PPC BOXING DAY (2010)

Second year of the "PPC Boxing Day". Today is the 26th of December, and it is time to open some old boxes and grab what's inside. Here are the surprise gifts. Enjoy.

For the ones who could have previously missed something, you can download
The Complete Advent Wall of Sound 2010 catalog here

(text link with the 25 AWoS posts + the 1997 European Edition of # 38 as a bonus, the 2001 US edition can be found at PPO)

For everyone, read below and grab what you want or need.

# 1 (1) (1974, Japan 2007)
# 15 (mp3 or FLAC)
# 66 (1) (1986, Expanded 2009)
# 71 (1) (1987, Expanded 1995)
# Tribute 13 (1)
# Tribute 14 (1) (courtesy of a spanish mate)
# Tribute 17 (1)
info here - click here
info here - click here & there (you need both parts to unpack)
info here - click here & there (you need both parts to unpack)
info here - click here
info here - click here
info here - click here (japan edition)

The following rips were originally posted in 2008, only the scans have been updated.

# 90 (1)
# 114 (1)

Enjoy until December, 31st.

CHRISTMAS DAY (The AWoS Bonus)

clue: # 17

Merry Christmas from the Basher and Angelo.

...and i f you absolutely need some yuletunes, click here.

THE ADVENT WALL OF SOUND 2010

Here is the "4th Advent Wall of Sound", the first three editions having been quite successful. From the 1st of December to the 24th of December, everyday you'll have to click on one slice of the image. Everyday, each compartment will show a new album never posted before on this blog. Each post will be available for just one day (or maybe two). Don't click on a part before the day or somebody could be hurt. Now you can enjoy the spirit of powerpop. And feel free to comment everyday because i really don't know if there will be another Advent Wall of Sound next year.

Clues

Day 1 : # Info (1-2-3)
Day 2 : # Info (1)
Day 3 : # Info (1)
Day 4 : # Tributes 7a & 7b (1-2)
Day 5 : # 190 (1) or FLAC 24bit (1)
Day 6 : # 112 (1) [Expanded 2008]
Day 7 : # 52 (1) [Expanded Japan 2005]

Day 8 : # 127 (1) [Remastered 2002]
Day 9 : # Tributes 3 (1)
Day 10 : # 110 (1)
Day 11 : # 141 (1) or FLAC (1)
Day 12 : # 29 (1 - 2) [Expanded 2003]
Day 13 : # 144 (1) + CDEP (1)
Day 14 : # 120 (1) + demos (1)

Day 15 : # 97 (1)
Day 16 : # 83 (1)
Day 17 : # 24 (1) [US Edition]
Day 18 : # 125 (1)
Day 19 : # Tributes 6 (Left) + (Right)
Day 20 : # 164 (1) [1978, Japan 2006]
Day 21 : # 117 (1) [1973, Reissue 2005]

Day 22 : # 78 (1)
Day 23 : # 54 (1) [1981, Expanded 2005]
Christmas Eve : # 89 (1) + demos (1)

This is the end of the 2010 AWoS. Again, most of us have enjoyed the wall. Stay tuned until the end of the year for more. See you soon, and everyone may have a merry christmas.

NOT LAME CATALOG WINTER 1995-96 (PDF 16 Pages)

Well, I guess you all know Bruce Brodeen and Not Lame will be soon part of the power pop legend. It's always a sad thing to read that a great label or a record store are closing their doors but i will always remember that day of december 1995 when i received the NL catalog (it was the second Not Lame catalog published). Very soon after, i ordered a lot of stuff from Not Lame and Bruce also sent me some unofficial tapes for free (Phil Seymour, Shoes, Adam Schmitt and much more).
The truth is Bruce Brodeen and Not Lame revived the powerpop spark inside of me and it means that without this catalog, PPC and angelo would have never existed.
So, please download the Not Lame catalog in PDF format (16 pages) and remember the days of paper catalogs.

TEENAGE KICKS: UK POP I (1976-79) (1993)
STARRY EYES: UK POP II (1978-79) (1993)

No need to introduce this set of two CD's released in 1993. They compile some of the best of the 70's Power Pop. 36 certified great songs. Complete artwork included.

Click on pix for details of the bands involved.

UK Pop I (1976-79): Teenage Kicks












UK Pop II (1978-79): Starry Eyes

STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING Vol1 Number 5 (April-May 1989)

British magazine "Strange Things Are Happening" was launched in March 1988 and had only 7 issues until Spring 1990. Related to Bam Caruso, the Magazine has now become one of the greatest fanzines of all time, "Strange Things" was different from the run-of-the-mill zines. Although rooted in the great music of the '60s and early '70s, the editors and writers found room to cover everything from Krazy Kat comics to the Barbarella movie. Excellent, entertaining writing from Brian Hogg and colleagues, and a timelessly cool layout. The complete set of issues is now fetching high prices on auction websites. "Strange Things" also released the rare collection of 60's obscurities "Circus Days".

Here's Volume 1, Number 5 (50 pages) scanned in 400dpi and printed in PDF, the bookmarks have been added for direct access to the articles featured.

VARIOUS - CIRCUS DAYS VOL.3 (1991)

Second CD (aka Vol.3) of the "Circus Days" collection put together by Phil Smee and the fanzine "Strange Things Are Happening". Again both FLAC and mp3 are posted with full artwork.

FLAC or mp3 (320)

Bands (Songs)
The Fruit Machine (I'm Alone Today) / The Green Scarab (Asariah's Dance) / Circus (Amsterdam) / Tamara Koran & Perception (Veils Of Mourning Lace) / Rhubarb Rhubarb (Rainmaker) / The Wire Machine (Mind Fascination) / Bob Monkhouse (In My Dream World) / Hat And Tie (Finding It Rough) / The Actress (Good Jobs With Prospects) / Shy Limbs (Reputation) / The Churchills (Too Much In Love To Hear) / The Lovin' (Do It Again) / The Summer Set (It's A Dream) / Thane Russal (Drop Everything And Run) / The Mirage (Tomorrow Never Knows) / Ron Grainer Orchestra (Danger Man_The Prisoner) / Shy Limbs (Love) / Earth (Resurrection City) / Druid Chase (Take Me In Your Garden) / The Mirage (And Life Goes On) / The Mariane (You Had Better Change Your Evil Ways) / The Fenmen (Rejected) / The Living Daylights (Jane) / The Mirage (My Door) / The Medium (Edward Never Lies) / Cats Pyjamas (Virginia Water) / Jerusalem (Kamakazi Moth) / Kate (Shout It)

VARIOUS - CIRCUS DAYS Vols 1 & 2 (1991)

Published by the cult fanzine "Strange Things are Happening", the collection "Circus Days" featured 6 volumes, and all of them are now really hard to find items. The compilations made by Phil Smee (famous collaborator/designer with the Edsel, Demon & Bam Caruso labels) unearthed lost and undiscovered gems (pop-sike and psychedelic obscurities) from the past.

Special note: As you may have noticed, i've never posted 60's related stuff just because there are plenty of blogs doing this better than i could ever doing it. Anyway i know from where the Powerpop genre is coming and i have these first two cd's (actually it means 3 volumes), so i figured out it would be nice to share them with you in FLAC and mp3 (320) with full artwork scanned. And as someone said it before "This is Pop!".

FLAC or mp3(320)

Bands (Songs)
Clover (Ice Cream Man) / Los Brincos (Nobody Wants You Now) / Rhubarb Rhubarb (Moneylender) / Peter Cook & Dudley Moore (Bedazzled) / Lomax All Stars (Honey Machine) / Stars (Auntie Annie's Place) / Head West (Someday) / Waterloo (Why May I Not Know) / Johnny Burton (Polevault Man) / Tandem (Shapes & Shadows) / The Penny Peeps (I See The Morning) / Jon Plum (Alice) / Nick Garrie (Wheel Of Fortune) / Dry Ice (Running To The Convent) / Arzachel (Garden Of Earthly Delights) / Vashti (I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind) / Unknown Band (The Mystery Track) / The Green Scarab (Psychedelic Wilderness) / The Fruit Machine (Follow Me) / Orange Peel (I Got No Time) / Smoke (Dreams Of Dreams) / Nimrod (The Bird) / The Fingers (Circus With A Female Clown) / Blonde On Blonde (Castles In The Sky) / The Wire Machine (The Doves) / The Eggy (You're Still Mine) / Blonde On Blonde (Circles)

JOSE CASAS Y LA PISTOLA DE PAPA - SCAMPA!! VOL 1 (2010)

The new album from Jose Casas y la Pistola de Papa has just been released and is available as a free download (FLAC or mp3 (320)). You can support the band by donation.

Click here for download.

VARIOUS - THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN SNOWMEN (2010)

Fifth part of this seasonal post you have been enjoying for a few years now. I guess all of you can remember the previous collections "A Christmas Blog Gift For You" (2006), "Another Christmas Blog Gift For You - Born To Greet" (2007), "Dreamland With The Pop Snowflakes" (2008) or "Santa Claus & The Powerpop Criminals (2009). The Holiday Season is knocking at the Powerpop door and I wish you all the best for this new holiday season. Thanks for visiting the PPC Blog, and have a cool yule!...Enjoy the spirit of Christmas. Don't forget to comment about this.

Click on pix for details of the bands involved

TRIBUTE TO THE BEE GEES - MELODY FAIR (1994)

Highlighted by treasures from Material Issue, Phil Seymour, The Jigsaw Seen and Baby Lemonade, "Melody Fair" is definitely a tribute album worth buying. The compilation was produced By Dennis Davison & Jonathan Lea of the Jigsaw Seen.

Click on pix below for details of the bands involved

TRIBUTE TO BADFINGER - COME AND GET IT (1997)

Obviously, everybody on "Come And Get It" is aboard because they love Badfinger. Currently, all of the Badfinger's Apple albums have been remastered and reissued, so it is time again to pay tribute to some of the purest popsters of all-time.

IMPORTANT: password is PASSWORD

Click on pix below for details of the bands involved

EARTH EIGHTEEN - BUTTERFLY (1995)

Sounding for all the world like glammed-out rock & rollers enmeshed in a battle of wills with the flannelled, goateed alt-rock brigade, the songs on "Butterfly" roil and seethe, sublimated only by early era giveaway drumbeats and vocalist John Dupree's occasional penchant for channeling the spirit of T. Rex's Marc Bolan. From the wonderful opener "La La Song," which harkens back to a platform-booted era, to the light jibes at heavy metal meatheads on the heavy, hair-shaking "Mechanimal," and on to the absolutely marvelous downer, "The Fall Divine," this band proves proficient across a sonic jigsaw puzzle. Enjoyable and interesting across the board, it's a shame Earth 18 were relegated to little more than a flash in the pan. It's possible that they may have revealed themselves to be a one-album kind of a band, but it's also plausible that, with a little time and leeway, they might have developed into something very special indeed. AMG

Songs
La La Song / Dolores Haze / Mechanimal / The Fall Divine / Goin' Steady / Dahlia / Maximum Teenage Overdrive / Girl Of The Downward Smile / Long Gone / Blood Revival 99 / 95

BEAT ANGELS - RED BADGE OF DISCOURAGE (1997)

One year after their smashing debut "Unhappy Hour With...", the Beat Angels were back with a strong second effort proving that glam never died, it just migrated in Arizona.It was great to see that someone understands the basic principle of power pop/glam : "loud & fun". The Beat Angels were both with great song titles, great lyrics filled with references to Strummer and Jones and Bebe Buell and the day before the morning after, all kicked into high gear by the in-your-face guitars of mainstays Michael Brooks and Keith Jackson. The album was again produced by Candy's Gilby Clarke and had an excellent film noir style artwork. Two great albums in two years, and no ballads!
In 2001, The Beat Angels recorded a 3rd album that was never released but it was given to the SOTD blog by Michael Brooks, so you can grab it over there at SOTD, courtesy of the band.

Songs
Snot / You're A Wreck / My Glum Sugar-Plum / Glitter Girl / Saturday Punks / Go Your Way / Keep It Up / Crashing Back To Her / Hey Little Peep-Show / Cinnamon Says / Celebrate Summer

PYRAMIDIACS - TEETER TOTTER (1st edition) (1996)

Originally released in Spain in 1996 to co-incide with the band's six week tour. By the end of that six week tour the original pressing had sold out and the album became a collectors powerpop nugget. It was remastered and reissued in Australia six years later with a brand new artwork. The driving, propulsive rhythms and crystalline production make their gritty-ish, but clean take on the POWER in POP one of the best examples of the genre around. Featuring Michael Carpenter (who also produces) and Mickster (The Finkers), The Pyramidiacs released the highly recommended "Stuff 'n' Junk" a double cd retrospective in 2005, still available.

Songs
Call You 'Round / The Cleaner / Waiting / There's Always Something / Take A Bow / It's Not You / Out Of Your Heart / Don't Keep It From Me / I'm Not Sorry / Fickle / Jim / Just A Chance

Power Pop To The People

LISA MYCHOLS - IN THIS CITY [EP] (2004)

A six-song EP released on the heels of her 2004 album, the excellent "Sweet Sinsations", Lisa Mychols was bringing some perfect pop moments: "In This City","Lyin' (In Front Of Me)", "Times Two" and "Ingenue" (a Darian Sahanaja's song). Today, Lisa Mychols, with Hillary Burton, is fronting the girl-powered indie-pop of Nushu. Two albums of ultra-catchy and melodic songs.


Lossless: FLAC 8 (126 mb)

Songs
In This City / Ingenue / Lyin' (In Front of Me) / Times Two / I'll Be Your Mirror / Choke Up (live)

THE VANDALIAS - MACH V (1995)

JimJim, Bobby and Alan Vandalia (of Sparrows) back in 1995. Listen to them now with Stingray Green who released "Hard Numbers" in 2006.

Songs
In / Hey Now (Motor City) / Build This House / Have You Seen Mine / Mach V / I'd Be A Boy / Knife / Watch My Baby Cry / Mighty Song Of Joy / Fall Girl / Cathy's Back / Sky High / Done For You / Wait And See

CHRIS STAMEY - IT'S ALRIGHT (1987)

Chris Stamey's second full-length solo album - and the only album in his entire decades-long career to be released on a major label - is the most uncomplicated and genuinely poppy album of his career, even including the first two dB's albums.

Songs
Cara Lee / From the Word Go / When We're Alone / The Seduction [Full Length Version] / It's Alright / Big Time / Of Time and All She Brings to Mind / In the Dark / If You Hear My Voice / 27 Years in a Single Day [Full Length Version] / Incredible Happiness

HAMMERFISH - THINGS LOOK LARGER UNDERWATER (1995)

7 Song EP from this Australian foursome is a brash and loud but is at heart very much a pop band. Explosive take on "Bad Reputation" (the dB's song that was included on PPC own "Tributes or Not Tributes Vol 5) and all throughout the sparks fly in a fiery and loud alterna-rock sound, but with a solid pop sense of writing catchy songs kind of like The Posies (circa '96). The hooks are there and very real, enjoy this slab of hard to find Australian pop!. Hammerfish was also featured on the australian compilation "Pop On Top" (1996) covering the Todd Rundgren classic "Couldn't I Just Tell You". Ryan Ellsmore later joined The (australian) Scruffs (aka The Wake-Ups), Michael Carpenter and Mick O'Regan (Pyramidiacs) guests on this mini album.

Songs
Crash And Burn / Secrecy / Fortunes Are Changing / In The Know / Wake me / Shine On Me (I & II) / Bad Reputation

THE MOJO MACHINE TURNS YOU ON Vol 1-10 (1997-1999)

Between 1997 and 1999, british magazine MOJO used to give away some exclusive CD's to its subscribers: "The Mojo Machine Turns You On" (10 volumes), taking its name from the CBS 60's sampler "The Rock Machine Turns You On". Of course, the MOJO collection is not Power Pop at all except for a few bands that were featured. I was wondering if i should post the whole set over here at PPC, but why not after all (i'm not so "power pop" narrow-minded, you know, even though some of my friends think i'm just a little bit) as i saw some of the CD's were being sold on some auctions websites. So here are the 10 volumes plus the "Good Grooves Number 11" which was the last of that collection compiling some of the best of the 1997-1999 pop-rock releases. The first volumes had a full colour booklet (14 pages) whereas the last ones were given away in a simple card sleeve.

Special note: So grab what you want by clicking on Vol # and get some info by clicking on the small pix.

Vol 1 : info



Vol 2 : info



Vol 3 : info



Vol 4 : info



Vol 5 : info



Vol 6 : info



Vol 7 : info



Vol 8 : info



Vol 9 : info



Vol 10 : info



Vol 11 : info