VELVET CRUSH - LIVE AT THE CBGB's (1996)

A live recording from the days of "Heavy Changes" by Rhode Island's finest Power Pop band.

Here are the notes of the original ripper:
"My sister got CBGB's to provide her with a soundboard tape. But when we got home and listened we realized the sound guy was recording with just the room mics for the first 2 songs, so it goes from sounding like an excellent audience recording to a really good Soundboard."

Special note: I got the FLAC files from a friend on a registered site. I made a custom PPC artwork (booklet + tray).

Lossy: 320 lame 3.98 (120mb)


Songs
Play For Keeps / Standing Still / My Blank Pages / Think It Over / Hold Me Up / Goin' To My Head / Why Not Your Baby / Atmosphere / Ash And Earth / Used To Believe / Live For Now

THE LONG RYDERS - METALLIC B.O. (Fan Club Tape) (1989)

Originally "Metallic B.O." was an official fan club limited edition cassette release, superbly packaged with a fold out sleeve with full notes and comments on all the tracks. 90 minute chrome cassette with 18 songs plus loads of extra treats (interview snips and bits 'n' pieces fully detailed).

Fan club guru, Rick Gershon compiled this compendium of live tracks, out takes and snippets of radio interviews. The original 86 minute release was edited for CD reissue (with a different artwork) by omission of "Is Anybody Going to San Antone," "I Want You Bad," "What Goes On" and "Greenville Trestle." Now officially out of print. Shame!

Special note: The original cassette artwork has been adapted for the CD jewel case format.











Songs
You're Gonna Miss Me / Route 66 / Brand New Heartache / Prisoners of Rock & Roll / Dirty Old Town / Is Anybody Going to San Antone? / Billy Jean / Circle 'Round the Sun / I Want You Bad / Six Days on the Road / Anarchy in the U.K. / What Goes On /Masters of War / Sandwich Man / Greenville Trestle / Blues Theme/ P.I.L. Theme / I Shall Be Released

MASS. AVE - THE BOSTON SCENE (1975-83) (1993)

Featuring the crop of the Boston scene, this volume of the DIY series is an excellent mix of well known bands and cool obscurities.

Click on pix for details of the bands involved.

COME OUT AND PLAY: AMERICAN POP I (1975-78) (1993)
SHAKE IT UP!: AMERICAN POP II (1978-80) (1993)

The American counterpart to the DIY series about UK Pop (posted 11/2010). No need to introduce the bands featured on these two CD's released in 1993. They compile some of the best of the 70's US Power Pop. 38 certified great songs. Rips and artworks with a little help from my pals.

Click on pix for details of the bands involved.

American Pop I (1975-78): Come Out & Play












American Pop II (1978-80): Shake It Up!

GONE FISHIN' - MATT PIUCCI & TIM LEE (1986)

A Bucketfull of Brains review by Chris Horn (1986):
"The Piucci/Lee colloboration is everything expected of them and more. All embellishments have been restricted to a bare minimum and the emphasis is on the song, the guitar and the voice, all three remarkable in their power and sublety. The individual styles of Matt and Tim are evenly and distinctly divided but the overall standard is such that no criticism, that they have not blended their sound more noticeably, can be afforded."

For the ones who care, the album was produced by ELP - please don't run away - this is the ELP of Everett, Lee & Piucci, ...not the other one.

Lossy: 320 mp3 lame 3.98 (100 mb)

Lossless: FLAC 8 (282 mb)

Songs
No Rapture / All You Want / Home / Charlie Jones / Take A Left / Touch The Gold / Lift It Up / Too Many Eyes / Something Happened / Something Better

SPOONER (1979-1980)

Recorded in Northern Illinois with advice and assistance from Zion's finest Shoes, the band's first record was released in 1979: "Cruel School", a seven inch EP containing four songs written by Doug Erikson. A DIY project all the way, Boat Records was christened to serve their growing local and regional following.

Another single ("Where Are You Gonna Run"/"You're The Lucky One") was followed two albums "Every Corner Dance" (1982), and "Wildest Dreams" (1984) . Source.

Special note: An excellent contribution from bluesatmidnight, a blog reader.

Cruel School EP (1979)
Dancing Dolls / Working Girl / Member Of The Family / From My Head To My Toes

Where You Gonna Run? (1980)
Where You Gonna Run? / You're The Lucky One

VARIOUS - THE BEST OF "DO YA" (2011)

"Do Ya" was voted as an all-time Power Pop song by Greg Shaw in his seminal Power Pop issue of March 1978.

"Do Ya" is unique in that Jeff Lynne first recorded it as a member of The Move for the B-side of their "California Man" single, then a little less than five years later he recorded it again for the Electric Light Orchestra on their "A New World Record" album. Although this was the last song by The Move, Jeff Lynne kept the song alive by placing it into the live set of Electric Light Orchestra before recording it again in 1976. More about "Do Ya" here.

Here are 21 versions of the classic "Do Ya" as performed by some of the best of the Power Pop acts. Some are quite faithful to the original, a few other ones try to take a different path, but in the end "Do Ya" is an amazing song that can be listened to quite a lot of times in a row. It is also noteworthy to know that Elmer Goodbody Jr is better known as Mike Sheridan and he is backed by Wizzard's musicians.

So, Do Ya, Do Ya want to hear 21 times the same song? If you want it, come and get it. Complete PPC artwork included.

THE PLIMSOULS - LIVE AT THE PALACE, HOLLYWOOD (1985)

A previously unavailable, 21-song live recording from 1985 by the Plimsouls! Recorded at The Palace, in Hollywood CA, this special recording finds the band not only plundering through their back catalog, but performing some songs ( "Twisted Friend", "Just Like That") that never made it onto any Plimsouls release!. The band perform some songs that will be released later as Peter Case "I Shook His Hand", "More Than Curious" or "Who's Gonna Break The Ice". And, they also do some very cool covers of "Glory", "My Lonely Sad Eyes", "Fall On You", "Jumping From Love To Love", and "Jumpin' In The Night". And they're joined on this performance by Gurf Morlix on pedal steel and background vocals - giving the band a sound and feel never heard before!

Songs
I Shook His Hand / More Than Curious / Shaky City / Nickles & Dimes / Great Big World / Glory / A Million Miles Away / Twisted Friend / Sad Eyes / In This Town / Lie, Beg, Borrow And Steal / Hobo / Oldest Story In The World / Magic Touch / The Mood I'm In Tonight / Fall On You / Just Like That / Who's Gonna Break The Ice / I'll Get Lucky / Jumping From Love To Love / Jumpin' In The Night

PAUL KELLY & THE DOTS - MANILA (1982, Reissue 1990)

Paul's first two albums "Talk" and "Manila" were both recorded with his band 'The Dots'. Ever the perfectionist, Paul has remained unhappy with the results of these two recordings, to the point that he refuses to acknowledge them as part of his discography on his official website. By late 1984, Kelly had broken up the Dots and moved to Sydney where he formed his band "The Coloured Girls", later renamed "The Messengers".

Songs
Forbidden Street / Clean This House / Alive And Well / Skidding Hearts / Some Guys / Last Resort / See You In Paradise / Touchy Babe / When The Girl's Not Even English / Lenny (To Live Is To Burn)

BLANK GENERATION - THE NEW YORK SCENE (1975-78)

"Blank Generation" is an accurate and nearly flawless portrait of the heyday of New York punk. Complete artwork included.

Click on pix for details of the bands involved

THE MODEL ROCKETS - AT EL SOL, SOLD OUT (1998)

Hailing from Seattle, the Model Rockets were fronted by guitarist/lead vocalist John Ramberg. Their debut album "Hilux" was released in 1993, on Lucky Records, and was produced by Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows). Then, C/Z signed them in 1995 and the stunning "Snatch It Back and Hold It" was released in 1996. Signed by Not Lame, they released the classic "Tell The Kids The Cops Are Here" in 2002. After the band had split in 2003, John Ramberg formed the Tripwires. with John (Sharing Patrol) and Jim Sangster (Young Fresh Fellows).

In March 1998, they toured Spain and performed at the "El Sol" club in Madrid in front of 450 power pop fans. The sold-out concert was recorded and then released in Spain only on the spanish label Impossible Records. It has now become a scarce item.

Special note: Special thanx for this excellent contribution from a PPA/PPC friend. Both FLAC and mp3 (vbr) with artwork have been sent by my spanish old mate.

FLAC or mp3 (vbr)

Songs

Queen Bee / Amazing / Hitchhiker Jane / Maybe Now / The Nancy Riots / Never Know How / I Don't Get It / Ditched / Sportscars / Stick It Out / J.P.S / Jail of Rain / She's On The Cover / Year of The Sofa / Bald Headed Girl / NC Girl / Word Won't Let Me / Shapeshiter / Have Love Will Travel / Summer Fun / Do It Again / On The Balcony / You Can't Do That / The Locomotion / Soothe Me

BANGLES - REAL WORLD (12"EP) (1982)

After releasing an independent single in 1981 of "Out Of Hand"/"Call On Me" on their own Downkiddie Records, they caught the ears of Miles Copeland who signed them to his fledgling Faulty Products label, where they worked with producer David Leon and produced the BANGLES EP.
After Faulty's demise in 1983, I.R.S. quickly reissued the EP. The packaging between the two versions is identical with only the number being different and the I.R.S. Man replacing the Faulty logo. The IRS version also has a fine print credit that reads, "thanks to everyone at Faulty Products for getting it all started -- R.I.P." A touching and poignant comment...

FLAC or mp3 (320)

Songs
The Real World / I'm In Line / Want You / Mary Street / How Is The Air Up There?

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS - TAKE IT LIKE A MATADOR (1993)

The Fellows' discography includes a number of one-off albums and singles for a variety of domestic and overseas labels. Along the spanish best of "Somos los Mejores!", the japanese live-in-the-studio "Gleich Jetzt", "Take It Like a Matador" is a slapdash but fun live set recorded in Spain. This Spanish-only release is really hard to find.

Special note: Special thanx for this excellent contribution from a PPA/PPC friend. Both FLAC and mp3 (vbr) with artwork have been sent by my spanish old mate.

FLAC or mp3(vbr)

Songs
Live In Spain / Rock'n'roll Pest Control / Sometimes I Wantcha For Your Money / Goin' Steady Tonight / Two Guitars, Bass And Drums / Taco Wagon / Pay You Back / Live In Spain (Reprise) / Backroom Of The Bar / Young Fresh Fellows Theme / Goin' Steady Tonight / Monkey Say / "Red" / My Friend Ringo / I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down / Teenage Dogs In Trouble

PETER CASE - SHAW THEATRE, EUSTON (1986)

An audience recording of an acoustic show in England promoting the release of the first Peter Case solo album. The LP is performed in its entirety plus a bunch of covers such as T.Bone Burnett's "The Power Of Love" or Van Morrison's "My Lonely Sad Eyes" and a couple of Plimsouls classics. Also noteworthy is the presence of "North Coast Blues" which will be recorded in 1993 for "Sings Like Hell". PPC artwork included.

Songs
I Shook His Hand / Echo Wars / The Power Of Love / The Oldest Story In The World / My Lonely Sad Eyes / Old Blue Car / Walk In The Woods / Matchbox / Just A friend / More Than Curious / Three Days Straight / North Coast Blues / Satellite Beach / Small Town Spree / Icewater / Horse & Crow / Steel Strings / A Million Miles Away / A Pair Of Brown Eyes / I'm Fixin' To Die / Walk Down The Road / Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White

VARIOUS - THE WILD LIFE SOUNDTRACK (1984)

"The Wild Life" was a 1984 comedy-drama film, written by Cameron Crowe after the success of "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". Directed by Art Linson, "The Wild Life" is not in the same league as "Fast Times" or "Say Anything". The film is only available on VHS. No DVD version or CD reissue have been released due to music rights issues concerning the artists on the soundtrack.

As a matter of fact, the movie is now famous because of the Peter Case song "Who's Gonna Break The Ice?". The song was originally penned during The Plimsouls lifespan and can be heard on the "Live At The Palace, Hollywood, 1985" CD and on a Concert Reunion from 2006 (Live At Safari's Sam). The song was recorded with the Williams Brothers and Jeff Eyrich. It was produced by Don Gehman.

Besides the great Three O'Clock and Louise Goffin & Charlotte Cafey songs, there are some really embarrassing fillers.

FLAC 24bit or mp3 (320) with complete artwork

Bands (Songs)
Edward Van Halen (Donut City) / Hanover Fist (Metal Of The Night) / Charlie Sexton (It's Not Easy) / Andy Summers (Human Shout) / Bananarama (The Wild Life) / What Is This (Mind My Have Still I) / Van Stephenson (Make It Glamorous) / Peter Case (Who's Gonna Break The Ice?) / The Three O'Clock (I Go Wild) / Louise Goffin & Charlotte Caffey (No Trespassing)

GOO GOO DOLLS - FIRST RELEASE (1987, Reissue 1994)

Before the Goo Goo Dolls evolved into the modern-rock superstars who would record late-'90s radio smashes, they were an energetic trio spewing forth a mixture of trash and punk. "First Release" exhibits a carefree attitude and a sense of humor, but little sign of what was to come. Still, "First Release" is an enjoyable introduction to a band with better days ahead.

"Goo Goo Dolls", also known as "First Release", is the first album by the Goo Goo Dolls. All of the songs are sung by bassist Robby Takac, who was originally the band's lead vocalist. It is the hardest to find of all the band's studio albums, being out of print as of 2007 and not in very wide circulation.

Songs
Torn Apart / Messed Up / Livin' in a Hut / I'm Addicted / Sunshine of Your Love / Hardsores / Hammerin' Eggs (The Metal Song) / Don't Fear the Reaper / Beat Me / Scream / Slaughterhouse / Different Light / Come On / Don't Beat My Ass (With a Baseball Bat)

URGH! A MUSIC WAR (1981) (2LP's edition)

To coincide with the cult film "Urgh! A Music War", A&M Records released a double-album soundtrack. The selection of songs was almost the same as the film, but there were a few minor changes and several acts featured in the film did not make it to the album (John Cooper Clarke, Chelsea, Surf Punks, Invisible Sex, Splodgenessabounds). 2LP's release (27 songs). Out of print

In 1989, The album was reissued on CD with six artists on the original double LP that were left off the CD release in order to fit all they could on one compact disc. CD release (21 Songs). Out of print. Check the track listing here.

In August 2009, Warner Archive released an official DVD-R of the movie, which is burned on a made-to-order basis.However, as noted on the Warner Archive Web site, the movie has not been remastered or restored. There are no chapter indexes for the individual tracks, but rather only 10 minute chapters, making navigation of the disc cumbersome. The only performance omitted from the DVD is Splodgenessabounds' performance of "Two Little Boys." The DVD is for USA distribution only. DVD Release (38 songs). Check the track listing here at the MRML blog. (with a 192 mp3 rip available.)

FLAC 24bit (1-2) or mp3 (320) with complete artwork.

The original 1981 vinyl issue (27 songs) of the OST had the following track listing

JIMMY DESTRI - HEART ON A WALL (1982)

Jimmy Destri is best known as keyboardist in Blondie. He has contributed greatly to Blondie's straight ahead pop sensibilities (he wrote or co-wrote such classics as "Look Good In Blue","Picture This", "Atomic", "11:59" and "Maria"). In 1982, he released his first and only solo album, but it was something of a disturbing revelation: the presence of Bowie's musicians (Slick, Alomar) and the Bowie-esque production obliterate the glimmer of pop, even with the contribution of Blondie's members (Clem Burke, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry), There are some very nice songs "Don't Look around", "Little Metal drummer", "Heart On A Wall" but the best can be found on side 2 with "Numbers Don't Count (On Me)", a very catchy power pop tune. To this day, "Heart On A Wall" has never been reissued on CD, even though there were some heavy requests from Blondie's fans.

Lossy: 320 lame 3.98 (99 mb)
Lossless: FLAC 8 (293 mb)

Songs
Bad Dreams / Don't Look Around / Living in Your Heart / My Little World / Little Metal Drummer (Instrumental) / Little Metal Drummer / Numbers Don't Count (On Me) / King of Steam / Under the Ice / Heart On A Wall

THE BEST OF THE 2010 ADVENT WALL OF SOUND

Here's the seasonal "Best Of" of the ever popular "Advent Wall of Sound". Just like every year since 2007, this is the time to post my own "best" of the Advent 2010. So, here's my subjective collection of the december harvest... Christmas Day included. 27 songs, 27 bands posted between the 1st of december and christmas day...plus one hidden track.

I'd like to thank all the readers for their nice comments about this special feature. And remember, TRY SOME, BUY SOME...Long live Power Pop...

And for the first time and for the ones who care, the compilation is available in FLAC format with complete artwork.

Click on pix below for details of the bands involved.

MACH FIVE - MACH FIVE (1998)

Hailing from New-York, Mach Five was formed in the spring of 1995, When the band short-lived's career ended, Darien set the wheels in motion for what would become AeroVox (available at cdbaby).

Mach Five's self-titled debut is a solid collection of hooky, melodic guitar pop, despite its slightly derivative qualities. At his best, lead singer/songwriter Jeff Darien has a knack for catchy melodies, which the band delivers crisply. Mach Five make these traditional styles sound fresh by playing them without pretension or guilt. That is the key factor in Mach Five's being an enjoyable debut with. AMG

Songs
Can't Stop It / You're My Religion / This and Back Again / Chuck / Shiny Shirt / I'm Alive / Sunday's Here / Spacemantra / Here's a Call / Feel You / Rust

HAWKS - HAWKS (1980)

The name Hawks came as an acronym formed by the first letters of the last names of the band members: Dave Hearn, Larry Adams, Frank Wiewel, Kirk Kaufman, Dave Steen. Hawks was put together to play showcases for both Columbia and Capitol Records in the Studio. The band signed with Columbia in 1980.

The Midwest power pop/new wave scene thrust many bands into the limelight, none more deserving of success than this quintet. Four of the five members wrote and sang great pop tunes that could have had wider appeal if this album had just received some airplay. Tom Werman, producer of Cheap Trick, was enlisted to produce the first album "Hawks." The album is crisp and full, filled with harmonies, layered guitars, and, best of all, great tunes. Keyboardist Dave Hearn leads the pack with the most disc space (the perfect opener "It's Alright, It's OK" is one of his), but all the writers carry their own weight. Guitarist Dave Steen's "Right Away" sounds like Todd Rundgren with George Harrison. Second guitarist Kirk Kaufman's "Let Me In" is a beautifully haunting power ballad that could've fit on either of Badfinger's Warner Brothers albums. As is the case for many of the great lost '80s albums, promotion on this album was nonexistent and it failed to sell. They released a 1982 follow-up, "30 Seconds Over Otho", eventually fading into obscurity. In 2003, Not Lame created a third Hawks album of sorts, proving the band had much more up its sleeve. Compiled with the assistance of the band, "Perfect World Radio" features various demos and unreleased tracks.


Songs
It's All Right, It's O.K. / I Want You, I Need You / Right Away / Lonely Nights / Let Me In / Need Your Love / American Girls / The Admiral's Mutiny / Spend This Evening / Dancing In The Shadows

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

Best wishes for 2011. Let's celebrate with the Deluxe Edition of IPO Vol 6.

Contents
The 3CD 's release of 2003 : CD1 + CD2 + CD3 (links are independent) (artwork included)

PROGRAM (+ CD EP)
The official Program & Guide: PDF (Scans 400dpi, then PDF printed of 52 pages, bookmarks added)
The mini Rainbow Quartz CD Sampler: mini CD