I Wanna Be A Teen Again - American Power Pop 1980-1989 (Clamshell Box)

If the 1970s were when power pop was invented and made into one of the more exciting styles of music around, and even occasionally very popular, the 80s were when the style permeated the music scene as it split into multiple tendrils of guitar-based pop. Following up on their excellent collection Looking for the Magic: American Power Pop in the 70s, Grapefruit Records delivers another brilliant set of freshly scrubbed power pop tracks on I Wanna Be a Teen Again: American Power Pop, 1980-1989. On the three-disc set, one gets to listen as the classic power pop sound of the previous decade shoots off in different directions. Its chiming guitars and swirls of sound inform the paisley underground, a slicked-up version wends its way through the new wave scene, the insistent jangle and openhearted vocals provide the basis for jangle pop, and the classic song structures appeal to groups who are exceedingly slick and scruffily lo-fi. Setting aside the history lesson, its also just jam-packed with fun tunes that are sure to get toes tapping like mad. Each disc is stocked with at least 95 percent jams, and even the songs that sound a little flat due to over-production arent too awful. And as a bonus even fans of the genre who have grabbed every collection thats come down the pike will likely find things here that will be new to them. A few of these hidden gems include Julian Leals synthy "You and I", which sounds like it was recorded in a cave but has a giant hook, Gary Herrewigs Byrds-y ballad "Hurt You Too," Eddy Bests punked-up cover of the Grassroots "Things I Shouldve Said," and David Quintons intensely catchy "Make Up Your Mind." There are more tunes to be dug up, too, and the bands one might recognize -- like the Knack, Eric Carmen, the Romantics, the Go-Gos, and NRBQ -- are represented by less well-known cuts. Added to these ends of the spectrum are quite a few bands who are considered the best of the genre, which a set like this must have to be comprehensive. Listing them all is a fools errand, but the cream of the crop includes the Shivvers ("Please Stand By"), Shoes ("She Satisfies"), Phil Seymour ("Precious to Me"), the one and only Dwight Twilley ("Im Back Again"), Tommy Keene ("Places That Are Gone"), and Material Issue ("Renee Remains the Same"). Tracks like that last one prove that the sound wasnt getting even a little bit stale as the decade wound to a close and grunge started to take over. That power pop remained as fresh and vital as it did all throughout its second decade of existence is a testament to how strong the building blocks of the sound are. Grapefruit does a wonderful job of gathering up and presenting a wide range of bands and songs, both familiar and obscure, and one can only hope they are getting ready to tackle the 90s next. ~ Tim Sendra