The Raspberries and 70's Powerpop

The Raspberries

Overlapping and influencing both the glam/glitter rock period of the mid-70’s and the rise of punk of the late 70’s was powerpop.  The term “powerpop” has a generally broad application but refers to songs that focus the fusion of strong melodies and harmonies with a strong (but not domineering) guitar-driven sound.  The ultimate inspiration of nearly all powerpop was the Beatles, with their vocal harmonies and catchy guitar riffs, but other elements of early 60’s pop, including the jangly guitars of the Byrds and the soaring vocal harmonies of the Beach Boys were also big influences.  However, it was the early mod-inspired work of the Who that really gave powerpop its guitar edge (the term “power pop” was reputedly even coined by Pete Townsend), while several other mid-60’s English bands, including the Faces, the Move, the Nice, etc., also contributed to the development of the powerpop sound.

Powerpop overlaps somewhat with bubblegum (also known as bubblegum pop) in that both genres share an emphasis on soaring vocal harmonies, sweet melodies, and catchy hooks.  The difference, of course, is in the crunch:   powerpop usually retains a fairly prominent guitar element which can occasionally be almost heavy or rough, while bubblebum typically avoids or at least downplays the guitar contribution.  Moreover, unlike powerpop, which was produced by actual bands, much of bubblegum was “artificial” in that it came from “groups” which were crafted for the sole purpose of giving the sound an image.  One of the biggest bubblegum groups, the Ohio Express (who hit it huge with their song “Yummy Yummy Yummy” in 1968, which was covered by L7 on the SST Melting Plot covers compilation) were essentially a fabrication cobbled together to serve as an outlet for the songwriting skills of Jerry Kasenetz and Jerry Katz, two songwriters who essentially named and created the bubblegum genre.   Other bubblegum acts were even more fictitious, and were based on groups explicitly created for a TV show such as the Monkees and the Partridge Family; cartoon groups such as the Archies, Josie and the Pussycats, and the Banana Splits; and groups based on existing TV shows such as the the Brady Bunch.  Hell, in the late 60’s and early 70’s it was hard NOT to find a Saturday morning cartoon show that DIDN’T feature  some musical component (which was usually very bubblegum in nature); most people of my age have fond memories of eating bowls of Cap’n Crunch with Crunchberries while watching chase montages of Scoobie Doo and Shaggy outwitting that week’s supernatural villain to the catchy refrain of some bubblegum song. 

The 1910 Fruitgum Company were perhaps the most successful bubblegum band, releasing 3 gold record singles and a number of other highly successful singles across the course of their relatively brief career.  Another front for the songwriting of Kasenetz and Katz, they represent one of the first in an ever-more-unfortunate line of boy bands that led through the New Kids on the Block, N’ Sync, and the Backstreet Boys (and the less frequent girl band concept best evinced by the Spice Girls).  Like most bubblegum, the songs of 1910 Fruitgum Company are better taken in small doses as they are just so relentlessly saccharine, but some of their later music has a slightly harder edge that actually approaches the boundaries of powerpop; songs like “Please Me, Tease Me” off 1968’s Goody Gumdrops and “Special Delivery” and “Indian Giver” (which was actually covered by the Ramones; most people don’t realize that the Ramones were in many ways nothing more than a fuzzed-out bubblegum band themselves so this cover actually makes more sense than you might think) off Indian Giver  have rumbling bass lines and audible guitars that make them much more palatable today.

Bubblegum arose, in the words of its creators Kasenetz and Katz, because “people were tired of hearing about violence, wars, riots, etc.”  Powerpop, like glam, arose as a reaction of sorts to the prevailing musical culture at the time.  Specifically, in the early 70’s powerpop represented yet another movement away from heavy, progressive, and/or blues based rock that was dominating FM radio at the time, back toward the catchy and simpler songs of the early 60’s British Invasion bands. 

One of the first of the 70’s powerpop bands, and arguably the most influential, was Big Star.  Formed in 1971 by singer Alex Chilton and singer/guitarist Chris Bell following the breakup of their previous bands, the Box Tops and Icewater, respectively, Big Star was one of the earliest bands to hearken back to the basic Lennon/McCartney sound.  Big Star’s music was very influenced by early Beatles and Byrds and even touched on the melodies of the Everly Brothers.  In 1972 they released the first and most acclaimed of their three albums, the ambitiously titled #1 Record.  The basic powerpop formula was evident from the very first song, “Feel”, which channels the catchy pop and soft early psychedelia of mid-60’s Beatles.  It starts with a slow, chugging guitar riff but quickly builds to Chilton’s Lennonesque vocals, eventually working in sweet background choruses and even some Memphis/Stax sounding horns.  “The Ballad of El Goodo” starts with shimmering guitar that moves into a more introspective vocal by Chilton but once again builds from there with crunching guitars and sweet backing vocals by Bell but remains more introspective than “Feel”.  “In the Street” is more upbeat and Chilton’s vocals are so high he almost sounds like a long-lost Bee Gee; musically this song feels more Byrds influenced, particularly on the chorus, which evokes “Bells of Rhymney”, but again the lush background vocals give it a Beatle-y feel as well.

Conflicts over the musical direction of the band led to Bell’s departure prior to the recording of their second album, Radio City, and thus the music on this album has a slightly harder edge.  “Back of a Car” has a Badfinger feel to it; the guitars shimmer and crunch but while Chilton’s vocals remain as smooth and sweet as ever, the lack of Bell’s even sweeter backing vocals is obvious.  Still, this may be my favorite song of theirs because of the way the guitars alternatively shimmer and pound and because Chilton’s vocals never sounded better.  “September Gurls” is perhaps their best known composition and continues on in a similar vein.  Again the Byrds influence is strong (it always makes me think of “Turn! Turn! Turn!”). “She’s a Mover” sounds like Chilton’s interpretation of “Drive My Car” by the Beatles, a little funkier with the guitar and heavier on the bass.  “Life is White” contains some excellent harmonica and the guitars here ring like a bell around Chilton’s soaring vocal. “You Get What You Deserve” has an almost Wilco-like feel in the guitar and accompanying organ.  Both albums are available as a combined album on iTunes and there isn’t really a bad track on either of them.  However, if I had to point to a flaw in the output of Big Star its that its so monotonously good (and most of the songs are so similar) that its hard to pick just one or two songs as standouts.  Big Star in my opinion never had a grand slam song or two, they just put out consistently good music, but this makes it hard for singles-oriented folks like myself to grab one or two songs and feel like I’ve got their “best”. 

Big Star broke up soon after the release of Radio City in 1974 (a third album was recorded but was only released in Europe and is out of print now), but other groups had taken up the powerpop flag.  Ohio’s Raspberries were perhaps the next most influential powerpop band of the early 70’s.  Formed from the ashes of two hugely popular Cleveland acts, the Choir and Cyrus Erie, they took the Beatles thing a step further, wearing short hair (at least for the time) and matching suits a la the Beatles in the early 60’s.  Their first, self-titled 1972 album had a bona fide hit in “Go All the Way”, which reached #5 in the charts and was certified gold.  This song starts with a blast of loud, brassy guitar, then settles into lead singer’s eerily McCartney-esque vocal, and like Big Star’s songs, it contains sweet, lush background vocals, but the guitars blast a little more than Big Star’s early work.  This song even features a call-and-answer “Come on; come on!” chorus that is lifted straight from “Please Please Me”.  “Come Around and See Me” is mellower, almost acoustic, sounding almost like “Norwegian Wood”.  “I Saw the Light” is also more quiet and has some beautiful piano accompaniment.  Some songs on this first album do rock a little harder; “Rock and Roll Mama” sounds almost like “Dixie Chicken” (the song from which the Dixie Chicks took their name) era Little Feat, while “Get It Moving” sounds like something off Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.

The Raspberries’ second album, Fresh, was also released in 1972 and contains several more standout tracks, including my favorite, “I Wanna Be With You”, which is another Beatle-y blast; it may be the best song the Beatles never wrote.  “Let’s Pretend” is more sweet slick pop, with jangly Byrds-esque guitars.  Their third album, Side 3, is more overtly rocking and contains several songs that pump up the guitars while losing nothing of the sugary vocals.  The influence has slid closer to the harder edge of the Who here, which in many ways makes this one of their finest musical moments.  The songs lose their slightly too saccharine tone. “Tonight” and “Hard To Get Over a Heartbreak” blast and pound in ways that “Go All the Way” didn’t. “I’m a Rocker” has a strutting rhythm that sounds closer to the glitter of T. Rex, while “Money Down” sounds positively dirge-y.  Their final album, Starting Over, continues this harder rocking vibe; “I Don’t Know What I Want” draws from “I Can See For Miles”.  “Overnight Sensation”, though, is vintage Beatles/Badfinger all the way.  Eric Carmen went solo soon after this and achieved considerable success.

Another Ohio group, Blue Ash, never quite achieved the same level of success as the Raspberries or the same level of influence as Big Star.  They were less Beatles-influenced, and their sound sounds like a slightly cleaner and catchier variation on the New York Dolls (perhaps unsurprising since they were signed to the Dolls’ label, Mercury Records).  The music is more heavily guitar driven and contains blues flourishes like Johnny Thunders’, but the vocals are less bratty and Jaggeresque than David Johansen’s.   “Abracadabra” is perhaps their best known song and these Dolls-like touches are very evident here. Other songs elicit memories of 60’s garage bands like the Blue Magoos.   iTunes has a marvelous compilation of much of their work, which is undeservedly obscure and is well worth a listen.

The Flamin’ Groovies came out of San Francisco and in their initial, early incarnation were a rave-up blues, rockabilly and R&B band working against the grain of the prevailing hippie/psychedelia movement of the time. The Groovies would occasionally play shows with the Stooges, and while not quite as raw as Iggy and Co. their early work is much cruder and rootsy (but still excellent; 1971’s Teenage Head is considered a lost 70’s classic and is similar to the Stones’ Sticky Fingers).  However, following some personnel changes (most notably, the departure of wild front man Ron Loney) and the loss of their record contract in 1971, guitarist Cyril Jordan moved the band to England and took their sound in a much  mellower direction, in the process crafting some of the best powerpop of the day.  Their 1976 album Shake Some Action was a bona fide classic.  Less overtly Beatle-esque than Big Star or the Raspberries, it nevertheless contains a similar emphasis on well-crafted songs filled with catchy hooks and smooth vocals.  The title song is a standout track, one of the best of the entire powerpop genre.  Its slightly cruder and rougher than most powerpop, with guitars that alternately ring like gongs and rumble like a subway train, and the smooth harmonies of the chorus launch into the almost-shouted refrain.  It is one of the best songs you’ll ever hear.  “You Tore Me Down” and “I Can’t Hide” are two more fantastic tracks, a little less raw than “Shake Some Action” and VERY reminiscent of the Byrds.  As much as I appreciate the sweet, soaring music of Big Star and the Raspberries, to me the Flamin’ Groovies are the band that most effectively put the whole powerpop thing together—the music is sweet and catchy but not TOO sweet and catchy; both these songs retain a harder edge than most of the work of these two other bands.  “I’ll Cry Alone” starts with a melancholy guitar into which the vocal harmonies merge but this song doesn’t grab me as much as the first three mentioned off this album.  Their next album, Flamin’ Groovies Now, is mostly a cover album, with outstanding covers of the Byrds’ “Feel A Whole Lot Better” and the Rolling Stones’ “Blue Turns To Grey”, and none of the originals sparkle with quite the same shine as anything off Shake Some Action (though “All I Wanted” comes close).

Milk N’ Cookies was formed by front man Ian North in 1973 and released just one album (1977’s self-titled debut), but it has achieved a kind of cult status.  Their sound hovers in that vague netherworld between glam and powerpop (and presaged new wave), with high pitched vocals and catchy guitars.  “Tinkertoy Tomorrow” is an interesting track that sounds scarily like later LA Paisley Underground group the Three O’Clock.  Their sole album is available on iTunes and contains many similar songs.  In the late 70’s North moved to London and Cookies broke up; he went on to form the new wave bands Radio and Neo which retained a pop sound with obvious English punk influences.  “If You Gotta Go”, “She Kills Me”, and “Tran-Sister” by Neo are available on YouTube and highlight this new edgier sound.

Formed in 1974 by brothers John and Jeff Murphy and Gabe Klebe, the Shoes released a series of magnificent powerpop albums into the mid/late 70’s and beyond.  “Too Late” and “Burned Out Love” have fantastically new wave-y guitars but wonderfully sweet and catchy choruses.  An excellent 22 song compilation is available on iTunes and there really isn’t a bad song on it.

The Scruffs were a Memphis band that idolized Alex Chilton and released an outstanding album Wanna Meet the Scruffs? in 1977 which is now considered a lost powerpop classic.   Well, its no longer lost, its available on iTunes and contains several great songs, like the Lennon/McCartney/Chilton/Bell rave-up “Break the Ice”.

Even more obscure is Yipes!  Formed by singer/guitarist Pat McCurdy in the late 70’s, they released two albums (1979’s Yipes! And 1980’s A Bit Irrational).  There’s almost a Springsteen vibe to McCurdy’s vocals and song arrangements on songs like “This Is Your Life”, which along with “Good Boys” and “Me And My Face” are available on YouTube.

Powerpop seemed to be an almost exclusively American genre, perhaps because in England glam rock filled this particular musical niche.  However, there was one English powerpop band of note, the Motors.  The Motors released two albums, 1977’s Motors 1 and 1978’s Approved By The Motors.  The songs, including “Dancing the Night Away”, “Sensation”, and “Forget About You”, have a punky edge but still retain the emphasis on sweet vocal melodies and soaring choruses that characterize classic powerpop.  Lead singer Bram Tchaikovsky went on to form his own self-named band in 1979 and released a couple of similar albums; “Girl of My Dreams” is one of his best solo songs and was covered by the Heavy Metal Kids later in their career.

Back in the states, Los Angeles was a hotbed of powerpop in the late 70’s in the run-up to punk.  Several now-legendary LA powerpop bands played the small circuit available to independent bands in late 70’s LA, including the Zippers, 20/20, the Motels, the Nerves, and the Beat.  As mentioned in a previous post, the Quick were a band that bridged the period between glitter and punk in LA. The Zippers released a two song single “He’s a Rebel” and “You’re So Strange” in 1977 that is clearly an antecedent to the emerging LA punk scene.  Formed in 1977 when Steve Allen and Ron Flint relocated to LA in 1977, 20/20 created some magnificent music in their early incarnation.  Alas, their albums aren’t yet available on iTunes but several songs can be found on YouTube (type in “20/20 power pop” to avoid getting videos of the TV show of the same name).  “Yellow Pills” is driven by a pulsing synthesizer but has extremely catchy Beatle-esque vocals that sound like the Beatles in their psychedelic phase.  “Remember the Lightning” is an incredible song, super catchy without the usual sticky over-sweetness of most powerpop and is highly recommended--this is literally my favorite song of the moment, its so catchy and wonderful I cannot get it out of my head (but in a good way).  This should have been a massive worldwide hit in '78.  “Cherie” is another solid rocking number that almost hints at fellow LA band The Long Ryders.  “Nuclear Boy” and “Out of My Head” off their second album Look Out! are also catchy tunes.  This may be one of my favorite pre-punk LA bands ever.

Most people are familiar with the Motels from their hits in the late 80’s, most notably the exquisite “Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer”, but they had a long history prior to this.  Formed by singer Martha Davis in Northern California in the early 70’s, they relocated to LA by the middle of the decade.  Their first, self-titled 1979 album is available on iTunes and has several standout tracks, including the sparsely arranged but sweetly sung “Counting” and “Total Control” (which was later covered by Tina Turner).

The Pop released two albums of classic, Big Star-influenced powerpop in the late 70’s which are regrettably unavailable on iTunes.  Their song “Down On the Boulevard” sounds like classic Chilton powerpop, as does “You Oughta Know”.  “Saturday Night Hitchhiker” has a darker sound similar to Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”. 

The Nerves achieved legendary status for the fact that they were instrumental in establishing the pre-punk “DIY” ethic in Los Angeles, booking their own show and tours (they even opened for the Ramones) and recording and releasing their own album; this blueprint would be followed by nearly every punk band in LA afterward, particularly as the traditional institutions were not open to them at the time.  The Nerves, like the Raspberries, wore matching suits and sang Beatlesque songs, but their songs had more of the punchy feel of early 60’s Beatles.  Songs like “One Way Ticket” and “Paper Dolls” rock like “Day Tripper”. “When You Find Out” sounds almost like “Love Potion #9”, while “Working Too Hard” has elements of “Gloria” by Them.  After they broke up in ’77, singer Peter Case went on to form the even-more-successful Plimsouls, who had a series of minor hits (such as “Oldest Story in the World”, “Everywhere At Once”, and “A Million Miles Away”, which was featured in the movie “Valley Girl”; the Plimsouls famously perform this song in a scene set at the Central Club, which eventually became the Viper Room, outside of which River Phoenix overdosed in the 90’s).  Paul Collins formed the band the Beat, who released two albums in the late 70’s and early 80’s of catchy powerpop (one of their songs, “There She Goes”, was also featured on the “Caddyshack” soundtrack, not to be confused with the jangle-pop version by the La's); “Walking Out On Love” sounds like it could have been recorded by the Rembrandts and been used as an alternate theme song for “Friends”.  “Rock and Roll Girl” has a cruder R& B feel, while “Don’t Wait Up For Me” is a fun, chugging rave-up and one of their best known songs.  Former Nerves guitarist Jack Lee ended up becoming a successful songwriter—he brought the Nerves” “Hanging On the Telephone” to Blondie, and wrote “Will Anything Happen" for that band as well).

And finally, no discussion of LA powerpop would be complete without mention of the Knack.  Derided as misogynistic one-hit wonders, the Knack in fact played a marvelous form of bass-heavy powerpop that drew heavily from early Who.  While admittedly the lecherous lyrics of hits such as the worldwide smash “My Sharona” and its follow-up “Good Girls Don’t” leave a little something to be desired (“and it’s a teenage madness that you know you can’t erase, ‘till she’s sittin’ on your face”), the catchy appeal of these songs can’t be denied.  My favorite Knack song is “Your Number Or Your Name”, a jangly, pleasant song with an appropriately pulsing bass line.

In the late 70’s, powerpop blended in with punk, and eventually formed the basis of new wave.  In fact, the boundaries between these genres is not crisp, and many bands can easily be categorized into two or more of them.  Powerpop shared with punk a desire to return to a more basic song structure; at its core, punk rock was a return to the rawer, more live and street feel of early rock and roll from the indulgent studio concoctions of the 70’s, and in this it shared with powerpop an appreciation of the honesty and simplicity of earlier musical times.  While the super-sweet Beatle-esque harmonies and lush production were definitely toned down, several pioneering punk bands shared a desire to fuse catchy songs with a rough-hewn guitar sound, including Blondie and the Cars.  Cheap Trick’s music shared some elements of powerpop (as well as glam, metal, new wave and hard rock). However, powerpop’s biggest influence may have been on post-punk—the jangly guitars and soaring vocals were adopted by many better-known bands in the 80’s and 90’s, most notably REM, the dB’s, Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, the Bangles, the Feelies, the Beat Farmers, the Smiths, and others. 

I have to be honest:  the hard core super-Beatles-influenced work of Big Star and the Raspberries is not my favorite stuff.  It’s a little too slick, a little to saccharine, a little too similar to the Beatles for me—my feeling is, if I’m going to listen to Beatle-esque, jangly/sweet pop tunes, why not simply listen to the Beatles?  But later powerpop, such as that by the Flamin’ Groovies and the Shoes, and especially the LA brand of powerpop as represented by 20/20, the Pop, the Zippers, the Beat, the Nerves and the Plimsouls, is one of my favorite genres of all time.