That small introduction to Swedish power pop I wrote the other day got me thinking that maybe I could use this blog to introduce some of my power pop favourites in general. Even though I probably listen to more country/folk than power pop nowadays, power pop is easily the most important genre to me. There are several really good blogs like Absolute Powerpop and Powerpopaholic and I’m really looking forward to see what is Bruce Brodeen’s Pop Geek Heaven all about (should open soon), but power pop still doesn’t rule the hype machine. Far from it. I can’t change that, but more blog posts about the greatest music genre can’t be a bad thing.
These won’t be in any order even though I start with the best song in the world. I think I just mix it up. Some big classics from the 70’s, some obscure tunes from the 90’s, some new favourites. Just great power pop songs. And actually, I’m sure some genre police might well argue that all of them are not power pop. So don’t take these posts too seriously. Even though I love power pop, I’m million miles away from being a real expert. These posts will just contain songs that I really love.
The Nerves were a short-lived LA-based power pop group that released one stunning EP in 1976. The members Jack Lee, Paul Collins and Peter Case were/are all great songwriters and their next groups The Plimsouls, The Beat, The Breakaways will definitely get an entry of their own sooner or later. Somehow The Nerves have still been the dearest to me personally. Maybe it’s just me being a music snob and preferring to love the unknown bands. But I’d like to think that it’s just because the EP is so damn brilliant. There’s actually one really popular song on it though. Jack Lee’s wonderful Hanging On The Telephone later became a hit when Blondie covered the song. However, Peter Case’s When You Find Out is my biggest favourite. It may be simple, but it’s catchy as hell and I love it to bits. Certainly one of the greatest songs in the world in my books.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsjXPc7VGg]