The Tweeds were led by Marc McHugh, formerly of 60s band The Bone (with apparently a great song "Everybody's Gone Into April" cut on 7" in 1969). The Tweeds where from Massachusetts and issued a small string of singles and EPs from 1977-1981, the most famous of which is probably 1980’s 'Perfect Fit' which contains their most lasting tracks “I Need That Record” and “The Girl Who Said No". The band apparently included Kenny Gorelick (aka Kenny G, the band of your elevator existence) on keys at one point but its unclear how much of the material he may have played on. In general the band has a lot of delightful, but not especially hard hitting power pop. [SOURCE: PLAIN AND FANCY]
Scott Krueger's first band was called Marilyn with Mark Schneider, Jerome Brisch, Caleb Alexander and a flurry of rotating drummers. They played garage-y tunes including sixties staples from The Yardbirds, Mindbenders and others. They only played out a couple times before morphing into In A Hot Coma. At that time in Milwaukee, there weren't many places to play and no one else doing that style of music, so they often got a poor reception at their shows. Scott eventually left and Jill Kossoris joined the group on keyboard. Later deciding that she wanted to front her own band and play her own material, she went on to form The Shivvers.
From there, In A Hot Coma became The Haskels and the Milwaukee music scene started to erupt.
Meanwhile, Danny Zelonky put out an ad looking for people to play in a band influenced by The Stooges, Velvet Underground and Roxy Music. Scott Krueger and Breck Burns answered the call and started playing guitar and bass, respectively, in this new group called The Drones. They played out a few times, covering songs by Badfinger, Flamin' Groovies, and even tried a couple originals. In fact, the first original composition Scott and Breck wrote together was "Life Without You," which would later surface when the two joined The Shivvers.
After their time with The Drones, Scott (now on bass) and Breck (now on guitar) formed The Craze with Jim Richardson (drums, later in The Shivvers) and Howie Epstein (vocals/guitar, later in Tom Petty's band, now deceased). Having a repertoire of 60s covers, they played out a lot but Scott and Breck eventually parted ways from the group.
Breck then found Bob Wren and the two started rehearsing together. They even played a show as a guitar/drum duo under the name Bob and Breck. After about six months of writing material and perfecting their songs, Breck tapped his old friend Scott to join the band.
The sound of The Orbits was initially very pub rock-oriented, but they soon morphed into a very tight and aggressive, mod-sounding group with heavy British influences.
The band went in the studio to record two songs, "Having Fun" and "Smart Suit, Shirt, and Tie" to release as their first 7". Unhappy with the results, they scrapped the idea and it was never released.
They went to Shade Tree Studios in Lake Geneva a short while after that to lay down two more tracks, "Make The Rules" and "Phenomenal World." Using the late night hours at the studio to get a better rate, they hammered out all the music tracks in a single four hour session and finished all the vocals and dubs the next night.
The single was released on their own No. 1 Records in an edition of 500 copies. They sent records out to try and get reviews in magazines like Bomp and Trouser Press and also pushed to get airplay (which they achieved on Chicago's WXRT).
All in all, the band played around 40 shows in the year and a half they stuck it out. They had about 10 original songs (written by Scott and Breck) as well as some covers. Hammering out short and sweet 20 minute sets, they primarily stuck to the Milwaukee club circuit, frequenting Zaks, the Palms and Starship. They did however venture to Madison where they got to open for Ultravox.
Unfortunately, after having built a strong, steady following, Breck decided to take a break. They regrouped a short while later, but it wasn't the same. The crowds had greatly dissipated by then so the band ceased to be.
After that, Scott tried out and promptly secured a spot as bass player for The Shivvers. Breck followed suit about a year later as the guitar player for The Shivvers, but by that time the band was winding down. [SOURCE: CHEAP REWARDS]
The Secrets
were a Kansas City area powerpop group that got its start as Gary Apple's backing band. The Secrets' lineup has included Brent Hoad (guitar, vocals), Kevin Davis (lead guitar), Steve Davis (lead guitar, replaced Kevin Davis), Norman Dahlor (bass), Pat Tomek (drums), and Randy Miller (drums, replaced Pat Tomek). They released a 1979 single on Kansas City’s Titan Records. Only 1000 copies of 'It’s Your Heart Tonight b/w Get Your Radio', two Brent Hoad songs, were pressed and were quickly gone. The Secrets were a good match for the power pop record company, but the one single is all they ever did for Titan.
The Zippers were a Los Angeles-based punk/pop band from the late 1970s and early 1980s formed by Lou Cammarata (guitar, vocals, and member in the 60's and 70's of the soul bands Nicky C & The Chateaux and CRYSTAL), Danielle Faye (bass, vocals, also a member of Venus & The Razorblades), Bob Willingham (guitar, vocals) and Bill Willett (drums, vocals, also in The Imperial Dogs). They debuted in 1977 with the 7" single 'He's A Rebel / You're So Strange' on the Californian label Back Door Man Records. In 1981, Rhino released the 'A Six Song Mini Album' EP, produced by The Doors' Ray Manzarek.
San Francisco based outfit fronted by ex-Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna bassist Jack Casady. Casady brought with him Nick Buck from Hot Tuna and added Brian Marnell and Bill Gibson from Airplay (ex Sound Hole). The band was formed early in 1978 as Jack Casady Band but evolved rapidly into SVT.
While the band became live favourites in the Bay Area they never managed to crack into the big money markets. Apart from their EP and LP, SVT had two 45s on 415 Records and a cut on the Ambition Records compilation 'Declaration of Independence' (AMB 1) in 1980. Their debut single "Heart of Stone", became a hit on local FM station KSAN.
Bill Gibson, who had been a founding member of SVT, did not play on any of SVT's albums -only on the singles. Although, he is playing drums and singing backing vocals on two tracks that were added to the re-released and extended 'No Regrets' album. Bill left SVT in 1979 to form what was to become Huey Lewis and the News. He was replaced by local drummer Paul Zahl.
With Zahl on drums, SVT recorded 'Extended Play' in 1979 and after Nick Buck left SVT early in 1981, the remaining trio recorded 'No Regrets'. The later album dissappeared very soon after its release because the band had difficulties to find a bigger audience -mostly due to the fact that the San Francisco audience had problems with SVT's 'punk/new wave style'. They expected different things from Casady. Eventually the lack of success and changing lifestyles led to SVT's end in 1982. Marnell's death on August 19, 1983 would also end any reunion ideas -if they ever existed.
[SOURCE: BAY AREA BANDS]
The Marshalls were a Boston power pop outfit with the core of the Marshall's brothers -Kevin Marshall (lead guitar, piano, vocals), Barry Marshall (drums, vocals) and Kenny Marshall (bass, vocals). Later on they were joined by their sister Ellie Marshall(guitar, vocals). They played with The Cars, Real Kids, The Stompers, Fox Pass and The Nervous Eaters. Their tracks are in the vein of the first album from Pezband, early Rubinoos, Scruffs, Innocents and Titan Records (Arlis, The Boys, Gary Charlson). [SOURCE: POWERPOP OVERDOSE]
The Pop was a
Power pop band from Madison, Wisconsin, active in the early 1980s and formed by Cliff Fredricks (Guitar), Merlyn Stark (Vocals, Guitar), Rick Hagopian (Drums) and
John Dubats (Bass). They only relased the 7'' single "Wait A Minute" on their own Straight To The Point Records
label in 1981. They later changed their name to Four 1 Four, taking its name from Milwaukee's area code
and recording again "Wait A Minute" for the local double LP compilation '93QFM Hometown Album Project No. 2' (1982). At least one of the guys in The Pop's involved in a new act called D'Pop!, whose self-titled CD leads off with a really Merseybeat-era Beatles-sounding remake of "Wait A Minute".
The suburban wasteland of Downers Grove, Illinois spawned the band Reaction Formation in the early 1980s, and they eventually became an often-gigged and sometimes-touring juggernaut of youthful free energy. Tuneage ranged from classic Midwestern jangle-pop and indie rock; they were “pop” enough to also appeal to the mid-1980s Chicago Mod scene (Green, The Slugs, 007, I-Spy, The Dig). Guitarist Jim “McGuinn” Slusarek became a national powerhouse in alternative radio (he now resides as Program Director for Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current) and singer Steve Timble became publisher of Time Out Chicago (now at The Wall Street Journal).
Revolver
was a californian pop rock band formed in the 1980s as a Beatles sound alike act and formed
by Mark Estes (rhythm guitar), Howard Lea (lead guitar), Jim Wootten (bass) and Rolo Sandoval (drums). They only relased the "Some Other Guy b/w I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You" 7" single in 1983. Howard Lea formed The Jigsaw Seenin 1988 with Dennis Davison (ex United States Of Existence, whose influential debut album “Introducing” was released by Bam Caruso in 1986).
Gary Charlson was a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. Although unable to find mainstream success, his melodic tunes for Titan Records from the late 70s have long had a long cult following among power pop/new wave fans. Stylistically, he is similar to contemporaries Todd Rundgren and Squeeze. Primarily known for a string of late 1970s to early 1980s recordings, Charlson began playing in '60s and '70s tribute party band The Crayons in 1982, three members of which (Steve Davis, Larry Kips, and Gary Butler) would go on to play in KC Beatles tribute Liverpool after The Crayons broke up in 1988. The original lineup regrouped in 2013 and continues to play occasional performances at venues such as Knuckleheads. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
"Rough School Year", the only single by The Notes, it's all about arrangement. Unusually for an US pop band, the Massachusetts group features prominent keyboards (and not just a Voxx) and is Zombie-esque at it's best. The initial response to this track is that it is a precurssor to today's lush powerpop sounds, a la Jellyfish, etc. And since both Paley Brothers as well and Erik Lindgren (keyboards, synthesizer, vocals), Jan Wolverton (lead guitar) and Bobby Bear (drums, vocals, percussion) are involved, you'd be spot on.
The Infidels, from Youngstown, Ohio formed in late June 1983, when a virtual inseparable pair of 15 year olds, John Hlumyk and Pete Drivere, decided to start the first and (arguably) the last punk rock band in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania.
Their high energy, melody-driven punk/garage rock style quickly drew more and more fans at every performance. The band has played with Cheap Trick, Dead Boys and Collective Soul to name a few. [SOURCE: INSTAGRAM]
The roots of Milwaukee power pop outfit The Shivvers lie in In a Hot Coma, one of a series of local bands pairing bassist Scott Krueger and drummer Jim Richardson -Krueger's girlfriend, aspiring singer/songwriter Jill Kossoris, also played keyboards with the group in its final months. After In a Hot Coma split in 1978, Krueger formed The Orbits while Richardson signed on with local punk unit The Lubricants -meanwhile, Kossoris teamed with guitarist Mike Pyle to form The Shivvers, and when their respective bands dissolved, Krueger and Richardson joined the lineup as well. Guitarist Jim Eannelli completed The Shivvers' roster, which honed a repertoire of pop classics both familiar and obscure -Kossoris' originals rounded out the set list, and the group soon entered the studio to record her "Teen Line," issued on the Fliptop label in 1980. In addition to gigs in support of The Romantics and Iggy Pop, The Shivvers earned the endorsement of one of their heroes, ex-Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen, who even expressed his desire to produce their planned LP. After Eannelli resigned, former Orbits guitarist Breck Burns signed on in time for readers of the Milwaukee Journal to name The Shivvers' the city's best band of 1982 -at this point the group began mulling a move to a larger market like New York or Los Angeles, ultimately settling on Boston instead. After a handful of final hometown gigs, Pyle and Richardson packed up and relocated, but Kossoris began suffering health issues, and after Krueger opted to enlist with L.A. combo The Wigs, The Shivvers disbanded. Kossoris, Krueger, Richardson and Burns reunited in 1989 to record one more single, "Remember Tonight" -not long after the session, Burns was diagnosed with leukemia, and the disease claimed his life in 1993. Kossoris later relocated to Nashville, working as a songwriter and in 2001 issuing a solo LP, 'Invisible'; in 2003, the Hyped to Death label issued The Shivvers retrospective 'Til the Word Gets Out'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Smirks were an English new wave band from Manchester who played from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Although they failed to meet with commercial success, they built a small but loyal base of fans.
They are remembered mostly for a quirky vocal style and for a curious campaign "Smirks against Travolta", simultaneously a homage and a parody of Rock Against Racism. Despite being more of the new wave/power pop genre, they did support Killing Joke and Joy Division at the ULU gig in London, 1980.
Their acrimonious dispute with Beserkley Records, for whom they recorded an album that was never released, is also noteworthy and was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary. The album was finally due to be released in October 2007, but was delayed by the sale of Sanctuary Records to Universal Music and is still awaiting release.
Bassist Ian Morris and drummer Mike Doherty both played on the demos for the Jilted John single. Ian Morris and guitarist Simon Milner later released a single under the pseudonym Captain Mog and Private Sigh. Mike Doherty went on to play for The Freshies. Simon formed The Bernhardts, a predecessor to The Oscar Bernhardt Ensemble, who play 1930's and 1940s Swing and Latin Music. Ian Morris, now presents a show on ALL FM called "Standing in the Shadows of Lev". Guitarist Neil Fitzpatrick and Simon Milner were part of the group Distant Cousins, who released two albums with Doreen Edwards. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Telegents were a London-based power pop band formed in 1979. They released one single, "Get Out" b/w "Telephone Romance," in 1982. They recorded a second single, "Seen It Before!," later that year, but broke up before it saw distribution. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
The Resistance was an english band offering power pop a la XTC and formed by Mark Damron (vocals, guitar), John O'Leary (bass), Ian Reid (vocals, keyboards) and Martin Saunders (drums). Saunders later played in Funhouse, a short lived band named after The Stooges track and formed by members of Another Pretty Face, including future Waterboys founder Mike Scott. The Resistance released two 7" singles, 'Kidnapped'
(1979)
on Maquis Records and
'Survival Kit'
(1980) on Fontana. Fontana tried twice with this release issuing it again a year later in a different picture sleeve.
The Quads were a new wave band from Birmingham, England, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band was formed in Birmingham by three brothers, Josh Jones, Colin "Jack" Jones and Terry "Johnny" Jones, plus bassist Jim Doherty. Their 1979 debut single "There Must Be Thousands" was a favourite of the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who selected it as his "single of the decade! Despite receiving considerable airplay on the main BBC Radio 1 daytime programmes, "There Must Be Thousands" only reached No. 66 in the UK singles chart, but in 2001 John Peel still listed it as one of his all-time favourite records.
Then, in 2013, to coincide with its use on a promotional video by natural skincare company JooMo, the track was re-released by Big Bear Records. The band released further singles, including "Gotta Getta Job", which they performed during the People's March for Jobs in 1981, a march in which they took part. They continued to perform until the mid-1980s, when Doherty left. They reformed in the 1990s and made further recordings for Don Arden, but they were not released. Josh Jones later moved to Auckland, New Zealand and became an Anglican priest, while still creating and recording new music. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Yeh-Yeh is a power pop band from Blackpool in Lancashire, England. They had some local success in the mid-80s, and they released the single "You Will Pay" in 1986. Influences came from the popular mod style of the time, with the group looking at bands such as The Jam. However, Yeh-Yeh never were able to break through commercially to the rest of the U.K. After years of inactivity, the band reformed, and it has resumed touring, inspired by the 'Mod Aid' 20th Anniversary recording session in February 2004.
Reformed and gigging in 2020 as a 3 piece featuring
Andy Houghton (Bass, Vocals), Dean Kelly (Guitar) and
Emma Page (Drums).
The Paranoids were a Power Pop and New Wave formed in 1977, in St Albans, Hertforshire, by Nigel Normal (Nigel Woodward, vocals, guitar), Ricky Rickenbacker (Peter Walker, guitar), Dave Campbell (bass) and Graham "Coggs" Campbell (drums). They released three 7" singles on the Hurricane Records imprint. They would have fit in very well on the contemporary Stiff roster: retro-minded, mining the Motown sound and Phil Spector's sing-along, mixed with new wave with a touch of rockabilly and spikier power-pop.
Formed in Wakefield in the mid 70's, Strangeways enjoyed great success in their time, releasing two classic and now ultra-collectable singles and seeing magazines such as Sounds raving about them.
The band’s powerful live performances were the stuff of legend up and down the country and Power-Pop fans everywhere loved the band. After a while though it all broke down and the band decided to call it a day after only a couple of years. They had a whole load of unreleased tracks and demos, including a rare demo track that was produced by Tommy Ramone and cover versions of The Trogg’s "Wild Thing" (re-titled "Chose Sauvage" on a french version) and The Archies' "Sugar Sugar", released in LP in 2001 as 'Powerpop'. [SOURCE: DETOUR RECORDS]
In 1979 two members of The Gas were in a Pub Rock/New Wave band named Sneeky Feelin's after an Elvis Costello song. That band released one single. When the Sneeky Feelin's split Donnie Burke (lead vocals, guitar) and Dell Vickers (bass) recruited Leslie Sampson (drums) to form The Gas. The Gas released five singles and two LPs between 1980 and 1982 on the Polydor label. More recently Donnie Burke has been playing in an Americana Country Blues band named Roadhouse Dogs.
Chris Bradford (guitar, lead vocals), Mark Hankins (guitar, vocals), Pete Lennon (lead guitar), Dave Powell (drums) and
Brian (Wally) Wallis (bass guitar) put together the Heroes at the end of the 70's, releasing "Some Kind Of Women" in 1980. Besides being released as a 45, this tune was included on the compilation LP 'On The Wave', spanish edition. Kinda reminds of The Jags, actually. They also released the LP 'Border Raiders' (1980) an outstanding album in terms of melody; the vocals and harmonies just click, and the two guitarists do a wonderful work in terms of rhythm and great guitar solos, very melodic and intelligent. Produced by Pip Williams of Status Quo fame.
A particular favorite at college radio on the US West Coast, East London's The Kick released three singles, every one a dynamic blast of melody and beat. "Let's Get Back Together" was the first. They soon signed to noted Stiff Records related indie Countdown, and released a killer take on "I Can`t Let Go" for their follow up. They also had a track, "Stuck On The Edge Of A Blade", included on one of the best compilations of the day, 'The Countdown Compilation', again on Countdown. Star connections here inlcude the fact that Will Birch of The Records produced their Countdown material and drummer Chris White joined Mother Earth, part of the Acid Jazz label, including working with Paul Weller, after The Kick split.
The Keys were an English, London-based band active from 1979 until 1983. The band was formed by bassist Drew Barfield (later of the Big Heat and Los Pacaminos), guitarist Steve Tatler, Ben Grove, and Paul McCartney's former drummer Geoff Britton. Joe Jackson produced the band's only album, 'The Keys Album' for A&M, one of powerpop cornerstones ever. A hidden classic and a real masterpiece. Pop at it's best from which came several singles: "One Good Reason", "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "Greasy Money". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
In 1979, there was a buzz about Toursthat made them one of the hottest properties in the music industry. John Peel played the self-released "Language School" single for 50 consecutive nights on Radio 1, declaring it at the time his second favourite 45 of all time behind the Undertones "Teenage Kicks". The band were tracked down to Poole, Dorset by labels including Virgin, Polydor/Fiction, EMI, Sire and others -and a feeding frenzy ensued. Signed personally to Virgin by Richard Branson on a £225,000 six-album deal, the dual singer-songwriter attack of Ronnie Mayor (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Richard Mazda (lead guitar/vocals) led Virgin CEO Simon Draper to describe the pair as "the Punk Lennon-McCartney".
1980 should have been Tours’ year. Boasting a killer live show and incredible strength in depth, they had a seemingly endless collection of two-minute pop classics. Yet the band were doomed never to make it to 1980, torn apart by a conflict of egos and by a deep mistrust of industry dabbling with the band’s line-up and sound. Only one single on Virgin was ever released -the mighty "Tourist Information". Having sold 13,000 copies of "Language School" under their own steam, it seemed obvious that a company like Virgin would do better. In the event, their efforts to promote "Tourist Information" were pathetic. The unreleased songs were lost -the band mythologised on countless compilations and, more recently, the internet Power Pop scene- until 2009. Derek Hammond spent 18 months sourcing the the long-lost Tours tapes and getting the album into production. [SOURCE: RETRO MAN BLOG]
Tonight were a pioneering five piece Power Pop band formed in Southend in 1977. The roots of the band go back to Vocalist Chris Turner and Bassist Russ Strothard's first band, Hiker, which they formed in 1975. Together with Mark Duckworth on Guitar and Gary Warr on Drums they set off on a rock path in the vein of Free/Queen. A manager was found by the name of Pete Scarbrow and they recorded a Four Track Demo tape at Surrey University in Guildford. This was recorded by Phil Chambon, who ended up joining the band in Autumn 1976 as Mark left. The band was starting to be influenced by Canvey'sDr Feelgood and Southend band The Kursaal Flyers, as well as the newer sounds emerging from London and they were blown away on hearing "Anarchy in The UK". The love of the new exciting sounds they were hearing was cemented when they saw the adrenaline fuelled brilliance of The Damned at The Queens Hotel, Southend in June 1977.
A line up change followed in 1977, with Gary Warr following Mark back to their more ‘70s Rock style roots, and new local musicians Dave Cook (on Lead Guitar) and Gary Thompson (on Drums) joined the line up. Dave had an exciting lead style to complement Phil’s classic rhythm playing, and Gary was an energetic Drummer and was fresh from a tour with The Radio Stars. Chris and Phil were writing a lot of new material at this time and the band changed their name to Tonight.
The band built up a local following, regularly playing venues such as The Top Alex, as well as playing at established London venues such as The Music Machine, The Nashville Rooms, The Hope and Anchor & The Rock Garden. Their earlier demo managed to secure them a deal with Target Records (A subsidiary of W.E.A) in December 1977. The band were recorded by Andy Arthurs at Studios like Air and Olympic and they began getting favourable reviews for their live shows. They were the first to be labelled ‘Power Pop’ in January 1978, and their first single got to No 14 in the charts in February, 1978.
Their rising popularity led to regular touring and further appearances on Top of The Pops, as well as shows such as Tiswas, Cheggers Plays Pop, The Saturday Banana, Crackerjack, Get it Together & The Paul Nicholas Show, as well as some TV shows in Europe. The band's second single 'Money (That's Your Problem)' released in April 1978 reached Number 34 in the charts, and together with features in magazines like Look-in, Jackie & Blue Jean helped raise the band profile. July 1978 saw the band release their third single - 'Wheels' - which evidenced a slight change in their sound to a more slower Pop/Rock feel.
Things were looking very promising for the band and they were hotly tipped for further success in 1978, but sadly internal struggles between Pete Scarbrow, Target and W.E.A began to manifest themselves, culminating in the bands planned album being put on hold (It was originally scheduled to be released in Autumn 1978). A final single - 'Jealousy Kills (Beware!)' was released in November 1978. There were demands put on the band to produce another Top 20 single before the album could be released and this caused a lot of tension. With no album out, and the band looking for a new record deal again, Tonight decided to call it quits in January 1979, as they were bound and tied in restrictive contracts.
After the demise of the band, all the members went on to play in many other bands, with Chris Turner and Dave Cook going on to form Go2, then Y (Yen), Phil continued in Production, Russ played with Wilko Johnson, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Phil Burdett and many others, and Gary played with The Rubies. Angel Air Records released the Tonight album in 2010, containing many of their singles and some unreleased songs. [SOURCE: SOUTHEND PUNK ROCK HISTORY]
The Stowaways were a three-piece from outta Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. The band consisted of the two Rowswell brothers and Mick Lister who were all school chums. When the band recorded the "I Wanna Be Me" 3-Track EP they were still at school and their teacher Andrew Bolton actually paid for it to be recorded. 1000 copies were pressed by the Supermusic label who were from the York area. Sadly due to poor distribution only 200 copies were sold at the time and the remaining 800 copies sat in the teachers loft for over twenty years gathering dust.
In their existence. the band spent most of their time building up a nice little local following but never really made it out of their surrounding area. Sometime in 1981, the band split and went their separate ways. A few years later, Mick Lister resurfaced in The Truth alongside ex Nine Below Zero front man Dennis Greaves. [SOURCE: BORED TEENAGERS]
The Slowguns were a short lived four piece from Stockport England. The band consisted brothers, Peter and David Daulby, Terry Podmore, and various drummers. Their first single, released in 1978, was "T.V. Movie" backed with "American HeartBeat". The single garnered praise from John Peel, and was voted joint record of the week with The Not Sensibles "I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher" in the English music journal Sounds.
The second single "The Time Is Right for Us" backed by "My Karma" was poppier and less angular than their first outing but met with little success. Internal dissent within the group caused them to split in 1980. An abandoned LP, is said to exist but has yet to come to light. [SOURCE: SHOTGUN SOLUTIONS]
The Donkeys were a power pop band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire that consisted of Neil Ferguson (lead guitar, vocals), Dave Owen (bass, backing vocals), Mark Welham (drums) and Tony Ferguson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals). They released five singles during the period 1979 to 1981. The Donkeys wrote their own material and both sides of the first two singles were by Neil Ferguson. Then Dave Owen started to produce material that was issued as the remaining three singles, with Ferguson's compositions being used on the B-sides. "Don't Go" received considerable airplay by the disc jockey Mike Read on BBC Radio 1. In 2004 a retrospective double album, 'Television Anarchy', was issued, in both CD and vinyl format, by Detour Records. The first disc contained the ten tracks that had formed the band's five singles, plus alternative versions of "Let's Float" and "Listen to Your Radio". The second disc contained previously unreleased material, with 18 tracks by Ferguson or Owen (they never collaborated) plus live cover versions of "Please Please Me" and "Do You Wanna Dance?". [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Seventeen were a British power pop/new wave group that existed from around 1978 to 1983. It was made up of Mike Peters, Nigel Twist, Eddie McDonald, and Dave Sharp. They released a variety of poppy tunes such as "Don't Let Go" and toured the U.K. constantly. The guys went on to adapt their style to be darker, harder-edged, and more punk-influenced, and they reformed as The Alarm, which had more commercial success. Their songs since have had a cult following. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
From Pontypridd in Wales, Really 3rds were a trio comprising guitarist Neil Lawrence, bassist Paul Pember, and a drummer identified only as Philip. After the self-financed release of the single 'Everyday, Everyway', they changed their name to Shake Some Action in 1982 and became a mod revival band, but don't appear to have recorded in their new identity.
Last Stand was a Power Pop / Punk band from Bromsgrove, Worcester, UK formed in 1981 by Paul Hutchin (bass, vocals), Jon Nash (guitar, vocals) and Mark Matthews (drums). They only released the 7" single 'Just A Number / Caviare'. "Just A Number" is a good power pop tune, but "Caviare" is a punk rock holy grail. Somehow using New Wave-y guitar production but still sounding punk is tough, and here it shines. It's got the sound of early Radio Birdman, The Penetrators mixed with anthemic Dead Boys style written tunes (if Cheetah used a clean guitar tone). An absolute stunner!
Pat Collier, the former Vibrators bass player went on to form The Boyfriends and released three singles on United Artists, produced by Martin Rushent, of Buzzcocks fame. The Boyfriends were not very successful but the three singles were enjoyable. They disbanded soon after. Pat Collier has since had a long career as a producer working with all sorts of post-punk and indie bands (Robyn Hitchcock, The Soft Boys, The House Of Love, The Wonder Stuff…). "I'm In Love Today", the first single with its singalong chorus and haunting keyboards was featured on Volume 1 of the "Shake Some Action" compilations. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
The Invaders, from Bradford, Yorkshire, and led by ‘Sid’ Slavko Sidelnyk, were typical of the more poppy keyboard-inflected new wave sound that was just one of the many strands that punk rock had mutated into.
What adds some spice to their story is being part of Jimmy Pursey’s (Sham 69) JP Productions, along with The Chords and Angelic Upstarts, which got them their deal with major label Polydor. The addition of Soo Lucas aka Soo Catwoman into the band who was going out with Sid, changed the dynamic and caused the band to split eventually.
The band managed four singles and an album and appeared at the legendary 1979 Futurama Festival. But out of the 3 bands signed to JP Productions they have become forgotten. [SOURCE: PUNK 77]
Chris Bell is truly one of the unsung heroes of American pop music. During his short and troubled lifetime, his work with the band Big Star was celebrated only by a tiny cult, and his only solo single received little notice. However, decades later, Bell's work with Big Star was belatedly acknowledged as some of the best and most influential pop music of the '70s. In addition, the posthumous release of Bell's pre- and post-Big Star recordings demonstrated his strength as a instrumentalist and songwriter, and testified to his important role in Big Star, long regarded as Alex Chilton's project.
Christopher Branford Bell was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 12, 1951. Bell grew up in one of America's capitals of soul and R&B, typified by the prodigious output of the Stax label, but his first love was the music of the British Invasion. Inspired by The Beatles, he took up the guitar when he was 13 years old, and soon embraced the music of The Kinks, The Who, and The Yardbirds. By 1965, Bell had formed a British Invasion-influenced band called The Jynx, and a fellow teenage rock fan, Alex Chilton, occasionally sang lead in the band. While Chilton was recruited to sing lead with the soul-infused teen pop group The Box Tops, Bell started writing his own material and performing with like-minded Memphis musicians Richard Rosebrough and Terry Manning.
In the late '60s, Bell became a fixture at Ardent Studios, a recording facility run by Memphis Anglophile John Fry, where Bell worked as an assistant engineer and recorded demos after hours. He also played in a psychedelic band called Christmas Future before enrolling at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. After returning to Memphis, Bell wrote and recorded with a pair of ad hoc groups, Rock City and Icewater, whose members included Rosebrough, Manning, Jody Stephens, and Andy Hummell. Bell cut plenty of demos with these bands (some of which would receive release after his death), and when Bell and Chilton reconnected after the breakup of The Box Tops, Bell invited his old friend to join his group. The band, which would adopt the name Big Star, featured Bell and Chilton on guitars and vocals, Hummell on bass, and Stephens on drums. With Bell and Chilton collaborating on many of the songs, and Bell handling much of the engineering and mixing, Big Star cut their debut album, '#1 Record', at Ardent, and the LP was released in 1972 by the studio's in-house label, distributed by Stax. Unfortunately, the album was released as Stax was in the process of changing distributors, and though it received positive reviews, sales were negligible.
By the end of 1972, Bell left Big Star, reportedly chafing over Chilton's more visible role in the band. Bell also suffered from clinical depression, and began self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. While Bell would briefly rejoin Big Star and contributed to some of the songs on their second album, 1974's 'Radio City', his work on the album was uncredited and he soon began working on solo material. With his brother David Bell serving as his mentor and manager, Bell recorded material in Memphis at Ardent and Shoe Recording, while David also arranged for him to cut demos for a proposed album at Chateau D'Herouville Studio in France, which were later mixed in London by Geoff Emerick, best known for his work with The Beatles. Despite the strength of the material, no label was interested in signing Bell to a record deal, and the material went unheard until Chris Stamey issued a single, "I Am the Cosmos" b/w "You and Your Sister" (the latter featuring harmony vocals from Chilton), on his tiny independent label, Car Records. The single received little notice, and though Bell played occasionally with a local band, The Baker Street Regulars, he struggled with depression and spirituality while supporting himself managing his father's restaurant. On December 27, 1978, while driving home from band practice, Bell lost control of his car and was killed when the vehicle struck a telephone pole. He was only 27 years old.
Big Star's catalog was out of print and all but forgotten when Bell died, but in the '80s, a number of alternative rock bands began citing the group as a major influence. As members of R.E.M., The dB's, Game Theory, The Replacements, The Posies, and Teenage Fanclub were singing their praises, '#1 Record' and 'Radio City' were reissued in the U.K., Europe, and later America, allowing a new generation of fans to discover their music. In 1992, as part of a Big Star reissue program, Rykodisc released the album 'I Am the Cosmos', the first Chris Bell album, featuring both sides of the rare Car Records single along with unreleased demos and studio materials that replicated the album Bell never got to make. The album received enthusiastic reviews, and led to a critical reappraisal of Bell's role in Big Star, which previously had been seen as largely Chilton's baby. In the wake of 'I Am the Cosmos', several other collections of Bell's unreleased material appeared, including 'Rock City, Rockin' Memphis: 1960s-1970s, Vol. 1', and 'Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
