The Marked Men

Coming back from Monday's long song to the 1-2-3-4 songs. I got the news that there is a compilation out by American punk-rock/power-pop band The Marked Men. They were from Denton, Texas about 15 years ago and they didn't made great success. I just own a single by them and I think that they should stand in a row with The Ramones. They made a very unique mixture of forward driven punk songs that could be classics if more than a few people would listen to their songs. Still great songs that would be a pleasure to be played on every party featuring this kind of sound. Hey, ho - let's go.

The Marked Men - Lost It All
The Marked Men - Oh, My Pretty Face
The Marked Men - The Other Side

Kind Of Girl

Today I got a day of to reduce my overtime before they were cut at the end of the month and my co-worker gets into holiday from next week on. So I will do something at my home that I deferred for longer time. Seems like a rather relaxing day for me listening to some new and old music along my duties. Today's song is from the new record by Paul Collins, a Los Angeles based musician that is active since the mid 70's. He formed The Nerves, a power-pop trio that got little success not only because they've written Blondie's Hanging On The Telephone. Later he transformed the band into Paul Collins' Beat not to be mistaken with the British ska band The Beat. From the mid 70's until now he was true to his sound - power pop and emotional songs about love.

Keep The Devil Within

Sometimes it takes a long time for a musician to release his first album. Paul McCann, an Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and part of various bands, needed to wait more than 20 years for his first album. The result is nothing more or less a journey back to the days of power-pop and handmade music. I don't know much about his career but listening to his songs there is no doubt that he worked for a long time to finish the songs. References? Sometimes the songs reminds to Fountains Of Wayne and in the best times to Big Star.

It's A Small Line Between Indie-Rock and Power Pop

During the last days I rediscovered Pete and the Pirates, an Indie-rock band from Reading. They released their first full length album Little Death in 2008. It is pure fun listening to the music they made years ago. NME named their music perfect pop without pretence. For me it is a perfect combination of new-wave ingredients, classic British rock and Power Pop at it's best moments. I think you should listen to this song driving in an open sports car hiding to sundown.

Pete and the Pirates - Ill Love
Pete and the Pirates - Knots
Pete and the Pirates - Bright Lights

Teenarama

It's the last day of the working week and a massive heatwave will arrive today. So what to play on a day like this? I think it's time to play another power-pop band that is forgotten nowadays. The Records were formed by Will Birch by the ashes of the Kursaal Flyers. Their 1979 record Shades In Bed was one of my favorite albums in these days long gone by. Based in the tradition of The Kinks they wrote a couple of great power-pop songs that stood the test of time. Sadly they didn't got the success they should have.

The Records - Teenarama
The Records - Starry Eyes

What Happened To Power Pop # 10

Another forgotten band from the early 80s are The Bongos from New Jersey. I recognized them by their first album 'Drums along the Hudson'. It was a band that was stuck in the 70s British sound like T. Rex and the American Byrds as well. This album made great fun at this time with a lot of guitar based songs that lives the spirit of pure power pop. I grabbed this record out a few day ago and listened to it several times and I've to admit that it stood the test of time. Although they are an American band and their sound is like a bit of college they had more to give us (another band that gave me some kind of inspiration were The Feelies, especially their appearance in Jonathan Demme's 'Something Wild'). All in all The Bongos made a few songs that I would like to add to power pop - nothing more or less.

Enjoy and have a good time.

The Bongos - In the Congo

And as a bonus - their version of Mambo Sun by T. Rex

What Happened To Power Pop # 8

You see right - the boys in this picture are The Knack. A quartet formed in 1978 in Los Angeles. Inspired by the early Kinks and The Byrds they played in clubs like many others. But their fortune was that they was signed by Capitol Records. Their first record was produced by Mike Chapman who helped The Sweet and Blondie to reach high positions in the charts. If you expect from me to feature their chart-breaker My Sharona I must disappoint you. This song is too simple and played often enough. My favorite is Good Girls Don't because it's this kind of (power)pop songs I listened with pleasure long time back. In addition, they have accomplished the trick to express this at few minutes what probably every boy thinks and feels which is in the same situation like hero in this song.

She's your adolescent dream,
Schoolboy stuff, a sticky sweet romance.
And she makes you want to scream,
Wishing you could get inside her pants.
So, you fantasize away.
And while you're squeezing her, you thought you heard her saying...

"Good girls don't,
Good girls don't, and she be telling you
Good girls don't, but I do. "

So, you call her on the phone
To talk about the teachers that you hate.
And she says she's all alone,
And her parents won't be coming home til late.
There's a ringing in your brain,
Cause you could've sworn you though you heard her saying...

"Good girls don't,
Good girls don't, and she be telling you
Good girls don't, but I do. "

And it's a teenage sadness
Everyone has got to taste.
An in-between age madness
That you know you can't erase
Til she's sitting on your face.

You're alone with her at last,
And you're waiting til you think the time is right.
Cause you've heard she's pretty fast.
And you're hoping that she'll give you some tonight.
So, you start to make your play,
Cause you could've sworn you thought you heard her saying...

"Good girls don't,
Good girls don't, and she be telling you
Good girls don't, but I do. "

And it's a teenage sadness
Everyone has got to taste.
An in-between age madness
That you know you can't erase
Til she's sitting on your face.

Good girls don't,
Good girls don't, and she be telling you
Good girls don't, but I do, but I do, but I do, but I do...

The Knack - Good Girls Don't

The pains of beeing pure at heart

The second day back on work and nothing changed since I left four weeks ago. All my colleges are still busy working from nine to five and leave the office like zombies. Even though I set with a couple of them together for some drinks after finishing work. On my way back home on train I found this tune on my mobile phone. It was released in 2009 and remembers me the days of so called Indie-music or powerpop. Yes it is very retro to the 80s - but anyway a sound that makes me feel well.

So enjoy and have a good time

The Pains Of Beeing Pure At Heart - Stay Alive