Power Pop

If you have ever wondered, "What on God's green earth is Power Pop?" there is finally an answer for you. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Power Pop Lives Anew In Yellow Pills

Has anyone outside of Kennett, Mo., ever heard of the Trend, a quartet of white-shirt-and-skinny-tie-wearing dweebs from the Missouri Bootheel who, a quarter-century ago, released one lone album of obscure power-pop classics like "She's Hi-Fi" and "(I Feel Like A) Dictionary" before getting on with the rest of their lives?

Who besides the band members' parents bought "Pop 'n' Roll," a 10-inch vinyl EP that was the sole release by Texas group the Kids?

And who has in their collection records made by Jack Stack a Track, the Treble Boys or the Speedies?

Jordan Oakes is the answer to all those questions, and even at this late date, he wants to share his power-pop obscurities with you.

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So, what exactly is power pop and why is Oakes so drawn to it?

"That's a good question," he says. "To a certain extent, I don't think it really exists anymore, at least not in its pure form. There was a certain climate for it back in the '70s. It was kind of a safer version of new wave at one point. But even before that, you had bands that were influenced by the Beatles, like Badfinger, the Raspberries and Big Star.

"It's hard to define, but some of the common elements are that it's high energy, with a good melody and good vocals, a lot of harmonies. There's an element of danger to it, too. It's really kick-ass: It shouldn't be wimpy."

Cheap Trick is perhaps the best-known power-pop practitioner, but Oakes' all-time favorite is the less well-known (but equally Illinois-centric) Shoes.

"The main thing," he says, "is I think power pop is a valid art form. I don't think it's just disposable stuff. The best power pop is great art."

What might strike some as strange, though, is that despite the notion that "pop" is short for "popular," power pop tends to exist more in the margins.

"That's because people don't buy into it more than one song at a time," Oakes says. " 'My Sharona' is not a good example because the Knack is not my favorite band, but that was a huge song, and it wasn't because people said, 'Hey, it's power pop, let's buy it.' They just liked the song. The people who are more into it than that are the ones that seek it out."

In case you couldn't tell I am one of those power pop freaks. I was heartbroken when Cotton Mather broke up. ("Cotton who?" you say.) I know what Rick Rock and Parthenon Huxley have in common. I really wish Brad Jones would stop producing Shazam records and write and record his own stuff. I have a favorite Spongetones record. I got really excited when the Off Broadway album "On!" got released on CD. I'd rather listen to "Jessie's Girl" than "Smells Like Teen Spirit." In other words, there is really something wrong with me.

But I get happy when I read:

Oakes has compiled and annotated "Yellow Pills: Prefill," a two-CD set of little-heard power pop that was recently released on the Chicago-based (but St. Louis-connected) Numero label.

Anybody who has heard, and enjoyed, the Yellow Pills CD's that came out on the Big Deal label in the 1990's should immediately jump on the new collection. There is no way it isn't fantastic. I'll let you know exactly how fantastic it is after I get the thing. (I know, I know...you can hardly wait.)