Power pop is a pop rock music subgenre that draws
its inspiration from 1960s British and American rock music. It typically
incorporates a combination of musical devices including strong melodies, clear
vocals, economical arrangements and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos
are usually kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Power Pop continued as a commercially modest genre but by the mid-1990s through the 2000s, power pop was mainly in the underground.
While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres.
Characteristics of Pop Rock
The origins of power pop date back to the early-to-mid 1960's with what AllMusic calls: "a cross between the crunching hard rock of the Who and the sweet melodicism of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, with the ringing guitars of the Byrds thrown in for good measure". According to The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, the sub-genre's key influences came from British Invasion bands, particularly the Merseybeat sound first popularised by the Beatles and its "jangly guitars, pleasant melodies, immaculate vocal harmonies, and a general air of teenage innocence".
It was Pete Townshend, of the English rock band the Who, that coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview in which he said: "Power pop is what we play—what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which I preferred." The Small Faces are often cited as being among the progenitors of power pop. The Who's role in the creation of power pop has been cited by singer-songwriter Eric Carmen of the Raspberries, who has said:
Pete Townshend coined the phrase to define what the Who did. For some reason, it didn't stick to the Who, but it did stick to these groups that came out in the '70s that played kind of melodic songs with crunchy guitars and some wild drumming. It just kind of stuck to us like glue, and that was okay with us because the Who were among our highest role models. We absolutely loved the Who.
Several other groups of the 1960s were important in the evolution and expansion of the power pop style, such as the Hollies and the Monkees, as well as "softer" acts such as the Beau Brummels, the Cowsills and the Zombies. Other acts such as the Knickerbockers, the Easybeats and the Outsiders contributed iconic singles. Writer John Borack has noted, "It's also quite easy to draw a not-so-crooked line from garage rock to power pop."[
Although the formative influences on the genre were primarily British, the bands that developed and codified power pop in the 1970s were nearly all American. The Raspberries' 1972 hit single "Go All The Way" is an almost perfect embodiment of the elements of power pop and that group's four albums can be considered strongly representative of the genre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_pop
Afterword by the Blog Author
Power Pop got going with the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. My own ears seem to gravitate toward “I Can See for Miles and Miles” by the Who as well as the stereo version of Paul McCartney’s “Here, There and Everywhere.” The definitive power pop tunes are probably “No Matter What” by Badfinger and the Raspberries’ “Go All the Way.”
The best of the Beatles out of their own after the 1970 breakup has a lot of Power Pop in the studio work and arrangements. “It Don’t Come Easy” by Ringo Starr is a fine example of this kind of work, and Ringo does some heavy drumming with help from his friend George Harrison advising on the production. It therefore seems to me that the defining elements of Power Pop are a large element of percussion, the re-introduction of the piano and often the trumpet as short solo rock instruments, simple lyrics sung perfectly on-key, and a flippant, “life goes on” attitude about unrequited love. So here is a list of what may be the top examples of Power Pop:
In the 1980s and 1990s, Power Pop continued as a commercially modest genre but by the mid-1990s through the 2000s, power pop was mainly in the underground.
While its cultural impact has waxed and waned over the decades, power pop is among rock's most enduring subgenres.
Characteristics of Pop Rock
The origins of power pop date back to the early-to-mid 1960's with what AllMusic calls: "a cross between the crunching hard rock of the Who and the sweet melodicism of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, with the ringing guitars of the Byrds thrown in for good measure". According to The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, the sub-genre's key influences came from British Invasion bands, particularly the Merseybeat sound first popularised by the Beatles and its "jangly guitars, pleasant melodies, immaculate vocal harmonies, and a general air of teenage innocence".
It was Pete Townshend, of the English rock band the Who, that coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview in which he said: "Power pop is what we play—what the Small Faces used to play, and the kind of pop the Beach Boys played in the days of 'Fun, Fun, Fun' which I preferred." The Small Faces are often cited as being among the progenitors of power pop. The Who's role in the creation of power pop has been cited by singer-songwriter Eric Carmen of the Raspberries, who has said:
Pete Townshend coined the phrase to define what the Who did. For some reason, it didn't stick to the Who, but it did stick to these groups that came out in the '70s that played kind of melodic songs with crunchy guitars and some wild drumming. It just kind of stuck to us like glue, and that was okay with us because the Who were among our highest role models. We absolutely loved the Who.
Several other groups of the 1960s were important in the evolution and expansion of the power pop style, such as the Hollies and the Monkees, as well as "softer" acts such as the Beau Brummels, the Cowsills and the Zombies. Other acts such as the Knickerbockers, the Easybeats and the Outsiders contributed iconic singles. Writer John Borack has noted, "It's also quite easy to draw a not-so-crooked line from garage rock to power pop."[
Although the formative influences on the genre were primarily British, the bands that developed and codified power pop in the 1970s were nearly all American. The Raspberries' 1972 hit single "Go All The Way" is an almost perfect embodiment of the elements of power pop and that group's four albums can be considered strongly representative of the genre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_pop
Afterword by the Blog Author
Power Pop got going with the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. My own ears seem to gravitate toward “I Can See for Miles and Miles” by the Who as well as the stereo version of Paul McCartney’s “Here, There and Everywhere.” The definitive power pop tunes are probably “No Matter What” by Badfinger and the Raspberries’ “Go All the Way.”
The best of the Beatles out of their own after the 1970 breakup has a lot of Power Pop in the studio work and arrangements. “It Don’t Come Easy” by Ringo Starr is a fine example of this kind of work, and Ringo does some heavy drumming with help from his friend George Harrison advising on the production. It therefore seems to me that the defining elements of Power Pop are a large element of percussion, the re-introduction of the piano and often the trumpet as short solo rock instruments, simple lyrics sung perfectly on-key, and a flippant, “life goes on” attitude about unrequited love. So here is a list of what may be the top examples of Power Pop:
·
I Can
See for Miles and Miles – the Who
·
Listen
to What the Man Said – Paul McCartney
·
When
We Was Fab – George Harrison
·
Isn’t
It Time – The Babys
·
Rockin’
at Midnight – The Honeydrippers
·
Go
All the Way – Raspberries
·
Day
after Day – Badfinger
·
No
Matter What – Badfinger
·
It
Don’t Come Easy – Ringo Starr
·
Live
and Let Die – Paul and Linda McCartney
·
Free
as a Bird – The Beatles
·
Here,
There, and Everywhere (in stereo) – The Beatles
·
Rock
On – David Essex
·
Then
Came You – The Spinners with Dionne Warwick
·
Smoke
on the Water – Deep Purple
·
Crackerbox Palace
·
Oh
Sherrie – Steve Perry
·
Wake
Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!
·
Feeling
Good – George Michael and Wham!
·
Still
the One – Orleans
·
Brandy
– Looking Glass
·
We
Will Rock You -- Queen
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