Infectious melodies, airtight arrangements, soaring vocal harmonies and—perhaps most importantly—unforgettable guitar riffs: these are the essential ingredients of great power pop. Coined by Pete Townshend in a 1967 interview, the phrase captures perfectly a style of music that blends early Beatles-like fare with an amped-up, six-string wallop that smacks like a sonic boom. Power pop has had its ups and downs through the years, but invariably, whenever it hits a lull, a great band comes along to pick up the torch. Below are 10 of the genre’s greatest-ever practitioners.
10. The Sweet
Few bands navigated the line between Archies-style bubblegum pop and Who-like rock bluster as effectively as The Sweet. Grabbing a teen niche just this side of Queen, T.Rex and Slade, the band struck pay dirt with near-novelty tunes such as “Little Willy” and “Ballroom Blitz,” but beneath the surface lay a serious riff-rock foundation. Virtually every pop metal band of the ‘80s owes a stylistic debt to The Sweet.
9. Badfinger
If ever a band was destined to carry The Beatles’ torch, it was Badfinger. Signed to Apple Records in 1968, the group kickstarted their career with the Paul McCartney-penned hit, “Come and Get It,” and then set about crafting memorable riffs and sparkling melodies of their own. Using SG Standards, guitarists/vocalists Pete Ham and Tom Evans put six-string muscle into such radio-ready material as “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.”
8. The Posies
By combining the enchanting vocal harmonies of The Hollies with the sophisticated pop style of Big Star, The Posies helped keep power pop alive in the ‘90s. Often sporting ES-335s, main Posies Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow brought a grunge-y component to the genre, which earned them favor with the Nirvana/Pearl Jam crowd. Fittingly, beginning in 1993, the two pop maestros teamed occasionally with the late Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens in a re-tooled incarnation of Big Star.
7. Fountains of Wayne
Wry humor has been a mainstay of a certain segment of power pop, and no one incorporates that component better than Fountains of Wayne. On the classic “Stacy’s Mom,” the songwriting duo of Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger forged a style that brought to mind the smartly-rendered songs of The Cars and early 10cc. Collingwood favors an ES-335 to achieve a clarion pop radiance, while lead guitarist Jody Porter punctuates Fountain of Wayne's choruses with wall-of-sound chords played on a Les Paul Custom.
6. Slade
As evidenced on such classics as “Cum on Feel the Noize” and “Gudbuy T’ Jane,” Slade had few equals when it came to fusing glam rock and power pop. The band failed to gain a foothold in America, but their influence was immense. Kiss, Cheap Trick and Quiet Riot are among the many bands who’ve cited Slade’s impact. In his book, Kiss and Make-Up, Gene Simmons wrote: “We liked the way [Slade] connected with the crowd, and the way they wrote anthems. We wanted that same energy, that same irresistible simplicity, but we wanted it American-style."
5. The Raspberries
Sporting unfashionably short hair and matching suits, The Raspberries were dismissed by many as a teen-pop gimmick when they burst on the scene in 1972. Today, however, the Cleveland-based band is rightly regarded as one of power pop’s all-time great ensembles. Centered on the twin-guitar tangle of main songwriter Eric Carmen and lead guitarist Wally Bryson—who often played his hook-laden riffs on a Flying V or an SG Standard—Raspberries’ songs like “Go All the Way,” “Let’s Pretend” and “Overnight Sensation” are rightly regarded as classics.
4. Teenage Fanclub
Few bands have assimilated their influences as cleverly as Teenage Fanclub. Formed in 1989, the Scottish group released a masterpiece in 1991 with Bandwagonesque, an album that couched broken-glass lyrics in pristinely crafted songs that evoked the likes of Big Star and The Hollies. The group’s subsequent albums have been similarly dazzling. Alternating between a Les Paul Custom and an Epiphone Casino, guitarist-singer Norman Blake often applies molten distortion to sunshine-y riffs, giving a sonic modernity to the band's throwback harmonies and hooks.
3. Big Star
No group had a bigger impact on the best of the ’80s post-punk bands than Big Star. Alternating between an ES-335 and a Les Paul Goldtop, main songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell flavored British Invasion-style pop fare with wildly infectious guitar riffs that foreshadowed the likes of The Replacements and R.E.M. Big Star’s pristine arrangements—as showcased on songs like “September Gurls,” “In The Street” and “Back of a Car”—were out of step with the early ‘70s post-hippie times, but today, the group’s influence is legendary.
2. The Who
The Who didn’t just invent power pop; during the ‘60s, they were the genre’s greatest practitioners. With his ever-present SG slung low, Pete Townshend unleashed power chords the likes of which rock fans had never before seen. The band’s early singles—“My Generation,” “I Can’t Explain” and “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” to name three—encased soaring melodies and an explosive surge in tidy three-minute packages. “I Can See for Miles,” from The Who Sell Out, may well be power pop’s greatest-ever anthem.
1. Cheap Trick
It’s hardly surprising that the Japanese press often refers to Cheap Trick as the “American Beatles.” Centered on Rick Nielsen’s soaring riffs, the band’s best songs – “Surrender,” “Dream Police” and “I Want You to Want Me,” to name three – combine sharp melodies with a hard-edged sonic sound inspired by The Who, ’70s punk rock and even (occasionally) heavy metal. The Los Angeles Times rightly noted that Cheap Trick carved out their unique style “by twisting the Beatles-esque into something shinier, harder and more American.”
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