#1 Fanclub Shawn Farmer & Craig Vennes

With the 70's and Power Pop far in the rearview mirror and Grunge exploding in America, there was something brewing across the Atlantic.  Starting in the late 80's with Shoegaze and Madchester scenes, bands in the UK were rallying around their pride in all things Britain.  In this episode, Craig and Shawn explore the origins of Britpop, what defines the genre, the bands that brought the scene to international recognition and end with their selections of the most Britpop song and the ultimate band of the movement.

What do you do when your podcast successfully covers the best power pop bands of the 1970’s?  When you break down in detail the career and catalog of bands such as Cheap Trick, Big Star and Badfinger?  The answer is simple: you close out the 70’s with a Top Ten List. 

#1 Fanclub continues their pursuit of knowledge on Power Pop, Brit Pop, Shoegaze and Dream Pop with a celebration of perhaps the most important decade of music in a world without The Beatles. 

Craig and Shawn take you through their list of top 10 power pop songs. Some bands are obvious (Badfinger, Big Star), some are obscure (Artful Dodger, The Cryers) but all of the choices are guaranteed to take you back in time to some of the greatest recordings in rock music. Enjoy!

Shawn's Top 10
The Cryers - "Shake It Up (Ain't It Time?)" from The Cryers (1978)Badfinger - "No Matter What" from No Dice (1970)Big Star - "Feel" from #1 Record (1972)Cheap Trick - "Hello There" from In Color (1977)The Rubinoos - "Lightning Love Affair" from Back To The Drawing Board!  (1979)Joe Jackson - "One More Time" from Look Sharp! (1979)Artful Dodger - "Wayside" from Artful Dodger  (1975)Nick Lowe - "Cruel To Be Kind" from Labour Of Lust (1979)Raspberries - "Hard To Get Over a Heartbreak" from Side 3   (1973)Shoes - "Tomorrow Night" from Present Tense (1979)Spotify Playlist Link (note: The Cryers song was unfortunately not available on Spotify)
Craig's Top 10
Big Star - "The Ballad Of El Goodo" from #1 Record (1972)Nick Lowe - "Cruel To Be Kind" from Labour Of Lust (1979)The Cars - "Just What I Needed" from The Cars (1978)Big Star - "Feel" from #1 Record (1972)Badfinger - "No Matter What" from No Dice (1970)The Knack - "My Sherona" from Get The Knack (1979)Cheap Trick - "Southern Girls" from In Color (1977)Big Star - "September Gurls" from Radio City (1974)Emitt Rhodes - "Somebody Made For Me" from Emitt Rhodes (1970)20/20 - "Remember The Lightning" from 20/20 (1979)Spotify Playlist Link

Selections of the week:

Hoodoo Gurus - Chariot Of The Gods on Big Time
Shake Some Action! - Wide Awake on Satellite 451 Music

Intro music provided by Joe Giddings
"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs For The Whole Family

Cheap Trick Part 2
In Part 2 of our Cheap Trick review we pick up in 1979 with the band deciding to record a live album while on tour in Japan to support their third album Heaven Tonight.  The decision to record a live album to capture the mania surrounding the band in Japan proved to be career changing.  At Budokan, originally slated for release in Japan only, changed the fortunes of Cheap Trick from opening act and small venue headliner to arena kings.  Seemingly overnight, Cheap Trick became a household name in their home country on the strength of their first major hit “I Want You To Want Me.”  
We explore the significance of At Budokan and discuss the absolute brilliance of one of the best live rock albums ever recorded.  From there, Cheap Trick recorded the hit album Dream Police.  Leaving the 70’s, Cheap Trick created a legacy of 4 classic studio albums and 1 all-time great live album.  The early to mid 80’s would not be as successful for the band as they experienced some commercial disappointment.  Then out of nowhere in the late 80’s, Cheap Trick climbed again to the top of the world with a batch of pop songs that would put them back in the forefront.  Many bands get one shot at superstardom and then fade away.  Cheap Trick had two separate runs at superstardom.  Although their music output of the 90’s and 2000’s has not been as commercially successful, the band continue to record and make relevant music.  
We wrap up Part 2 with our personal Top 10 songs by Cheap Trick.  While many of our choices are predictable, you will want to hang around for the end for some surprises (and maybe some songs you were not familiar with).  Enjoy Cheap Trick Part 2 as we celebrate one of the best rock bands America ever produced.
Intro music provided by Joe Giddings
"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs For The Whole Family

Formed in 1973 in Cheap Trick are one of the most successful and influential bands in Power Pop history.  But to only fit them in the Power Pop box would not be accurate.  Over the course of nearly 50 years, they have recorded songs that could be categorized as hard rock, prog rock, glam rock and even pure Top 40 pop.
From the beginning, Cheap Trick were a contradiction of sight and sound – Lead Singer Robin Zander and Bassist Tom Peterson looked like they were cut out of the Rock n Roll idol template with their good looks and rock star presence.  Meanwhile, Guitarist Rick Nielsen looked more like a character out of a comic book and Bun E. Carlos looked like - well your Dad.  The music at one moment sounded like an evolution of The Beatles and then something more like a combination of weird prog, hard rock, glam and punk.
While success would come in a big way in 1979 as Cheap Trick became one of the biggest bands in the world, they were hardly an Overnight Sensation.
In fact, after three studio albums from 1977 – 1979, many wondered if Cheap Trick would ever become more than a regional rock band playing to a thousand fans in small clubs and theaters.  
They released their self-titled debut album in early 1977.  The album received some favorable reviews but went unnoticed by record buyers and failed to crack the Billboard 200.
The second album, In Color, considered one of their best studio albums was released later in 1977.  While it fared better than the debut (#73) it still did not make many waves.  But just when things seemed dire for Cheap Trick, something was brewing on the other side of the world in Japan where the album peaked at #30.  
They released their 3rd album Heaven Tonight in 1978 where the album would eventually reach #48 in US.  Meanwhile, as the saying goes, they were Big in Japan where the album reached #11.  On tour there in 1979, their lives would be changed forever.  
Intro music provided by Joe Giddings
"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs For The Whole Family

The Greenberry Woods aren't a household name, but their debut album Rapple Dapple might just deserve consideration as one of the best power-pop albums of all-time.  It's been 26 years since it's release & we still feel it's impact to this day.  No doubt this is a testament to the songwriting prowess of twin brothers Brandt & Matt Huseman, who's follow-up project Splitsville had equal the hooks but with a bit more bite.  The last we heard from the band was in 2003, when they released the wonderful Incorporated.  So you can image our surprise in 2018 when we stumble upon a gem of an album called House from none other than...The Greenberry Woods.

Intro music provided by Joe Giddings
"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs For The Whole Family

The Raspberries exploded out of Cleveland and on the music scene in April 1972 with their self-titled debut – just 4 months before Big Star released #1 Record.  While the bands and the debut albums share some similarities in sound, there are also some very distinct differences.  For one, Raspberries had some instant success in both album sales and with a hit single while Big Star famously never got out of the gate commercially.  In the end, Raspberries were a short-lived and almost forgotten band on the music landscape. But much like their power pop brethren Big Star, they have influenced tons of bands in the years following their breakup.  Raspberries were either a little ahead of their time or maybe behind the times with their syrupy sweet sound but they live on as one of the freshest sounding bands of the Power Pop genre.

Intro music provided by Joe Giddings
"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs For The Whole Family