"...What I Like About
You..."
Having raved about The
Romantics and their kick-ass Power Pop gem "What I Like About You"
from 1979 on Nemperor Records - those terribly right-on and with-it chappies
over at Ace and their Big Beat Records label imprint have come up with a whole
compilation of similarish shampoo 'n' sneaker shakers.
But as another review has
pointed out, there are classics in here like the one I've just mentioned but
there are also close-runs, tracks that feel good rather than great. But - and
this is the big but - across 24-tracks and 74:27 minutes, "Come On Let's
Go: Power Pop Gems From The 70s & 80s" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Big Beat CDWIKD 344
(Barcode 029667095723) offers up a genuinely exciting listen. It really does...
1. Come On Let's Go - THE PALEY BROTHERS & THE RAMONES (1978)
2. I Wanna Be With you - THE RASPBERRIES (1972)
3. What I LIke About You - THE ROMANTICS (1979)
4. Let's Go - DIRTY LOOKS (1980)
5. Looking For The Magic - DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND (1977)
6. I Need That Record - THE TWEEDS (1980)
7. Shake Some Action (First Version) - FLAMIN' GROOVIES (Norton CD, 2002)
8. (My Girl) Mary Anne - THE SPONGETONES
9. Radio Heart - THE SECRETS (Numero Group CD, 2008)
10. Keri - ROBERT JOHNSON (1978)
11. The Trains - THE NASHVILLE RAMBLERS (1986)
12. Nuclear Boy - 20/20 (1981)
13. Better Than Anyone Else - THE TOMS (1979)
14. Nothing Comes Close - BILL LLOYD (1987)
15. (Baby) It's You - THE BOYS
16. It's Only Dark - WIRE TRAIN (1984)
17. Andy, Please - VAN DUREN and JODY STEPHENS (Omnivore Recordings CD, 2019)
18. Glitter Best - THE ROOKS (1995)
19. Teen Line - THE SHIVVERS (1980)
20. September Gurls - BIG STAR (1974)
21. Not The Way It Seems - GARY CHARLSON (1978)
22. Tomorrow Night - SHOES (Black Vinyl Records CD, 2007)
23. Rock And Roll Is Dead - THE RUBINOOS (1977)
24. One World - UTOPIA (1982)
The 28-page booklet penned
by PP disciple DAVE BURKE is rammed with great photos, rare sleeve art like The
Spongetones "Torn Apart" EP on Ripete Records in 1984 or The Flamin
Groovies 2002 CD compilation "Slow Death: Amazin' High Energy Rock 'n'
Roll 1971-73!" on Norton Records and The Nashville Ramblers giving it some
"Trains" on their "American Heart & Soul" LP from 1986.
Page 4 has a collage of nine 45 labels like Stiff, Beserkley, Ensign, Capitol,
Bearsville, Arista for Dwight Twilley etc.
The Audio is fabulous -
punchy and full - long time Audio Engineer NICK ROBBINS handling the transfers
for Ace. Amidst the snappy guitar-jangling Joe Jackson bass slapping type
energy, there is much to love and anyone interested in the genre should dive
in. Another nice job done and discoveries too...
