no.101*

Powerpop & pop-rock: R & S

(Hyped to Death CD #04B)

Welcome to Teenline! (and the *new-and-improved vol. 1) Powerpop means unrepentant hooks, Rickenbacher guitars and shameless singalong choruses. Powerpop means never covering up an emotion, however adolescent, goofy or fleeting. And, in its heart of hearts, powerpop is always about hoping you'll make a good impression on her mom... In the mid-to-late '70s the powerpop scenes centered in the upper Midwest, the mid-South, California and New York State, but at the start of the '80s Bomp! and Trouser Press stopped publishing, Creem went heavy-metal, and numerous powerpop-friendly stores and distributors went under. So bands never got reviewed, they never got heard -and of course they never got paid. By the mid-'80s powerpop was an endangered species... But better late than never!

The Midwest Wisconsin's Shivvers, of course, contribute our title track, "Teen Line," as well as its flip. Their line-up included some notable characters from the new-wave's first generation, including Scott Krueger [Orbits+++], Jim Richardson [Lubricants, Craze], and Jim Eanelli [Bombs, Blackholes]. The complete Shivvers and Orbits studio sessions plus some hot live tracks are now on "Til the Word Gets Out" (Teenline #101 CD), available from us, natch. Singer Jill Kossoris has a new CD called "Invisible" while Scott Krueger's ex-Shivvers project is appearing soon on H2D: Breck & Scott ­"Echoes in a Warehouse" H2D (Teenline #206? CD) Scott also co-compiled History in 3 Chords, a double-CD of Wisconsin punk-era bands. The RPMs were just as deeply involved with the Milwaukee scene, although songwriter Dennis Laing was a recent import from the UK [Aberdeen & London] where he'd hung out and played with folks who went on to be the Ruts and Rusty Egan from the Rich Kids. Others swapped into and out of Arousing Polaris, Plasticland and the Red Ball Jets. 10 more songs got recorded but just two got released. Dennis is still playing and writing in Florida, singer Brent Mireau has a new band called Slacker, and original drummer Rob McCuen remains active on the Milwaukee scene.

In 1975, powerpop was barely a perverse gleam in the eyes of a few hippie/progsters, but the Shoes had already recorded three full albums a half-dozen miles south of the Wisconsin border in Zion IL. The first of those to hit vinyl was titled "One in Versailles" (on accounta guitarist / songwriter Gary Klebe spent a semester in France), whence "No I Don't" from 1975. Everything is now reissued on Black Vinyl CDs, including all their early/indie stuff on a 3CD set called "As Is."

In Detroit, hard-rock, proto-punk, garage-rock and power-pop always mixed rather freely. (Indeed, Detroit punk almost always had something else mixed-in.) There were already dozens of pop-rock combos riffing and bashing away when the Romantics hit the charts, but "I Can't Tell You Anything" comes from the Romantics* first 45 on Spider. They followed it with a handful of tracks for Bomp before taking Nemperor to the big-leagues. Wally and Mike are still going...with 22-year veteran Coz Candler and Clem Burke. See www.romanticsdetroit.com. The second release on the Spider label belonged to the Reruns' classic "Since You Gotta Cheat" -a massive, triple-Rickenbacher barrage of poprock. Its punkier flip is on H2D #1, and we've added a modest remix of "She Hates Me Now," their neglected second. It's a great song that kinda got lost in an earnest, but misguided attempt to recapture the sound of 1960s "artificial stereo"...

Cinecyde was the Tremor label's most successful and prolific band, but every one of Tremor's singles has its moments: both sides of the Service's lone release (Tremor #11) are jangly classics... Service played hard and loud but stuck to the pop stuff in the studio: more tracks appear on three Detroit compilations, and there's (louder) unreleased MP3s online.
Powerpop got off to an even earlier start in Cleveland with the likes of the Circus and the Raspberries (and the Choir and Cyrus Erie before that). The Radio Alarm Clocks did an excellent 1980 single as the Clocks, which joins "You (Bust Out)" on their LP. They're ex-Chronics, Pagans, & Les Raving Sounds, and two of 'em are now in Einstein's Secret Orchestra. (More Clocks and Chronics on Homework #8.)

Kansas City sported an energetic power-pop scene in the mid-'70s, anchored by the legendary Leopards and then bolstered by regional bands on the Titan label (Boys, Secrets, Gary Charlson, Arlis). But there wasn't much of a scene left by the time the Regular Guys released their terrific EP in 1981, and though Trouser Press put it on an annual top-ten list, it sank with little trace. Fortunately, 15 tracks from the studio and some great live tunes songs are out now on H2D as The Regular Guys "Jayhawk Pop" CD (Teenline #202)... Mark Gilman still plays with the DeRita Sisters, who've got a fistful of CDs available...

The South: Sgt. Arms was Bill Lloyd's first recorded band, though he's trading vocals with long-time collaborator David Surface on "Roof"... The Practical Stylists 45 came next in 1983, then Bill's first solo LP: Feeling the Elephant (Throbbing Lobster -reissued on DB CD). Everything (with or without Texan Radney Foster) is highly worthwhile. Texas wasn't much on power-pop, but the quality on the few discs that appeared was amazingly high. Like a dozen other Austin bands the Rattlecats formed in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols' show in San Antonio -though gtr/songwriters Glen Worley and Steve Lachowsky headed for more melodic territory than most. The Rattlecats toured extensively up and down I-35, but "Run My Life"/"Back to Life" was their only record. Early symptoms of multiple sclerosis forced Steve's retirement, but Glen and drummer Kevin Connolly went on to form the Rivals (who did an obscure cassette). Sadly, Steve died of complications from MS in 2002, but Rattlecats videos were played at his memorial service and there are rehearsal tapes as well, so please stay tuned for news of a more complete audio memorial...

In powerpop's darkest hour, "jangle" appeared in North Carolina, partly from the usual powerpop roots (Mitch Easter loved Big Star and the Byrds), but it was also influenced by Don Dixon's long-running country-pop band, Arrogance. Jangle quickly degenerated into guitar-band mumbling and jamming, but you might think of Frank Bednash's Riff Doctors as the first of the counter-revolution: twangy, hook-laden, brief, and totally popped-out. A couple years later, he'd hooked up with NYC's Donna Esposito (ex-Cyclones [Homework #8]), and cut an amazing demo (with Mitch) that ended up as the B-side of the debut Cowboy & Spingirl 12" (Subway UK). Frank & Donna are now Toothpaste 2000 and their newest CD on Parasol is "Instant Action." Huntsville Alabama's Sex Clark Five appeared in 1986 with an explosion of British-Invasion-damaged pop gems. Sure the Five have a bit of an attention-span problem, and their stunning skills at mimicry (the "Ketchup" EP) can distract from their more original moments, but their killer hooks-per-inch of vinyl ratio easily rates with GBV or Game Theory. Three 7"s, several flexis, 3 LPs. Reissues are on Beehive Rebellion, and their newest "Crimson Panzer" is as great as ever. www.sexclarkfive.com

The Northeast: In upstate New York pop sounds ripened more purely and unselfconsciously than perhaps anywhere else in the nation. When Syracuse's horribly under-appreciated Flashcubes split, three of them became Screen Test on the excellent Northside label. Screen Test's 45s and cassette tracks are being reissued in '03 by Japan's Airmail Recordings: see www.flashcubes.com for further details. Meanwhile, back in Gotham, the Responsible Teenagers cut their one-and-only... They're Will Dial [Dogbowl, Chris Butler, Wirebirds++], Steve Dansiger [Nightmares, King Missile, Pianosaurus, GG Allin, Dogbowl+++] and Larry Kefer, who wrote "Temporary Feeling." (Corey "Loog" Brennan [Bullet Lavolta, Lemonheads, Busted Statues] appears on the sleeve and "R+R Warhead" is his song, but it's not on the record and neither is he.) After extended battles with drugs and homelessness, Larry died in 2000: R.I.P. The Saucers, from New Haven/New York/Ohio, went their separate ways soon after their second single in 1981 (#1 appears on H2D #2). Craig Bell (Rocket from the Tombs, Mirrors) and his Gustav label temporarily called it quits, while Seth Tiven went on to form Dumptruck. A Saucers CD retrospective is out on GTA.* Loud 4/4 pop'n'roll was the heart of the Boston sound from 1975 well into the '80s, and the first and best of the bunch was John Felice and the Real Kids, who, between '76 and '88 or so, became the Taxi Boys, then the Real Kids again [with Andy Paley producing "Every Day"], then Primevils, then Lowdowns and finally the Real Kids again. Splinters turned up in Classic Ruins, Varmints, Last Ones and half a dozen others. Virtually all their back catalog is available on Billy Miller's splendid Norton* label, and the Real Kids are recording and performing again: www.nortonrecords.com

California: Just two bands this time, both from the Bay Area. San Francisco's Rockers, briefly grasped a perfect mix of British Invasion harmony and Flamin Groovies twang on their 1980 four-track... Most of them became the Finders. Squid Music has reissued the Rockers EP and some great Finders material on CD -with much more in-the-works. Jeff Scott and Josef Marc were in the original Dils, but when Kim Fowley came calling, Jeff and Josef said nothankyou. So while the Kinmans were playing for Kim in L.A., J&J's Hitmakers and the Nuns were playing the first ever punk gig at Mabuhay Gardens. The Hitmakers left behind one U.S. 45, this EP with "I Found Her", and then a UK 45 (and video) recorded at Surrey Sound in '83. The other Hitmakers became the Crawdaddies, Jeff became an economist, and Josef's amused himself by playing with everyone from Jonathan Richman to Metallica's graphic designer... Website coming soon!*