The Raspberries might have been the only band scoring hits with power pop for a year or two (unless you count Sweet, but they were really more glam than pp), so they were important. My timeline could be off, but I think Badfinger’s run of big singles had ended, and Todd Rundgren had moved on to prog, although he still did some power pop live (the first time I ever heard the Move’s “Do Ya” was Todd playing it live in ‘73 or ‘74). Big Star was around, but they got no attention. Stories had their power pop moments, but they weren’t hits.
“Tonight” flopped for the Raspberries as a single, but I think it’s as good as any of them.
Fun facts: EC took the verse melody of “All By Myself” from the second movement of Rachmaninov’s 2nd piano concerto. Although that melody isn’t as saccharine in the context of the whole work as it seems in isolation, it’s still pretty much the musical equivalent of a deep fried Twinkie smothered in chocolate syrup with some powdered sugar on top. And don’t forget the whipped cream. I’m not saying it’s bad, but, you know, it is what it is, and there are times when that fried Twinkie would really hit the spot. Anyway, EC scored big with that song, so followed it with this one which takes its chorus from another Rachmaninov weep-fest, the third movement of his 2nd symphony.
I didn’t realize he did “All By Myself.”
The Power Pop Dictator has put me back on a probationary membership.
The Raspberries might have been the only band scoring hits with power pop for a year or two (unless you count Sweet, but they were really more glam than pp), so they were important. My timeline could be off, but I think Badfinger’s run of big singles had ended, and Todd Rundgren had moved on to prog, although he still did some power pop live (the first time I ever heard the Move’s “Do Ya” was Todd playing it live in ‘73 or ‘74). Big Star was around, but they got no attention. Stories had their power pop moments, but they weren’t hits.
“Tonight” flopped for the Raspberries as a single, but I think it’s as good as any of them.
Fun facts: EC took the verse melody of “All By Myself” from the second movement of Rachmaninov’s 2nd piano concerto. Although that melody isn’t as saccharine in the context of the whole work as it seems in isolation, it’s still pretty much the musical equivalent of a deep fried Twinkie smothered in chocolate syrup with some powdered sugar on top. And don’t forget the whipped cream. I’m not saying it’s bad, but, you know, it is what it is, and there are times when that fried Twinkie would really hit the spot. Anyway, EC scored big with that song, so followed it with this one which takes its chorus from another Rachmaninov weep-fest, the third movement of his 2nd symphony.