Cherry Red [Release date : 18.07.25]

Almost 80 tracks over 3 CDs…the third and final volume of Eighties’ American Power Pop will be released on the Cherry Red label later this month.

Once again it’s a treasure trove of material. Obscure tracks/bands – the kind loved by aficionados – get another moment in the sun, while the Marquee names … Cheap Trick, Utopia, Eric Carmen, Rick Springfield, The Go-Gos, The Rubinoos, Marshall Crenshaw, The Bangles, The Ramones, Katrina and the Waves, The Smithereens and Red Kross all jostle for position.

Written by Todd Rundgren and the equally talented Kasim Sulton, Utopia’s ‘I Just Want To Touch You’, taken from their 1980 album, Deface The Music, was the perfect Beatles’ pastiche. It couldn’t have been further away from the ground breaking Progressive Rock of the the band’s first 3 albums. It was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie “Roadie”, but was rejected for fear of a plagiarism suit from the Fab Four’s legal team.

‘It Hurts Too Much’ was one of the 8 songs written by Eric Carmen for his 1980 album Tonight You’re Mine (his fourth). No surprise that it charted all over the world. Carmen had tuned into his power pop muse, then fortified this further by bringing in skilled musicians like Steve Lukather, Carmen Appice and Paulinho DeCosta.

The seven million selling all girl Go-Gos had started life as a punk band in 1978. When Charlotte Caffey joined a year later, the transition to pop was unstoppable. With Jane Weidlin, she wrote ‘How Much More’ in 1980. On release, the music literati loved it. Classic Rock History listed it as one of the band’s Top Ten career songs. Liveabout’s Steve Peakes heralded it as “the band’s finest hit single that never was”. Journalist Geoffery Himes regarded the song as a classic comparable to The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ and The Angels’ ‘My Boyfriend’s Back.’

(Caffey and Wiedlin wrote Keith Urban’s year 2000 no.1 hit, ‘But For The Grace Of God’).

Probably one of the best known songs in this compilation is Rick Springfield’s 1981 worldwide hit, ‘Jessie’s Girl’. He’s on tour in the USA this month, still going strong. Not bad for a septuagenarian.

There are many more worthy of mention of course. Many of whom flew in below the radar of public perception.

But they are all someone’s favourite. Whether you are a fan of The Knack or The Moondogs. The Flaming Groovies or The Wigs, it doesn’t really matter. Yes, there are a lot of near misses chart wise, but there isn’t a dud slice of Power Pop here. Enjoy. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.

Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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