Power Pop CD's | Swedish Rock CD's | Various Rock CD's

Power Pop is defined many different ways by many different people. Undoubtedly Power Pop is rooted in the Beatle's melodic pop, which was then filtered through the power chords of Cheap Trick, the over-the-top pop operatics of The Raspberries, and the indie aesthetic of Big Star. I happen to love quite a bit of it and have an enormous CD collection of bands often called "power pop".

Unfortunately, since my store links to Amazon, many of the greatest power pop albums can't be found here. A great resource for newer stuff is my favorite label, Not Lame Records (www.notlame.com).

Some folks may quibble that some of the bands I present here aren't really power pop. Who gives a shit. The label doesn't really matter all that much. Whatever way you look at it, what follows are some of my favorite albums of all time:

Jellyfish Spilt Milk (1993) Favorite tracks: The Ghost at Number One, New Mistake Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Jellyfish Bellybutton (1990) Favorite tracks: Now She Knows She's Wrong, Bedspring Kiss Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Tsar Tsar (2000) Favorite tracks: Calling All Destroyers, MonoStereo Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Nick Lowe Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe (1989) Favorite tracks: Mary Provost, Cruel to Be Kind Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

You Am I Hi-Fi Way (1996) Favorite tracks: She Digs Her, Purple Sneakers Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

You Am I Hourly, Daily (1997) Favorite tracks: Opportunities, Who Takes Who Home Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

You Am I No. 4 Records (1998) Favorite tracks: What I Don't Know ŒBout You, Fifteen, ŠAnd Vandalism Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

You Am I Dress Me Slowly (2001) Favorite tracks: Damage, Kick a Hole in the Sky Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

You Am I Deliverance (2002) Favorite tracks: Who Put the Devil in You, Crash Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Silver Sun You Are Here (2001) Favorite tracks: Top Trumps, Lava Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Posies Dear 23 (1996) Favorite tracks: Golden Blunders, Apology Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Ken Stringfellow Touched (2001) Favorite tracks: Down Like Me, Reveal Love Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Teenage Fanclub Howdy! (2001) Favorite tracks: I Can't Find My Way Home, Happiness Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Teenage Fanclub Songs from Northern Britain (1997) Favorite tracks: I Don't Want Control of You, Your Love is the Place Where I Come From Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Vandalias Buzzbomb! (1998) Favorite tracks: Buzzbomb, Charity at Home Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Weezer Pinkerton (1996) Favorite tracks: Why Bother, Across the Sea Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Rooney Rooney (2003) Favorite tracks: I'm Shakin', Daisy Duke Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Knack Get the Knack Favorite tracks: Good Girls Don't, That's What the Little Girls Do Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Frisbie The Subversive Sounds of Love (2000) Favorite tracks: Disaster, Martha Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Raspberries Capital Collectors Series (1991) Favorite tracks: Go All the Way, Nobody Knows Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Material Issue Freak City Soundtrack (1994) Favorite tracks: Goin' Through Your Purse, I Could Use You Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Fluid Ounces Big Notebook for Easy Piano (1997) Favorite tracks: Tricky Fingers, Birdbrained Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Lilys Better Can't Make Your Life Better (1996) Favorite tracks: Can't Make Your Life Better, A Nanny in Manhattan Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Beulah The Coast is Never Clear (2001) Favorite tracks: Gene Autry, A Good Man is Easy to Kill Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Sloan Between the Bridges (1998) Favorite tracks: Losing California, Waiting for Slow Songs Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Sloan Action Pact (2004) Favorite tracks: The Rest of My Life, Hollow Head Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Nightmare of You Nightmare of You (2005) Favorite tracks: Dear Scene I Wish I Were Deaf, I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Superdrag In the Valley of the Dying Stars (2000) Favorite tracks: Baby's Waiting, Some Kind of Tragedy Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Arthur Yoria I'll Be Here Awake (2003) Favorite tracks: She Looks Like You, Call Me Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Hot Hot Heat Make Up the Breakdown (2000) Favorite tracks: Bandages, Get In or Get Out Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Apples in Stereo The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (2000) Favorite tracks: Go, Bird That You Can't See Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Apples in Stereo Tone Soul Evolution (1998) Favorite tracks: About Your Fame, You Said That Last Night Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Apples in Stereo Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999) Favorite tracks: Benefits of Lying to Your Friends, Questions and Answers Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Todd Rundgren Something/Anything (1972) Favorite tracks: Couldn't I Just Tell You, I Saw the Light Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

All Day Sucker All Day Sucker (2004) Favorite tracks: Get High, Camila Rose Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five (1995) Favorite tracks: Philosophy, Where's Summer B, Alice Childress, Underground Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Ben Folds Ben Folds Live (2002) Favorite tracks: One Down, The Luckiest, Best Imitation of Myself Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Big Star Third/Sister Lovers (1978) Favorite tracks: Thank You Friends, Big Black Car Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Big Star #1 Record/Radio City (1972) Favorite tracks: In the Street, Thirteen Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady (1979) Favorite tracks: What Do I Get?, I Don't Mind Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Cheap Trick Heaven Tonight (1978) Favorite tracks: Surrender, Auf Wiedersehen Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Cheap Trick Dream Police (1979) Favorite tracks: Voices, Dream Police Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Cheap Trick At Budokan (1979) Favorite tracks: Southern Girls, I Want You to Want Me, Surrender, Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Cheap Trick Authorized Greatest Hits (2000) Favorite tracks: Surrender, If You Want My Love, Tonight It's You Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Replacements Let It Be (1984) Favorite tracks: I Will Dare, Androgynous, Unsatisfied Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Replacements Tim (1987) Favorite tracks: Swinging Party, Hold My Life, Kiss Me on the Bus Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Various D.I.Y.: Come Out and Play: American Power Pop (1993) Favorite tracks: Baby It's Cold Outside, My Mind, Why Can't It Be Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Wheatus Wheatus (2000) Favorite tracks: Teenage Dirtbag, Truffles Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Montgomery Cliffs The Montgomery Cliffs (2001) Favorite tracks: Ride, Bad Karma, Wednesday Girl Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Cavedogs Joy Rides for Shut-Ins (1990) Favorite tracks: Leave Me Alone, Taking up Space, Baba Ghanooj Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

The Cavedogs Soul Martini (1992) Favorite tracks: Love Grenade, On for the Ride Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Gladhands La Di Da (1997) Favorite tracks: Albatross, Gore Girls (Gimme More) Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Linus of Hollywood Let Yourself Be Happy (2001) Favorite tracks: Every Day I Fall in Love Again, Building a Ship Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Squeeze ArgyBargy (1980) Favorite tracks: Pulling Mussels from the Shell, Separate Beds Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Squeeze East Side Story (1981) Favorite tracks: In Quintessance, Woman's World Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Sugarbomb Bully (2001) Favorite tracks: Bully, Motor Mouth, Poster Child for Tragedy Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

Supergrass I Should Coco (1995) Favorite tracks: Alright, Caught by the Fuzz Click here to buy now from Amazon.com.

POWER POP MIXED CD 1: SWEET SUGAR HIGH 1. Couldn't I Just Tell You, Todd Rundgren 2. Ghost at Number One, Jellyfish 3. Calling All Destroyers, Tsar 4. This Œn' That, Silver Sun 5. Been Waiting, Flashing Lights 6. Erica's Word, Game Theory 7. Indy 500, Girlpope 8. Golden Blunders, The Posies 9. Can't Make Your Life, The Lilys 10. Buzzbomb, Vandalias 11. Don't Deflate, Starling 12. Goin' Through Your Purse, Material Issue 13. Gene Autry, Beulah 14. Yellow & Blue, Ice Cream Hands 15. Late, Trip Shakespeare 16. Losing California, Sloan 17. She Digs Her, You Am I 18. Down Like Me, Ken Stringfellow 19. The KKK Took My Baby Away, Ramones 20. Electric Chair, The Dolls 21. I Don't Want Control of You, Teenage Fanclub 22. Nobody Knows, Raspberries

POWER POP MIXED CD 2: OFF THE BEATEN POP 1. Hurt Me, The Odds 2. Highschool, The Flashing Lights 3. Keep the Home Fires Burning, The Bluetones 4. Crybaby, Utopia 5. Dear Scene, I Wish I Were Deaf, Nightmare of You 6. I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams, Weezer & Rachel Hayden 7. New Mistake, Jellyfish 8. Wish List, Jets to Brazil 9. My Mind, The Scruffs 10. Get Over It, OK Go 11. Bandages, Hot Hot Heat 12. Disaster, Frisbie 13. She's So Young, The Pursuit of Happiness 14. The Big Lie, Gigolo Aunts 15. I Just Wanna Stay at Home, The Blondes 16. Dumb, Silver Sun 17. Turn It Around, Steve Ward 18. About Your Fame, Apples in Stereo 19. Mary Provost, Nick Lowe 20. Sucked Out, Superdrag 21. Charity at Home, Vandalias 22. Bigger than the Both of Us, Fluid Ounces 23. The Last, The Replacements

POWER POP MIXED CD 3: SWEET SUGAR HITS 1. No Matter What, Badfinger 2. I Saw the Light, Todd Rundgren 3. Go All the Way, Raspberries 4. Fox on the Run, Sweet 5. Mr. Blue Sky, Electric Light Orchestra 6. Surrender, Cheap Trick 7. Cruel to Be Kind, Nick Lowe 8. Good Girls Don't, The Knack 9. Stay in Time, Off Broadway 10. Set Me Free, Utopia 11. A Million Miles Away, The Plimsouls 12. Someday, Someway, Marshall Crenshaw 13. I'll Be You, The Replacements 14. There She Goes, The Las 15. Buddy Holly, Weezer 16. Sick of Myself, Matthew Sweet 17. Brick, Ben Folds Five 18. Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus 19. The Middle, Jimmy Eat World 20. I'm Shakin', Rooney 21. Stacey's Mom, Fountains of Wayne