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]
The first Canadian punk band signed to a major label, The Diodes are best-remembered for their moody, head-banging hit "Tired of Waking Up Tired" and their hard-hitting interpretation of the Paul Simon-penned tune "Red Rubber Ball." With vocalist Paul Robinson backed by guitarist John Catto, bassist Ian MacKay, and drummers John Hamilton and, later, Mike Lengyell, the Toronto-based band roared with unabashed intensity. Signed by Columbia, The Diodes released their debut self-titled album in 1977. Columbia released their second album, 'Released', on its Epic subsidiary two years later, but poor sales of both albums led the label to drop the band's contract. Although they relocated to England after releasing their third album, 'Action/Reaction', on the independent Orient label, the move came late to save the band. They disbanded shortly after, releasing an album of outtakes and demos, 'Survivors', in 1982. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Flashcubes are as venerable and vibrant as they come, bursting out of Syracuse, NY in 1977 with the same lineup they have today -guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin, bassist Gary Frenay and drummer Tommy Allen. During their initial lifespan of 1977-1980, The Flashcubes released only two singles, "Christi Girl" and "Wait Til Next Week," both now acknowledged as guitar pop classics. They always seemed on the brink of bigger things -everyone who knew them just presumed The Flashcubes would become stars. And while those big things never materialized, their legend only grew, so that by the time the band reunited in the '90s, as powerful and poppy as ever, they were recognized as the heroes they'd always been. They haven't looked back since, with a string of acclaimed albums and a reputation as a world-class live act to their credit and no end in sight. [SOURCE: BIG STIR RECORDS BANDCAMP]
Sometimes referred to as power pop's first supergroup, Fotomaker was founded by former Rascals members Gene Cornish (bass) and Dino Danelli (drums), who had played together in a previous post-Rascals band called Bulldog. The two contacted ex-Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson, then playing in his native Cleveland with a band called Tattoo. Bryson agreed to join them in Long Island, and the Fotomaker lineup was subsequently completed with guitarist Lex Marchesi and keyboardist Frankie Vinci (lead vocal duties were split between several members). The group quickly landed a deal with Atlantic and released their self-titled debut in 1978, which produced the chart single "Where Have You Been All My Life." Before the year was out, they'd released another LP, this one titled 'Vis-a-Vis'; it featured another minor hit in "Miles Away." Still, Fotomaker were never quite able to break out beyond the power pop cult, and Bryson left the group to return to Cleveland in mid-1979. Vinci assumed lead vocal duties for the final Fotomaker album, 1979's 'Transfer Station', but faced with diminishing returns, the group elected to call it a day. Drummer Dino Danelli died on December 15, 2022, at the age of 78. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
