Big Beat | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

SHE’S GOT THE POWER! is the follow-up to the “Girls Go Power Pop!” collection of female-fronted bands from the 80s and 90s, and the sisterly companion to “Come On Let’s Go!” and “Rockets Of Love!”, Big Beat's 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 Herman’s Hermits. These days, the definition of the term has become more wide-ranging. Blondie’s ‘Hanging On The Telephone’, for instance, was regarded as new wave or punk in 1978, but with the benefit of hindsight it’s 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 it’s 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 it’s the enduring influence of 60s girl groups which remains a subtle undercurrent on much of the music within – it’s new and old, a hybrid that’s bright and sassy, raunchy and gritty, fun-filled and flame-fuelled. But whatever you want to call it, there’s one thing for sure: SHE’S GOT THE POWER!