New solo album by Dallas-based musician Tommy Hale, recorded in the UK with the assistance of personnel from the band The Snakes, plus guitarist Nick Beere. This 10 track record comes nearly a decade on from his well-received Magnificent Bastard LP. Ian Canty writes…
Coming to us from the wonderfully named Holiday Disaster record label, Texas native Tommy Hale welcomes us his new long player All At Sea with Hideaway. This initial effort forms itself into an entrancing introduction for the uninitiated, being a layered and dynamic sound that has guitar jangle underpinned by buried backing vocals on an attractively droning Rock & Roll structure. From their we segue into World Won’t Wait, where a “My Sharona” boogie rhythm is paired with clear keyboard lines. Much like its predecessor, this high-energy tune readily lodges in the memory, but next Let’s Start A Fire is more of a slow burning, epic tale of remorse embellished with touches of Country Rock.
Americana is used in the PR handout that accompanied this promo, but Tommy’s work on All At Sea is more multifaceted, a case of adding the appropriate dash than full immersion in that millieu. The elegant, fresh but tense intro to Esperanza brought to mind for me the more ornate offerings from early 1980s Elvis Costello and while Hale’s viewpoint is inevitably more US-centric, the fine detail in the storytelling on display bears out the comparison. Beauty In Darkness then emerges on a downbeat foot, but the beautifully realised musical landscape and dreamlike, eerie undertow soon makes it stand out.
On the second half of the LP Now You Know takes us back to the driving, sparky Pop Rock that informed All At Sea’s opening salvo. An insistently catchy number powered by a tonne of vim and some incisive guitar playing, it sets the scene nicely for for the acoustic swing of Radio Towers, which comes next with a serving of touching and wistful nostalgia. The hard-hitting R&R punch of How The Story Goes comes in its wake, an infectious melody that includes a brief weird out Psych section to slow the tempo just for a moment. I really liked the explosive guitar playing and the bass that anchors this piece, simply inspired playing that adds greatly to the end product.
A sad look back over times gone by in Last Town Before The Border is the most Country-tinged of all the songs featured on this LP. A far as C&W tropes go, we get pedal steel and the song’s character drinking to forget what he was drinking about, but this is realised with a love for the form and a honesty that can’t be denied. Finally we arrive at the title track of All At Sea. What we end with is all about relaxed pace and the canny deployment of instrumentation that goes to build real atmosphere, The drum sound here is a work of art and the restraint is a crucial point in providing the album with a fitting climax.
All At Sea is a confident, addictive and excellently performed showcase for Tommy Hale’s songwriting to truly shine. Credit also must be given to producer Simon George Moor, who expertly manages the sonic palette and makes it dovetail perfectly with Hale’s sharp tales of loss, regret and salvation. There’s always hope in Tommy’s world, despite the fallibility of the human condition and that is ultimately what makes All At Sea work. The finely drawn portraits of the songs are allied to natty music and it all goes together like a dream.
Tommy Hale’s website is here and he is on Facebook here
New 11 track album by Marc Valentine, the follow up to his 2022 debut LP Future Obscure. On this record he is joined by the other members of his band Last Great Dreamers and noted solo artist Carol Hodge, who is also part of Crass vocalist Steve Ignorant’s band. Ian Canty writes…
Marc Valentine may be quite a new name to me, but he has quite a track record. He is probably best know as the singer/guitarist of 1990’s Rockers Last Great Dreamers and previously issued his debut solo collection Future Obscure back in 2022. The positive reception that record was afforded meant that a follow up was always on the cards and here it is, entitled Basement Sparks.
On this record he receives assistance from Last Great Dreamers’ rhythm section Steve Fielding and Denley Slade, star guitarist Richard Davies and backing vocalist Emily Ewing. Each get a chance to shine, but in some ways producer Dave Draper is Marc’s key co-conspirator on the record. As well as providing a spot-on sonic landscape for Valentine’s tunes to prosper in, he also plays guitar and keyboards on Basement Sparks.
We get underway here with Complicated Sometimes and this opening statement provides a bright and thoroughly convincing introduction to the delights of Basement Sparks. Like all great powerful Pop Music the guitars soar, the hook connects and the lyric is filled with pinpoint imagery i.e. “the television stays awake all night”. A Punky Tyrannical Wrecks comes hot on its heels, with a thumping rhythm tattoo until it slows to an eerie Psych section. From there it surges onwards towards a dynamic conclusion.
Next a vital pulse triggers Skeleton Key. This number is a little less intense than what has gone before, but still comes imbued with a strong sense of purpose. “The ghost of your love” refrain is as catchy as hell and there is real punch to the instrumentation, a testament to the abilities of Fielding, Slade and Davies.
Eve Of Distraction, away from the pun of the title, comes at a mid-pace tempo that lets the song flourish and the rock-solid drums of Denley Slade stand out. A little touch of Garage keys enlivens the intro to I Wanna Be Alone and Richard Davies’ guitar work here is special, coming over in just the right crunch to melody ratio. Then Valentine strips things right back to just keys and vocals for the start of a more reflective 3AM Anderson Drive, a real “end of the gig”/showstopping pure Pop moment that is completed with the accomplishment of a master. I suppose that Marc’s past stands him in good stead to judge what works, but he really excels himself here.
We’re into the second half of Basement Sparks and Strange Weather’s rolling vitality comes with a wry send-up of Valentine’s own Rock & Roll image in the line “And my shades were all cracked…”. You Are One Of Us Now follows with an edgy and irrepressible New Wave feel and Opening Chase Theme just rattles with spiky attitude and serves up another tasty hook. Repeat Offender comes flying out of the traps, cast on a simple but very effective musical formula that lets the song breathe.
This sets up nicely the closing missive of the LP, Ballad Of Watt. On this effort Marc is joined by the very talented Carol Hodge on piano and vocals and it offers a neat change of pace, relying on Carol’s subtle keyboards to help build something that comes over as a truly epic set closer. A neat ending to a satisfying and imaginative album.
Basement Sparks is, in summary, an impressive achievement in high energy, tuneful Pop/Rock, one that importantly uses restraint and taste to vary what is on offer. In other hands this LP may have been solid enough collection of noisy but catchy songs, but Valentine achieves something greater by producing an album where the songs fit together, but also would sound fine in isolation pumping out of a radio. As we come out of a very damp Winter, Basement Sparks is the ideal sound to take us towards the Summer 2024.
Marc Valentine is on Facebook here and his website is here
Brand new album by Orange County’s own Sparkle*Jets U.K., a 21 track all covers set first mooted by the band way back in 1999. Ian Canty writes…
Best Of Friends may, on first impressions, have a lot in common with Pop Masters, the recent covers collection by The Flashcubes (read about that here). But the idea for Sparkle*Jets U.K. new album germinated back in the last century, just after they had put out their debut album. Wanting to pay tribute to the acts that they played live with and inspired them, for various reasons the project has sat on the back burner ever since. But now, the core trio of singer Susan West, Michael Simmons on guitar and vocals and bassist Jamie Knight are joined by guests Joel Valder, Tisha Boonyawatanna and Anthony Grisham to reactivate the project in 2023 as their new LP Best Of Friends.
Hold On Tight, a wonderfully fresh sound originally performed by Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, ushers us into Best Of Friends with a bright and attractive spring apparent in Sparkle*Jets U.K.’s step. Michael takes the vocal on this song. But Susan moves centre stage for He’s Coming Out, proving early on that Sparkle*Jets U. K. definitely offer a two-pronged attack. Burnished with a hefty Rock & Roll thump, The Masticators’ tune is delivered with true vitality. A punchy No One Rides For Free is followed by the sedate and dreamy melodies of One Summer Sunday.
Susan and Michael deliver a singing tour de force on Are We There Yet? and Candypants’ tuneful I Want A Pony is rendered with a large serving of spiky attitude. Then Till We Meet Again by The Dons is newly equipped with a busy, riff-laden verve and Automatic, a song courtesy of Double Agent Spies, buzzes with restrained power. Who Can Really Know? continues with tough Rock & Roll momentum, but the hints of jangle and wonderfully layered vocals show there is craft among the hammer and this effectively sets the scene for Sunshine Tonight, a mid-60s style Pop/Rock gem that takes no prisoners.
A gentler mood suits the melodic majesty of Good Sounds and the keyboards-led In And Around Greg Lake comes from Wondermints’ songbook, probably the most high profile outfit to provide material for Best Of Friends. Sparkle*Jets U.K. then breeze through Big Hello’s Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow, with the tense Post Punk of Another Myself having faint echoes of the mighty XTC circa Drums & Wires.
We’re in the final strait of Best Of Friends now, where a forthright Garage Punker in the form of Kenny Howes And The YEAH!’s The Right Idea is given an assured treatment and a cool and quirky Mahnsanto, originally the work of The Negro Problem, is excellently realised. We finish up with Probleme Romantique and Fantastic Pantsuit, with the former flowing agreeably. The latter, a Hard Rockin’ Third Grade Teacher song, made want to check out that band at the earliest opportunity, which is something I could say for a number of the acts who have provided the songs for this set. It all makes for a satisfying conclusion to an album stuffed to the gills with vim, craft and warmth.
The genuine love that Sparkle*Jets U.K. clearly have for these songs/bands floods right through this disc and for me makes the collection a dazzling shot of pure sunshine. They manage to shine a sharp light on the material included, tunes that may have slipped under the radar at the time, but are brought to vivid life once again here. In doing so they also they bring up a load of groups worthy of further investigation on the evidence of what is included on Best Of Friends, which doubles the set’s value. Best Of Friends is a fine piece of work that just keeps on giving.
Various Artists – Looking For The Magic American Power Pop In The Seventies
Grapefruit Records
3CD/DL
Out now
3CD set that traces the progress of US Power Pop from its early 70s beginnings to re-emerging later in the decade as part of the New Wave. Ian Canty writes…
People may debate long and hard about what is and what isn’t it, but one cannot really argue with the sheer durability of Power Pop through the 1970s. The origins of the sound lay in the mid-60s, but it truly became established as a genre during the next decade as a handy and accessible alternative to Hard Rock and Prog. Later, it would become closely entwined with the “Skinny Tie” New Wave that came in the wake of Punk, but all the way through Power Pop scored with people who just preferred a good tune lustily rendered. The United States presented an ideal environment for PP to prosper, so this set Looking For The Magic puts the stateside version under the microscope from 1970 to 1979.
We open up with unlikely Power Poppers The MC5 and the grooving Shakin’ Street from their 1970 LP Back In The USA. Go Back, Crabby Appleton’s biggie, was a jangly highlight of their recent smashing collection (read more about that here), but the Bluesy Egg Carton Wall by The American Dream possibly veers a little too close to Hard Rock essentials. Also, Todd Rundgren’s chamber Pop creations like We Gotta Get You A Woman arguably are a bit too ornate to qualify as Power Pop per se, but as the item here is so gorgeous I’ll let it go.
However on the tough and melodic Moon Tears the band Grin, featuring Nils Lofgren, hit the right spot and The Flamin’ Groovies, past masters at this kind of thing, cruise right through the pseudo-Merseybeat of You Tore Me Down. The obscure Erik, Kentucky lad Sid Bradley’s band, provide the charming 1972 track To Be Your Friend which has a sharp feedback/guitar sound and Big Star’s When My Baby’s Beside Me (alternative mix) comes over as cool as ice.
The Wackers were a band that would go down in Power Pop legend, something that is apparent after listening to It’s My Life, their track here that mutates a kind of “All Or Nothing” period Small Faces attack for a decade on in the US. Sparks had only just emerged from Halfnelson at the time of a mighty I Like Girls and Ohio’s Blue Ask had no interest in the Heavy bands that dominated the early 1970s. Instead they opted to jangle and riff for all they were worth, like on their full-blooded item Abracadabra.
Earthquake stomp all over The Easybeats’ Friday On My Mind on their 1974 cover and The Raspberries, one of Power Pop’s true greats, boogie with precision and might through Play On. Band member Eric Carmen also turns up at the end of this first disc with his bombastic Pop/Rock album track Last Night, but after Play On studio project Athanor’s massed harmony vocals and assertive percussion patterns adorn their I Don’t Mind.
Boston outfit Fox Pass appear thrillingly like VU at the time of Loaded on Some Kind Of Jerk and I’ve only recently managed to track down The Droogs’ Anthology, after years of trying to snag it. They were an incredible band that could convince one time travel had been invented by them, as 1974’s gleaming and speedy Ahead Of My Time could have come from five years later.
I’ve got a massive amount of respect for Jonathan Richman, but I don’t think many would term his work as Power Pop. Even so Government Center is an ace of a tune and Alex Chilton’s elegant She Might Look My Way (take 2) follows it up admirably. Target’s solidly Rocking Familiar Faces and the aforementioned Eric Carmen effort polish off a fine first disc.
American Nights by The Runaways sets off disc two of Looking For The Magic right on the border of Hard Rock and Power Pop and this is followed in similar fashion by the famous (Don’t Fear) The Reaper by BOC. More interesting for me are Tampa’s Just Boys and the thundering rush of their tune All In All. Three piece The Nerves were jam-packed with talent, Jack Lee and Paul Collins penned many great tunes but we get a Pete Case number here in the swinging beat of When You Find Out, from their 1976 debut EP.
The protagonist of Andrew Gold’s Lonely Boy must be one of the least sympathetic ever, Viz’s Spoilt Bastard transferred to the US and although Television’s See No Evil is great, it also appears to me an odd choice for inclusion. I Trust You by Jim Basnight’s group The Meyce impresses, despite it probably fitting better on a Punk collection, but we are soon back on firmer Power Pop ground with Cheap Trick and the jangle/fuzz of the single mix of their Oh Candy 45. The Murphy brothers John and Jeff plus Gary Klebe were the mainstays of Shoes and they are heard here on Boy’s Don’t Lie, a prime offering from the Black Vinyl Shoes collection.
She Says Yes is a tantalising example of what The Scruffs from Memphis could do, with The Marshalls’ She’s The One being a snappy Searchers update. When Dwight Twilley and his band gate-crashed the US Top 20 with I’m On Fire in ’75, it certainly had a huge effect with musicians all over the country. They give us the reflective title track of this set and fellow Power Pop royalty The Paley Brothers follow on with an ornate Ecstasy. Brother Jonathan later joined fellow Boston outfit the mighty Nervous Eaters.
We veer to NY for a trip down to CBGBs accompanied by The Marbles and Tuff Darts, with the former’s Forgive And Forget being gifted a neat electric piano sound and the latter’s unstoppable, good time momentum makes All For The Love Of Rock ‘n’ Roll a real party. LA gave us The Quick, with members who later figured in The Rembrandts and Three O’Clock. Their You, Yeah You is a study in restrained power, tunefulness and elegance, with The Pop also flying the LA flag on a jangling wonder called Walk In The Rain. Sneakers, featuring Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter, put the full stop on this disc with a stomping Decline And Fall.
The final disc of Looking For The Magic gets underway with My Best Friend’s Girl by The Cars, which I for one have heard hundreds of times. However, ex-Blondie bass player Gary Valentine gives us the brill The First One and The Moberlys, another Jim Basnight project, post a corker in Leave The Past Behind. As The Ramones actually cut Needles And Pins on Road To Ruin I have to applaud the compilers for not choosing the easy option, though I Wanna Be Sedated is really their usual, loveable schtick slowed a tad.
Let Her Dance by Bezerkley aggregation Spitballs comes chock-full of tough Rockin’ vim and Tennessee’s Robert Johnson uses dreamy backing vocals and a memorable refrain for maximum impact on Say Girl. Fotomaker, a post-Raspberries home for Wally Bryson, cut a joyous Come Back with exactly the correct amount of swagger and jangle. While there is no real argument that Badfinger played a big role in pioneering Power Pop, the fact they were Welsh should preclude their involvement with Looking For The Magic. They just about squeeze through, due to the fact two US musicians played a role in re-establishing the band around the time of the melodic Love Is Gonna Come At Last.
Drivin’ Music is the spot-on title of The Rubinoos contribution here and although The Break-Up Song will also be my favourite Greg Kihn number, Rendezvous fizzes with Street Rock energy. It’s difficult to consider The Knack without thinking about that song, but Your Number Or Your Name does come with a tuneful drive and while the Punk/New Wave of Poly Vinyl, issued on the Dutch Plurex label in 1979 by The Mumbles, may be another that just about makes the cut, it is a good one. The Last’s 1960s Garage Punk charm works a dream on She Don’t Know Why I’m Here and next having Ian and Richard Lloyd in short order, how come they missed out Bill? Of the Lloyds present, Ian’s infectiously jaunty Slip Away is my pick.
Appropriately hailing from Rockford, Illinois come a crafted and tough No More Heartaches by quintet The Names and while Cheese is a terrible, terrible name for a band, the edgy guitar sound on their She Said is to die for. 20/20, real Power Pop legends, provide this compilation’s finale with their Cheri single, which has all the positive attributes of the smash hit it certainly deserved to be.
I know I have griped about some of the contents of Looking For The Magic, but there are only a small minority of songs that feel really out of place. On the positive side, there are also loads of the kind of highs and instant kicks that Power Pop demands on this set. The genre was a far bigger deal in the US than Britain, where it tended to get bundled up with New Wave in the late 1970s after having a low profile earlier than that. This makes Looking For The Magic a bit of an education for me as well as a very listenable collection, something I really dig about it. The United States knew how to instil the pure ecstasy of high times into Power Pop and there is plenty of proof of it on this set.
You can find out more about Various Artists – Looking For The Magic American Power Pop In The Seventies here
New 13 track album on Big Stir Records by Arthur Alexander, founder of late 1970s US Power Pop heroes Sorrows. This is the follow up to 2018’s One Bar Left LP. Ian Canty writes…
After righting the wrongs of Sorrows’ initial recordings on the excellent Love Too Late, band founder Arthur Alexander now returns to his solo career for the Steppin’ Out album, a follow up to One Bar Left from 2018. With Sorrows bandmate Luis Herrera behind the drum kit plus a host of other talented contributors on hand, everything is well set for Alexander to display his keen songwriting skills and knowing way with a top tune.
Steppin’ Out’s diamond of an opening gambit Woman comes roaring out of the traps quite literally, as Herrera’s pummelling drum pattern acts as a fine intro to what is soon revealed to be an excellent, tough as nuts powerful Pop number. It’s an invigorating rush that sets out the record’s stall wonderfully. This is followed by the more restrained but sturdy Pop/Rock of It’s Not Love Anymore, which comes embossed with a dreamy chorus and (She’s A) Red Hot Lover, where synth washes in the extended introduction help add a sense of mystery. What emerges afterwards is pure Pop that sounds ideal for regular radio play.
One Life (Is All You Got) finds Alexander musing on trying to stop the sands of time slipping through your fingers in a very accessible and entrancing way and then Ashes, after a studio count in, weaves an appealingly light New Wave-style path for a song that is a tale of regret, acceptance and finally moving on. A fairly diverse side one (yes despite being on a CD, this LP is divided into sides like vinyl) of Steppin’ Out concludes with a fun Jazz ballad in the form of Oh Lulu, Won’t You Be My Girl, which is somewhat akin to one of The Bonzos’ more Pop moments.
Why Can’t You Come is the first piece on “side two” of Steppin’ Out and the upfront beat on this one is allied to some pleasingly fuzzy guitar work. In spite of this rock-solid base, the song still comes with the kind of sure-fire hook that Arthur seems capable of spinning out at will, with next I Miss You phasing in with a neatly jangling sound. That’s the thing about Arthur Alexander – he knows when to play it deceptively simple like on this track, but also can knock together something multi-layered and deep on demand too.
Which brings us to A Little Too Much, that comes complete with a rhythm primed for the dancefloor! Electropop is not beyond Arthur’s scope by any means and this is yet another from the LP that would sound just right pumping out of the radio, or even on a 12″ Disco remix! Such a different pleasing sound is followed by the Swamp Folk/Pop of Humming Blues In Four, a stomp with real, golden warmth. The anti-war motif of the lyrics finds Alexander citing Dylan and shows humane and empathetic class.
After the yearning, beautifully rendered Pop tune Silver Cloud (not the La Dusseldorf number), Steppin’ Out resolves itself with the interlinked duo of Fly Away and Flying Shadows. The former is cast in the catchy Jangle Pop mode that Alexander does so well with a side serving of tasteful acoustic guitar and the latter rounds off a deeply satisfying collection as a gleaming instrumental coda for its forerunner, burnished with some Shadows-type guitar soloing.
Steppin’ Out is a fine LP that covers a range of moods and styles in expert fashion. If you are already a fan of Sorrows’ high-energy Power Pop thrills there is plenty here to enjoy, but if you come to this record without any prior knowledge of Arthur Alexander what you get is pretty much a Pop masterclass. There’s a lot of hard-fought for wisdom in the lyrics too and it is great to hear someone 40 plus years into their career exploring new horizons, but not at the expense of dispensing with their core strengths for melody, insight and power. Steppin’ Out acts as a great intro into Arthur’s work and an immediately pleasing slice of fab Rockin’ Pop too.
2CD collection of the work of LA Proto-Power Pop five piece Crabby Appleton, best known for their US Top Forty hit Go Back. This set features both of their albums and a variety of bonus efforts. Ian Canty writes…
Although Crabby Appleton have come to be regarded as something of a Proto-Power Pop legend, the band’s leader Michael Fennelly got his break initially as a member of late 1960s Sunshine Pop act The Millennium, put together by producer Curt Boettcher. After a while Fennelly got tired of Boettcher’s power games with that outfit and wished to do his own thing. He was briefly involved with some other ex-Millennium bods in a group called Big Shot, but soon he met the band Stonehenge on Sunset Strip. They wanted to shed their current singer and Fennelly fit the bill as a replacement. His songwriting abilities were a bonus as that was something the band lacked, so them joining forces was mutually beneficial.
Named after a cartoon character, Elektra quickly signed the newly if cumbersomely christened Crabby Appleton. They were already aware of both Stonehenge and Michael, as they had each demoed material that reached the ears of the A&R section of the label. Indeed, Michael’s demos provided most of the material for the band’s self-titled debut album that was released in the early summer of 1970, trailed by the brand new song Go Back on 45.
For me Power Pop has to have an immediately pleasing impact and Go Back has that in spades. It has a positively thrillingly brashness that makes the years fall away and means that it could have been cut yesterday. This was the ideal fresh, new sound as the 1960s passed into memory and as such was a hit on single release, rising to number 36 on USA’s Billboard charts. Not all of the album is the same sort of high energy Pop/Rock however, as there’s a pleasing variety and depth to the record as a whole.
The Other Side follows on from Go Back in a far more laidback and pretty way and then the very light Catherine takes things down even further. This is one of many here where the band’s harmony vocals pay off. The tough, near Garage Punk vibe of Peace By Peace forms itself into a real showstopper, with the reinstated Country spoof Last Night In Your Sleep, John leading into the fast, Funky and thrilling Try. Can’t Live My Life shows Crabby Appleton’s unique gift for sturdy and attractive Pop and then some nifty Jazz moves enliven Some Madness.
With a gleaming guitar chime and phased voice, Hunger For Love builds nicely towards a furious conclusion. Crabby Appleton the album ends with the serene How Long Will It Take and anther brief C&W mickey-take in Last Night In Your Sleep, Fred. The LP was a favourite of the music press, but for some reason it struggled commercially. It is however a fine record that deserved much more than barely grazing the Top 200 of the US charts. The liner notes hints that the band found out on tour that Elektra wasn’t keeping the shops stocked up with the LP, which may in part have contributed to its low-level impact.
For the first disc the album is accompanied by mono single cuts of Go Back, Try, Some Madness, Can’t Live My Life and a riffy, Country Rock-flecked My Little Lucy, which was a minor hit on single release. There is also the power-packed Funk Rock drama of the third Crabby Appleton 45 Grab On, which helps round off a highly enjoyable and satisfying first disc.
Despite the disappointing sales of the debut LP and the post-Go Back singles, Elektra wanted a follow up and Rotten To The Core, which takes up most of disc two of this set, emerged in the autumn of 1971. A Blues Rocking boogie Smokin’ In The Morning swings this collection into gear. Then comes the driving, catchy sound of Tomorrow’s A New Day, actually a Fennelly composition that was written back when he was with Big Shot. It’s a mystery how the punters that lapped up Go Back didn’t do the same for this on single release. The album version of its flipside It’s Hard, another unstoppable Pop gem, comes next, with a choice organ sound giving the R&B trimmings on Makes No Difference the stamp of authenticity
A freewheeling You Make Me Hot appears to have a fair bit in common with The Faces and Crabby Appleton seem like American cousins of Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance on the Country Folk sound of One More Time. My Little Lucy is versioned under the truncated Lucy moniker on the LP, with Lookin’ For Love agreeably taking a slide guitar to their pure Pop/Rock essentials.
Love Can Change Everything, the final Crabby Appleton single, is very pretty but lacks the dynamics of their best material. It faced an uphill struggle on 45 release, but that was no real reflection on the tune’s quality. The album comes to a halt with a two pronged Gonna Save You (From That), which is alternatively a delightful ballad and a percussive Funk/Blues jam. The mono single versions of Tomorrow’s A New Day and b side It’s So Hard feature as the bonus items on this second disc.
Rotten To The Core isn’t quite as thrilling as the debut, but there is plenty here to suggest they had much more to give, though it wasn’t to be. Soon after Love Can Change Everything’s release as a single, Crabby Appleton began to fall apart. Drummer Phil Jones quit mid-tour in exasperation with other band members’ excesses. They stumbled through by completing the dates with a replacement behind the traps, but the writing was on the wall and they split up for good once the run of the performances had been completed.
I was not too clued up on Crabby Appleton prior to hearing this anthology, but on listening to it I think they certainly had something special that was ahead of its time too. Both albums have much to enjoy on them. There is the odd clunker, but as a set for anyone into tough and fast Pop/Rock played with style and panache I can heartily recommend it.
More info and how to get Crabby Appleton – Go Back The Anthology here
New 12 track album of cover versions by Syracuse’s own 1977 Power Pop heroes The Flashcubes, with David Paton of Pilot and The Paley Brothers among the guest artists appearing. Ian Canty writes…
Pop Punk/New Wave band The Flashcubes roared straight out of Syracuse New York in 1977. With a line up that consisted of a rhythm section of Tommy Allen behind the traps and bass player Gary Frenay, plus guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin manning the six strings, they debuted with the Christi Girl single on the local Northside label in 1978. A year later they released a further 7″ in Wait Till Next Week/Radio, but by 1980 the band had split up. However the band reformed in the 1990s and if we fast forward into 2023, the original quartet are back with a dozen freshly cut covers that make up this new LP.
Pop Masters starts off on the good foot with a rollicking take of Baby It’s Cold Outside, which sets things up nicely. The tune was first recorded by Power Pop trailblazers Pezband and Mimi Betinis from that band is present on guitar and vox. From there, The Flashcubes tackle a dollop of dreamy Pop class in Pilot’s Get Up And Go. Now I’ve always had a soft spot for Pilot and it is great to hear their David Paton helping out The Flashcubes here on piano and vocals. Next, the Pre-Raspberries Eric Carmen outfit Cyrus Erie provide the source material for the ringing Folk Rock of Get The Message.
By now the listener will have discerned this album is a combination of the familiar and the not quite as well known, all put through The Flashcubes’ patented process of feisty playing and and cool harmony vocalising. I would be lying if I said that something like say, Slade’s Gudbuy T’Jane, could be covered and the result actually outstrip the original. But the important thing is that like everything on Pop Masters, this is really a joyous celebration of the song and the FCs are ably assisted on this one by the guitar work of Steve Conte (New York Dolls).
Shoes’ classic Tomorrow Night is a similar case in point, but with Jeff Murphy, John Murphy and Gary Klebe all aboard, they give it the mark of authenticity which makes its heady rush all the more a delight for the ears. There’s a lovely Garage organ sound to The Paley Brothers’ Come Out And Play, with both brothers showing up and The Spongetones’ Have You Every Been Torn Apart is cast as perfect 60s Pop. The melancholic words are neatly juxtaposed on Pop Matters with a sound brimming over with good vibes.
For anyone listening to this album in the UK of a certain age, Forget About You may conjure visions of the BBC’s Saturday afternoon sports show “Grandstand”, as the theme tune for it does share a certain similarity with The Motors’ hit. Chris Stamey’s place in the pantheon of Power Pop is assured from his time with The dBs and also his solo work, which both predated and followed on from his time with them. Chris’ debut 1977 single The Summer Sun on Ork Records is revisited here in a cool, beautifully flowing way. Dwight Twilley also has firm PP cred and Alone In My Room, from his 1979 solo LP, is essayed next here with true aplomb.
Flavour Of The Month, a Posies’ number, is given a lively workout and the LP concludes with Sparks’ Nothing To Do. The album is given a right royal send-off by this one as well, with the ringing guitars and fiery rhythm work adding up to pure revved-up Rock & Roll thrills. That is the important thing about Pop Masters – Here The Flashcubes take each number and give it new, exuberant life, resulting in a collection of brio, depth and class.
Of course what is important is not where the material comes from etc etc, but how the album sounds. On Pop Matters The Flashcubes are vital, exciting and full of vigour, making for a record that lifted my spirits with ease on the very damp last day of August 2023. They shows a real love for all the material present, but more than that, they do the songs real justice while adding fresh quirks, flash and energy. The cover version LP concept may be pretty hoary in this day and age, but it is plain and simple to hear that The Flashcubes imbue it with new, vivid impetus on Pop Matters.
New 12 track album from Lincoln Power/Indie Poppers It’s Karma It’s Cool, the follow up to 2021’s Homesick For Our Future Destinations. Peter Holsapple of The dBs guests on three numbers. Ian Canty writes…
Over the course of two strong albums Woke Up In Hollywood and Homesick For Our Future Destinations from 2020 and 2021 respectively (further reading on these LPs can be accessed here), It’s Karma It’s Cool have carved out an endearing path by the way of strong tunes and intuitive, keenly observed songwriting. They now reach LP number three with Thrift Store Troubadours and given the circumstances, one might forgive them in approaching this third collection with a well-earned air of confidence.
The glistening glide of the rhythm and New Wave/Psych Pop touches on How Be You Be Blue? provide our entry point into Thrift Store Troubadours and we are quickly made aware that they are not content to rest on any laurels gained over the last few years. The song manages to pull the clever trick of being pleasingly simple and then suddenly ornate, before fading out into an orchestral/choral coda. Next Warmer Climes find IKIC carefully building a head of steam on what is a purposeful, lovely piece of Jangle Pop, with a false ending leading to further galloping beats that add to the heady buzz.
Number three effort Old Bones starts with a spoken word sample taken from a Western flick. This prefaces yearning Power Pop-style guitarwork that is restrained during the verse, before being given its head on the exultant and rolling chorus. Great harmony backing vocals also add a good deal to a combination that is a total haunting Pop pearl.
Rushing in with all the vibrant cool of a nippy December morning, Winter Coats soon establishes a personable charm and clashing guitars plus a fine hook make for something that would sound great bursting out of the radio. This is the first of three items on the album that feature guest artiste Peter Holsapple. With a mountain of previous experience he’s a sure hand and does his bit to make this one immediately accessible. The melody is constructed with the mark of real class and comes with irrepressible percussion propelling things along with purpose.
A light, Folk Pop touch is applied to Jenni, We’re All Fighting Wars, with handclaps and an upfront vocal arrangement key elements in the fine detail. This song addresses the struggle that is life itself, but does so in an upbeat and engaging manner. A lot of what It’s Karma It’s Cool write about are the universal battles of everyday living, lost moments where there are no simple fixes, looked at with a hard-bitten realism that contrasts with the sunny Pop attack. Next keys and strings herald a straightforward and power-packed Broken Hearted Foundations.
I’m not sure but think Ghosts Wear Jeans suggests the struggle some have with growing up and/or growing old and the passing of time in general. This number is well built on some sturdy drums and a winding bassline, with the momentum of the singing and some choice soloing imbuing it with real charm. A lively Vacations In A Taxi Cab has neat Psych effects among its sharp display of updated 60s Pop groovieness and the breezy A Gentle Reminder is boosted by cool organ keys and a freewheeling, carefree air.
Modern relationships are put under the spotlight in The Terms Of Letting Go. A delicate motif with a little Country Rock buried in there somewhere emerges, led by strident drums and soaring vocals. The final couple of items on Thrift Store Troubadours are the aptly titled Roll The Credits, which is speedy Folk Rock that comes with a seam of acidic self deprecating humour and the lengthy finale City Kids. The latter is not The Pink Fairies’ song, but in its own way is just as anthemic. IKIC’s City Kids is an impressively ringing Pop sound which has that band racing along on a top quality end-piece, depicting the anticipation of all the possibilities open for fun on a hot city night.
Thrift Store Troubadours find It’s Karma It’s Cool a long way on from their 2020 debut, but they retain their core strengths of a way with a cracking tune, plus great arrangements and playing. The worldview expressed in the lyrics is down to earth and accessible and obviously drawn from sometimes bitter experience. In terms of progression, they have added an extra layer of wisdom and ambition on this album, resulting in songs that are both memorable and powerful, but also elegantly crafted too. I found Thrift Store Troubadours a thoroughly enjoyable and addictive selection, one that is accomplished and thoughtful, but also manages to portray the excitement and the pure thrill of Rock & Roll as well.
New 14 track solo album by Spongetones bassist Steve Stoeckel. This LP features the singles Why, Just One Kiss and Birds, with the first of the trio having guest vocals provided by fellow Big Stir artist Irene Peña. Ian Canty writes…
North Carolina band The Spongetones have a rich history that reaches right back to the end of the 1970s and from that start they have over the years cemented themselves among the very best that Power Pop has to offer. For a large amount of this time singer/bassist/songsmith Steve Stoeckel was on hand to provide key material and just the right touch both vocally and on bass.
He has been involved in outside work with the Pop Co-Op project for a few years. But it is not until 2023 that he has finally got around to releasing his own debut solo, The Power Of And, which is what we have before us. His Spongetones’ bandmates also put in an appearance among the 14 numbers on show, along with a host of other talented contributors. Steve indelibly puts his stamp on things though, directing everything towards his own Pop/Rock vision.
The Power Of And commences with the wonderfully fresh sound of tune Laura Lynn. Now while a lot of people aim for an uplifting feel to their music, few actually achieve it. Steve does, with the shards of restrained power that feature working brilliantly as part of the soaring sound. The gentle, well-judged Birds, one of the LP’s singles, follows next and then the subtle, mysterious and truly solo effort If/Then enchants.
Then we come to the upbeat and impressive Mod Girl, where fellow Spongetones Pat Walters and Jamie Hoover add their weight to the evocative strut of a number. Strange Cameo works skilfully to build from sparse acoustic guitar strum to add vocals, bass and percussion in much the same way a painter would add light and shade. Sea Shanty/Folk informs The Emerald Sea, a lesser item perhaps, but the title track that comes next is as light and breezy as a chilled Spring morning.
A jaunty instrumental Skippy’s Parade takes us into the second half of The Power Of And, with the busy rhythm of love song Christine coming next and being a study in beautifully paced, feelgood energy. Why, another single, is an effortlessly cool Folk Pop duet that has Irene Peña’s voice providing a great foil to Stoeckel’s. The Jazz/Blues intro of the otherwise upbeat Just One Kiss again brings home the adeptness in the chosen musical field, something which is this LP’s trademark.
As we enter the final straits of The Power Of And Hummingbird takes things down with a shot of bewitching Acid Folk/Pop Sike and then The Monsters Under My Bed benefits from some very tastefully deployed percussion by Eric Wilhelm, which along with great guitar work helps this number become a vital ode to lost youth.
A brief but beautiful and touching lament Heather Gray is a mini-gem and the edgy and powerful final track Whistling Past Graveyards gives the record a pounding and suddenly curtailed dénouement. I feel that The Power Of And is an album packed with pithy wisdom in the lyrics and a great musical variety, that even so hangs together well as a complete work. I also felt an enticing sense of mystery that the LP could reveal further layers when listened to subsequently. Steve Stoeckel may have started his solo career at a relatively late stage, but The Power Of And is kitted out with a number of great tunes and is well worth your attention.
The link if you want to follow up your interest in Steve Stoeckel – The Power Of And is here
Chris Church’s latest album for Big Stir, following up Game Dirt and Darling Please from 2021 and 2022 respectively. These ten brand new tracks include the recent single Going ‘Til We Go. Ian Canty writes…
North Carolina’s own Chris Church has been making records for thirty plus years now and he shows no signs of letting up on his recent blur of activity for the Spyderpop and Big Stir labels. After the impressive pairing of Game Dirt and Darling Please, plus the reissue set The Spyderpop Albums, which compiled Limitations Of Source Tape from 2017 and 2020’s Backwards Compatible, he returns now with a brand new offering Radio Transient. It’s a true solo effort, as he sings and plays a variety of instruments on this album as well as producing the record along with Lori Franklin. There are a few highly adept folk that pop up to assist at various points, but Chris’ talents for a winning melodies and pithy observations are highlighted on this new collection.
This time around Chris has rejigged his musical approach somewhat, with 80s Pop/Rock coming to the forefront and Electronica and New Wave also getting a look in. The sound and approach may be a good deal more commercial on this new long player, but in one respect Radio Transient is not so different as his previous work. The emphasis is still on well-observed songs that are given a sturdy setting on some natty tunes.
Although one can clearly detect the impact of the early 1980s influence on Radio Transient, you would be mistaken in thinking that this was a purely retro trip. It is more the case of taking these things and weaving them expertly into a sonic tapestry that takes these inspirations and hotshots them into the present day.
The slowly emerging intro of GCRT grants us entry into the world of Radio Transient. Quickly Chris and Co switch up a gear towards a fair old pace. Spacey sound effects are set upon a tough, racing Rock rhythm, both of which are interlocking parts of the detailed and thoughtful production, right up until the chanted refrain. Then we come to the sure Pop smarts of the recent single Going ‘Til We Go, an absolute gem just crying out for repeated radio plays. I Don’t Wanna Dance With Me is a very poignant song that is cast on a disarmingly simple but pleasing musical landscape. There’s a great guitar solo on this one, something that can also be said for One More Chance To Get Over You (the fretwork on that one is by the great Bill Lloyd). The latter is a given a dose of The Byrds’ Folk Rock gleaming charm in its main thrust.
I Think I Think I Like You comes with an electronic pulse that leads to an instantly addictive skipping beat, but there is plenty of drive and power that gives an already smart melody yet more weight. We move to the latter part of Radio Transient in the company of Already In It, where the dreamlike drift of the sound helps establish the beauty of the tune itself. This is achieved through some finely judged musicianship, not least by Nick Bertling’s sensitively applied drums. Over And Out speeds along again with jangling guitars and a hook that bites in and refuses to let go and on Gotta Go Gotta Ramble the backing vocals of Lindsay Murray really pay dividends, meshing very well with Chris’s tones. The restrained synths add a really knowing touch to the detail too.
As we come near to the conclusion of this album, Far Too Late takes things down a notch with a convincing laidback chill. Finally we come to Flip, where synths burbles and guitars give way to a golden slice of pure Pop goodness. Despite its accessibility, Radio Transient retains an air of mystery throughout. The LP is enjoyable on a surface level of course, but there is much enigmatic depth to consider as well. Church and his collaborators have put together a work which draws its inspiration from the past and then boots the whole thing into the present with glee, leaving much of note for one to enjoy.
slicing through the static 