VARIOUS - DREAMLAND WITH THE POP SNOWFLAKES (2008)

A long time ago, the first Christmas compilation i ever bought was the Phil Spector's "A Christmas Blog Gift For You", actually this is the Christmas album by which all later holiday releases had to be judged, and it has inspired a host of imitators including myself. So after "A Christmas Blog Gift For You" (2006) and "Another Christmas Blog Gift For You" (2007), this is my third Christmas special compiling some of the best Christmas carols recorded by phenomenal powerpop combos. Have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy.

ZS (366 mb)

CD1
Angels We Have Heard On High / Warm This Winter / Christmas In New York / I Want A Guitar For Christmas / Ski Party / Christmas Stars / Christmas / Christmas In The City / We Three Kings / It's Christmas Again (Now I Have It All) / Christmas All Over the World / All I Want For Christmas (Is a Chance) / All Winter Long / O Holy Night / Christmas Carol / Unto Us / Christmas Kiss / I Love Xmas / Your Christmas Whiskey / Christmas Time / Some Children See Him / Christmastime / Jingle Jangle / Merry Christmas

CD2
Christmas Christmas / A Merry Jingle / Another Christmas / Merry Xmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) / If Christmas Can't Bring You Home / Another Lonely Christmas / Merry Christmas (Wherever You May Be) / Happy Holiday / Snow Day / Christmas (I Remember) / Christmas is Holy / Santa Claus / Santa Came In Stripes / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Christmas Time / All I Want For Christmas / Christmas / My Christmas Wish / What Child Is This / Christmas Time / Will You Marry Me (On Christmas Day) / My Christmas Was In June / Christmas With The Snow / 'Til Next Hanukkah / I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

THE DEL-LORDS - JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME DEMOS (1985)

The four Del-Lords studio albums – “Frontier Days,” “Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Based on a True Story” and “Lovers Who Wander” – are slated to be released on CD with a lot of bonus tracks this year by the American Beat label. Modeled on British bands of the ‘60s that used several singers – Kinks, Beatles, the Who - Kempner’s vision was to create an act that would feature four singers performing his songs, an East Coast Beach Boys, if you will. Actually "Frontier Days” was dedicated to Dennis Wilson and Andy Kaufman, both of whom had died while the album was being recorded. Source

Special note: i grabbed the lossless audio tracks a few years ago on a registered website, the quality of the demos is quite good. I only made a custom artwork for the blog.

Songs
Dream Come True / Saint Jake / Valleri / Obsessed With Mary / Love Among The Ruins / Mickey Paid For What Mickey Done / Frontier Days / I Wanna Be Yours / Livin' With Her, Livin' With Me / Lover's Prayer / Some Summer / Merry Christmas Baby / Heaven / Folsom Prison Blues (version 2) / True Love / Only Love Can Set You Free (a.k.a. Soldier's Home) / Eileen

VARIOUS - THE BAM BALAM EXPLOSION VOL 4 (1997)

Another great compilation (OOP) of power pop from the U.S.A. 24 tracks with a 28 color page booklet if you purchase the album. Some copies are available at Jam Records.

Click on pix for details

THE LAST - CONFESSION (1988)

The Last split up in 1985. A new Last — Joe and Mike Nolte, plus three newcomers — resurfaced unexpectedly in 1988 with a neat album "Confession" produced by All leader Bill Stevenson. (David Nolte - now in Wednesday Week - had been in a very early version of the Descendents, Stevenson's group.) Energized '60s power pop remains the Last's stock in trade, and they've lost none of their pep or melodiousness. The Noltes' new songs have a resigned, cynical edge ("And They Laugh", "Going Gone," "Everywhere You Turn"), but the music belies that with ringing Byrdsy guitars, mild keyboards and appealing harmonies. Trouser Press

Songs
So Quick To Say / Another Side / Going Gone / And They Laugh / I Saw Your Eyes / It Isn't Really You / Don't Care / Soldiers Of Love / Book / Dancing / Everywhere You Turn / Confession

THE LAST - AWAKENING (1989)

Again produced by Stevenson, "Awakening" makes no stylistic changes in composition but benefits from a toughened attack. Giving clear play to the band's dual affinities for punk and paisley pop, the crisply tuneful album ranges from souped-up covers of the Beatles ("She Loves You") and the Shirelles ("Baby It's You") to a great ballad/rocker "You" the Farfisa-heavy pop of "Book of Life" and the intense "Garden Grow," punctuated by Dave Nazworthy's furious snare rolls. Both Mataré and David Nolte make cameo appearances. Trouser Press

Songs (LP)
No Love / Assembly Line / You / Somebody New / Garden Grow / Your Wings / Book Of Life / Dreaming / Tired / Awakening / She Loves You / Baby It's You

WILLIAM PEARS - WILLIAM PEARS (1998)

Hailing from France, an awesome band led by multi-talented Thierry Dubois, This is the 18 song US version which compiled their french releases "From A Chocolate Box" (1993)" and "Elephant in China Shop" (1994) plus a bonus song "The Politics Of Doing Nothing". Only one song is sung in french - and another one song "Surfin'Euskadi" pays tribute to his homeland - the basque country in south west of France, where a young Thierry Dubois was playing with one of his first combos "The Soul Clichés" in the early 80's. Imagine the Crowded House paying homage to the Kinks and 1965 Beatles and you have a handle.

In 1999, Thierry Dubois and William Pears released "Deçu par l'an 2000" (available on iTunes), with all songs written in french. The album was released by Permanent Press in 2001 under the title "Big Bang" with some lyrics re-written in english. Visit the William Pears myspace page. Thierry Dubois is now working on his third album.

Songs
Sound Advice / This Brief Romance / Blow the Whistle / Johnny Rotten / Tymes Goe by Turnes / Grace / Crying Pop Tears / William and the Amazing Sound Machine / It's a Bingo World / The Boy With Dragon's Breath / One Thousand Buddhas / Surfin' Euskadi / Who Is That Man? / The Politics of Doing Nothing / Les Assureurs / Jesus and the Beatles / I Wouldn't Call It a Crime / My Best Friends Died in 1969

SPOONER - WILDEST DREAMS / EVERY CORNER DANCE (1988)

Although obscure and overlooked during their tenure together, the late-'70s/early-'80s rock band Spooner became best-known years later as the launching pad for guitarist Duke Erikson and drummer Butch Vig of Garbage fame. The group (which also included members Dave Benton on guitar and vocals, Joel Tappero on bass, and Jeff Walker on keyboards) hailed from Madison, WI, and issued a total of three recordings - 1990's "The Fugitive Dance" and 1985's "Wildest Dreams", plus the excellent 1982's Gary Klebe (of Shoes fame) produced "Every Corner Dance"- before splitting up. Erikson and Vig decided to stick together, launching another largely ignored outfit in the late '80s, Fire Town, 1986's "In The Heart Of The Heart Country" and 1989's "The Good Life". Vig concentrated on producing alt-rock artists for the early part of the '90s. But eventually, he re-teamed with Erikson to launch the successful alt-pop outfit Garbage in the mid-'90s.

Years after disbanding, a two-for-one release (now OOP and tricky to find) and though dropping "Doing Time" was issued, which included the group's first two releases together, expectedly titled "Wildest Dreams / Every Corner Dance".

Watch on YouTube "Will You Remember Me" where the boys expertly lip-sync to an alternate studio version of this song from "Every Corner Dance" album. This is slightly different from the LP/CD track.

ZS (495 mb)

Wildest Dreams (1985)
Sacred Ground / This Town's on Fire / Borderline / Eyes of the World / Again and Again (Looks Like Rain) / Brave New Heart / The Rainy Days / Woman Out of Time / Wildest Dreams / Endless Miles

Every Corner Dance (1982)
Will You Remember Me? / Temptations / Member of the Family / Jackie / Doing Time / Every Corner Dance / Cruel School / Poor Harold / Oo My My / The Way the Stories Go

THE Y.P VOLUMES 1-4 (1993-1997)

You may have these, but if you haven't, then here they are in "glorious" 320 with complete artwork. Click on pix for details.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4

ELO - ZOOM TOUR LIVE (2001)

After an overlong hiatus, ELO, headed by Jeff Lynne, returned in 2001 in this much anticipated concert, kicking off the Zoom Tour at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. The DVD featuring the gorgeous Rosie Vela is available at any online shop.

Special note: Released in DVD only, i extracted the audio files from the DVD and converted them to mp3. I also used the original DVD artwork to make a complete custom set for the blog.

Songs (RS1 + RS2)
Do Ya / Evil Woman / Showdown / Strange Magic / Livin' Thing / Alright / Lonesome Lullaby / Telephone Line / Turn To Stone / Just For Love / Easy Money / Mr. Blue Sky / Ma-Ma-Ma Belle / One Summer Dream / Tightrope / State Of Mind / Can't Get It Out Of My Head / Moment In Paradise / 10538 Overture / Ordinary Dream / Shine A Little Love / Don't Bring Me Down / Roll Over Beethoven / End Credits

VARIOUS - THE BAM BALAM EXPLOSION VOL 3 (1996)

Released in Spain (1996), an amazing Power pop compilation of twenty five U.S.A. bands (80's & 90's). Rare and OOP now, some copies can be purchased from Jam Records. A real bargain which includes a 28 page color booklet.

Click on pix for details

RICH ARITHMETIC - SLEEP IN A WIGWAM (1994)

"The fluttering swarm of Byrdsian jangle in the opener "Postmortem For Winston" renders the tune reminiscent of early Barracudas; the next track "Cambridge" has an educated early Long Ryders ambiance. "And Then You'll Love Me (Tonight)" has a smooth Cars feel. Basically "Sleep In A Wigwam" is a wonderful pop record that feels no need to hide its 80's influences behind a wall of hipster detachment.Don't get me wrong - this music is mainly 60's informed, but it's refreshing to hear the "dit-dit-dit" harmonies and hazy Big Star-ish vocals get lost in an aural maze of sunsconcious (as opposed to self-conscious) pop references and motifs. This is for fans of The Smithereens and Richard X.Heyman - but mainly it's for fans of POP in its widest form. A near masterpiece." Jordan Oakes 1995

Rich Artithmetic is Rich Horton and can be heard on "Timeless Flyte, A Tribute to The Byrds - Reflyte" available at CDBaby. Rich Horton and Bill Retoff cover the classic "It Won't Be Wrong" as Roger & Jim.

Songs
Postmortem For Winston / Cambridge / And Then You'll Love Me (Tonight) / Troy Donahue Axe / Foreign Cigarettes / Thirteen Brides / I Wonder Why / A Part Of Life / Ballet For Richie / Richie's Place / A Mark: A Writer/Bachin' It / The Only-If-You-Pick-Her-Up Waltz / I Dreamed Last Night / Pallid Pilgrims_Birth Of Ringo_The elliot Bay Book Club & Surf Joint / Buying & Selling With The Hogameisters / Richie's Reprisal / UFO's (Unidentified Famous Objects)

THE IDEA - SIDEWAYS SMILE (1992)

A longtime fixture of the Chicago power pop community, singer/guitarist Phil Angotti tenured with acts including the Fleas and the Scuffle before joining with singer Jay Goeppner in 1987 to form the long-running Beatle Brothers. (He also served with Graham and Brad Elvis in the like-minded Not the Beatles.) In 1991 Phil Angotti formed his own group, the Idea, a year later releasing their debut LP "Sideways Smile" on the Lisabet label. It took Angotti five years to issue the Idea's third effort, the Our House label release "Afternoon Balloon". AMG

Songs
Swingset / Sideways Smile / You Say The Funniest Things / You'll Go On /The Knack And How To Get It / For Now / Other Plans / Having Problems / Janet Smiles / Vague / Guessing / Singing For No One / Pop Art In The 90's / Hi / Success

WONDERBOY - NAPOLEON BLOWN APART (1997)

As a child Robbie Rist played Cousin Oliver in the final season of "The Brady Bunch". In the late 1970s, he co-starred in a Saturday morning show called "Big John, Little John", and in 1976 and 1977, Rist played David Baxter (Ted Baxter's son), on the television program "Mary Tyler Moore". In 1980, Rist played "Dr. Zee" on "Galactica 1980".
As an adult, Rist has worked as a voice actor, such as in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film series (as Michelangelo), from 1984 to 1993, he supplied the voice for the character Whiz in the Saturday morning cartoon "Kidd Video". He was also the voice of Aaron in the PC game "Star Warped".
As a musician, Robbie Rist has performed as the lead singer/guitarist for several rock bands in the Los Angeles area including the Andersons, Cockeyed Ghost, Martin Luther Lennon, Queef, and Wicked Queer. The list of west coast pop bands Rist has performed with numbers in the hundreds. He currently divides his time between film and music production, performing with Los Angeles alt-country band Kingsize Maybe.
"Napoleon Blown Apart" was the final Wonderboy album and considered by many as his best work but not the easiest one to find too.

Songs
Tick / Why Can't One And One Be Two? / Taken / Unconditional Love / What I Mean / Hindsight's 20/20 / Empty / Happy? That's Me! / Something's Missing / Rumours For Sale / Angel Wings / Insercurity Girl / Just Tick

ROLLERCOASTER - ROLLERCOASTER (1999)

Hailing from Perth, Rollercoaster was a short lived power pop band. The songs are strongly reminiscent of the Chevelles more rocking moments, which comes as no surprise seeing Rollercoaster was a one-time side project for the Chevelle’s Duane Smith. Grant Ferstat (Month of Sundays), Dave Shaw (The Stems, Boom Babies) and friend Craig MacLean joined the Rollercoaster. The album was released in Spain by Snap Records.

ZS (286 mb)

Songs
Flowers for Kylie / Insane / Six Million Dollar Man / Use Me / Tartan Dress / All She Wants / Do You Remember / I Wanna Know / On Your Own / What You Do / Crying Out Your Name

THE TEARAWAYS - SEE THE SOUND (1993)

Especially notable is that the haunting "Jessica Something" was included in Rhino's genre-defining Poptopia series of power pop classics of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, even though the Tearaways were still relative unknowns. Produced by Tom Werman (Cheap Trick) and Earle Mankey (20/20), "See The Sound" was lauded by critics and loved by fans. Nowadays rare and out-of-print, this legendary album was remastered, revamped and reissued a few years later as "Ground's The Limit" with 3 bonus tracks.

Songs
I Walk Alone / Nowhere Left To Turn / Jessica Something / Can't Get Through / Black And Blue / I'm Lost / For Free / Leave It To Me / 4 Letter man / It Could Take Years

RAIDERS OF THE LOST HOOK - Vol 3 (2008)

In 1978, Greg Shaw wrote in the Powerpop special issue of Bomp: "Any way you look at it, Powerpop began with the Who (...and the Easybeats...). Their approach to songwriting was solidly pop - every song was short, catchy, hook-filled, built on bright, uplifting major chords, and they never shied away from those all-important "la la la's".

While the first two volumes were 70's-80's oriented, the third part of this new collection tries to focus on some "overlooked" gems of the 90's. Again the bands featured here share the "undying search for the great pop hook". So, you'll have the opportunity to hear some former members of the Nines, the Go-Go's, the Semantics, Club Wow or the Flashcubes but also future members of Superdrag and the Breakup Society. Another 2008 PPC exclusive. The first two volumes are still available here.

Bands (Songs)
The Paper Airplane Company (Hey Fella You Feel) / The Gravelberrys (Wonder Where You Are Tonight) / Millard Powers (Heart Attack) / Frosted (Homeless) / Four O'Clock Balloon (Angeline) / The Decibels (Change) / The Vandalias (Julie Come Around) / The Beltways (Kissing Time) / Beat Angels (All Around Your World) / Spinning Jennies (You're The Only One) / The Shame Idols (Skating Rink) / The Beatifics (Meantime) / The Tearaways (Nowhere Left To Turn) / Billy Sullivan (Go Crazy) / Who Hit John (Somebody) / Sins Tailor (I Don't Like It) / Smallstone (Chasing The Sun) / The Kelly Affair (That School) / The Frampton Brothers (If She Were My Girl) / Brian Jones Was Murdered (Say) / The Infidels (Everywhere I Go) / Swinger (Best Friend) / Arty Lenin (Mr Acarious) / Michael Carpenter (Wild Honey)

THE WELL WISHERS - JIGSAW DAYS (pre order)

Well Wishers frontman and brainchild Jeff Shelton made a concerted effort to “get back to the basics” with "Jigsaw Days" – the 4th full-length release from this San Francisco-based power pop collective. While 2007’s "How I Won The War" saw the band exploring more 80s post-punk textures, "Jigsaw Days" is return to form with pure pop melodies, warm chiming guitars, and swirling vocal harmonies that punctuate Shelton’s penchant for elaborate pop arrangements. In fact, the classic power pop elements of "Jigsaw Days" are not far removed from Shelton’s former band Spinning Jennies – one of the more revered and long-lived bands in the San Francisco scene through 90’s and early 2000’s.

Recording most of the album tracks at his home studio allowed Shelton the freedom and flexibility to experiment, embellish, explore, and re-take after re-take until everything was completely perfect. With drum tracks provided by former Spinning Jennies drummer Nick Laquintano, "Jigsaw Days" is a bold, melodic assault from start to finish – an album that blends modern pop sensibilities of the Posies, Matthew Sweet, Nada Surf, Guided By Voices … with the familiar 80s jangle of bands like R.E.M., The Connells, and Husker Du.

You can pre order "Jigsaw Days" by clicking here.
It will be available through Not Lame, Amazon, CD Baby, Kool Kat...

SPINNING JENNIES - STRATOSPHERE (2002)
To celebrate the release of the new Well Wishers CD, here's Spinning Jennies' "Stratosphere". This is actually the 5th album from this amazing California popband! The production is top gun and the songs stick in your head like bubblegum to a shoe. Speaking of Shoes, they sound like that band and they also sound like the Posies on a good day and Matthew Sweet as well! But really I think in many ways they are even better than those artists!!! This is true power pop in the truest sense of the word. The album pops and rocks along very nicely andthe energy level is just right. The album never gets boring and yes, this is an ESSENTIAL PURCHASE!!!!!! Let The Spinning Jennies take you higher and higher!!!!! Jeremy Morris.
There's a ghost track on “Stratosphere”, there was an old song called “40 Miles” – originally on the first SJ album “Bloom” (1995). Gerard G. of Popdreams radio show translated the lyrics to French for Jeff Sheldon and he re-recorded the new version in French!

A few copies of this OOP and rare gem can be ordered from Jam Records.

Songs
So Far So Good / Forget My Name / Stratosphere / Warning Me / Three Minus One / Carry on Attack / You're the Only One / Real Ramona / Jetfighter / Eddie $$$ / Speak Now and Be Afraid / 40 Miles (french version)

CHRIS WILSON - RANDOM CENTURIES (1991)

A few years after he left the Fortunate Sons, Chris went into the Barcelona's studio to record a solo album of mainly acoustic tracks. The CD showcases some fine guitar arrangements across a variety styles from traditional numbers to self-penned songs. First released in 1991 with 11 songs, it was remastered in 1993 with a new artwork and a different track sequence.

Songs
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away / Last Thing On My Mind / Never Love Again / Sweet Thames Flow Softly / Lonesome Rhodes / Billy The Kid / Mirror / Something To Say / Never Forget / Little Anchor / Rally Round The Flag

DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND
THE GREAT LOST TWILLEY ALBUM (1993)

You may be aware that Dwight Twilley has released an amazing series of five volumes of "Rarities" as digital downloads available only through Amazon or iTunes. You can also download there quite a bunch of covers (Beatles, T.Rex, Rolling Stones and many more classics...). So to celebrate this, you'll find here the extremely rare Lost Dwight Twilley Band album released on Shelter Records and now out of print.

The rumor had always been that the original Dwight Twilley Band had completed four albums between 1974 and 1978 that were never released due to problems with their label, Shelter Records; the few writers and personal friends who heard the albums claimed the material was superior to much of their released work. "The Great Lost Twilley" Album collects the best "lost" tracks from this era, as well as prime material from the unreleased Blueprint album from 1980; true to the myth, the songs are easily as good as the band's classic early albums. Read more here.

Songs
Somebody to Love / Then We Go Up / Burning Sand / Shakin' in the Brown Grass / Shark (In the Dark) / Sky Blue / Dancer / Chance to Get Away / Living in the City / Firefly / Please Say Please / Lovin' Me / No Resistance / I Love You So Much / I Don't Know My Name / Didn't You Say / Two of Us / Twenty-Nine Times / Skywriter / You Never Listen to My Music / Rock Yourself, Son / I Can't Get No / Did You See What Happened / I'm on Fire [Original Mix] / Rock & Roll 47

THURMAN - LUX (1995)

Maybe one of the most underrated UK bands of the 90's. With plenty of references (some would say plagiarism) to Marc Bolan ("Loaded"), David Bowie ("Cheap Holiday") or John Lennon ("Now I'm A Man"), they released one of the best powerpop albums of the era while the critics hated them. If this had been released at the heyday of glam/glitter it would been praised today as a milestone. So maybe in 20 years from now, it will has reached cult status.

Following Thurman's demise, the Kenny brothers went on to form The Four Storeys. In 2000 the band released an album entitled "Betting On Now", receiving critical acclaim from the same critics who had previously derided Thurman's career.

Songs
She's A Man / English Tea / Cheap Holiday / Famous / Clowns / It Would Be / Now I'm A Man / Flavour Explosion / Lewis Brightworth / Automatic Thinker / Talk To Myself / Strung Out / Untitled