The Pop
- The Pop [Automatic, 1977] B+
- Go! [Arista, 1979] B+
Consumer Guide Reviews:
The Pop [Automatic, 1977]
Jesus, another one of those self-motivated hard rock bands putting out its own album. These guys are from L.A., with OK lyrics and better everything else; little things like breaks and bridges mean a lot to them, and so do big things like guitars. Intense (rather than inflated) and understated (rather than wimpy) at the same time. B+
Go! [Arista, 1979]
Amid the sludge of Yew Ess Ay 1977, the chiming, slightly tinny British Invasion tributes of these pioneering L.A. power poppers were as daring formally as their self-distributed album was politically. Two years later everybody's doing it and their synthesis has become correspondingly fuller and more intricate, incorporating Anglophile moves that range from Roxy Music automation to Clashy football-cheer backup vocals. Still missing are depth of vision (these are power poppers, after all) and killer hooks (aren't they?). B+
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