Various – She’s Got the Power: Female Power Pop, Punk & Garage (CD)

SHES GOT THE POWER! is the follow-up to our Girls Go Power Pop! collection of female-fronted bands from the 80s and 90s, and the sisterly companion to Come On Lets Go! and Rockets Of Love!, our two volumes of male Power Pop.

The term Power Pop was coined by Pete Townshend in 1967 to highlight the difference between the Who and competitors such as Hermans Hermits.

These days, the definition of the term has become more wide-ranging. Blondies Hanging On The Telephone, for instance, was regarded as new wave or punk in 1978, but with the benefit of hindsight its more Power Pop than anything else.

This new compilation includes many more examples of the blurring of lines: the Dollyrots pop-punk mash-up of the Crystals and the Ramones is a rush of adrenalin and sweetness, the Donnas instil enough pop into metal to lighten its heaviness, Bad Moves add pop to indie, Lydia Loveless somehow squeezes pop into cow-punk, the Launderettes pour greasy honey over garage-rock, and the Courettes add a dash of Spectoresque candy over their tough retro- rock but the point is that its all pop with power.

Power Pop has maintained a strong underground presence from the 70s up to the present day, having survived by blending with similar styles, and is now enthusiastically supported by die-hard fans around the world. Accordingly, we have widened the time- frame here to cover from 1978 right up to 2018 and have broadened our terms of reference to better reflect the way the genre has grown and developed.

One thing stays the same though: we have retained the emphasis on high quality upbeat songs with catchy tunes that stick in your head and memorable hooks that deliver sugar straight to the veins. We have scoured the world to find the most exciting tracks with contributions from not only the USA and the UK but also Spain, Sweden, Japan, Norway, Brazil and Denmark.

This is a celebration of the females who continue to explore the joyful possibilities pop has to offer. And, frankly, they do it best. Perhaps its the enduring influence of 60s girl groups which remains a subtle undercurrent on much of the music within its new and old, a hybrid thats bright and sassy, raunchy and gritty, fun-filled and flame-fuelled. But whatever you want to call it, theres one thing for sure: SHES GOT THE POWER!

Tracklisting:
1. HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE – Blondie
2. DA DOO RON RON / I WANNA BE SEDATED
The Dollyrots
3. SPIRIT FM – Bad Moves
4. OUT OF TIME – Vibeke Saugestad
5. ILL BE ALRIGHT – Baby Shakes
6. JUVENILLE THRILLS – The Launderettes
7. DANCING WITH JOEY RAMONE – Amy Rigby
8. ROCK BOYS – Suzy & Los Quattro
9. GET ENOUGH – Ivy
10. TAKE IT OFF – The Donnas
11. IN THE CITY – Cocktail Slippers
12. EXPLOSION! (English version) – Shonen Knife
13. TEENAGE KICKS – Dawn Chorus & The Bluetits
14. BRIGHT CITY LIGHTS – The Dahlmanns
15. THE TEENS ARE SQUARE – The Courettes
16. LOVE SO PURE – Puffy Amiyumi
17. BOY CRAZY – Lydia Loveless
18. CMON + KISS ME – Sun 60
19. PETER GUNN LOCOMOTION – The Delmonas
20. YOURE MY BRIAN JONES – Palmyra Delran
21. WE ONLY COME OUT AT NIGHT – The Sugar Stems
22. TAKE IT ALL AWAY – Girlschool
23. ALRIGHT ALRIGHT (HERES MY FIST WHERES THE
FIGHT?) – Sahara Hotnights
24. UNFORGIVEN – Go-Gos