Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the '70s presented the roots of power pop, and its successor, Power Pop Classics of the '80s, finds the genre slowly mutating into a classicist style. In the '80s, power pop didn't have as dedicated an audience as it did in the previous decade (or that it would have in the '90s), and the place to hear catchy guitar pop was in the ringing jangle pop of the American underground. As a result, about half of the bands on this collection -- including Let's Active, the Bangles, the DB's, Tommy Keene, the Smithereens, Hoodoo Gurus, and the La's -- had more in common with jangle pop than power pop, but they shared the same love of the three-minute single and the pure, catchy melody. Also, their presence makes Power Pop Classics of the '80s a bit more diverse than its predecessor, since there's a greater variety of pop styles, from the punchy rock of the Romantics' "What I Like About You" and the British Invasion stylings of the SpongeTones ("She Goes Out With Everybody") to the AOR of Utopia ("Crybaby") and the new wave of Holly & the Italians ("Tell That Girl to Shut Up") and the Plimsouls ("A Million Miles Away"). On the whole, the collection doesn't deliver as many thrills as Power Pop Classics of the '70s, but that's only by a slight margin, since among these 18 tracks are some of the finest pop singles of the '80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
The dB's (Producer), Pat Walters (Guitar), Rick Wagner (Keyboards), Geoff Emerick (Producer), Kasim Sulton (Bass), Jon Wilcox (Vocals), Pat Walters (Vocals), Candy (Performer), Ian Ainsworth (Bass), Vicki Peterson (Vocals), Bill Lloyd (Guitar), Gary Stewart (Release Production), Bill Lloyd (Vocals), Ted Nicely (Bass), Michael Osborn (Percussion), Vicki Peterson (Guitar), Peter Solley (Producer), Michael Farmer (Percussion), Mike Mesaros (Vocals), Bill Lloyd (Bass), Phil Seymour (Drums), Mike Skill (Guitar), Willie Wilcox (Vocals), Danny Wilde (Vocals), Willie Wilcox (Drums), Pat Walters (Keyboards), Jamie Hoover (Vocals), Phil Seymour (Vocals), Julee Stover (Editing), Will Rigby (Drums), Peter Holsapple (Keyboards), John Hagelston (Release Production), Sara Romweber (Drums), Jamie Hoover (Guitar), Tommy Keene (Percussion), Michael Steele (Bass), David Williams (Vocals), Peter Holsapple (Guitar), Kasim Sulton (Vocals), The Smithereens (Performer), Hugh Brown (Cover Art), Richard Sandford (Percussion), Richard Podolor (Producer), Marshall Crenshaw (Vocals), Tommy Keene (Performer), Gary Peterson (Project Supervisor), Diana Haig (Vocals), Jeff Eyrich (Producer), Ian Ainsworth (Vocals), Rachel Gutek (Release Production), Pat DiNizio (Guitar), Steve Poltorak (Producer), Will Rigby (Vocals), David McLees (Producer), Debbi Peterson (Vocals), Peter Holsapple (Vocals), Bob Andrews (Producer), Debbi Peterson (Drums), Steve Young (Vocals), David McLees (Release Production), Dave Gilby (Drums), Patrick Milligan (Release Production), Lee Mayers (Vocals), Mark Sidgwick (Guitar), Michael Steele (Vocals), Patrick Milligan (Producer), Pat DiNizio (Vocals), James Baker (Drums), Joe Kernich (Piano), Ken Sharp (Editorial Supervision), The Pursuit of Happiness (Performer), Peter Case (Vocals), Hoodoo Gurus (Performer), Wally Palmar (Guitar), Johnny Sinclair (Bass), Dennis Diken (Percussion), Wally Palmar (Vocals), Lee Mavers (Guitar), Ian Ainsworth (Keyboards), The dB's (Performer), Mike Mesaros (Bass), Vanessa Atkins (Editing), Danny Wilde (Guitar), Bill Pitcock (Guitar), Steve Lillywhite (Producer), Mark Sidgwick (Bass), Holly & the Italians (Performer), Dave Pahoa (Bass), Peter Case (Guitar), Jonathan Daniel (Synthesizer), Utopia (Performer), Susanna Hoffs (Guitar), Phil Seymour (Guitar), Marc Owens (Drums), The Romantics (Performer), Ken Sharp (Creative Consultant), Gene Holder (Keyboards), Bill Lloyd (Mandolin), John Schubert (Percussion), Steven Chean (Editing), Faye Hunter (Vocals), Susanna Hoffs (Vocals), Brad Shepherd (Percussion), John Hagelston (Producer), Rachel Gutek (Design), Mitch Easter (Producer), Lee Mayers (Guitar), Danny Wilde (Keyboards), Bill Lloyd (Performer), Gary Stewart (Producer), Hugh Brown (Art Direction), Mark Sidgwick (Vocals), Utopia (Producer), Gene Holder (Guitar), The Spongetones (Performer), Mike Osborn (Percussion), Jim Babjak (Guitar), David E. Williams (Vocals), Dave Pahoa (Vocals), Mike Osborn (Drums), Bill Lloyd (Producer), Bill Lloyd (Percussion), Jim Neill (Producer), Kyle Vincent (Vocals), Doug Tull (Drums), Mitch Easter (Liner Notes), Valerie Valera (Release Production), Mitch Easter (Guitar), Todd Rundgren (Producer), Bill Inglot (Remastering), John Borack (Liner Notes), Phil Seymour (Performer), Harold Bronson (Producer), Steven Chean (Liner Notes), Kris Abbott (Vocals), Gary Peterson (Discographical Annotation), Peter Case (Liner Notes), Leslie Stanwyck (Vocals), Jim Neill (Release Production), Harold Bronson (Release Production), Richard Sandford (Drums), John Power (Bass), Chris Butler (Producer), Lee Mavers (Vocals), Vanessa Atkins (Liner Notes), Phil Solem (Guitar), John Boylan (Producer), David Faulkner (Guitar), Billy Connelly (Guitar), Will Rigby (Percussion), Marshall Crenshaw (Performer), Bill Inglot (Producer), The Plimsouls (Performer), Rachel Gutek (Producer), John Power (Vocals), Dave Kapp (Project Supervisor), Julee Stover (Liner Notes), John Timson (Drums), Jimmy Marinos (Drums), Paul Schaffer (Organ), Rob Thorne (Percussion), Great Buildings (Performer), Mike Osborn (Vocals), Michael Osborn (Vocals), Tommy Keene (Vocals), Andrew Williams (Vocals), Moe Berg (Guitar), Billy Connelly (Vocals), Mitch Easter (Vocals), John Schubert (Drums), Don Dixon (Producer), Steve Stoeckel (Vocals), Moe Berg (Vocals), Kyle Vincent (Piano), Brad Shepherd (Vocals), Tommy Keene (Guitar), Rachel Gutek (Art Direction), Patrick Milligan (Project Supervisor), Paul Hemmings (Guitar), Tommy Keene (Keyboards), Jimmy Marinos (Vocals), Jerry Harrison (Synthesizer), Rachel Gutek (Logo), Dave Schultz (Remastering), Danny Wilde (Percussion), Holly Beth Vincent (Vocals), Jay Blakesberg (Photography), Gary Peterson (Producer), Roger Powell (Vocals), Greg Allen (Photography), Eddie Muñoz (Vocals), Larry Byrom (Keyboards), Michael Osborn (Drums), Eddie Muñoz (Guitar), Jamie Hoover (Producer), Faye Hunter (Bass), Gary Peterson (Release Production), Louie Ramirez (Drums), David Faulkner (Keyboards), Steve Stoeckel (Bass), Steve Young (Drums), Clyde Bramley (Vocals), Alan Thorne (Producer), David Faulkner (Vocals), Robert Crenshaw (Drums), Todd Rundgren (Vocals), Clyde Bramley (Bass), John Borack (Project Assistant), Louie Ramirez (Vocals), Richie Cole (Vocals), Dennis Diken (Vocals), Holly Beth Vincent (Guitar), David Gorman (Release Production), David Kahne (Producer), Bill Inglot (Release Production), Dave Kapp (Release Production), Richie Cole (Bass), Dave Kapp (Producer), Robert Crenshaw (Vocals), Phil Seymour (Percussion), Jon Wilcox (Drums), Dennis Diken (Drums), Marshall Crenshaw (Liner Notes), David Crockett (Drums), Mike Skill (Vocals), Todd Rundgren (Guitar), Chris Donato (Bass), Steve Poltorak (Release Production), Louie Ramirez (Percussion), Gilby Clarke (Guitar), Bangles (Performer), Duane Hitchings (Keyboards), Emory Gordy (Bass), Will Rigby (Keyboards), Patrick Irwin (Keyboards), Rob Thorne (Drums), Chris Donato (Vocals), Jonathan Daniel (Bass), Gene Holder (Bass), Richard Gottehrer (Producer), Kris Abbott (Guitar), Phil Solem (Vocals), Paul Schaffer (Piano), Marshall Crenshaw (Guitar), Let's Active (Performer), Roger Powell (Keyboards), The La's (Performer), David Gorman (Producer), Brad Shepherd (Guitar)
