Forum:
As I made this group, I realized that a lot of the general SpaceHey public might not be too familiar with the genre as a whole. So here's a brief crash course!
Beginnings : 1970s
Big Star: Widely considered the be-all-end-all of power pop, the Memphis group’s legendary albums like 1972's #1 Record and 1974's Radio City laid the ground work for alternative and power pop as we know it.
Cheap Trick: Hailing from Rockford, Illinois, they were one of the first power pop groups to hit the big time. Heaven Tonight and their Budokan live album are essential listening.
Badfinger: One of the first non Beatles projects on Apple Records, this Welsh group's first hit song was written by the Beatles. As well as other songs like No Matter What and Baby Blue, their song Without You later became a hit song for Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.
The New Wave Era: Late 70s to 80s
Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Declan Patrick Aloysius McManus, better known as Elvis Costello rose to fame in his home country with his backing band the Attractions. With a gold streak lasting from 1977 to 1987, albums like This Year's Model and Armed Forces are as good as it gets for new wave.
The Cars: Mixing together the synthesizers of new wave and the hookiness of power pop, the 1978 debut album is the clear winner for required listening. Don't sleep on Heartbeat City though!
The 2nd Wave: The 1990s
Jellyfish: Criminally underrated in their time, their first album was released in the wake of hair metal, and the second in the grunge era. Due to disappointing album sales, this band broke up in 1994. Sprouting off into numerous solo and side projects, both of the albums are incredible, and they are one of my favorite bands of all time.
Matthew Sweet: Stumbling through bizarre soft rock/jangle pop albums in the mid to late 80s, he came into his own in 1991 with the release of his breakthrough concept album Girlfriend, chock full of blistering guitar solos and melodic songwriting. Also recommended is his significantly darker followup album Altered Beast, and his return to form 100% Fun, containing MTV hits such as We're The Same and Sick Of Myself.
Gin Blossoms: Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, this group's chief songwriter-hitmaker Doug Hopkins drank himself into a deep depression, which caused him to be fired by his bandmates. They kept his songs in rotation, and 2 of them went on to be chart successes, Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You.
Report Topic
