Looking for recommendations for power pop from ~1977-1983

I've been on a real power pop/post-punk/new wave kick lately. Been listening to a lot of The Knack, early Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, Cheap Trick, etc.

I want more similar music from this period (1977-1983). Stuff that is borderline punk/hard rock, but melodic, hooky and punchy. Energetic with good riffs. Music that is in a similar vein as the following:

"Turning Japanese" - The Vapors
"My Sharona" - The Knack
"(She's So) Selfish" - "The Knack"
"Ah! Leah" - Donnie Iris
"Love Is Like a Rock" - Donnie Iris
"So It Goes - Nick Lowe
"867-5309/Jenny" - Tommy Tutone
"She's Tight" - Cheap Trick

 

Squeeze, Madness, The Cars, The Romantics, The Motels

 

20/20, Dwight Twilley, Shoes, Paul Collins' Beat, Cheap Trick's first 3 albums, The Plimsouls' and Bangles' debut albums.

 

They had one album out and boy is it good!

 

Not "old" but in the style you're looking for:

 

Just put on Blondie's 2nd album "Plastic Letters" ... you need a feminine voice in your list.

 

Rich Kids - Ghosts of Princes in Towers

That entire Vapors album, New Clear Days, is excellent.

This one will be hard to find, but the album Concrete Scheme by a group called Modern Man is, by far, my favorite album of that genre.

 

I think the Buzzcocks would be right up your alley. Check out their compilation album "Singles Going Steady."

 

"I See Red" & others by Split Enz.

 

These guys are friends of mine, and they still get together a few times a year to play gigs:

 

The whole Nerves EP is worth checking out



Paul Collins went on to the Beat, 1st LP is also worth checking out.

 

The Records "Crashes" (1980 - Virgin) was/is brilliant.

Also, for the record, Jeff Foskett's (he of Brian Wilson's crew) old band, The Pranks, had this genre down back in the period your looking at, but never got a credible record release. They were really really good.

 

Wondering if anybody would mention The Records. My vote is for their self-titled LP. Its got "Teenarama" which is a fantastic piece of power pop.

I once heard the album in my local store.. forgot about it.. then took 6 months to dig it up again in the bins

 

The Monroes - "What Do All The People Know"

A little past your year guidelines, and also part of the "Paisley Underground," but "Her Head's Revolving" by The Three O'Clock, from 1985. Also the entire album Playground by The Truth (1985 as well).

I was going to mention Marshall Crenshaw, particularly "Whenever You're On My Mind" from '83, but when he was on Marc Maron's WTF podcast last year, he said "Anyone who refers to me as 'power pop' is my mortal enemy." So let's just say he's rock.

Oh, and "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" by The Kings!

(I can't believe it took me over 9 years to get to 1,000 posts here. Wooo, me!)

 

Off Broadway usa
The Rubinoos
The Rings
The Producers
The Kingbees
The Inmates
Diesel
The Fools

 

Don't forget about 80s Utopia..

 

Well, this genre is in my wheelhouse. So, here are some album suggestions (some of this stuff is fairly obscure, but you can probably find samples on youtube. If anyone is interested I will search up some of the better singles.

These are on the punk or new wave side of power pop:

The Incredible Kidda Band - Too Much, Too Little, To Late
The Flys - Waikiki Bech Refugees
The Boys - Alternative Chartbusters
Pete Stride/John Plain - New Guitars in Town
Milk N Cookies - s/t
Charlie Fawn - s/t
The Keys - Album
Interview - Big Oceans
The Dazzlers - Feeling Free
Pinkees - s/t
The Distractions - Nobody's Perfect

These are more on the mod/powerpop side maybe:

The Pleasers - Thamesbeat
The Jags - Evening Standards
Squire - Get Smart
The Cortinas - True Romances
The Sorrows - Teenage Heartbreak
The Headboys - S/T

These are pretty much pure powerpop:

20/20 - Look Out!
Bram Tchaikovsky - Strange Land Changed Man
The Heats - Have an Idea
The Late Show - Portable Pop
Jim Basnight & the Moberlys - s/t
Off Broadway - On
Roll-Ups - Low Dives for Highballs
The Scruffs - Wanna Meet the Scruffs?
Van Duren - Are You Serious?

(there are a lot more).

Of course, you need to have the classics, which IMO would include: Big Star, Cheap Trick, Badfinger, The Rubinoos, The Raspberries, The Flamin Groovies, Pezband, The Romantics, Shoes, Dwight Twilley Band, etc.

 

The Quick, Pretty Please Me

 

The dB's: Stands For Decibels and Repercussion.
Thank you sublemon for mentioning Nobody's Perfect by The Distractions. A truly fine lost album.