugget-sized wrecking ball. Don't like anything else I've heard by him, but must have played "Tiny Spark" 1000 times in the past 3-4 years. That'd be on my alltime PP comp.
--we can only flee in abject horror from yesterday's mistakes (staggerlee)

200 power pop songs in a row is a bit much for me, though.

Heresy!

200 power pop songs in a row is a bit much for me, though.

Heresy!

I picked up the MFSL of Marshall Crenshaw's self titled album and listened to that and Field Day a few times over the last week. Both albums left me kind of cold in the past and still do. "Too polished" are not the right words but something like that -- the guitar fills that are a little too canned, choruses that are a little bland. A band like the Rubinoos made some real clunkers but there's more heart in their music. Maybe it's his voice--I really liked Jaggedland, his 2009 album, where he sounds grizzled and older. That said "Whenever You're on My Mind" is pretty much perfect and "Cynical Girl" gets close.

MFSL is not really worth picking up but the bass is a little more pronounced.

http://open.spotify.com/user/jseraf/playlist/5TRkdCojkl2JpclHE949Mi

In the vein of The Toms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg1m0T9hwRI

If you want Power Pop, you have to check out the excellent Elaine MacKenzie album by Green, crammed with yearning & screaming PowerPopSongs. Follow-up White Soul is excellent as well. If I would have to pick one song to include on your comp, it'd be "Don't Ever Fall In Love With Someone, As Long As You Love Someone Else".

― willem (willem), Friday, December 5, 2003 3:56 AM (7 years ago) Bookmark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNrWZBzP6_I&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia0uL2vK4dY&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEjutUbgpH8

No Tommy Keene mentioned yet? I'd go with Underworld, but the guy has literally dozens of (should be) classic songs.

"Places That Are Gone" is mixtape gold.

Monroes have amazing hair.

Re: that Mark & the Spies track ... I get what you are saying with the Toms comparison, but IMO that's a lame track, and not alone of late in its old-guy Beatles-ness. I would even put someone like Mike Viola in this category despite his arranging strengths (see this spotify playlist for a lot more http://open.spotify.com/user/roshjosenblum/playlist/62NZXrvkr91d8Ngl0jHfbD ). Too high fidelity? Something that pretty could use some grunge and hiss. Too far removed from the Beatles to know the difference between homage and inspiration? Or maybe it's just songwriting. The chord progressions in the verse and chorus are not only cheesy (forgivable) but boring (not forgivable). The reason hi-fi, poppy tracks by someone like Matthew Sweet tend to work and have replay value is that there is always something at least temporarily ugly and off. e.g. "I've Been Waiting" - there are dissonances everywhere. Of course they eventually resolve, but it's not like it's resonant major chord after chord. "Sick of Myself" is a pretty pat track but the guitar work is good and the lyrics add interest. Those guys should learn from the Toms and do some variations on "Sun" until they learn that dissonance is not necessarily a bad thing.

is this the thread where i mention some of the best power pop songs are probably hard salsa songs

NRBQ - "I Want You Bad", "Ridin' In My Car"
Teenage Fanclub - "Star Sign"
Nazz - "Forget All About It"
Del Amitri - "Roll To Me"
Nils Lofgren & Grin - "White Lies"
Lemonheads - "Into Your Arms"
Hollies - "Look Through Any Window"
The Who - "The Kids Are Alright"
Marshall Crenshaw - "Our Town"

And since virtually all power pop traces its roots back to the first two Byrds albums, I must mention "All I Really Want To Do", "Feel A Whole Lot Better", and "The World Turns All Around Her".

I'd probably go with "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" for Marshall Crenshaw. Amazing that, to my knowledge, he's only recorded that demo-y sounding take on it.

probably something by The Pillows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcy1RHDHhE

• the new pornographers, sing me spanish techno
• elo, don't bring me down
• sweet, fox on the run
• blondie, dreamin'
• exploding hearts, throwaway style

Great song I found on a compilation a few years ago--someone's put it up on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7WNJmqn1Q

I wish she'd open her eyes.

"Ah! Leah!" by Donnie Iris.

Here's a real good one from the 90s. The band is Myracle Brah, the song is called Good Day To The Night. It's not on youtube but you can here a sample below. If you like power pop, it will be worth the 15 seconds.

http://www.pandora.com/myracle-brah/super-automatic/good-day-to-night

Another great one that should have been a hit. The Wake Ups, Nobody Slows. This isn't on youtube either but you can get a feel for it here. So so great.

http://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Slows/dp/B0015ELT3M

Can't find the Wake Ups, but that seems to be a Scruffs cover (or maybe vice versa).

Same band. Their real name is the Wake Ups but for some reason they were called The Scruffs, but not the Memphis power pop Scruffs of the 70s

Interesting...strange that they'd risk comparisons. I'm not that big on their song, but I love "Good Day to the Night." Will have to get hold of the whole album.

teenage fanclub - alcoholiday

This is especially good in the context of the album but one of my '90s favorites - Cotton Mather's Password:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsE1AM5-KHI

I love "Good Day to the Night." Will have to get hold of the whole album.

The album is called Life On Planet Eartsnop. Well worth searching out.

It occurred to me that this song really belongs on here. A lost classic, in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bDDAOJV1xU

Artful Dodger - most people would say "Wayside" but "Think Think" or "Honor Among Thieves" are even better IMO.
Dwight Twilley - "You Were So Warm"

Modern power pop that I think is really great: Title Tracks from Washington D.C.... The chorus on this one just blows up (ca. 1m 45s)!!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1J9AFDstKI

there should be a poll!!

entire Slow Wonder album by ac newman is great, first song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO4OY_pKKVc

I know very little about this band except this has been one of my favorite songs for the last two years. I'm pretty sure it belongs in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDk4INQoIcI

"The Laws Have Changed" by New Pornographers

I downloaded a compilation series a few years ago out of Australia, The Bam Balam Explosion--seven volumes, 22-24 songs each. I burned Vol. 1 last year, and didn't burn anything more; most of it was the kind of power-pop I don't care for (designated by Chuck Eddy as "crunchy" on one of these power-pop threads). Finally got around to burning the second volume, and even though it's more of the same, I like this a lot:

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

Could almost pass for mid-'60s Who, or at least the vocal could, one of the most Daltrey-like I've ever heard.

Will always be "Tonight" by the Raspberries

Pshaw. The best power pop song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbVdrnRm4R4

"Shakin' Street"'s great--was just reading Greil Marcus' review of Back in the USA not 30 minutes ago (just posted yesterday):

http://greilmarcus.net/2014/11/18/mc5-back-in-the-usa-051470/