Power Pop Music

One wonders in the world of metal how extreme the form can be - sludge paced Sabbath influenced outfits like Crowbar, or a maniacal pace that verges on total breakdown yet keeps its refinement intact. Early thrashers like Exodus and Metallica invented this extreme offshoot of metal and as incredible as it may seem, did not claim the fastest crown. That accolade would probably go to Whiplash.
Obviously speed alone won't earn a band the crown. There has to be some chops going on, too, and the "Triple Tonys" deliver. This two-CD compilation is difficult to find but worth the chase. "Power & Pain" is slightly muddier mix-wise than its follow-up "Ticket To Mayhem" but it still sounds fine. The tempos are superhuman, the growling vocals like that of a castrated jaguar, and the guitars slice and dice like a chainsaw factory.
This music somewhat blurs the line between thrash and speedcore. Fans of Agnostic Front will dig this music, as will Ironchrist fans. It's unrelenting and pure. As one Creem magazine writer stated, and I paraphrase, "if you like your coffee black and your whiskey straight, Whiplash is your band." Nobody who considers Scorpions or Bon Jovi heavy need to apply here. It's metal for the truly faithful and has no sympathy for wimps.

Since I have the original two albums on (Roadracer) separate CDs, I'll review them that way.

If you weren't part of the speed metal/thrash scene in the eighties than listening to this album will not give you the full effect of what this album is like. Back in '87 there were so many Thrash albums coming out, it was hard to tell what was good from what was standard or bad quality. Whiplash never made it: 1)because they were from New Jersey; 2)Roadracer failed to pay them for any of their (3) albums.

-Power and Pain-

It's generally a good album with the guitar work standing out the most. Tony, Tony and...Tony make some good music here that has the usual speed metal tempo for '85 while songs like "Nailed to the Cross" change tempo a little bit.

The drums are pretty standard but that was actually this bands main attraction back in the day. Tony Scaglione was most famous not for his drumming here but -and anybody who saw them in '86-'87 would know this- for being the Slayer drummer for the Reign in Blood tour while Dave was off gettin' married. Nevertheless, the drumming fits.

The bass work is alright, there are some cool fills. Apparently Bono died in '02 of a heart attack -rest in peace.

But the guitar work and vocal growl is the most standout thing about this band. The guitars are Megadeth/Metallicesque -hey they named themselves based on a song of Kill 'em All- but unique altogether. The high harmonics placed in between the muted open Es are killer.

Favorite songs are "Spit on your Grave", "Nailed to the Cross".

-Ticket to Mayhem-

One of the best Thrash Metal albums ever, and for me that's saying a lot (got hundreds if not thousands including demo tapes).

Tony Cangelosi fills in on the drums and makes quite an entrance on "Walk the Plank". He has good fills and a little bit speedier drumming than Scaglione but his style is entirely different. Best work is on the snare high-high snare change-up on "Walk the Plank".

Portaro's guitars are wailing with the heavy riffs and the crazy constant slides up and down the fretboard. Bono's bass is heavy and keeps it all together. Overall this album has more tempo changeups than the first and for this reason it is my favorite.

Favorite songs "Drowning in Torment", "Eternal Eyes", and "Snake Pit" (Used to play Nintendo's Pitfall to this one).

WHIPLASH is one of my all time favorite thrash bands, and they should have been huge. Top of the line musicianship from all three Tonys in the band (Portaro,Bono,Scaglione) and a tight and heavy thrash/speed sound. Portaro,in particular,is one of the best guitarists in this style of music ever, in my opinion. Plus his gut wrenching and shrill sounding vocals (not the over used and eventually ridiculous growling vocals of some "Death metal" bands trying to sound heavy or evil) made it all the better.Not only were the songs fast and heavy, but had almost memorable "hooks" for lack of a better word. "Last Man Alive", "Spit on your Grave" and "Nailed to the Cross" are all classics, but the whole LP is awesome. "Ticket to Mayhem" takes over where the first LP started, just as fast,heavy and tight."Snakepit" "Burning of Atlanta" and "Respect the Dead" are brilliant thrash pieces. Both of these are must haves for your collection. Much more talented than some of their counterparts who got big. Awesome stuff....

Any fan of true metal will appreciate this combination of albums. Overlooked by the mainsteam label fan during metal's peak when they came out, they're borderline thrash,speed and power metal. I'm not going to go song by song with the review, screeching vocals, lightining guitar riffs and bombastic drums should sum it up for these guys. I prefer "Ticket To Mayhem", which is one of those rare albums where you don't need to fastforward while listening because every song stands on it's own. If you liked early Overkill, Testament or Anthrax you will enjoy this combination of albums.

Raw and catchy, "Power And Pain" would be a great addition to the collection of any fan of the old school thrash scene. There is a tiny dash of hardcore fused into the sound, but not enough to toss Whiplash out of the thrash metal category. Great sing-along choruses are the strong point on this release, especially on tracks like "Last Man Alive". Although some may disagree, I feel that "Ticket To Mayhem" (the second album on this two-album collection) is the weaker of the two efforts, and just doesn't showcase the charm of "Power and Pain". Thus, the five star rating is actually for the "Power and Pain" album. Overall, this is a worthy release, and any thrash metal fan would certainly appreciate it.

When the world was introduced to MTV, we would stay up for hours just to see what the band members or singers looked like behind the voices...and it had introduced us to bands we may have never heard of... This was the case for a band out of Zion, Illinois named "Shoes". There was a half hour show called "Album Sides" where the band featured cuts from their album and had interviews as well. When Shoes Present Tense was featured, they opened the show with the singles, "Too Late" and "Tomorrow Night". I liked those songs, then there was introduction of the band. Then they played "I Don't Miss You" and "Cruel You". I liked those as well, and thought...WOW !!! These guys are great !!! A little bit more of the interview, and then they closed the show with "In My Arms Again". That was it !!! I HAD to get the album... went out the next day and bought it, and LOVED IT !!! I've had this on vinyl, cassette and even 8 track !!! And thank God its on CD !!! I've had this in my music collection since its release, and even when this album came up missing or stolen, I replaced it as soon as I possibly could. To put Present Tense and Tongue Twister together was just a bonus for me. Love them both, as well as their future albums which I'll review later. If You listen to the songs as I heard them in the order I mentioned earlier, You'll see why I fell head over heels for Shoes :-) Hopefully you'll enjoy them as much as I still do.

Lennon and McCartney were once asked what the name Beatles meant. "It's just a name, just like shoe," replied Lennon. "We could have been called the Shoes for all you know," added McCartney [Stark, 108]. Nearly a decade later, brothers Jeff and John Murphy called their band the Shoes, whose music is best described as new wave (Blondie, Cheap Trick) infused with a heavy dose of power pop (Moon Martin, the Knack). The band created a bit of a stir in the late '70s with Black Vinyl Shoes, an album it recorded and distributed on its own (unheard of at the time); the homemade LP was successful enough to land the Shoes a deal with Elektra. "Tomorrow Night" and "Too Late," both from the Present Tense LP, remind me of other songs from the period: The Inmates' "Dirty Water," the Records' "Starry Eyes," and the Rockets' "Oh Well."

Why these guys aren't huge is a mystery to anyone who knows their music.
It's simply amazing how almost every song is a perfect, power-pop gem.
With the Murphy Brothers and Gary Klebe manning the helm, there are just too many terrific songs that should have been radio friendly hits - Top 40 or otherwise.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this bargain two-fer.
And then seek out their first album - Black Vinyl Shoes.
You won't be disappointed.

Google the shoes website. You might be surprised to find ALL of the groups CD's for around $14. Just thought I'd give everyone a tip before you waste your money. Somebody had this CD listed for $1,999.00 once!! Can you believe that?

Great CD's. Great group! Unless these are offered here at a reasonable price, try Google and search for the shoes record company "Black Vinyl Records".

JM

It pains me to give only four stars to a CD that contains the two best albums by one of my all-time favorite bands, but I have a problem with the packaging. I have both these albums on vinyl, but one of the discs is warped, so I bought this CD. The music sounds as great now as it ever did, but I was disappointed that they went with bargain-bin packaging here: no lyrics, no pictures (except for tiny reproductions of each album cover), no liner notes. Albums this great deserve better treatment, and I would gladly pay double the price for high-quality reissues that at least contained the original artwork and lyric sheets.

Having said that, I will now say that if you haven't heard this band and you like music that's in a similar vein (other reviewers here have described it very well), you do need to get this CD. Unlike most fans, I prefer "Tongue Twister," because I like the leaner, meaner production (by Richard Dashut, who worked with Fleetwood Mac). Both albums are packed with great songs, and there is really not one false note on this entire CD. Enjoy!

This set is tolerable until you notice a serious error on the ONE ON ONE disc - whoever mastered the disc was asleep at the wheel because they inserted a one-second pause between the songs "Love's Got A Hold On Me" and "I Want Be Man." These songs are supposed to be crossfaded so it really hampers the album's flow. I wrote to Acadia to politely inform them of this problem and received a snippy response from someone there who told me I should "get out more."

Simply put, this is a subpar piece of work from a lazy, indifferent company you don't want to support. You're better off tracking down the old Epic discs - as someone else pointed out here, the Acadia set isn't remastered anyways.

I have the original CDs of both of these albums, and I've compared them to the new "remaster" here, and I can't tell any difference whatsoever. I've even loaded tracks from each edition into Goldwave, a music editing program, and compared the files side by side for depth and compression and volume and so on, and everything comes up pretty much identical. So if you're thinking of getting this item under the assumption that you're getting a sonic upgrade, think again. The downloadable "authorized edition" of Next Position Please, available on iTunes, sounds much better than the edition here, while One on One is the same whether you download it, buy a used version on eBay, or get it here. The liner notes are good, though. Crummy packaging overall. A disappointment for fans, but that's not the audience for this reissue in any case. This is for British listeners who might have missed these records entirely first time around. Much like Wounded Bird records here, which has reissued mid-career Aztec Camera albums and Roger Daltrey solo records, without remastering. Same sort of thing here, I guess.

Nine great songs here together for the first time;
She's Tight, I Don't Love Here Anymore, I Can't Take
It, Saturday At Midnight, Next Position Please, If
You Want My Love, Borderline, Y.O.Y.O.Y., Heaven's
Falling. Man, do these sound great together!

Now we can say we have a CD with both Jon Brant AND
Rick Nielsen BOTH on Bass(es)! Some of Robin Zander's
best work compilated together - back when Bun E. had
hair! Their greatest period - 1987-81! Now put out a
The Doctor / Standing On The Edge compilation and I will
give it FIVE STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flo and Eddie's music is fun music. Original members of "The Turtles" playing back vocals for "TRex" also members of Frank Zappa's band, they have a variety of styles. Wacked or heavy it is not. They chose upbeat fun. If you are like me I LOVE having a variety of music depending on my mood. Flo & Eddie fit right in my collection. Enjoy

If you're looking for Frank Zappa's wit and humor, check out Zappa. If you just want "clever," search for Weird Al or Spike Jones. If you want to hear the Turtles, buy their old CDs. You won't find any of that in Flo and Eddie.

Al Nichol was the genius behind the Turtles, along with extraordinary drummer Johnny Barbata. Mark (Flo) and Howard (Eddie) have karaoke voices and are about as witty as a used Q-Tip.

This is a waste of money. Just don't bother.

So here we go, on with the show, Eddie and Flo's...guest stars!!! l'd still pinch their taints.

After the Chungas/200 Motels-era Mothers were forcibly disbanded due to Zappa's injuries in 1971, Flo and Eddie jetted over to Reprise to begin their solo career with "The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie." Oddly, despite coming after the legendary hooliganism of this period of the Mothers, it logically follows "Turtle Soup" in the musical evolution of the duo. Comprised almost entirely of self-penned tracks--along with two leftovers from the Turtles days--it's a real gem of an album, with surprisingly little of the clown-prince attitude that would later reassert itself on "Illegal, Immoral, and Fattening." Mark and Howard are in fine form, the band (comprised principally of ex-Mothers/Turtles) is stellar, and the production is refreshingly straightforward and uncluttered.

"Flo and Eddie" acts as a logical extension of the first album. A bit more theatrical and arch than the first effort (which makes sense; they were opening for Alice Cooper at the time), it contains standout tracks like "Just Another Town" and "Another Pop Star's Life."

Regarding the package...well, you get what you pay for. This is a budget release, after all...the liner notes (by Howard, seemingly) have the occasional inconsistency (we're told that the first album is entirely self-penned...immediately before a discussion of the Bonner/Gordon gem "Goodbye Surprise"), but all in all it's a fairly solid set, and long overdue. From the looks of it, this is a borderline self-released effort, and Mark and Howard should be commended for FINALLY getting these albums back into print.

Bill Inglot did the remastering, and the sound quality favors the slightly pinched frequency response he seems to prefer nowadays (compare "Nikki Hoi" here to the more natural-sounding presentation on "The Best of Flo and Eddie"), but unless you are very familiar with how these albums sounded on vinyl, you probably won't mind. Note also that this set seemingly has nothing to do with that *other* Flo and Eddie two-fer making the rounds ("Illegal/Moving Targets") which seems to have been shoddily assembled.

Random collectors' aside: note that the versions of "Goodbye Surprise" and "Feel Older Now" are wildly different mixes from the alternates that appear on "The Best of Flo and Eddie"...and these are much, much better.

I've never bitten deeply of the Zappa cake; the satire and showmanship wear thin too quickly. But I was captivated by,'Another Band From LA' with the outrageous epic,' Billy The Mountain' filling one of its vinyl sides. So, enter Flo and Eddie whose impeccable harmonies were the complimentary spice, a kind of Greek chorus, accompanying Billy's journey. Of course, they had been The Turtles, whose 'Elenore' had brief charting dominance in the late 60s. I was unaware of their name change, but the gorgeous pop harmonies were still pitch-perfect. When the '72 album arrived, I jumped on it. It didn't seem like some 60s relic, nor does it and its successor, packaged here in tandem, now. They cut a small but valued niche and thankfully the two discs have been resurrected. The sound is denser on the later disc, though the penmanship is amplification rather than evolution. The psuedo Latino voice on 'Carlos and the Bull' grates , but then the thrilling, almost operatic 'Marmendy Mill', caps the set. Pop fluff? Surely, but with mood changes, joyousness and enough tongue-in-cheek to die for, I'll take this offer any day.

This was it. I've heard many Matthew Sweet fans say this is the best album of all time. A lot of people would laugh at that statement, let them. Matthew took a big risk with this LP just after departing from Girlfriend fame. It may not have sold like Girlfriend but the songwriting is brilliant and it holds true 15 years after it's release. Although Matthew was not alone on this record, Fred Maher did an amazing job in production and with musicians like Mick Fleetwood, Nicky Hopkins, Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine and Ivan Julian no wonder this is the album most die hard Sweet fans fell in love with. The B-sides that went along with this album we supurb as well, too bad there wasn't room for songs like Speed Of Light, Ultrasuede, Thing, Born In Sin or Swan Song on this album. If you're just discovering Matthew Sweet I'd recommend to buy some of his other albums first though. Just when you think you've figured how his melodic pop structured songs play out, pop in Altered Beast and prepare for an arena rockish, country twang, depression riddled consumption of pure ecstacy.

Beautiful and sad, this is my favorite of Matthew Sweet's albums, along with the related EP "Son of Altered Beast." Perhaps it is my favorite album, period. I almost wish he hadn't later found love and happiness, if it would have meant more like this.

I don't know what happened to Matthew sweet when he made this cd, it is heavy metal compared to his early work like inside.I've kind of always hade the belief that there was some very strong motivation that pushed sweet to make AB. This cd is surely not his alone. Like many I discovered Sweet by way of Girlfriend, this cd blows that one away. I still like his more recent work too, but I find myself really listening to Altered beast much more closely.This is not a cd that would give an artist commercial success, but I hoped it would put Sweet up there in terms of what people would consider brilliant songwriting.I tell people about this cd all the time but because most people don't know or remember sweet they just kind of ignore me. Too bad for them. One of my top 5 favorite ever regardless of genre.

I first started listening to Matthew Sweet in the summer of 1993. It was the summer between 9th and 10th grade. I would stay up late every Sunday night and watch 120 minutes on MTV, when the used to play vidoes.
They would play my two favorite songs that summer , "Cherub Rock (smashing pumpkins)", and "Time Capsule (matthew sweet)".
I worked a crapy part-time job making 4.25 an hour. I only worked 8 hours a week. A soon as got my first paycheck, which was only 27 dollars, I walked to the mall and bought "Altered Beast", and "Simease Dream" on cassette. That took all my money because cassettes in 1993 were 11.99. I played it until I wore it out. When I finally got my Cd player for christmas that year, those were the first two Cds I bought.
This Cd is still great 13 years later.
1. Dinosaur Act - great opening track, it shows that Matthew can rock pretty good.
2. Devil With Green Eyes - It's one of my favorite songs on the Cd. It's one his more mellow songs.
3. The Ugly Truth - this the mellow version of this single
4. Time Capsule - One my favorite songs on this CD. It's was his second single on this record. Do you remember the video ? It's just him laying in a grass field with bugs and worms crawling on him.
5. Someone to Pull the Trigger - Hands down the best song on this CD. It's mellow and rocking at the same time.
6. Knowing People - It's kind of an anthem that he doesn't want to become famous. He really never did. A great song.
7. Life without You - your basic slow Matthew Sweet love song. It's an alright song.
8. Intro - It's excerpts from the movie "Caligula". "He's a God Now"
9. Ugly Truth Rock - The single version. This was the first single from this record. The video is Matthew driving a dodge dart, running from the police. There is a dead body in the trunk.
10. Do it Again - a pretty good song. A slow love song.
11. In Too Deap - One the better tracks off this album. Pretty good guitar and vocals in this song.
12. Reaching Out - A pretty good song.
13. Falling - A pretty good song. A slower song.
14. What do you Know ? - A decent track. Show how melodic Matthew is.
15. Everygreen - This is a very dood track to end the record with. It's pretty mellow. He like to end his records on mellow songs.
I higly reconmend picking up this Cd.

This from Spain; i'd love to hear these songs in a car across the U.S.A., searchin' for a heart of gold, thinkin' about a girl i left behind...

I mean for god's sake it's most of Big Star after 30 years! We should be groveling at the feet of Alex Chilton in fanatical thanks! Those Posies are incredibly lucky and they know it.

Listen to Love Revolution again - they are cracking up the whole time. They're having so much fun with that song, how can you not LOVE IT?? I usta have a Disco Sucks tee but I've been referring to myself as Disco Fox lately.

I'm just so glad Alex wasn't washed away in his New Orleans home during Katrina - he was one of the first folks I axed my N.O. peeps about. I'm happy to hear him doing ANYTHING.

PS: There's a Love Revolution mp3 RINGTONE at this site:
http://www.funtonia.com/mp3ringtones/songs/Big_Star/Love_Revolution/
I'd love to get it but am suspicious - I assume there will be tons of hidden fees and resulting spam.... But if anyone buys it, email me and let me know if the company sucks or not. tcassin@emory.edu

Reunion albums are often so disappointing, I didn't expect it to sound anything like the Big Star I knew. But it's remarkable how they managed to keep the essence of the Big Star power-pop sound alive with just half the members. Is it another #1 Record/Radio City/Third? Of course not. But I still would have recognized this as a Big Star album just by listening to it. And what's the point in a group making another one of their old albums? Groups that put out the same thing over and over again get stale fast. Big Star's albums and Alex Chilton's albums are all considerably different from each other, and that's how they always managed to stay fresh. If you want to hear the same albums over and over again, that's what the old albums are there for.

The other reviews have said it. All the tunes up to the instrumental are either good or great. After the awlful instrumental the tune quality goes rapidly downhill except for the last track - and does this band actually admit to playing on that instrumental track? C'mon, four chimps with the same instruments in a room might sound as good? Or were Chilton and the boys laughing their heads off?
The ONE THING I wanted to say with this review - notice how Auer and Stringfellow's creativity dropped to almost nothing after being involved with Alex Chilton? What did this fellow do to those promising songwriters?
The Posies never produced much of anything after '93. And that's when they became involved with Mr. Chilton. What did he inject them with? I hope they enjoyed their time with him because he certainly deprived them of their promising careers in the music business. Their involvement with Big Star certainly didn't help them financially or career-wise, except that they got to be with Mr. Chilton for a short while. What a gyp!

Jody Stephens thought Ken Stringfellow and Jon Aur would be good for a Big Star reunion. Bad idea! The two guys from The Posies make Big Star sound like fluff. Big Star In Space ruins the reputation and legend of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens. There are better choices for musicians to become part of a Big Star reunion. Alex and Jody should give the two posies the boot and start from scratch. There is still a masterpiece Big Star album waiting to be written, recorded and released. In Space is an embarrassment compared to the songs and musicianship of # 1 Record and Radio City. Save your money and order vinyl copies of Big Stars early albums from Acoustic Sounds. I got Radio City and # 1 Record on vinyl and they sound incredible.

I have to say that those that complain about the RnB stuff on here are just a little to white for me. Someone should tie you guys down and make you listen to classic James Brown, Sly Stone et al. That said, this is a great little record. Dony and All hung up on summer are instant power-pop classics and the rest is great as well. Don't like RnB covers? Go listen to some windham hill records. Meanwhile I will put on my boogie shoes and shake it like a white girl.

After their first album you would've expected that the band disappeared because they are too good. Their follow up record's title track goes in the same vein as "In the Groove". Other jewels like "Baby Loves You", "In Crowd", and "Heaven or Hell" make you think that they could have just made one double disc first album. One big ball of heavy metal.

I hope my title can alert some people to this cd. I fully agree with what has been written before me and would only like to add. There are many reasons why Enuff Znuff are unique band and have released some great music and I'm going to try to cover those indivudual components. The songwriting combines great pop elements which are hardened up for fans like me who appreciate great melodies with hard or heavier guitar work. Donnie is a fantastic singer and extremely underappreciated. He is one of the few singers who can really belt out their voice without sounding like they're screaming and he also always sounds sincere and heartfelt in his delivery. GET BACK TOGETHER YOU KNUCKLEHEADS. There is another key element to the band and that has to be Derek Frigo. Derek actually co-wrote one of the stand out tracks on this cd being Mothers Eyes. His guitar work gives Enuff Znuffs songs the guts that their fans love but he is also brilliant with his melodic and often technically sound guitar solos. As a guitar player myself, I truely believe that Dereks ability and his execution is up there with greats such as George Lynch and Eddie Van Halen etc. I don't want to end my review with a negative but there are some fillers here but I gave it 5 out of 5 because if you chop out the fillers there are still at least 10 tracks which is more than exceptional value. I wish I didn't live so far away from the states so could have seen these guys when THIS line-up was together. RIP Derek.

I'm amazed at the generous reviews I've seen for this album. Although I'm a fan of the band, this album, along with with their jarring image re-dux, was a career killer. They needed a a great sophomore effort to put them over the top, and God bless 'em - they choked. Rolling Stone gave it 2 1/2 stars at the time, and even Donnie Vie admitted that they were trying way too hard on this one. For fans only.

What a tragedy that Atco Records did not know what to do with Enuff Z'Nuff. The management was poor and they did not know what they truly had, and by that time the Grunge fad was already knocking adding insult to injury. As you will read elsewhere, there was (and still is) IMMENSE talent that was initially bundled in the wrong package (image). Who's call that was I am not sure. Enuff Z'Nuff and the Vie/Z'Nuff combo should go down as one of the greatest ever in the history of music but we'll just have to be content knowing that they will never get the respect they truly deserve. This is easily one of the most potent releases of the 90's and it still holds up well today. Whenever I get trapped by that homogenized dreck that dominates radio today, can always count on this disc to remind me that well crafted melodic rock can show today's chumps how to make some real music.

Along with the great Neil Finn and Marshall Crenshaw, Enuff Z'Nuff can be added to the "Most Underappreciated Artists Of Their Time" list.

What a underrated album this was! Donnie Vie and Chip Z'nuff are two of the most prolific songwriter duos that have ever hit the rock scene in a long time. This album really shows this. There is so much depth and substance to all their songs on this album that I think maybe it was too much for some people to take in. I know the image they presented in the late 80's was the glam thing but there was defenitely something more there. Bottom line: if you want thought provoking,well crafted melodic rock songs you should pick this up. Z'nuff said.

A note of trivia, the artwork cover to this CD release features The Nerves, a band who existed from 1974-1977 and recorded the original version of Hanging On The Telephone later covered by Deborah Harry and Blondie. From left to right you can see Jack Lee, Paul Collins (The Beat) and Peter Case (The Plimsouls). This is one of the greatest CD compilations and is packed with more songs than most standard albums would contain. This is one of the few CDs where you can actually find full songs from The Nerves and this will have to suffice until Paul Collins can re-issue The Nerves to CD and vinyl in 2007. This disc features other legendary bands in addition to The Nerves, including Cheap Trick, Fotomaker, Chris Bell (of Big Star), The Scruffs, The Real Kids, Pezband, Chris Stamey, Artful Dodger and The Flashcubes.

Rhino records is a godsend to fans looking to learn more about a musical genre. Every genre they tackle is chronicled lovingly and contains a great mix of obscure gems and popular classics. The D.I.Y. series views late 70's punk-styled music in 9 volumes, separated by region and musical style. There are 4 "pop" collections, 2 each for the U.S. and the U.K. The U.S. collections are less stylistically varied but considerably more fun and tuneful, since British pop often goes over my head (see: XTC, for starters, who I am starting to love). This collection covers the "early" years of US power pop, 1975-1978, which means it misses the Raspberries and Big Star but still gets many of the major players. Very highly recommended, snag this while its around!

Best Tracks:
"Shake Some Action" - Stones meets Beatles anthem. One of the Groovies' best and that's saying something, this has a great chorus and some tidy guitar work.
"Wayside" - Big Star acoustics give way to something that's equal parts power pop, hard rock, and pure genius rock and roll.
"Hit The Floor" - More great guitar and a booming mix make this Earth Quake's best original. The most raw and rocking song here, it's a song just waiting to be discovered by bar bands everywhere.
"Can't Wait" - Why are the Piper CD's out of print? Billy Squier's best work was done with this unknown band, and this track is nearly perfect.
"Blow Yourself Up" - Off-kilter drum work and Tommy Hoehn's alternately strong/shaky voice showcase this shoulda-been-a-classic.
"Why Can't It Be" - The Names are one of the totally unknown bands on this compilation and this was a fine single. Wild drumming and very Eric-Carmen vocals, the liner notes slam the production, but it's great for a 70's indie.
"Come Out And Play" - Cheesy? Yes, but this song has such great hooks that it's a worthy power pop song by anyone's standards. Better than today's teen pop by far.

Bless Rhino's heart for compiling this gem. Flamin' Groovies, Nerves, Artful Dodger...terrific! But the long lost nugget of this CD is Chris Stamey & the dbs' "Summer Sun". Released as an indie single, it was backed with what I deem the most influential indie pop song of the era, "I Thought You Wanted To Know". Reminiscent of Big Star, this little masterpiece is available only on Vol. II of the American Power Pop series, "Shake It Up", which has been sadly deleted from Rhino's catalog. The #1 best power pop collection of all time, "Vol. II" deserves to see the light of day again. I myself would give just about anything to find a copy...can anybody out there help me out?

Bravo, Rhino!! That is a huge selection of a very funny times for power pop. It is plenty of jewels and gems (please Rhino, we want a Nerves discography re-edition!) like probably one of the best songs ever made: "I am the Cosmos" of the Big Star most unknown half Chris Bell, or the Flamin' Groovies masterpiece "shake some action" from their self named LP...best recomended!!

THE COLLECTION provides you with the first three Cheap Trick albums- CHEAP TRICK, IN COLOR, and the sensational HEAVEN TONIGHT- all in one place. Taken together, this three-disc set shows Cheap Trick's evolution from oddball punk-style rockers into a strong power-pop outfit with a uniques sense of humor. However, the humor doesn't mean that the band is a novelty act, as they combine the metal of Ted Nugent, Foghat, and Montrose with Beatle-esque pop. If you get this set, you won't need to search out the original albums.

If your exposure to Cheap Trick began with "at Budokan," please buy these albums. Each has its own charm and the price is just unbeatable.

For those of you who think that "Live at Budokan" is the best Cheap Trick album out there, you'll love these, their first three albums, which have been re-released in one box set at under 20 dollars. Back in the 70s, CT personified good old American power pop at it's best. Fueled by Rick Nielson's sometimes astonishing guitar work, the steady drumming of Bunezuela (Bun E.) Carlos, and Robin Zander's soaring vocals, the endlessly touring Trick established itself as one of the hardest working bands in the country. Original versions of "Budokan" classics "Surrender", "Clock Strikes Ten" and "Come On Come On" are here, along with a lot of great stuff that shows them growing as a band and rocking the house in the process. Highly recommended--one of the best deals on Amazon!

First three studio LPs. This is when
Tom Petersson was real good. I am
still not a big fan of the 12-string
Bass, but they actaully started reco-
rding in the studio in 1975 with Sou-
thern Girls (Elvis was there that day
in Memphis, according to the liner
notes in Sex, America, Cheap Trick,
which I much prefer since it has all
these tunes and so much more. Get it
if you like Cheap Trick when they were
young, fresh, but hadn't peaked yet. I
first saw them in 1977 and have seen
them 30 or more times since. They
were better 1981-87 though. No offence,
TP...

I can't believe there is only one other review of this album. Seriously? Seriously!? This album is insane. I cannot believe I never listened to much of Elf Power before. A lot of my all-time favorite bands/albums are a part of Elephant 6 or associated with them, but for some reason I always passed on buying Elf Power albums, I don't know why. I bought this album a month ago in the afterglow of a My Morning Jacket concert, and I was immediately amazed at how it sounded overall and I thought the vocals were right on.

I had to listen to it several more times to see the genius, but damn, once I got into all the songs, not only are they catchy as anything you'll hear, but the lyrics are maybe better than anything I've heard this year or for a while. The lyrics are mystical, haunting, storytelling, melodic, scenic, sad, uplifting, etc. It's like reading a great book with great songs jumping out from the story. There is not one bad song in the lot, not even an okay song; every song is beautiful and captivating. Give your full attention to this album and you will be very pleased, I promise you. Easily one of the best 5 albums of this year, I hope more people give this album a chance. This isn't just a really solid album that you'll listen to occasionally, this might be one of those special ones, the ones that holds you up when you are shaky.

There's something deeply lovable about Elf Power, one of the former Elephant 6 bands that is still together and still making music.

And they sound remarkably fresh in their ninth full-length album, "In A Cave," which is a sprawl of deliciously catchy fuzzed-out psychpop, punctuated by the occasional foray into Krautrock and country. Basically Elf Power is doing what they have always done, and doing it well -- but that doesn't stop them from experimenting a little.

It opens with a blaze of blinding bass, which taps into an awkward little melody... right before "Owl Cut (White Flowers in the Sky)" blooms out into an evocative, bouncy melody drowned in its own fuzziness, and punctuated by stabs of hard synth. Andrew Rieger sings just loud enough to be heard: "Lightning flashing up above/white flowers in the sky... beating hearts that fell apart/they're drowning in the rain..."

Things fuzz out even further in the organ-filled melody of "Spiral Stairs," a thudding fuzzed-out sound that reminds me of catchier stoner rock. But Elf Power sticks mostly to a primary sound here -- melodic, catchy indie-pop with a sunny psychedelic edge. Sometimes you get a quirky psychedelic ballad ("they fill my heart with dust/they fill my heart with lust"), a mellow ballad, and sometimes a fuzz-laced rocker.

But they also try out some other stuff as well -- "Paralyzed" has a fast-paced country-rock sound, although the band isn't quite able to keep the psychpop edge out. And the woobly, out-to-space sound of "Window to Mars" sounds like someone tripping across a keyboard -- nice, though quite a brain-bender.

It's actually rather hard to believe that "In A Cave" is Elf Power's ninth album, because there's little staleness or stagnation in here at all. Though "New Lord" is kind of awkward-sounding, Elf Power's musical polish is all over these tunes, and they're clearly confident enough to juggle styles when they aren't interweaving them smoothly together.

The melodies are led by a stream of solid, sprightly guitar riffs -- some of them are fuzzed out and buzzy, some of them are lean and bouncy. A few songs even have a stoner-rock vibe. And they're seamlessly woven with solid drums, mellow jazzy piano, a bit of plunky banjo, and a gloriously colourful organ that comes up even in "Paralyzed." That organ really gives the whole album that sixties sound.

But what is psychpop without the psychedelic element? The album is wreathed in synth as well -- some sharp stabs at the beginning, but also wavers of shimmering keyboard carefully intertwined with the fuzzy riffs. And there are some odd samples included -- strangled instruments, creaks, strange buzzes and splutters.

And Rieger's pleasant, boyish voice slips through the music like a stream of fresh water. And despite the music's catchiness, he gives it a mildly regretful, reflective quality ("Come on down the spiral stairs/with the end of the world in your eyes/no one ever could follow you there/the corridors have crumbled behind"), in solidly written little lyrics.

"In A Cave" is Elf Power doing what they do best -- melodious, catchy psychpop, but with a few songs reflecting other styles. Definitely worth spelunking in.