D.I.Y.: Shake It Up! - American Power Pop II (1978-80)

only one of these was a Dutch (and Australian) top 10 hit, so probably that one.

I think that should be Chris Stamey if it's the db's who'd later do Stands for Decibels.

xp
Another typo: Chris Stamey (not Stacey).

Yeah, turns out it is! I forgot I had this track (I have this Numero box set)

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

Ugh. That was an autocorrect. The mods are gonna love me today.

The rockers ain't gonna be too happy, either

xp unfortunately you can't change poll thread titles! you'd need to make a new one and lock this...

You can change the title, just not the poll options.

The YouTube link five posts up is actually the Richard Lloyd-sung version (which I prefer, but both are great).
The Chris Stamey-sung version is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU7lYhgRkNY
Both versions are on that Numero box ("Ork Records: New York, New York").

(xp) I thought that might be the case. Can we all live with "Chris Stacey?"

Almost went with Prix, but couldn't not vote for "Stay In Time." It was on the radio seemingly constantly in 1979, and yet I never got sick of it. Also has one of the coolest song endings ever.

I don't know ANY of these songs except for What I Like About You, which I absolutely DESPISED when it was in MTV regular rotation when I was a kid. It really annoyed me. I get it now, but back then I really hated it.

I don't even know that Chris Stamey/dbs song although I'm a big fan of some of the following singles and early albums so I'm going with that.

I heard Off Broadway for the first time last year or so, and was shocked to learn they formed down the street from me (same near-suburb that begat Fiery Furnaces, fwiw). The song I heard wasn't this one, it was this awesome one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD73DMI5FBQ

Which means this mostly forgotten band has at least two great songs to its name, which is more than most bands.

I have the other volume, not this one. I was all ready to complain: "How you can have a second volume and still no Shoes?!" I love both songs, even though there are two or three on Black Vinyl Shoes I love even more. "Too Late," I guess.

"Tell that Girl to Shut Up"'s good...I have a few of these on LPs, no recollection at all; couldn't tell a Beat from a Pop from a Plimsoul now.

I always thought it was kinda odd that the 2 UK DIY pop comps have plenty of familiar songs (if you grew up in a town with a New Wave station maybe), but the US DIY comps were mostly unfamiliar unless you were a dedicated Trouser Press reader.

But I can't think of too many comparably familiar US tracks that would have fit. So I guess US radio is to blame for not playing the stuff in the first place.

I imagine there were significant licensing issues which resulted in these tracks as opposed to more familiar material.

"What I Like About You" was a big favorite of mine as a kid and it's still a bop but "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" is the one I find myself singing all the time. I might have actually first encountered the Transvision Vamp version!

Boring choice but there's no denying it's brilliance of "What I Like About You."

Have to go with The Plimsouls here

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

D.I.Y.: Mass Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83)

I was sure that someone would have thrown a vote to "Yellow Pills." 20/20 was such a big deal to late-90s power pop fans.

I forgot to vote in this one or I might've gone with Yellow Pills because I do love that song. Could equally have gone for Holly & The Italians or Chris Stamey though. I have both of those 7"s. Tomorrow Night by the Shoes is another favourite of mine that got 0 votes.

20/20 was such a big deal to late-90s power pop fans.

Was it? I had no idea, that's cool. I worked in a record store when that first album came out and we played it to death. Friends' band plays "Cheri" and "Remember the Lightning" now.

I know there was a power pop zine called "Yellow Pills" that was around all through the 90s and for a couple of years it seemed like everyone who was in a revival surf/garage band then would only talk about 20/20 or The Shoes once exotica was played out.

Yeah, Yellow Pills had a label for a few years: https://www.discogs.com/label/474574-Yellow-Pills

But the best Yellow Pills related release is this one from Numero: https://www.discogs.com/master/459183-Various-Yellow-Pills-Prefill