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Power Pop
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins
Typical instruments
Mainstream popularity Medium
Other topics
List of power pop musicians

Power pop (or powerpop) is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the WikipediaList guideline for policy on lists Bands don't have to be notable A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. Instrumental solos are usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Blues-rock is a hybrid musical genre combining Bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended Boogie jams with Rock Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, an electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and sometimes electric keyboards or synthesizers. An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres. [1][2]

Contents

Formative years: mid 1960s

Pete Townshend of The Who coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview[3][4] in which he said "Power pop is what we play. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend " As early as 1965, the Everly Brothers were playing music that can be called power pop. The Everly Brothers ( Don Everly, born Isaac Donald Everly February 1 1937 Brownie Muhlenberg County, Kentucky The duo's "I'll See Your Light" and "It Only Costs A Dime" displayed jangling guitars and an oblique harmonic approach that built upon the innovations of The Beatles and The Byrds. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Byrds were a popular American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964 Those groups, along with The Who, The Small Faces and the Beach Boys, are often cited as the progenitors of power pop. Small Faces were an English rock group from East London, heavily influenced by American Rhythm and blues. The Beach Boys is an American rock band Formed in 1961 the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California Youth culture [5]

The Who, inspired by the melodicism of The Beatles and the driving rhythms of American R&B, released several songs — "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "Substitute", "I'm a Boy", "Happy Jack", "So Sad About Us", and in 1967, "Pictures of Lily" — in their early mod phase (1965-1966) that can be considered the first true power pop songs. " I Can't Explain " is a song released by English rock band The Who in 1965, written by Pete Townshend and produced by Shel " I'm a Boy " is a 1966 rock song written by Pete Townshend for his band The Who. A Quick One is the second album by English rock band The Who, released in 1966 " Pictures of Lily " is a single by the British rock band The Who. Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s These songs are propelled by Keith Moon's aggressive drumming and Pete Townshend's distinctive power chords, and have strong melodies and euphonic harmonies. Keith John Moon ( August 23, 1946 &ndash September 7, 1978) was the Drummer of the rock group The Who.

The Beatles took inspiration from The Who's contemporary singles and released hard-edged, yet melodic, singles such as "Paperback Writer" and "Day Tripper" in the mid 1960s, as well as album tracks such as "And Your Bird Can Sing". " Paperback Writer " is a 1966 pop rock song recorded and released by The Beatles. " Day Tripper " is a Riff-driven rock song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a " However, four years before the term "power pop" was coined, The Beatles were already recording a series of influential hits that some have retroactively classified as power pop, including "From Me to You", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Can't Buy Me Love". The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " From Me to You " is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a single in 1963. " She Loves You " is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963 " I Want to Hold Your Hand " is a song by the English pop and rock band The Beatles. " Can't Buy Me Love " is the title of a song composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released by The Beatles on the A

Several groups that arose in the wake of The Beatles' success were important in the evolution of the power pop style, such as The Beau Brummels, The Hollies, and The Zombies. The Beau Brummels were a successful 1960s American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1963 The Hollies are an English Rock and roll band formed in the early 1960s. For the Undead creature of Vodou lore see Zombie. For other meanings see Zombie (disambiguation. Other acts such as the Knickerbockers, the Easybeats and the Outsiders contributed iconic singles. The Knickerbockers were an American pop/rock music group best remembered for their 1965 hit "Lies The Easybeats were a Rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969 The Outsiders were an American Rock and roll group from Cleveland Ohio, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King

Early to mid 1970s

Modern power pop gained momentum in 1970 with recordings by the British group Badfinger (although at this time, the musical style was not yet classified as power pop). Badfinger was a Rock band formed in Swansea Wales in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the Power pop genre Badfinger singles such as "No Matter What", "Baby Blue", and "Day After Day" (all recorded in 1970 and 1971), were the template for the power pop sound that followed in the late 1970s.

In the early 1970s, the form was further codified by the work of The Raspberries (who may have been the first band to earn the power pop appellation, in a mid-1970s article in Rolling Stone). Raspberries are a Power pop / Rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published

At this stage, British pop had taken a stylistic turn (notably, with the rise of glam). The bands performing music that was later to be labeled power pop were nearly all American. The first albums by Big Star and the Raspberries are considered among the genre's essential recordings. Big Star is an American Rock and roll band founded in the early 1970s Some of Todd Rundgren's early and mid 1970s solo work also touched upon the emerging genre, as did the recordings of Blue Ash, The Flamin' Groovies, Artful Dodger, and The Dwight Twilley Band. Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American Musician Blue Ash is a United States band formed in Ohio in the summer of 1969 by bassist Frank Secich & vocalist Jim Kendzor The Flamin' Groovies were an American Rock music band of the 1960s and '70s For the UK garage/techno band called The Artful Dodger please see The Artful Dodger (UK band. Dwight Twilley (born June 6, 1951, Tulsa Oklahoma) is an American pop/rock singer and songwriter best known for the Top 20 hit singles "I'm

Rundgren, The Raspberries, and The Dwight Twilley Band achieved sporadic chart success during the period. However, the most influential of all the early-to-mid 1970s "pre" power pop-era groups was arguably Big Star, who released two unsuccessful albums and spent years relegated to cult status. Big Star's reputation rose in the early 1980s, after bands like R.E.M. and The Replacements spoke enthusiastically of their work. REM is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe ( lead vocals) Peter Buck ( Guitar The Replacements were an American Alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 The Replacements even recorded a song entitled "Alex Chilton" in honor of Big Star's front man. Alex Chilton (born William Alexander Chilton, on December 28, 1950, in Memphis Tennessee) is an American songwriter guitarist singer

This early generation of power pop bands found they could not sustain their careers, as their British Invasion-influenced sound was strongly out-of-step in a 1970s rock music world increasingly dominated by soft rock artists like The Carpenters, singer-songwriters such as Carole King, and hard rock and heavy metal groups like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo consisting of Siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. Carole King (born February 9, 1942) is an American Singer, Songwriter, and Pianist. Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertfordshire in 1968 Led Zeppelin were Todd Rundgren moved on to different styles and production work, Badfinger splintered in a management dispute, Big Star disbanded early, and the Raspberries' lead singer left the group for a solo career in softer pop.

Commercial peak: late 1970s to early 1980s

United States

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, spurred on by the success of New Wave and punk rock (music which was similarly driving and stripped-down), power pop enjoyed its most prolific period, with American groups like The dB's, Cheap Trick, The Knack, The Romantics, 20/20, Paul Collins' Beat, and Shoes all releasing significant albums. New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s The dB's were a Power pop group of the late 1970s and 1980s The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s The Knack are a Los Angeles -based rock band that rose to fame with their first single " My Sharona " an international hit in 1979 (see The Romantics are an American rock band from Detroit Michigan. 20/20 is an American television Newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. The Beat, sometimes referred to as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins' Beat, were an American Power pop group from Los Angeles, California Shoes is an American Power pop band formed in Zion Illinois, in 1974 by brothers John and Jeff Murphy and Gary Klebe and incorporating several Eventually, all would sign deals with major record labels. For the first time, acts of this type were commonly referred to and promoted as "power pop bands".

These new power pop groups favored a leaner, punchier, more punkish attack; many were influenced by early-1970s acts like Badfinger and The Raspberries, rather than the British Invasion bands that kickstarted the genre. Perhaps the most successful power pop single of all time, The Knack's "My Sharona," spent six weeks in the number one position of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. " My Sharona " is the 1979 debut single released by rock band The Knack, off their album Get the Knack. Cheap Trick's "Surrender," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl," The Romantics' "What I Like About You" and Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" were other notably successful power pop singles of the era. Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s " Surrender " is a Cheap Trick song originally released on January 30, 1978 on the album Heaven Tonight. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Petty " American Girl " is the second single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ' self-titled debut album. " What I Like About You " is the title of a well-known Power pop song by the American Rock and roll band The Romantics. Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23 1949 in Sydney) is an Australian American Songwriter " Jessie's Girl " is a Grammy Award -winning rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield.

United Kingdom

The term power pop, as used in the United Kingdom, referred to a somewhat different style of music than that of the United States. The Evening Standard used the descriptive in January 1978 while writing about the band Tonight, and it was commonly applied to British "mod" groups such as the wildly popular Jam. The London Evening Standard is an English Tabloid regional local newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s The Jam were an English Mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s

Other British bands labelled as power pop included Squeeze, Buzzcocks, The Vapors, and The Chords. Squeeze are an English band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the New Wave period of the late 1970s and continued recording successfully Buzzcocks are an English Punk rock band formed in Manchester in 1975 The Vapors were a new wave and Power pop band from England that existed between 1979 and 1981 The Chords were a 1970s British group commonly associated with the Mod revival, who had several hits in their homeland before the decline of the trend brought about their Many of these groups have also been described as mod revival, punk rock, or New Wave. The mod revival was a Music genre and Subculture that started in the United Kingdom in 1978 and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s Lacking the influence of American pioneers such as Big Star and The Raspberries, these bands were more directly inspired by 1960s beat music/British Invasion groups (particularly The Who, The Kinks, and The Beatles). Big Star is an American Rock and roll band founded in the early 1970s Raspberries are a Power pop / Rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The British Invasion was the term applied by the news media — and subsequently by consumers — to the influx of Rock and roll, beat and pop performers The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 They also took a cue from the energy and aesthetics of the contemporary punk movement, speeding up the tempo of their music. The punk subculture is based around Punk rock. It emerged from the larger Rock music scene in the mid-to-late-1970s in the United Kingdom, the United

Other U. K. artists of the late 1970s commonly identified as power pop were the new wave groups XTC and Elvis Costello & The Attractions. XTC was a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005 Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry They played driving, melodic music, but neither group sported the mod image or overt 1960s influence of The Jam and their followers. Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s

A handful of successful bands in the United Kingdom did boast the traditional power pop sound as inspired by The Raspberries and Big Star. Singles from such groups, such as The Records' Starry Eyes, Nick Lowe's Cruel To Be Kind, and Bram Tchaikovsky's Girl Of My Dreams, rivaled or even surpassed their American counterparts in capturing the essential elements of power pop. This page is about the British singer/song writer for the American drummer see John Wicks (drummer John Wicks is a Record Nick Lowe (born Nicholas Drain Lowe, March 24 1949, Walton-on-Thames) is an English Singer-songwriter, Musician Perhaps as a consequence, these bands were more commercially successful in the United States than in their homeland.

Additionally, the American New Wave group Blondie was often labelled as "power pop" by the U. Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and has so far sold over 60 million records K. press. The band's second single, a cover of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone," demonstrated Blondie's power pop roots. The Nerves were a mid-'70s Power pop trio based in Los Angeles, California, featuring guitarist " Hanging on the Telephone " is a song written by Jack Lee and first performed by Lee's short-lived US West Coast Power pop trio The Nerves who placed

Contemporary power pop: 1980s to 2000s

In the 1980s and 1990s, power pop artists continued as a commercially modest genre. Artists such as Marshall Crenshaw, The Smithereens, Matthew Sweet, The Bongos, Teenage Fanclub, Tommy Keene, Redd Kross, Material Issue, The Posies and Jellyfish drew inspiration from Big Star, the Beatles, and glam rock groups of the early 1970s like T. Rex and Sweet. Marshall Crenshaw (born 11 November 1953 is an American singer songwriter and guitarist The Smithereens are a Rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. For the writer and broadcaster see Matthew Sweet (writer Sidney Matthew Sweet (born c The Bongos were a pop band active in the 1980s They formed in Hoboken New Jersey and were led by Richard Barone (vocals guitar Teenage Fanclub are an acclaimed Scottish Alternative rock band from Bellshill. Tommy Keene is considered one of the 1980s most critically acclaimed (and commercially ignored singer/songwriters and a prime example of the musical genre of Power pop. Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve Material Issue was a Power pop trio from Chicago. Its trademark was a brand of dense rich manic powerful pop and its music The Posies are an American Alternative rock group The band was formed in 1987 in Bellingham Washington by primary songwriters Jon Jellyfish were a Power pop band from San Francisco. The core members were Drummer / Singer / Songwriter Andy Sturmer, Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by TRex (occasionally spelled T Rex or T-Rex) were an English rock band fronted by guitarist singer and songwriter Marc Bolan. Sweet (referred to as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975 were a popular 1970s British band. [6]

In the mid-1990s through the 2000s, power pop flourished in the underground, with acts such as The Shazam and Sloan. Sloan is a Power pop quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. History Early years The band was formed in 1991 when Chris Independent record labels such as Not Lame Recordings, Kool Kat Musik and Jam Recordings specialized in the genre. Not Lame Recordings is a Ft Collins Colorado, United States based Independent record label specializing in Power pop releases The sound made a mainstream appearance in 1994 with Weezer's commercially successful Blue Album and hit single "Buddy Holly". Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 Weezer, often referred to as " The Blue Album " is the debut album by the American Alternative rock band Weezer. " Buddy Holly " is a song by the rock group Weezer, written by Rivers Cuomo. In the late 1990s, several Scandinavian power pop groups such as the Cardigans, Merrymakers, and Wannadies enjoyed a modicum of critical favor. The Cardigans is a Swedish English language band formed in the town of Jönköping in 1992 The Wannadies are an Alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Skellefteå, northern Sweden.

Power pop traits are also currently displayed by North American bands such as Fountains Of Wayne, New Pornographers, Jimmy Eat World and The All-American Rejects, and by pop punk bands such as Green Day, Paramore, Blink-182, Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup and Good Charlotte. Fountains of Wayne is an American Power pop rock band formed in 1996 and known for such singles as "Radiation Vibe" and " Stacy's Mom The New Pornographers is a Canadian Indie rock supergroup formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Jimmy Eat World is an American Alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993. The All-American Rejects are a Rock band sometimes referred to as AAR, from Stillwater Oklahoma formed by Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler Pop punk (also known as punk pop and other names is a Fusion genre that combines elements of Punk rock with Pop music, to varying Green Day is an American rock trio Paramore (ˈpærəmɔər is an American pop rock band that formed in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee in 2004 consisting of Blink-182 was an American Pop Simple Plan is a French Canadian Pop punk band based in Montreal, Quebec. Bowling for Soup is an American Rock band who originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994. Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf Maryland that formed in 1996 The influence of power pop is also readily apparent in contemporary British groups such as the A Sides[7], the Futureheads, Maxïmo Park, Farrah, The Feeling, Razorlight, and Babyshambles. The Futureheads are a four-piece English Post-punk revival band from Sunderland. Maxïmo Park (sometimes spelled Maximo Park) are an English Post-punk revival band signed to Warp Records, who formed in 2000 Farrah are an British Indie rock band that formed in London The Feeling is a five-piece BRIT award -nominated British band from Sussex and London. Razorlight are an English rock band formed in 2002 They are primarily known in their home country having topped the charts with the 2006 single America and This article is about the band Babyshambles For the song see Babyshambles (song Babyshambles are an English

Notable power pop singles

Footnotes

  1. ^ A User's Guide to Shoes - eMusic Spotlight
  2. ^ Liner notes to 'The Roots of Power Pop' and the 'Poptopia' series of CDs
  3. ^ rock'sbackpages
  4. ^ PopMatters interview with Eric Carmen
  5. ^ Dodd, Philip (2005). Badfinger was a Rock band formed in Swansea Wales in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the Power pop genre Raspberries are a Power pop / Rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Raspberries is the debut album from The Raspberries, released in 1972 (see 1972 in music) The Cars were an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s "Just What I Needed" is a song by the band The Cars on their self-titled album in 1978 on Elektra Records The Records were an English Power pop band in the late 1970s By fans of the genre they are considered one of the most seminal British power pop acts of all The Knack are a Los Angeles -based rock band that rose to fame with their first single " My Sharona " an international hit in 1979 (see " My Sharona " is the 1979 debut single released by rock band The Knack, off their album Get the Knack. Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s " I Want You to Want Me " is a song by Cheap Trick, originally recorded in 1977 for their album In Color, though the version from the band's 1978 Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and has so far sold over 60 million records "Dreaming" is track number one on Blondie's fourth album Eat to the Beat and was also released as the lead single from the album in both the US Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23 1949 in Sydney) is an Australian American Songwriter " Jessie's Girl " is a Grammy Award -winning rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. Tommy Tutone is a Powerpop / rock band, best known for its 1982 hit " 867-5309/Jenny " which peaked at #4 on the Billboard " 867-5309/Jenny " is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 " Buddy Holly " is a song by the rock group Weezer, written by Rivers Cuomo. This article is about the band Gin Blossoms for the medical condition known by the term see Rosacea. Congratulations… I'm Sorry was the Gin Blossoms ' follow-up Album to the successful New Miserable Experience, released in 1996 by The Book of Rock: From the 1950s to Today, Paperback, Thunder's Mouth Press, pp 36, 109. ISBN 978-1560257295.  
  6. ^ http://wm06.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:383
  7. ^ The A-Sides: Power-Pop Gets Positively Cheerful : NPR Music
  8. ^ Badfinger: "No Matter What" you should "Come And Get It" - The Very Best Of Badfinger by Badfinger - Epinions.com
  9. ^ The Greatest Songs Ever! Go All the Way Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More

See also

External links

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