FILE UNDER POP

For a moment in the early 70's it seemed as if pure unadulterated pop might be pushing back against the tide of mainstream music that had gradually become more rock-oriented, and maybe was taking itself a bit too seriously. Overblown self-important opinions of some parts of the music media (Rolling Stone magazine – come on down!) had seeped into the minds of many of the record buying public, and convinced them that the only worthwhile music was found on albums, and singles were for kids, or people of lesser ability to appreciate music.

But occasionally a single came along that seemed like a deliberate throwback to (or celebration of) the early to mid-60's era, when The Beatles and The Beach Boys led the way with short sharp melodic pop songs, and hundreds of other artists willingly followed. These two singles are great examples of what was subsequently christened ‘power pop’ - take a great melody, surround it with lush harmonies, add some melodic twists, then just for the heck of it an extra dash of harmony here and there, and serve it up in a wrapper of guitar/bass/drums to keep it musically tight and stop the final result from getting too sweet and sugary.

Todd Rundgren was the multi-talented boy wonder who seemed capable of turning his hand to anything, including writing, producing, playing all the instruments and singing all the vocal parts if necessary. 'I Saw The Light' delivers a great song in a punchy production that sounded great on the radio -  and credit to the Radio programmers and their audiences who enthusiastically breathed in this breath of fresh musical air and put it the US Top 20. This wasn’t a one-off for Rundgren, who produced similar mini masterpieces before and after: ‘We Gotta get You A Woman’ from 1970 is a savvy little pop song, and in 1973 he made the US Top 5 with ‘Hello It’s Me’ – which reworked a minor hit a couple of years earlier for his band Nazz by taking it slightly faster and using an arrangement and production that perfectly framed the bittersweet melody.

Sitting alongside ‘I Saw The Light’ in my mental filing cabinet is ‘Loving You Ain’t Easy’ by Canadian Michel Pagliaro (just ‘Pagliaro’ here, as on many of his 70s/80s releases).  Although far less well-known, this pushes all the same buttons as Rundgren’s record, and does it equally as well. It’s got the melody and the abundant harmonies, but it’s kept from getting too soft by a peppy bassline that moves it along, and some springy guitar lines here and there. It wasn’t a hit in the US, but was Top 10 in his native Canada and just missed the UK Top 30. Like ‘I Saw The Light’  it has the sort of hooks that you find yourself singing in the shower, and it’s a great one for the soundtrack to your next roadtrip !

WANT MORE?

Todd Rundgren is an ‘approach with care’ artist. Start with his 1972 2LP ‘Something/Anything?’ - a masterpiece, but the title (including the question mark) pretty much indicates what to expect. If you want to go further, the artist overview at allmusic.com (written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine) is a great tour guide for what is a rewarding journey, but takes a road which has some bumps and unexpected twists and turns.

Pagliaro is a superstar in his native Canada, and still actively touring and recording, these days mostly in French. His website is pagliaro.ca

Power Pop is still around, although as time goes on it’s clear that the first wave in the early 70’s had the advantage of being able to wear their 60s influences on their sleeves, and use it a start point to add original elements of their own. Later bands who gravitate to the power pop genre tend to sound less original, and more like tribute bands.  If the Rundgren and Pagliaro tunes pushed your buttons, maybe check out contemporaries Raspberries (featuring Eric Carmen), starting with 1972’s ‘Go All The Way’ - top grade power pop with a rocky edge.