Power pop is a popular music genre that emerged at the crossroads of pop and rock styles in the late 1960s and combines melody, vocal harmony and a riff song structure in which instrumental soloing is minimized. Power pop songs are typically compressed and controlled by the powerful operation of the rhythm section.
| Power pop | |
|---|---|
| Direction | Pop rock |
| The origins | Pop Rock , Hard Rock , Garage Rock |
| Place and time of occurrence | 1960s ,  UK ,  USA |
| Subgenres | |
| Jungle pop | |
| Derivatives | |
| Brit Pop , Pop Punk , Noise Pop , Indie Pop | |
History
The term Power pop was first coined by Pete Townsend , the guitar player of The Who : that is how he defined his band's style in 1967. Things like “I Can't Explain”, “The Kids Are Alright”, “Substitute”, “I'm a Boy”, “Happy Jack”, “So Sad About Us”, “ Pictures of Lily ” are considered early classics of power pop.
Earlier examples of the same kind are some of The Everly Brothers (“I'll See Your Light”, “It Only Costs A Dime”), The Kinks (“You Really Got Me”) and The Beatles (“ Paperback Writer ”) , “ Day Tripper ”). Many people consider early Beatle hits (“ From Me to You ”, “ She Loves You ”, “ I Want to Hold Your Hand ”, “ Can't Buy Me Love ”) the source from which power pop originates. An important role in the development of the style was played by The Byrds , The Beach Boys , The Beau Brummels , The Hollies , The Zombies , The Small Faces .
In 1970-1971, a new leader in power pop appeared: the British band Badfinger (hits "No Matter What", "Baby Blue", "Day After Day", "Come and Get It"). In the United States, two or three years later, The Raspberries took on the same role. The first Big Star album is also considered important for the development of the genre, along with the works of Blue Ash , The Flamin Groovies , Artful Dodger .
Meanwhile, musical development in Britain went a different way: talented bands that could become power pop stars were at the head of the glam rock movement. Close to the power pop The Bay City Rollers , belonged to the representatives of bubblegum pop . In the late 1970s, with the advent of a new wave, power pop got a second wind: Cheap Trick , The Knack , Boomtown Rats , The Jam , Blondie , The Cars , Buzzcocks , XTC had great success. Elvis Costello had a special influence on power pop in the following years.
In addition to them, The Kids , Shoes , The Records , The Motels , Bliff Bang Pow and others belonged to the new-wave generation of power pop groups. Later on, power pop influenced both pop punk ( Green Day , The Offspring , Rancid ) , and the formation of the style of Brit-pop , in particular, groups such as Blur , Oasis , Pulp . In the 2000s, alternative rock groups focused on power pop appeared ( The New Pornographers , Super Furry Animals , etc.).