Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies

Comprehensive 3CD overview of the American power pop scene’s evolution throughout the 70s. Featuring the genre’s major bands, cult names, hits, rarities and several previously unissued tracks.

Although the power pop genre wasn’t named and codified until late 1977, the sound and spirit had been slowly gathering steam throughout the decade. Surrounded by heavy metal andintroverted singer/songwriters, the likes of The Raspberries, Big Star, Blue Ash and The Wackers spearheaded an early 70s return to the spiky, three-minute pop urgency of the mid-60s British Invasion bands.

While only The Raspberries charted, such bands established a musical template that was adopted by a new raft of slightly younger acts including the Dwight Twilley Band, The Rubinoos and Shoes. The tide had turned by the late 70s, with such names as Cheap Trick and The Cars achieving success as the American music industry embraced power pop as a radio-friendly alternative to punk.

When The Knack emerged from nowhere to dominate the summer of 1979 with the single ‘My Sharona’ and the album ‘Get The Knack’, it was clear that the decade was ending with power pop established as a significant commercial proposition.

A chronologically-arranged set, ‘Looking For The Magic’ traces power pop’s development throughout the Seventies as largely unsuccessful bands were afforded cult status by the burgeoning grass-roots fanzine network that nurtured them.

As well as featuring all of the aforementioned acts, we include the likes of Todd Rundgren, Flamin’ Groovies, Sparks, Ramones and the USA-based 1979 revamp of Badfinger, one of the seminal prototypal power pop bands at the start of the decade. We also focus on a hugenumber of cult names and little-known acts, showcasing many tracks that were unissued at the time and even several cuts now gaining a first-ever release.

Housed in a clamshell box that includes a heavily annotated and illustrated 48-page booklet, Looking For The Magic is a fascinating, highly entertaining celebration of a genre that went under the radar for most of its formative years.

DISC ONE

1 SHAKIN’ STREET – MC5

2 GO BACK – Crabby Appleton

3 EGG CARTON WALL – The American Dream

4 WE GOTTA GET YOU A WOMAN – Todd Rundgren

5 MOON TEARS – Grin

6 DOWN ON MY KNEES – Bread

7 YOU TORE MY DOWN – Flamin’ Groovies

8 TO BE YOUR FRIEND – Sid Bradley (Erik)

9 WHEN MY BABY’S BESIDE ME (alternative mix) – Big Star

10 TOP OF THE CITY – Stories

11 IT’S MY LIFE – The Wackers

12 I LIKE GIRLS (Bearsville version) – Sparks

13 ABRACADABRA (HAVE YOU SEEN HER?) – Blue Ash

14 MUST BE LOVE – Bang

15 FRIDAY ON MY MIND – Earth Quake

16 PLAY ON – The Raspberries

17 I DON’T MIND – Athanor

18 SOME KIND OF JERK* – Fox Pass

19 AHEAD OF MY TIME – The Droogs

20 I DON’T WANT TO KNOW – Nils Lofgren

21 LITTLE LOST AND INNOCENT – Milk ‘n’ Cookies

22 ROCK AND ROLL LOVE LETTER – Tim Moore

23 GOVERNMENT CENTER – Jonathan Richman

24 SHE MIGHT LOOK MY WAY (take 2) – Alex Chilton

25 FAMILIAR FACES – Target

26 LAST NIGHT – Eric Carmen

DISC TWO

1 AMERICAN NIGHTS – The Runaways

2 (DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER (single edit) – Blue Öyster Cult

3 DOWNTOWN MENAGERIE – Hollins Ferry

4 ALL IN ALL* – Just Boys

5 WHEN YOU FIND OUT – The Nerves

6 IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME – The Babys

7 LONELY BOY – Andrew Gold

8 TO STAY – John Scoggins

9 SEE NO EVIL – Television

10 I TRUST YOU* – The Meyce

11 OH, CANDY (single mix) – Cheap Trick

12 RIDIN’ IN MY CAR – NRBQ

13 BOYS DON’T LIE – Shoes

14 SHE SAY YEA – The Scruffs

15 SHE’S THE ONE – The Marshalls

16 LOVE IN ACTION – Utopia

17 ALRIGHT YOU BOYS – Venus and The Razorblades

18 LOOKING FOR THE MAGIC – Dwight Twilley Band

19 ECSTASY – Paley Brothers

20 FORGIVE AND FORGET – Marbles

21 ALL FOR THE LOVE OF ROCK AND ROLL – Tuff Darts

22 YOU, YEAH YOU – The Quick

23 NEW YEAR’S EVE – Van Duren

24 MIND OF MY OWN – The Leopards

25 WALK IN THE RAIN – The Pop

26 DECLINE AND FALL – Sneakers

DISC THREE

1 MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL – The Cars

2 LOSING YOU TO SLEEP – Tommy Hoehn

3 THE FIRST ONE – Gary Valentine

4 LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND – The Moberlys

5 I WANNA BE SEDATED – Ramones

6 LET HER DANCE – Spitballs

7 YOU JUST DON’T WANNA KNOW – Jules and The Polar Bears

8 GOTTA HAVE POP – Segarini

9 SAY GIRL – Robert Johnson

10 COME BACK – Fotomaker

11 DON’T LISTEN TO THEM – Bill Kern

12 LOVE IS GONNA COME AT LAST – Badfinger

13 DRIVIN’ MUSIC – Rubinoos

14 RENDEZVOUS – The Greg Kihn Band

15 YOUR NUMBER OR YOUR NAME – The Knack

16 POLY VINYL – The Mumbles

17 ROLENE – Moon Martin

18 GET ‘IM OUTA TOWN – The Laughing Dogs

19 SHE DON’T KNOW WHY I’M HERE (album version) – The Last

20 SLIP AWAY – Ian Lloyd

21 SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER – Richard Lloyd

22 NO MORE HEARTBREAKS* – The Names

23 SHE SAID – Cheese

24 CHERI – 20/20

*previously unreleased