THE BAM BALAM EXPLOSION VOL 2 (1995)

While the first volume had been devoted to the best of spanish powerpop bands, The Bam Balam Explosion Vol 2 was a retrospective compilation of Australian power pop that was released a few years ago by the excellent spanish (from Palma de Mallorca) label Bam Balam. The booklet (24 pages) was really nicely put together with paintings by surrealist artist Andreu Llodra used to complement each artist while the liner notes were quite informative (band members and discography).


Bands (Songs)
DM3 (TV Sound) / Juke Savages (Liberty) / The Spliffs (Are You Happy Now) / The Rainyard (Downward Rise) / The Chevelles (My Kind) / Crying Suns (Hands Up High) / The Summer Suns (Girl In A Mexican Restaurant) / Grooveyard (Avalanche Of Love) / The Marigolds (Waiting In Line) / The Terraplanes (TV Set) / The Cracked Jaffers (Light Of Today) / The Genes (Trying To Lose Control) / The Zimmermen (Are You Still Alone) / The Bo-Weevils (Remember) / Jack & The Beanstalk (Some Brighter Day) / The Holy Rollers (Playing Games) / The Screaming Tribesmen (You Better Run) / The Stonemasons (Tell Me) / The Little Murders (She Lets Me Know) / The Believers (Wake Up) / The Cockroaches (Why Oh Why) / Roddy Rayda (Night Stalker) / Chris Klondike Masuak (It's Christmas Time Again) / The Stems (Make You Mine)

RASPBERRIES - DON KIRSCHNER'S ROCK CONCERT (1973)

In the fall of 1972, Kirshner was asked by ABC Television to serve as executive producer and "creative consultant" for their new "In Concert" series which aired every other week in the 11:30 pm slot normally showing the Dick Cavett Show. The following September, Kirshner left "In Concert" to produce and host his own syndicated weekly rock-concert program called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. In 1973 the Raspberries appeared on the show performing 6 songs, the same songs you can hear on the "Berry Berry Good" unofficial release.

Special note: I grabbed the concert on a registered website, i transferred it from vob files to a vcd format. You'll need the 3 parts of the .rar to extract the files.

Video (RS1 + SB2 + SB3)
Go All The Way / Tonight / I Can Remember / Drivin' Around / I'm A Rocker / Last Dance

RASPBERRIES - BERRY BERRY GOOD (2002)

"Berry Berry Good" is an unofficial compilation of some vintage 70's TV shows (Don Kirschner's Rock Concert '73 & '74, and Flipside TV '73) , plus some bonus (a 1998 reunion), performed by the Raspberries. Arond 2003, I got a copy of this unofficial release, then i made a customised artwork to fit with the various shows featured on this unofficial compilation.

Special note: I originally posted this on the former blog i used to contribute with. I only slightly revamped the tray and added an inlay to the original artwork i made back then in 2007. You'll need both parts of the .rar to extract the files.

Songs (RS + SB)
Go All The Way / Tonight / I Can Remember / Drivin' Around / I'm A Rocker / Last Dance / Overnight Sensation / Go All The Way / Let's Pretend_Starting Over / All Through The Night / Play On / Go All The Way / I Wanna Be With You / Let's Pretend / Tonight / It Seemed So Easy / Hard To Get Over A Heartbreak / Play On / I Wanna Be With You_Tonight

CHERRY TWISTER - CHERRY TWISTER (1993)

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Cherry Twister (Steve Ward, Ross Sackler and Michael Giblin) released "At Home With Cherry Twister" in 1999. The album yielded an entry in the Top 200 of many powerpop lists. But a few years before that, actually in 1993, Steve Ward and Ross Sackler, then a duo, recorded and released on their label Planet Earthy their first and eponymous album which attracted them rave reviews. One of the most influential review was written by Jordan Oakes himself in Yellow Pills #6. In 1995, Cherry Twister was featured in the very first and amazing Not Lame compilation "Sympophony #1".

Here's the Joardan Oakes review:
Usually "sweet-pop"- as championed by England's Sarah label - is a culmination of everything that makes that sort of music great: bright, jangly guitars, wispy high harmonies, and just enough atmosphere to avoid going "arty". Often, unfortunately, someone forgets to bring the melodies along. Cherry Twister singlehandedly, however, restores "sweet-pop"'s good name. there are enough hooks for five bands, and the arrangements are breathtaking - imagine a cross between Velvet Crush, early Matthew Sweet, The Korgis and The Turtles. This release is particularly recommended for those who worship The Sneetches' "Sometimes That's All We Have". This is the band that England's Creation label has been searching for all along. Jordan Oakes

Today Steve Ward is recording solo, Ross Sackler is with Peabody and Mike Giblin is playing with Parallax Project

Click here for FLAC

Songs
You'd Rather See Me Lonely / Fond / Rose Garden / Angeline / Catch Me / Mrs Hall / My Love / Neverai / We Float About / This Man / I'd Like To Fall In Love / Sailing

VARIOUS - SGT PEPPER'S AT 40 (2007)

"It was 40 years ago Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band taught the band to play". The masterpiece is performed in its entirity by Cheap Trick with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and talented special guest vocalists who are Aimee Mann, Joan Osborne, Rob Laufer, Ian Ball (Gomez), Al Jourgensen (Ministry) and more...The first part of the show adds some Beatles favorites. The show was recorded on the 11th of August (2007), and it has never been officially released until now.

Special note: I got the lossless files concert on a registered website, i removed all the blah-blah and normalized the output. Original artwork included. The faithful readers will remember that i posted (and then removed) a first (so-so) version of the concert. Now that i've found a better one, here's the Sgt Pepper's celebration again. And special thanx to the guy who originally taped the concert and shared it.

Bands (Songs)
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (Medley) / Cheap Trick (Magical Mystery Tour) / Ian Ball (Strawberry Fields Forever) / Joan Osborne (Lady Madonna) / Joan Osborne (The Long And Winding Road) / Rob Laufer (Norwegian Wood) / Aimee Mann (Blackbird) / The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (Eleanor Rigby) / Al Jourgensen (I Want You (She's So Heavy) / Cheap Trick (Golden Slumbers_Carry That Weight_The End)

Cheap Trick (Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) / Cheap Trick (With A Little Help From My Friends) / Joan Osborne (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds) / Cheap Trick (Getting Better) / Aimee Mann (Fixing A Hole) / Cheap Trick (She's Leaving Home) / Ian Ball (Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite) / Rob Laufer (Within You Without You) / Aimee Mann (Lovely Rita) / Ian Ball (When I'm Sixty Four) / Cheap Trick (Good Morning Good Morning) / Cheap Trick (Sgt Pepper's Reprise) / Cheap Trick (A Day In The Life) / Cheap Trick (Outer Groove) / Cheap Trick & Special Guests (All You Need Is Love)

VARIOUS - THE POCKET SYMPHONIES TO GOD (2008)

Re-upped in two parts CD1 + CD2. Links below

In 1966, Brian Wilson reached his creative peak ("God Only Knows" might be one of the greatest song ever written) with Pet Sounds. "Genius is a word that has been associated with Pet Sounds for so long that is now virtually a cliché. and while its absorption into the mainstream has made it almost impossible to truly describe the revolutionary impact the album had at the time, 40 years on it retains its stardust sparkle, influencing several generations of musicians (from being the prime influence on The Beatles' Sgt Pepper to its echoes on later material and inviting listeners to lose themselves in its songs, mood and very conceptualisation". Mojo 2007

Special note: A mere 12 months after the successful "Meet the Beatlesque", focusing on bands trying hard to be The Beatles, i tried to give a sequel to that previous collection with a "Brian Wilsonesque" homage bringing up front some of the best bands of the last 30 years. My picks are more or less subjective. Some are so obvious that all you have to do is nothing but "Smile" . Of course, a complete and special artwork (a kind of tribute to both "Beach Boys Today" & "Pet Sounds") has been included with this 2cd set (46 1/2 original songs). Another PPC exclusive...Try some buy some...Let's celebrate the summer.

Bands (Songs)

CD1: Lossy ZS (191 mb) or Lossless ZS1 + ZS2 + ZS3 (532 mb)

Champagne (Smile) / Paul Steel (In A Coma) / John Davis (I Hear Your Voice) / Wondermints (Ride) / The Fraternal Order Of It All (Love Tonight) / The High Llamas (Literature Is Fluff) / Splitsville (The Songs Of Douglas B.Wilson) / The Dukes Of Stratosphear (Pale And Precious) / Kelley Stoltz (Ever Thought Of Coming Back) / The Explorers Club (Forever) / The Malibus (After All The Time) / Jeffrey Foskett (Thru My Window) / Frank Ciampi (Anyway) / Pugwash (It’s Nice To Be Nice) / June & The Exit Wounds (How Much I Really Loved You) / The Ruby Suns (Criterion) / Andrew (He Can Fly) / Richard Snow (And Then) / Peter Lacey (Dear Life) / Chris Rainbow (Dear Brian) / Craig Bartock (Things I Know)

CD2: Lossy ZS (180 mb) or Lossless ZS1 + ZS2 + ZS3 (519 mb)
Elliott Kendall (Symphony For A Sunset) / Elliott Kendall (Honda Bike) / The Paley Brothers (You’re The Best) / Dave Edmunds (London’s A Lonely Town) / BMX Bandits (Back In Your Arms) / Jason Byrd (Don’t Mind) / Hal (Softly Spoken) / Cabinessence (A Sound I Hear) / Cosmic Rough Riders (Morning Sun) / Randell Kirsch (My Socks Don’t Stink) / Chewy Marble (Cross-Hatched World) / The Nines (Ghost Town Sunday) / Ken Stringfellow (When U Find Someone) / Fugu (Triple Bass) / The Pearlfishers (Cherry Sky) / Linus Of Hollywood (Heavenly) / The Heavy Blinkers (Smile And Show Your Teeth) / Epicycle (Sunday Girl) / Marty Rudnick (Some Summer) / The Vinyl Kings (Sycamore Bay) / Maple Mars (The Soft Carousel) / The General Store (Nothing Can Come Between Us) / The Squires Of The Subterrain (Blind Date) / Noel Coward’s Ghost (What’s Wrong With Who Cares) / The Barracudas (His Last Summer) / The Scheme (I Don’t Want To Say Goodbye)

YANKEE ROSE - YANKEE ROSE (1980)

"Yankee Rose" was originally released on Goldmine Records in 1980 and has never been reissued on CD. Little is known about the band except the lead singer was Michael Adams. The blog readers who didn't have the opportunity to grab the album while it was posted on PPC around March 2008, as a bonus link with the Ducks Deluxe's Jumpin' 7" EP, can now give a listen to that lost gem, courtesy of a friend of mine.

Here are the special notes included at the time
"A few weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of the elusive Yankee Rose LP, there was no artwork with the copy. I guess you all know i only post albums with artwork, so as i don't have any, i can't go against my own rules. It is the reason why i won't post the Yankee Rose album as a regular one. I have included the link of the rip (320) for the ones who like Ducks Deluxe. Enjoy that piece of obscure powerpop listed as #121 by John Borack in his Ultimate Power Pop Guide."
All credits to the mate who gave us the Yankee Rose album.

THE BLOW POPS - RADIO, LIVE & RARITIES

Charms Blow Pops are hard candy lollipops filled with bubble gum. They were originally produced by The Charms Company, which was acquired by Tootsie Roll Industries in 1988. Hence the title of the first Blow Pops album "Charmed, I'm Sure". Here are some Blow Pops' rarities given to me a few years ago by some old mate from North Carolina. A mix of radio and live performances plus some bands related to the Blow Pops. Noteworthy is the cover of the Shoes' "Tomorrow Night". (Jeff Murphy produced "American Beauties".)

Vol 1 (RS1 + RS2)
Intro / Cleveland / Not So (1) /You Can't Do That (1) / Silly Flower /Stop / Everyday Clyde (1) / She Don't Need Me Now / That's The Way A Woman Is (1) / Stiff Pricilla / Rip Van Winkle / All Night Long / Interview / Intro / The One Thing / See Me Now / My Carrie / Story Book / Not So (2) / Everyday Clyde (2) / Leave My Kitten Alone

Vol 2
Fire Brigade / That's The Way A Woman Is (2) / Tomorrow Night / Wasted / You Can't Do That (2) / Not So (3) / Stop (2) / Bullseye / Twist Me Naked / My Eye / My Spelling / Sun / The Dancer, The Singer & Me / Emily (Root Cellar) / Misfits (Root Cellar) / Rewind (Wobble Test)

Vol 3
Rip Van Winkle (Simpleton) / Color Me In Blue (Simpleton) / Please Say You Love Me (Simpleton) / Dream (Simpleton) / Bullseye (Maki) / Come & See Me (????) / Next To You (Ward & His Troubles) / Mine (Ward & His Troubles) / Alone Again Naturally (Ward) / Bigger Than Me (Ward) / Cathy's Choice (The Squares) / Lucky Again (The Squares) / Souvenir (The Squares) / Most Of All (The Wooldridge Bros) / Star Of Desire (The Wooldridge Bros) / And She Knows (The Carolinas) / Oh Louise (Liquid Pink)

Special Feature

The following albums were originally sent by Bedazzler (a blog reader) at the time of the post. As the links are now down, i have reuploaded the Maki, Soda and Wobble Test stuff. All rips were in mp3 (128).

Maki
Soda
Wobble Test

THE BLOW POPS - AMERICAN BEAUTIES (1994)

Milwaukee quartet the Blow Pops were one of the great indie power pop bands of the early '90s, but they broke up after only two albums, too soon to really benefit from the Internet-spawned growth of the underground power pop scene that started around 1995. Although they can be difficult to locate due to their limited distribution, the Blow Pops' two albums are revered by many fans of the style.

The Blow Pops formed in late 1989 when singer/guitarist Mike Jarvis (once in the Chicago pop-punk band Green) and guitarist Tim Buckley (formerly of local legends Wobble Test, and not the late folk-jazz singer) joined with bassist John Daniels and drummer Nick Randazzo, and released their first single, "Stop!" backed with "I Know Nancy," the following year. Daniels was replaced in 1991 by Jack Rice, formerly of the excellently named the Mighty Deer Lick. The quartet's first album, "Charmed I'm Sure", came out on the Pittsburgh garage rock indie Get Hip in 1992. Following another single, 1993's "My Carrie" backed with "Bleary Eyes" (both tracks showed up on the CD version of American Beauties), the Blow Pops recorded their second band final album, 1994's "American Beauties". Produced by Jeff Murphy of Shoes, "American Beauties" is a little crunchier than the harmony-heavy, lightly psychedelic debut.

The Blow Pops broke up in early 1995. Jarvis, Randazzo, and Rice went on to form the Lackloves, a superb power pop band that fulfills much of the Blow Pops' promise. Buckley moved to Richmond, VA, and followed a surprisingly different musical path, forming the neo psychedelic Maki. Jack Rice is now with The Carolinas.

Special note: Both albums are now out of print and not too easy to find. If you're lucky enough to find some copies, grab them as soon as possible. Try ebay, amazon or the bargain bins of your local record store.

Songs
Storybook / 7 Days With You / She Don't Need Me Now / Cleveland / I'm Seeing Love / Without Reason / Take the World / All Night Long / Halloween / Here Goes My Heart / Love to Tell / She's a Runner / Everyday Clyde / More and More / My Carrie / Bleary Eyes

TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES - WITHOUT THE BEATLES (1996)

Released in 1996 by Joachim A. Reinbold for JARMUSIC, this project was planned some time before the great new Beatles (Anthology) boom. Along with the regular CD edition, the album was also released as a limited edition LP coupled with a 7" bonus (5 songs not available on the cd edition). More differences between both editions can be heard on some songs ("Baby You're a Rich Man" and "Helter Skelter") which were edited for the cd release. A 20-page booklet was inserted with the LP + 2 postcards. Details of the booklet and info about the bands featured on the tribute can be found on the R. Stevie Moore website. The Colin's Hermits (aka XTC) song first appeared on this tribute.

Joachim A. Reinbold wrote: "It's certainly nothing exciting to hear the 93rd version of "yesterday" or "with a little help from my friends" by famous superstars with no own ideas. Yet this compilation is something special, and i really like to thank all of you for your contributions i was happy to find in the mail during the past 12 months! I really hope that plenty of listeners out there will enjoy these fab four jewels presented in a fascinating variety of interpretations."

Peter Rosendale did the wonderful "Satanic Majesty" painting, Harald Fischer and Mick Dillingham are responsible for the drawings used in the booklet, the collage for this was put together by Joachim.

Special note: Please read carefully this about the Four Stiltons track if you hear some surface noise
Recorded ca. 1954, original 7" dusted by Terence a. Burrows (aka the great Yukio Yung)
"Oh Darlin'" was recorded on a ap-308764yy manufactured by the akron petrochemicals. This was pretty much a microphone attached to a colchester bantam lathe. The ap-308764yy was first built in 1946, and was commonly found in american fairgrounds throughout the 1950s. Elvis used a similar model (the ap-30892zz) to make his first recording - a gift for his mother. The acetate of "Oh Darlin'" was doctored using the sonic solutions processing system.

Bands (Songs)
Yukio Yung (Free as a Bird) / R. Stevie Moore (Getting Better) / Gonzo Salvage Company (Can't Buy Me Love) / Colin's Hermits (I Am the Walrus) / John A. Roberts (Dear Prudence) / The Creams (Yesterday) / Martin Newell (Baby You're a Rich Man) / The Out-of-Towners (Think for Yourself) / Bevis Frond (You Never Give Me Your Money) / Paul Bevoir (Eleanor Rigby) / Matmosphere (Yer Blues) / Todd Dillingham (Helter Skelter)

Bonus Tracks (7" ep)
Alan Jenkins (Yellow Submarine) / R. Stevie Moore (And Your Bird Can Sing) / The Four Stiltons (Oh Darlin') / The Cleaners From Venus (Day Tripper) / Wicz (There's A Place)

TRIBUTE TO THE FAB FOUR - RUBBER SOUL (2008)

1965 saw the release of Rubber Soul, it was a major leap forward as much musically (folk, sitar, fuzz) as artistically with a seminal artwork that would influence quite a lot of bands of the era. The title is a wordplay on "Plastic Soul". It was the expression that black musicians were using to describe The Rolling Stones. Here is at last the 6th part of the Fab Four Experience revisited. A brand new PPC exclusive.

Bands
The Punkles / The Nits / The Beats / Nick Heyward / Yonder Mountain String Band / Mindy Smith / David & Jonathan / Sufjan Stevens / The Truth / The Posies / Roddy Frame / Ben Kweller / Roger McGuinn / The Transatlantics

GREGG SWANN - YES, MAYBE / BLUE IN THE FACE (1995)

Hailing from New-York, Gregg Swann self-released this double CD in 1995. Actually "Yes, Maybe" was a single EP released earlier in 1993. It was included with "Blue In The Face" a couple of years later as a bonus. This album led Gregg Swann to record a full length album "Fever Dream" for the spanish label Bam Balam. After a second album "Dizzy at The Door", released in 1999, Gregg Swann experienced a long hiatus which led him to release in 2006 the amazing "Everybody's got To Be Somewhere". If you've never heard of Gregg Swann and if you dig Paul Westerberg, the dB's, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and melodic power pop, please listen to this so well crafted power pop. Visit the Gregg Swann official website. "Everybody's got To Be Somewhere" can be purchased from CD Baby.

Lossless: ZS1 + ZS2 (331 mb)  

Yes, Maybe (1993)
Bored To Tears / Crazy Thing / Nothing's Free / Holiday / Rose Coloured Glasses / On The Outside

Blue In The Face (1995)
More Than Ever / Get Away From It All / OK Sara Sara / 17 / Talk About It / Some One Thing / Never Alone / Say Please

SNEAKERS - IN THE RED (1978)

The 12-inch "In the Red", made after Stamey's move to New York, is an extended family reunion in which Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter combine their Angloid pop/rock with brooding quasi-baroque clavinet, the saunter of a Parisian boulevardier, even some avant-gardish desperation, all with an air of sophistication received in innocence. Besides a cover of Bo Diddley's "Roadrunner", the record features five songs penned individually by Stamey ("The Perfect Stranger", "What I Dig") and Easter ("Decline and Fall", "Quelle Folie") and a brief noir instrumental. The same songs + the first 7" EP + nine other songs have been remastered and appear on the 2007 Sneakers compilation "Nonsequitur For Silence" available either from the official dB's website, from Not Lame or from any store online. The Sneakers recordings were also reissued around 1994 by the ESD label ("Racket" is now out of print). Trouser Press

Songs
Decline And Fall / A Special Treat / Mark Peril theme / The Perfect Stranger / Roadrunner / What I Dig / Pio Pio Pio / Quelle Folie / Be My Ambulance

THE WINDBREAKERS - RUN (1986)

The engaging "Run" is another collaboration with Mitch Easter, who had by then become a virtual (non-writing) band member, and longtime associate Randy Everett. A bit less quirky than prior releases, the electrically energized pop could have been mixed more evenly, but that's not a major distraction. Although the coolest song concept is Lee's anxiety-ridden "Braver on the Telephone," Sutliff's "Visa Cards and Antique Mirrors" runs a close second. Never reissued on CD, four songs of the album were remastered and are featured on the Windbreakers' Anthology (Time Machine 1982-2002). Trouser Press

Songs
I Don't Wanna Know / This Time--She Said / Visa Cards and Antique Mirrors / Run / You Don't Know / Ghost Town / I'll Be Back / Voices in My Head / Braver on the Telephone / Don't Say No / Nation of Two

THE RECORDS - A SUNNY AFTERNOON IN WATERLOO (1988)

The late '80s saw a sudden resurgence of Records records. So, in 1988 "A Sunny Afternoon in Waterloo" — the fruits of a one-day '78 songwriting demo session — finds the Records playing simple, hard-driving Rockpilish rock'n'roll, reportedly in the hopes of selling some songs Birch had written with Dr. Feelgood, then enjoying large UK success, in mind. Although the effort was commercially unsuccessful, the loss was all Dr. F's, as the music is brilliant, a taut mixture of strong melodies and amusing lyrics about loving, drinking and driving. Trouser Press

Songs
Night Driving / Lovin' In The Back Row / Level In The Bottle / You Changed The Lock / In The Eyes Of A Blindman / Third Degree Burns / 36-24-36 / Living Out Of A Suitcase