How About Some Power Pop Suggestions For Your Collection

Everyone knows how much I enjoy power pop music. I can’t get enough of that pre-Sgt. Pepper Beatles melodies mixed with Beach Boys’ vocal harmonies and Who-like and Kinks-esque power chords, with a touch of Byrds-ian jangle, into this dream amalgamation that Pete Townshend once called power pop, which has stuck to this conservative brand of rock music. And when I use “conservative”, it is not a political designation but a musical one because of the tight definition of this genre. Sure, I am still in touch with the AM radio side of youth.

So, today, I am going to send you into the weekend with my 15 suggestions of power pop albums that every music lover should have in their collection. I love making these of suggestions. Rock on!

15 Power Pop Albums Every Music Lover Should Own

1. Big Star – #1 Record (1972); Key track: “Thirteen”
2. Raspberries – Raspberries (1972); Key track: “Go All the Way”
3. Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action (1975); Key track: “Shake Some Action”
4. Bram Tchaikovsky – Strange Man, Changed Man (1979); Key track: “Girl of My Dreams”
5. Cheap Trick – At Budokan (1979); Key track: “I Want You to Want Me” (was there EVER any doubt?)
6. The Knack – Get the Knack (1979); Key track: “My Sharona”
7. The Records – The Records (1979, USA), Shades in Bed (1978, UK); Key track: “Starry Eyes”
8. The Rubinoos – Back to the Drawing Board (1979); Key track: “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
9. The Romantics – The Romantics (1980); Key track: “What I Like About You”
10. Rick Springfield – Working Class Dog (1981); Key track: “I’ve Done Everything for You”
11. Squeeze – East Side Story (1981); Key track: “Tempted”
12. Marshall Crenshaw – Marshall Crenshaw (1982); Key track: “Cynical Girl”
13. Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990); Key track: “I Wanna Stay Home”
14. Velvet Crush – Teenage Symphonies to God (1994); Key track: “Hold Me Up”
15. Weezer – Weezer (1994, “The Blue Album”); Key track: “Buddy Holly”

Now, if you would just throw in some early Ramones, non-concept album Green Day, the Buzzcocks’ greatest hits album Singles Going Steady and some non-experimental or blue-eyed soul Todd Rundgren (or his band Utopia), then you will have a well-rounded power pop collection that embraces most sides of the genre.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a rockin’ Halloween!!!

Author: ifmyalbumscouldtalk

I am just a long-time music fan who used to be a high school science teacher and a varsity coach of several high school athletic teams. Before that, I worked as a medical technologist at three hospitals in their labs, mainly as a microbiologist. I am retired/disabled (Failed Back Surgery Syndrome), and this is my attempt to remain a human. Additionally, I am a serious vinyl aficionado, with a CD addiction and a love of reading about rock history. Finally, I am a fan of Prince, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Hall & Oates, Springsteen, Paul Weller & his bands and Power Pop music. View all posts by ifmyalbumscouldtalk