THE REDUCERS - Let's Go [USA power pop] 1984 Rave On Records TGP-1001

 

#1 CMJ chart-topper from the glory days of college radio and the classic 1984 LP from the pride of New London, CT. 

"You know, rock and roll like you dream about it." - Robert Christgau, The Village Voice

"If I were The Replacements I'd be looking over my shoulder at these guys; they're far too good to ignore." Option Magazine, 1985

The Reducers

THE HASKELS - Taking the City by Storm [USA punk rock, power pop 1980-82] 2020 Sptunge SPL 026

 

Rising like the phoenix from the ashes of the first version of the band; The Haskels served up heavy doses of three minute, adrenaline-fueled hard punk pop, as evidenced on the highly sought after, Killed by Death bootlegged, “Taking the City by Storm” EP released in 1981 on their own Milwaukee Hits label. Now the full story of the band can be heard, seen, and told.

As the decade turned from the rust belt 70’s to the Reagan-era 80’s, the original Haskels (see their self-titled LP released last year on Splunge) split into two factions, with the local punk/new wave/post-punk scene moving to the gritty Starship club in downtown Milwaukee. The Haskels were instrumental in getting bands to play the venue, including the Oil Tasters, Plasticland, Ama-Dots, Shivvers, Die Kreuzen and a burgeoning Violent Femmes.

The version of the Haskels represented here initially included Presley Haskel and Gerard LaValliere, fresh from the first line up of the band; joined by the crack rhythm section of Bobby Mitchell and Vodie Rhinehardt. Later tracks, including the EP were recorded by the Presley/Bobby/Vodie trio. In either case, the material is a match made in punk pop heaven; coupling Presley’s knife-sharp songwriting sensibilities with a tight unit of A-Team musicians driving the music forward.

“Taking the City by Storm” includes 14 tracks of rare and never before released material from the Splunge Archives. The release is comprised of demos, live tracks and the entire, highly coveted “Taking the City by Storm” EP, remastered for the first time.

The Haskels

THE SIDEWALKS - Rhythm Kids [USA power pop 1980-82] 2004 Rave Up Records BS 013

 

Milwaukee 1980-1982 power pop! The Sidewalks (also released on CD by the “guru” of the history of american New Wave, Chuck Warner) complete studio sessions.

Fifteen amazing tracks that includes their rare and great single “Natalie”. If you like bands like The Nerves, Gary Valentine, The Shivvers, these guys will broke your heart! Great straight-ahead garage-pop with cool lyrics. 

Sidewalks

THE FANS - You Don't Live Here Anymore [UK power pop 1979-81] 2021 Radiations Records RRS151

 

Enigmatic power-pop quartet the Fans formed in 1978, spurred into action by the Bristol area's vibrant new wave scene. Singer/guitarist George Smith previously fronted the Dragons (with future Tom Robinson collaborator Jo Burt) and guitarist Rob Williams was in Uncle Po (with future Dexy's violinist Helen Bevington); they split after two singles for Fried Egg, but regrouped in 2010 following a Japanese hit cover of their dejected "You Don't Live Here Anymore". This dynamite collection joins the Fried Egg work with rare demos and live recordings, the definitive picture of one of Avon's most impressive new wave guitar bands.

The Fans

SNEAKERS - Sneakers [USA pop, power pop 1976] 2015 Omnivore Recordings OVCD-151

 

Expanded reissue of 1976 indie-pop classic featuring future members of The dB’s and Let’s Active.

Sneakers

PLUNDERERS - Every Monday - Sometimes Thursday [Australia power pop, garage 1988-89] 2019 Half A Cow Records hac221

 

Demo recordings from October 1988/June 1989

When Geoff Milne joined the Plunderers in October 1988 – replacing Peter Velzen on the drums – the band rehearsed every Monday, and most Thursday nights, originally at White Room in Surry Hills and then at the newly-opened Troy Horse in Newtown.

The twelve songs on the aptly named Every Monday, Sometimes Thursday album were recorded during these rehearsals. In the case of the first six songs, they were all recorded on Monday 24th October 1988 at White Room and it was only the fourth time Geoff had played with Stevie and Nic. Three songs (“La La”, “Take A Ride”, and “Take This…)” were old Plunderers songs from 1984-86 and the other three (“Is My Time Up”, “I Didn’t Even See Them At All” and “Peggy”) were new ones.

The version of “Take A Ride” is unique amongst the many versions of one of the first songs that Stevie and Nic wrote together for the band in 1984 because they try out a possible chorus: “What a perfect sail, what a sail, what a sail”. This looks to be the only time the song was given a new arrangement and, after this recording, it went back to the original way.

Plunderers

THE LAST - Look Again [USA garage, jangle, power pop 1980] 2020 Backlash HA012-1, HA012-7

 

The lost album by seminal power-pop band The Last, part of the first wave of Los Angeles punk bands alongside X and the Go-Go's. The follow-up to their debut, 1979's L.A. Explosion !, Look Again was recorded in 1980 and shopped around to labels, but failed to land the band a deal.

Test pressings of the album have gone for over $ 800 on Discogs. 

It's been restored fro the original master tapes and, according to keyboardist Vitus Mataré, "There are no new overdubs and zero digital trickery. Guitar and organ tracks were sent to the same model amplifiers Joe [Nolte] and I used live back in the day and re-recorded. These are the original performances given a proper mix.

Last

THE RUBINOOS - The CBS Tapes [USA garage, power pop 1976] 2021 Yep Roc Records YEP-2788

 

Recorded at CBS Studios in San Francisco in 1976, before they were signed to the legendary Beserkley Records, The CBS Tapes captures the Rubinoos as the scrappy, bratty kids they were. It also shows the huge talent and energy of a young band near the beginning of their career, who believed they were unstoppable. This never before released recording is the perfect way to kick off the band's 50th anniversary celebration. Songs performed include Jonathan Richman's "Government Center," "The Pepsi Generation," commercial jingle, and several Rubinoos originals.

Rubinoos

SID BRADLEY - Child Of The Sea [USA pop, rock, psychedelic, power pop, garage 1971-1979] 2021 Guerssen GUESS177

 

Lost & found studio recordings (1971-79) by US singer-songwriter SID BRADLEY including some of the sought-after 45 sides released with his band ERIK in the early ‘70s plus fabulous previously unreleased tracks. Pro-sounding sound, ranging from fuzzed-out psychedelic hard-rock to psych-pop and proto-power pop.

Sid Bradley started to play in garage bands like The Cavaliers in the 60s and by the early 70s he was part of Erik, a group responsible for a couple of self-produced 45s, “Child Of The Sea” / “Nothing Is Easy” and “Sometime In Your Life” / “Rebel Woman”. These 45s were usually used for promo purposes and it was typical of Sid to load a few record boxes into his car and travel hundreds of miles, visiting all the radio stations, trying to pitch his music to the DJs. This one-man marketing operation actually worked fine, as Sid’s music was played in radio stations across the eastern US, Canada, England, and even Germany. And some of his songs were reviewed in Billboard, Record World or Rolling Stone.

Sid

SINISTER SMILES - THE LYRES - Demos 1987-88 [Australia garage, power pop 1987-88] 2020 self-released digital file

 

The Lyres: Con (guitar, vocals), John (guitar, vocals), Paul (bass) & Scott (drums) started gigging around southern Sydney from late 1986, playing a mix of our own songs and covers  of Sunnyboys, Beatles, Easybeats, and other 60s/mod/powerpop tunes. After playing for a year or so as The Lyres we tragically found at there was already an American band of that name (don’t judge us too harshly – this was years before a simple internet search for band names was possible). So after a name change to Sinister Smiles we continued on for another year or so. Never got to the point of releasing a single, but these are some collected demo recordings, lovingly remastered by Stephen Bruel and Rick O ‘Neil (thanks guys).

''Sinister Smiles - The Lyres"

THE RAVES - Past Perfect Tense - The Recordings 1980-1989 [USA power pop 1980-89] 1992 Hologramophone Music Ltd. none

 

The Raves are a great Power- Pop group with tight vocals, soaring and jangling guitars, powerful bass and a driving beat… but it’s really the songwriting that sets them apart. The songs are instant classics and as immediate today as when they were recorded. In the world of Pop music a few great bands still need to be given larger exposure to the pubic. You are about to discover one of them.

Raves

PUSHUPS - Is Pop 1979-80 [USA power pop 1979-80] 2021 HoZac Records, HoZac Archival HZR-217, 39

 

After the short, bright light on the musical horizon from the other-worldly and alien-borne ZOLAR X in the mid 1970s had fallen away, original members Zory Zenith and Ed Dorn formed another short-lived outfit, AURORA PUSHUPS, and forged ahead with their original material to try their hand at a modernized sound. By 1979 they had solidified their debut tracks and self-released a 7” single, “Angels on Runway One” b/w “Victims of Terrorism” to moderate fanfare and enthusiastic radio play, but this early lineup wouldn’t last as Zory’s role began to fade. Soon after Zenith’s exit, Ed took the reins and put together the frequently-changing band that would record and perform over the next few years as simply ‘PUSHUPS.’ They evolved into a tight-knit unit that rivaled an American TUBEWAY ARMY with INCREDIBLE KIDDA BAND flourishes of Brit-soaked power pop, and even some moves that could have easily been swiped from THE CARS or THE QUICK.

Pushups

JULIAN LEAL - Julian Leal [USA power pop 1985 JLI Records 1157] 2019 HoZac Records HZR-203

 

Julian Leal, behold the Romoeville Ripper! His name is always heard around pop cognoscenti circles due to his irresistible and impossible to find 1985 debut LP and a handful if blisteringly good singles, all self-released homemade power pop magic from the near Chicago south suburbs. With a self-taught confidence and a knack for sophisticated synth-soaked bubblegum hooks, Leal gigged around the local band circuit and pitched his material to anyone that would listen, but ended up forming his own imprint and tackling the record pressing head on, as well as handling almost ALL of the instrumentation on his own. Wading through all the skinny ties and goofy New Wave haircuts of the mid 80s landscape, somehow his independent releases found their way to a few crucial ears. Most notably, was some continued encouragement from Bomp! founder Greg Shaw, as well as even landing a rating session on beloved teen TV show American Bandstand.

Julian

YOUNG MODERN - Play Faster 25th Anniversary Edition [Australia power pop 1979] 2011 Aztec Music AVSCD005

Young Modern, were a seminal Australian Power pop band from the late seventies. Cited by the likes of Sunnyboys and the Hoodoo Gurus as being an early influence on their careers, Young Modern were an anachronism – either too late for the first wave of Power Pop (Big Star, Raspberries, Badfinger), or too early for the second (DB’s, Plimsouls, Marshall Crenshaw).

Young Modern formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1977. Four guys barely out of their teens, led by a slightly older and more experienced frontman, their blend of youth and taste - backed by great tunes and a solid soulful sound - is a joy to listen to.

The classic single “She’s Got The Money / Automatic” (produced by Stephen Cummings), became a staple on radio stations such as Double J in Sydney (now JJJ) and Triple R in Melbourne. The rest of the original LP tracklisting is made up of demos from late 1978, and is rounded out in this 25th. Anniversary Edition, with 8 bonus live tracks – recorded between 1978 and 1979.

Young

 

PROTAGONISTS - 1983-1985 [USA punk rock, power pop 1983-85] 2020 Alona's Dream Records ADR 12 034

 

Mid-1980’s suburban Chicago (Naperville!) punk. Includes the band’s hard to find 7” alongside unreleased studio tracks, demos & live cuts. Protagonists drew their motivation from sources as diverse as punk icons Buzzcocks, The Dickies and The Damned to prime era 50’s and 60’s teen anthems (Buddy Holly, Dell Shannon, and The Monkees). The group formed in a Naperville high school, played local talent shows and teen dance parties, and hooked up with older kids (Reaction Formation) who helped them get radio gigs and put out a tape recorded by Phil Bonnet, influential recording engineer and long time friend. The band followed up with a 7” for Reaction Formation’s label Nova which garnered positive reviews but they were shortly after pulled apart by the usual strains on the end of adolescent trajectories.

This compilation gathers their original tape, unheard outside of the suburban Chicago teen punk scene, and pairs it with the songs from their hard-to-find 7” EP (originally pressed in 1000 copies in 1985). The b-side features basement demos of original songs recorded by the band as well some great covers which show they could rock as a punk dance band.

Protagonists

THE PAUL COLLINS BEAT - Another World (The Best Of The Archives) [USA power pop] 2020 Alive Records 02II-I

 

“Another World – The Best Of The Archives” compiles 13 previously unreleased material going back to 1978 and the early days of the Paul Collins’ Beat. None of the recordings have been released before and all have been carefully remastered.

Paul

SUNNYBOYS - Live - Best Seat in the House [Australia rock, power pop 2016] Feel Presents FEEL 015

 

"This gig sees the original line-up playing with all the energy and precision that made the Sunnyboys 1980s live favourites" adding "Although they excelled in the studio, it’s live where the Sunnyboys held their own – and still do. It’s a thrill to hear the band in such amazing form after playing sporadically the last few years after a three-decade hiatus. As much as this is a fan’s delight, it would seem the Sunnyboys are also playing for themselves. From the opening track "Love to Rule", they make it abundantly clear this is for real and not a nostalgia trip. It’s hard to single out the highlights as the entire performance is powerful and triumphant on a number of levels. They were an inspiration in the eighties and continue to be so in 2016." Catherine Gale

Sunnyboys

SORROWS - Bad Times Good Times [USA power pop 1980-81] 2010 Bomp Records BCD4102-2

 

 

 

Bad Times Good Times marks the first time ever SORROWS music appears on CD.

Filled with never released recordings of their power pop gems, demos and live performances, the album is a feast for post-punk new vave fans and collectors who have been asking for years to be able to get their hands on SORROWS music.

Formed in 1977 in NYC by Arthur Alexander (ex-Poppees), Joey Cola, Ricky Street and Jett Harris (ex-Poppees), SORROWS were all about the songs. Their tunes are filled with strong melodies, irresistible hooks and creative harmonies supported by their powerful backbeat and hard driving guitars. SORROWS two critically acclaimed albums and several singles on CBS Pavillion have become highly praised and are sought after collector items.

 

Sorrows 

THE HEARTBEATS - Forever [UK mod revival, power pop 1979-82] 2011 Paisley Archive PA003

 

 

 

The Heartbeats- Forever CD. Cool little reissue here from the Paisley Archive series. The Heartbeats are a band from the the UK who were very active from 1979 - 1982. They had many labels interested in them at the time including Arista, Virgin, London, Polydor and Magnet and some of them even paid the band to record songs for their labels. But they’re just one of the bands from that era that seemed to slip through the cracks. For various reasons including the labels not being totally satisfied with what the band recorded and their plates being full with other bands/projects most of those recordings never offiicially saw the light of day. Many magazines and fanzines at the time were talking them up as ‘ Pops answer to Talk Talk’, ‘the Buzzcocks with better harmonies’ and ‘the Small Faces for the 80’s’ and there were even numberous producers photographers and stylists that were all brought in to launch their career. But after all the time and effort put into the band they just never really took off. Paul Weller from The Jam even lauded them as one of the great lost bands of that era. This CD compiles 21 of the songs they recorded for various labels that were never released and also includes the two songs from their first and only 7” that was ever oficially relesed called ‘Go’. 21 songs in all. Fans of The Who, The Kinks ,The Purple Hearts and The Belle Stars will dig.

 

The Heartbeats

NEWS - Hot Off The Press [USA power pop, pop 1974] 2010 Riverman Music, Yoga Records BTR0053, ycd003

 

Riverman Music reissues a unique '70s pop obscurity. The lead instrument is a pedal steel guitar, played with more imagination than anywhere other than the Misunderstood's studio recordings, often with some nice, fuzzy distortion. It rarely sounds "country." The songs are strong pop/rock, with Beach Boys-style harmony vocals on the softer songs, and tougher (but still melodic) singing on the rockers. Other than the opening "song" (three minutes of a guy fiddling with a radio dial), everything here is memorable, and no two songs sound alike. Highlights include the powerful "Loser," with a stunning steel guitar solo, and the long album-closer "New York City," but this is consistent enough that any given listener could feel equally strong about any two others. This is exactly the kind of band a daring major label executive would have struck gold with in the '60s, but nobody would dare to touch in the '70s. The endless streams of slide on these songs makes you almost woozy, but in that pleasant, A.M. radio, hot car/hot summer day, off-kilter '70s way. Surprisingly groovy. Includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks.

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