Tag: Paul Collins

Paul Collins and Elephant Stone

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Paul Collins

Paul Collins “Stand Back and Take a Good Look”

Paul Collins, the “King of Power Pop,” always channeled rock and roll energy, whether he was with The Nerves in the late 1970s, with The Beat during the 1980s, or later with his solo works. Collins covers a variety of older songs from his prolific career on the new album, Stand Back and Take a Good Look. With a star-studded guest list (Dwight Twilley, Prairie Prince, Richard X Heyman, etc.), Paul sounds great at 67, and the song selection isn’t so much his “hits” as great songs that you may have missed. The songs are short, sweet, and get to the point quickly.

The title track, “Stand Back and Take a Good Look,”  the Jack Lee-penned song, is a bouncy opener about narcissism. The strong songs “I’m the Only One For You” and “In Another World” follow this. Both are excellent power pop songs. The country influences are all over the mid-tempo “Don’t Take it So Hard” and “You Can’t Go Back.” The experience of overseas touring is the subject of the jangling “Liverpool” and the folky “Under the Spanish Sun.” Collins does not disappoint, and there is no filler to be found. Kudos to the label, JEM Records, for signing him. It’s highly recommended!

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Elephant Stone

Elephant Stone “Back Into The Dream”

Canadian band Elephant Stone returns with their sixth album, a neo-psych pop stream of songs that swing between awareness and subconscious. You close your eyes, drift, and while listening to Back Into The Dream, which vaguely reminded me of a 21st-century version of those classic LSD-influenced Moody Blues records from the past. The band’s lead singer, Rishi Dhir, knows how to combine musical textures to create a rich aural tapestry that comes alive in technicolor melodies.

“The Spark” is a more straightforward, catchy earworm, with shimmering rhythm guitars. It gets even stronger with “Going Underground,” about the joys of listening to oldies and getting lost in the moment.  From here, it becomes even more surreal as “bae,” a trippy delight, and the epic “The Imaginary Nameless Everybody” follow their enigmatic paths amid lush harmonies and meandering sitar instrumentation. The road leads to the joyous “On Our Own,” a blissful look at adulthood. Overall, this is a wonderful listen and needs to be experienced as a full album. Highly Recommended!

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Jack Lee gone – but not forgotten

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Jack Lee

Jack Lee passed away last week at 71 years old. The band the Nerves, which included Lee as one of three singer-songwriters, was known to almost every rock and roll enthusiast in Los Angeles at the time, even though relatively few ever saw them perform during their brief tenure together. The trio, which was made up of Lee on guitar, Peter Case on bass, and Paul Collins on drums, began in San Francisco in 1974 before relocating to Los Angeles at the start of 1977. They were without a doubt an early part of the power-pop revival. After the Nerves split up, the latter two became more well-known, with Case going on to found the Plimsouls and Collins leading the group that went by the names of the Beat and Paul Collins’ Beat.
Blondie recorded an extremely faithful cover of the Nerves’ “Hanging on the Telephone” in 1978 that remains one of the group’s most instantly identifiable signature songs to this day. Paul Collins wrote on his Facebook page “We went to hell and back together, he shared all his incredible wealth of knowledge about music with me. I was more than proud to be by his side, through thick and thin…for me there will never be a guy quite like Jack Lee.”

Book review: “I Don’t Fit In” by Paul Collins

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Paul Collins

I Don’t Fit In: My Wild Ride Through the Punk and Power Pop Trenches with The Nerves and The Beat

by Paul Collins (Author), Chuck Nolan (Author)
HoZac Books 2020

Paul Collins gives us the full story from his childhood in New York to the birth of The Nerves, The Breakaways, and The Beat. This is an unvarnished biography showcasing the beginnings of the DIY Power Pop movement in the late 1970s. The story is lively, and Paul’s inner voice comments on some of those crazy moments through his timeline, often referencing career advice from his bandmate and mentor Jack Lee.

Paul’s story is a definitive record of his dogged persistence in the early days, and how he overcame the long odds to become the rock and roll legend he is. In 1977 The Nerves undertook a cross country tour with no manager, no label, and no money. Often playing clubs where the audience was not friendly, but they got to open for The Ramones and supply a hit song for Blondie. Paul goes through all the quirks of touring back then, and how The Nerves gave way to The Breakaways. But it isn’t until he forms The Beat that his career really takes off. The Beat’s debut was one of the best power pop albums of that era and the band’s major-label career is a musical Cinderella story, full of heroes and villains. Paul’s passionate narrative reveals all the drama, victories, and defeats. Plus, it’s got loads of previously unseen photos, flyers, and ephemera from each band. This is a highly recommended book.

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Concert Review: Spyderpop Showcase ’19

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The Bowery Electric in NYC was host to Spyderpop Records on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. An array of talented artists came together for an excellent night of amazing live music. The evening started with girl band Slyboots as they introduced a new lead singer, Tiffany Lyons. Tiffany has a powerful voice and what followed was a selection of soulful pop, rock, and even a Stevie Nicks cover! This was followed by long-time favorite Lannie Flowers as he played selections off his new upcoming LP Home looking to hit the shelves in November.

This was followed by Danny Wilkerson (Pengwins) and songs from his self-titled LP which ranked #8 from my top power pop albums of 2018. The band really stepped up here, filling the room with layers of sound, and then for the finale, we had one of the most talented power pop artists ever, Bill Lloyd take the stage. Bill played from his LP, Playing The Long Game #6 ranked in my 2018 albums list. Plenty of guest musicians were in the audience and at the end of the night all the performers took to the stage with a rousing version of Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding.” Suprise guest Paul Collins joined the gang on stage at the end. See our Facebook post for a full photo gallery!

Paul Collins and Checkpoint Charley

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Paul Collins

Paul Collins “Out of My Head”

The King is back! Paul Collins is a rare breed of musician that can rally the power pop faithful to his side with each release. And for over 40 years from The Nerves to the Beat, he’s still got the talent and energy to get his ideas across. Keeping things simple Paul gets a noticeable assist from Paul Stingo (bass and vocals) as he delivers a series of simple catchy themes intermixed with a few introspective ballads.

“In and Out of My Head” starts with a dramatic ballad that sounds akin to late-60’s era Beau Brummels or Ricky Nelson. This is followed by the short and sweet power pop nuggets “Go” and the Beatlesque “Kind of Girl” that has been Paul’s bread and butter. It’s those catchy hooks married to Paul’s genuine emotion that really stick. “Just Too Bad You’re Leaving” and “Midnight Special” follow the same template, but Paul’s grizzled vocals strain to keep up. The love ballads are wonderfully done with “Emily” and “Lost Again” as standouts. Another excellent song is “You Belong To Me” with its sing-along chorus and solid rhythm that should’ve been a huge Billboard hit (if only we had a time machine.) Collins also briefly reflects on his age and loneliness in the nuanced “Tick Tock.” Overall a Highly Recommended album.

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Checkpoint Charley

Checkpoint Charley “Pomp, Twaddle & Bombast: Songs 13-24”

Checkpoint Charley is the ongoing power pop muse of Kevin Packard and Jesse Anderegg. The band returns from a 10-year hiatus to craft a follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut, Songs 1-12. Their sound draws heavily on the influence of Jellyfish, Queen, and Muse. The opening 4 tunes are from their Star Wars themed EP Great Jedi Mind Trick, starting with the bombastic guitar melody of “InVader.” Next, the yearning power ballad “Misunderstood” is pure magic, as “The Ballad Of Han and Leia” is a more rocking song that you can dance to. “Mayday” has those soaring harmonies and ascending chords that reach the stars. These tracks are so good, the band was recently featured as House Band at ICC Con in Nashville, TN.

From there heavier “Young & Naive” and “She’s All Mine” are closer to Imperial Drag than Jellyfish. My favorite track is “Child’s Play,” as the band chugs along with gleeful abandon, adding toy piano to the powerful hooks. “559V” is another gem that is perfectly composed, and amazingly most of the songs are over the four-minute mark, but they don’t feel stretched out. No filler here, and absolutely better than the debut – this is super highly recommended.

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