So what did you think? Did I miss anything this time around? Comment down below! POWER POP SPOTIFY PLAYLIST is available free via my patreon: patreon.com/trashtheory Also Official Trash Theory playlist - Spotify: tinyurl.com/yxp32pjf Deezer: tinyurl.com/y2mdp8h2

Children by the million, scream for Alex Chilton, when he comes round

im so glad that badfinger is finally started to get the recognition that they deserve

When I was in high school I saw Big Star open up for Badfinger at the Performance Center, in Cambridge, MA. We thought that we were going to see the Beatles. We didn't even have tickets. I lied and said that we were in a car accident and were lucky to be there. We were put at the front of the stage. A member of Badfinger hit on me. Taking that to my grave.

80's/90's Power Pop mentions continued...Wonder Stuff, Wire Train, The Bongos, Hoodoo Gurus, The Pursuit of Happiness, Let's Active, Guadalcanal Diary, Game Theory, Mighty Lemon Drops, Material Issue, Jellyfish, The Connells, Goo Goo Dolls (early stuff), Ocean Blue, Sugar, Gin Blossoms, Lemonheads, Juliana Hatfield, Soul Asylum, The Sundays and shout outs to classics by XTC, Modern English, The Church, Squeeze, Split Enz/Crowded House.

Without any doubt this is one of the best channels about music on KZfaq. The amount of bands, singles and data that I discovered in the 52 minutes of video, is impressive. Keep it up, Thrash.

The Marshall Crenshaw reference is commendable. He is one of the of the most underrated performer/songwriters ever. “Some Hearts” made famous by country singer Carrie Underwood is a masterpiece of country power pop. You could argue Buddy Holly was an influence on power pop as well.

I think the Vapours' "Turning Japanese" would have been worth a mention and I know you just name-checked a couple of later 1980's acts in the post-Knack era, but I was mid-teens in the mid-80's and Tracey Tracey of The Primitives and Wendy James of Transvision Vamp were 100% Power Pop princesses and influenced more than just my music taste.

Big Star is my favorite band of all time

I’d add “What Do All The People Know” by the Monroes, Phil Seymour’s “Precious To Me” , and “Driver’s Seat” by Sniff N the Tears as three great power pop songs that all ended up being mid-to-minor Top 50 hits in the US

I enjoyed this but was a bit mystified as to why you said “Fox on the Run” was Sweet’s last hit. You’ve conveniently ignored “Love is Like Oxygen” from four years later. The radio edit was a HUGE hit.

Anyone else get a kick out of the phrase he used describing bubblegum pop as "teeth-meltingly commercial"? LOL That was really funny to me.

Let’s give a nod to the the great, Chicago-based power pop trio Material Issue! Who could forget tunes like Diane, Valerie Loves Me, Renee Remains the Same, Very First Lie, This Letter (Chilton nod there!)…and the utterly beautiful simplicity of “Everything”…the closest thing we’ve heard to “Thirteen”. RIP Jim Ellison…what may have been. You left us far too soon 😢

50 minute trash theory video? yes please

"I loved you, well, never mind." Gets me every time. The only band you may have missed is The Beckies. They released only one album, in 1976, and were the brainchild of Micheal Brown (of the Left Banke.) One of the greatest power pop albums nobody got to hear.

And that Rundgren’s Prog group Utopia eventually pared down to a four-piece pop band, even doing a whole LP of Beatles pastiches, 1980’s “Deface the Music”.

Jason Falkner is my top Power Pop guy these days and has been since 1993 when he was in Jellyfish then The Grays. But, his solo records are to die for. Especially his first 2... "Author Unknown" and "Can I Still Feel". They are must haves if you're a fan of Power Pop.

Much respect for the Muffs reference at the end!

I was hoping to see some mention of Jellyfish, who made two of the best power pop albums, at least of their era. Co-composer Roger Manning Jr. is songwriting in the genre now as a member of The Lickerish Quartet.

When the Beatles hit the scene, their interpretation of American rock n roll was so up beat with a vibe that was infectious. The harmonies were so fresh, and they had a look all their own. I was mesmerized by them at 6 yrs old. and have been a fan ever since. They were the musical blueprint that my generation followed.

Don't forget LA's Paisley Underground scene from the 80's-The Pandoras,The Bangles,The Rain Parade,The Three O' Clock turned into the 90's LA Power Pop scene-Baby Lemonade,The Wondermints,The Jupiter Affect,Velouria....although the Rasberries & Big Star were the John the Baptist & Jesus Christ of 70's power pop:)

The Records were criminally overlooked. "Up All Night" from the same album as "Starry Eyes" was hook-heavy and had vocals that were Beach-Boys-level. That first album is a MUST for any power-pop fan. Would have loved to hear some Matthew Sweet and Smithereens.

Wow, this video was worth watching, if only to discover Alex Chilton's cover of Sugar Sugar. How have I never heard it. Amazing as usual man.

Some great memories, thanks. I was ten years old in '77 when my mom bought me Costello's "My Aim is True." Then it was "Parallel Lines" by Blondie a year later. Looking back, my mom had pretty good taste and introduced me to some cool music and fashion. She just looks at me funny when I remind her of that.

As you mentioned, The Romantics' "What I like about you" did not do well in the USA but was a Top 10 hit in Europe

A suprising amount of the songs in this video were in Ultimate Band for the Wii.

20/20, especially their first two full lengths…and The Beat (Paul Collins’ Beat, after The Nerves) whose first album is fantastic power pop from start to finish…

Ah, hell yeah. Nice shout out to Blondie's "Dreaming". One of my favorite songs of all time.

Important to note it's that a"Last Train to Clarksville" is actually one of the most subversive pop songs ever written. The narrator is shipping off to marine bootcamp fire Vietnam.

"Do What You Wanna Do" by Eddie & The Hotrods in 1977 is a lesser-known power pop gem!

Enjoyed as always. Spent the entire video waiting for Teenage Fanclub. You did not let me down.

Nicely done! The only small omission is the dBs who were like the missing link between Big Star and 80s US power pop. The song Black and White is particularly brilliant.

the late 70s power pop scene was so perfect

Raspberries : Great group!

This covered a lot and it was well worth the hour. I'd probably have found a way to throw in The Nighcrawlers' original version of "Little Black Egg" and The La's original version of "There She Goes", but it's a big subject. Then there were the stealth power-pop records hiding under other Genres, like Van Halan's "Dance the nigh away." and Bruce Springsteen's allegedly partly-Raspberries-inspired "Born to Run", to Boston's "More Than a Feeling". One could easily get another hour-long video on this stuff.

Boston's "The Real Kids" deserved recognition in your compilation. Songs like "Better Be Good", "My Baby's Book", "Common at Noon" and "Everybody's Girl" express devotion, heartbreak and loneliness mixed with a grittiness that transcended the traditional power pop formula.

I love power pop and I would actually say the first power pop came even before The Beatles, with Del Shannon and songs like "Runaway" and "Hats Off to Larry" in 1961. It's got the drive, the emotion, and the hooks all of which would become power pop.

Joe Jackson’s early albums, Look Sharp, I’m The Man and even Body and Soul to an extent are Power Pop classics in my mind. Look Sharp is what got me listening to post Beatles power pop. Great video.

Glad to see you include Matthew Sweet before the end. My teen years were in the late eighties to mid nineties and his music led me to Alex Chilton and Eric Carmen, which bridged the gap between my father's music collection (Beach Boys, Beatles, Byrd's, etc ) and my own.

Nick Lowe is a pop MASTER!

Really nice encapsulation of my favorite genre! I really like the esoteric stuff as well. I think the only missing thing here would be the UK's XTC. A few others do spring to mind: The Darling Buds, Elastica, Guided by Voices, The Jam, Letters to Cleo, Martin Briley (a one hit wonder...but what a wonder!), Old 97's (alt country, more likely), Pavement (power and pop...yet it's still a stretch, I admit), Pixies (maybe?), Possum Dixon, The La's, The Rave-Ups, The Saints (although probably too much power), Sloan (go Canada!), The Smiths (but probably a stretch), Squeeze, Superdrag, Thowing Muses, Tragically Hip (for sure it has the jangle - perhaps a bit Baroque), The Undertones and probably others that I missed! But good on you for the video!!!

Kirsty MacColl in the early 80s - 'A New England' and 'He's on the Beach'. Tons of harmony, lots of guts.

The Producers out of Atlanta had some MTV exposure in 1981-82 but couldn't attain success... they were and still are a very tight, good band! "What's He Got", "She Sheila". "What She Does to Me" all great power pop tunes.

Never heard of it before but after listening to I am the Cosmos on repeat for the last 2 hours all I can say is thank you with all my heart and I am The Wind

You mention SHOES... amazing! Tomorrow Night, Turnaround, Love Is Like a Bullet, Pieces of Glass, Too Late... so many fantastic songs. I feel like they are my secret. Most no one has ever heard of them or knows their songs. Nice work noting them here! If power pop is your thing, search them out! SHOES Best was my introduction decades ago, however their 35 Years: The Definitive Shoes Collection may be easier to find & stream today. One listen is all it'll take. Brilliant

Don’t forget: The Searchers we’re the first major band to cover Big Star, doing “September Gurls” on 1980’s “Love’s Melodies”.

The Jam coulda been mentioned. They were super powerful and they were super poppy. The Buzzcocks to me always fit more into punk, but I can’t deny they fit into power pop as well. I never thought of them that way before, I guess I do now.

Great Video. But you missed The Greg Kihn Band, Redd Kross, The Clean, The Embarrassment and Split Enz. The Clean are from New Zealand and did not have records out until the 80's so they may not strictly count. Same thing with The Embarrassment who were from Wichita, Kansas. However, The Greg Kihn Band and Redd Kross were playing to large audiences in Los Angeles and Greg Kihn has songs you will recognize. The Split Enz were also from New Zealand but, unlike The Clean, had a couple hit songs in America circa 1980.

Funny that Alex Chilton became a confidant to Ray Davies when both lived in New Orleans in the early 2000s. Both quite possibly are the professor and pupil of power pop. Move a bit further down the road and you arrive at Westerberg and Replacements who were not only influenced by Alex and Big Star but who had production/performance credits on Tim as well. the whole thing comes full circle and the degree of separation is nearly non existent.

I agree that "And Your Bird Can Sing" (along with "Substitute" by the Who), are the birth of all power pop.

On the Power Pop theme, would love a deep dive on Material Issue

As a big fan of both Power Pop and Your channel, this is the best video I could have ever asked for. Thank You so much. I'd love to watch a follow up. There have been so many great Power Pop bands through the eighties until now.

As a power pop fan, I learned everything from magazines and power pop compilations in the pre streaming era. It's fabulous getting the long form documentary the genre needed, well done!

Big Star 🌟 & The Dwight Twilley Band set the table for Cheap Trick & Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Both The Plimsouls & 20/20 should have been huge. I Am The Cosmos ✌️

Truly appreciate this, just a couple of thoughts: George was given his 12-string Ric in '64, before Rubber Soul; AND was THE reason why McGuinn got his - he had seen George playing it in the Hard Day's Night film. Also, aren't those Epiphone Casinos playing on And Your Bird Can Sing? All the best from Tampa...

Do a whole video about Todd rundgren!

The Flamin Groovies' songs ''You Tore Me Down'' and ''I'll Cry Alone'' are some of my favorite songs.

Another amazing video, Can you maybe do a video on Dinosaur Jr.? Dinosaur Jr are influential to the alt rock take over of the 90's rock scene and J mascis is a guitar GOD and They are just a amazing live band. If you Read this and think About it, Thank you.

Loved this from start to finish. My only nitpick is the pretty clear oversight in implying that the Byrds inspired Harrison to pick up the Rickenbacker 12-string, whereas it was in fact his use of it on A Hard Day's Night that inspired the Byrds' to make it the cornerstone of their "what if the Beatles played Dylan?" sound. What I love about this is the reciprocal influence where the Byrds in turn inspired Harrison, whose "If I Needed Someone" is two Byrds songs ("the Bells of Rhymney" and "She Don't Care About Time," for the curious) shmushed together.

This is by far my favorite KZfaq series. Not only do I never miss an entry, but I watch them within hours of upload. Thank you for turning me onto so much fabulous music in myriad genres.

'Needles and Pins' was a cover. That Cyrus Erie single is a classic!

Great video (natch) but it reminds me yet again of the incredibly short life of The Beatles. 6 years from first hit to break up. What a 6 years! It defines lightning in a bottle.

From the 90's The Lemonheads should have been mentioned as well as Superdrag and Nada Surf some Yo La Tengo stuff and also some bands from Flying Nun but it was a very interesting documentary as usual. Maybe you should develop on the aftermath of My Sharona's success. From 1979 to today.

Although they went on to be a proto-swamp/grunge band, Australian band Scientists early stuff was very power pop influenced, specifically the awesome single "Last Night". There's some punk influence too, but the sweet melody is there in spades.

This is an excellent dissertation on power pop. Thanks for mentioning Todd Rundgren and Nick Lowe, both incredibly influential and wholly underrated.

The pronouncation of Budokan was the sickest yet

Great video! power pop is one of my favourite genres, it's an exciting time to be a fan again, there's a crop of new youngish bands all around the world again, like The Whiffs from Kansas City, The Reflectors from LA, my band The Speedways from London, Alvilda from Paris, Music City / the number ones from Dublin, Baby Shakes from NYC, Radio Days from Italy, Cyanide Pills from Leeds, R E Seraphin from Oakland, and Pale Lips from Montreal. all currently going and playing power pop and all are doing something different in the genre. definitely worth checking out. oh any anyone in London/or europe really... should check out Some Weird Sin club's "PUMP IT UP" Powerpop weekender coming up the first weekend in July at the lexington in Angel

its shit like this where i wish there was a like+ or something like it... but im sure it would be wasted on fortnight videos or some shit. but you're one of the best channels on this hell hole of a website, keep it up my man!

Some old loves, and lots of new names to check out, informative as always. That is what I love about creators like yourself, you highlight the things I missed because I was either the wrong side of the pond, or they didn't make the radio at the time.

Utterly fantastic! You have just summarised the soundtrack to my very early years as a music fan - Summer Holiday, Sugar Sugar etc via The Sweet & Alvin Stardust, through The Bangles and way beyond. Had a few tangents and dead ends along the way, but guitar-driven songs with sharp stories and insightful lyrics are still my go-to listening pleasure. Great to be so skillfully reminded how it started for me. Thanks.

This is a fantastic breakdown ov late 60's and 70s music evolution. Well done!

Another fine video TT. Wouldn't mind a sequel to this video that then goes more in-depth with the 90s Power Pop revival and the other different influences besides the ones exposed here that defined groups such as Weezer, Teenage Fanclub, Jellyfish, etc.

Brilliant full-length video. I always enjoy your summaries, learning the histories of my favourite bands and genres from this channel. Well done, sir. 👏

WHAT?! Did anyone else who grew up in the 80s just find out that "I think I love you" and "I think we're alone now" were covers???

You forgot to mention The Jags' Back of My Hand (I've Got Your Number)!

I’ve spent years trying to condense my love for certain notably short songs and to explain why I loved them! You’ve come along and done it in less than 60 minutes, and given them respect! Thanks!

There are so many great songs and bands mentioned I thought I'd put them together. And so I did. This are all songs mentioned in the video in alphabetical order: 1910 Gumfruit Company - Goody Goody Gumdrops Alex Chilton - Sugar, Sugar/I Got The Feelin’ Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend Badfinger - Baby Blue Badfinger - Come And Get It Badfinger - No Matter What Big Star - In The Street Big Star - September Gurls Big Star - Thirteen blink-182 - Another Girl, Another Planet Blondie - A Girl Should Know Better Blondie - Denis Blondie - Dreaming Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone Blondie - Heart Of Glass Bram Tchiakovsky - Girl Of My Dreams Brinsley Schwarz - (What’s So Funny Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? Brinsley Schwarz - Surrender To The Rhythm Buddy Holly - That’ll Be The Day Buzzcocks - What Do I Get Charly Bliss - Black Hole Cheap Trick - Come On, Come On Cheap Trick - He’s A Whore Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me Cheap Trick - Surrender Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos Chuck Berry - You Can’t Catch Me Cyrus Erie - Get The Message David Bowie - The Jean Genie Dwight Twilley Band - I’m On Fire Dwight Twilley Band - Trying To Find My Baby Eddie & The Hotrods - Do Anything You Wanna Do Elvis Costello - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (What’s So Funny Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Pump It Up Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Watching The Detectives Eric Carmen - All By Myself Flamin’ Groovies - Shake Some Action Flamin’ Groovies - Slow Death Fountains Of Wayne - Radiation Vibe Fountains Of Wayne - Stacy’s Mom Hüsker Dü - Don’t Want To Know If You’re Lonely Kursall Flyers - Little Does She Know Led Zeppelin - Rock’n’Roll Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever You’re On My Mind Martha & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend Nazz - Open My Eyes Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind Nick Lowe - Heart Of The City Nick Lowe - So It Goes Nick Lowe - So It Goes Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy Paul Collins’ Beat - Rock’n’Roll Girl Pretenders - Kid Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys Primal Scream - Gentle Tuesday R.E.M. - Pretty Persuasion Randy & The Rainbows - Denise Raspberries - Go All The Way Raspberries - Let’s Pretend Raspberries - Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) Rick Springfield - Jessie’s Girl Shoes - Boys Don’t Lie Shoes - Tomorrow Night Shoes - Too Late Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now Sløtface - Bad Party Superchunk - Hyper Enough Sweet - Block Buster! Sweet - Fox On The Run Teenage Fanclub - The Concept The Archies - Sugar, Sugar The Bangles - Magic Monday The Bangles - September Gurls The Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby The Bay City Rollers - Rock’n’Roll Love Letter The Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night The Beach Boys - California Girls The Beach Boys - Wouldn’t It Be Nice The Beatles - A Day In The Life The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing The Beatles - Daytripper The Beatles - Don’t Let Me Down The Beatles - Help The Beatles - Hey Bulldog The Beatles - I Am The Walrus The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand The Beatles - If I Needed Someone The Beatles - Paperback Writer The Beatles - Please Please Me The Beatles - Rain The Beatles - She Loves You The Box Tops - The Letter The Byrds - I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better The Cars - Good Times Roll The Cars - Just What I Needed The Cars - My Best Friend’s Girl The Choir - It’s Cold Outside The Damned - New Rose The Dave Clark Five - Any Way You Want It The Dave Clark Five - Any Way You Want It The Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over The Doors - Light My Fire The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind The Go Go’s - Vacation The Hollies - Look Through Any Window The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon The Kinks - Till The End Of The Day The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You The Kinks - You Really Got Me The Knack - Baby Talk Dirty The Knack - Good Girls Don’t The Knack - My Sharona The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears The Monkees - Last Train To Clarksville The Motors - Dancing The Night Away The Muffs - Sad Tomorrow The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone The New Pornographers - Letter From An Occupant The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet The Partridge Family - I Think I Love You The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away The Posies - Dream All Day The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop The Ramones - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker The Records - Starry Eyes The Rembrandts - I’ll Be There For You The Replacements - Alex Chilton The Replacements - I’ll Be You The Replacements - Merry Go Round The Rezillos - Top Of The Pops The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black The Rolling Stones - Tumbling Dice The Romantics - What I Like About You The Ronettes - Be My Baby The Rubinoos - I Think We’re Alone Now The Rubinoos - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend The Rubinoos - Peek-A-Boo The Rubinoos - Please Please Me The Searchers - Needles And Pins The Shangri Las - Give Him A Great Big Kiss The Shivvers - Teenline The Smithereens - Blood And Roses The Travelling Wilburys - End Of The Line The Who - I Can’t Explain The Who - My Generation The Who - Pictures Of Lily The Who - So Sad About Us The Who - Substitute The Who - The Kids Are Alright Tiffany - I Think We’re Alone Now Todd Rundgren - Couldn’t I Just Tell You Todd Rundgren - Hello It’s Me Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Listen To Her Heart Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We’re Alone Now Utopia - Love In Action Weezer - Buddy Holly

So - you've done it again. Your output is so consistently good; thanks for bringing light to all the countless wonderful bands and artists and reminding me to sit down with a couple of great tunes for a bit. And there's one thing I'll keep suggesting to the channel: get the musicians to talk to you - seriously, you treat their work with respect and grace, they will come

How I love Big Star’s first two albums. True masterpieces.

"Cruel to be kind" by Nick Lowe is genius.

I love how you just snuck in Charly Bliss at the end, there. Very underrated band.

I've seen it mentioned numerous times but if you're going to discuss power pop, you HAVE to discuss Jellyfish. I'll never understand why this band has always been universally ignored in any discussion on this topic when they bloody epitomized it from 1989-1993. The Manning/Sturmer songwriting and harmonies were second to none.

Pleeease do a video on the Madchester and Baggy scene!

I can’t thank you enough for these amazing docs you create.

Paperback writer is “the” power pop blueprint; what a perfect track. Power pop was such a rad genre though coinciding with punk, just innocence of the still rebellious sort with blistering guitar work at times. “I’ll be waiting” by Robert Johnson, the demo specifically, has one of the most blistering guitar tracks ever laid down. Great musicians, big star as well, going on to influence the replacements and it’s own unique sound of the 80’s hardcore and postpunk scene’s in its own way

Loved you videos on Punk Rock so i was very excited to see you've done one for Power Pop! Also very happy to see you giving props to The very underrated Bay City Rollers (BTW they did write one of their hits Money Honey), great job!

This channel is very fabulous

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Great research, writing and narration as usual.

My mind in a constant jukebox.. but at various times in my life, I’ve had ‘My Sharona’ on repeat, no matter if I wanted to or not.. for days.

I love power pop and all those bands. I had to watch this twice and write down all those songs I've never heard before. I'd throw in the 80s Outfield and the 90s Gin Blossoms.

Thank you so much for quality video essays on many different types of rock. We truly appreciate it. Long live Rock!

Hi there, Long overdue thank you for all your videos. Me and my wife enjoy them massively, but this last one in particular touched me in a special way: I’m a big Power-Pop fan and I can’t think of another documentary on the genre that comes close to the quality of yours 🙌

This was incredibly informative, and very entertaining as well. So much archival video footage, and it kept moving along at a brisk pace; I couldn't take my eyes and ears off it, start to end!

Awesome vid! As a guy who loves power pop, I'm very glad you made this video. Thanks, Trash Theory!

Loved this video, thanks for the memories. ( 'This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide' by The Kings was a another great power pop single from 1980.)

Ahhh. This was my time. When I was out playing and writing tunes influenced by the Beatles, The Who and the Kinks. I knew the Shivvers and saw them play Teen Line man times. We had a drive, a focus back then.

So you're finally transitioning into full-length documentary movies, I guess :D Can't complain really, I'm not that well versed in power pop, but this was really informative, as always. Can't wait for the next one! P.S. mclusky are recording again (sorta, without Chapple), fingers crossed your Patrons push you to do a vid on them ;)

Although in my late 40s now, I (re)discover so much music through your channel. Thank you for that!

I know they aren’t technically power pop but I still feel like Thin Lizzy were pretty damn close. Especially considering Nick Lowe’s “So it Goes” is basically a Thin Lizzy tribute. They had the hooks and melodies combined with the punchy guitar riffs! I know they aren’t technically power pop but they still feel weirdly related!!!

Kind of surprised XTC didn't get a mention.