(CD / 70s / Power Pop] Comprehensive 3CD overview of the American power pop scene's evolution throughout the 70s. Featuring the genre's major bands, cult names, hits, rarites and several previously unissued tracks. Although the power pop genre wasn't named and codified until late 1977, the sound and spirit had been slowly gathering steam throughout the decade. Surrounded by heavy metal and introverted singer/ songwriters, the likes of The Raspberries, Big Star, Blue Ash and The Wackers spearheaded an early 70s return to the spiky, three-minute pop urgency of the mid-60s British Invasion bands. While only The Raspberries charted, such bands established a musical template that was adopted by a new raft of slightly younger acts including the Dwight Twilley Band, the Rubinoos and the Shoes. The tide had turned by the late 70s, with such names as Cheap Trick and the Cars achieving success as the American music industry embraced power pop as a radio-friendly alternative to punk. When The Knack emerged from nowhere to dominate the summer of 1979 with the single My Sharona and the album Get The Knack, it was clear that the decade was ending with power pop established as a significant commercial proposition. A chronologically-arranged set, Looking For The Magic traces power pop's development throughout the Seventies as largely unsuccessful bands were afforded cult status by the burgeoning grass-roots fanzine network that nurtured them. As well as featuring all of the aforementioned acts, included are the likes of Todd Rundgren, Flamin' Groovies, Sparks, Ramones and the USA-based 1979 revamp of Badfinger, one of the seminal prototypal power pop bands at the start of the decade. There's also a focus on a huge number of cult names and little-known acts, showcasing many tracks that were unissued at the time and even several cuts now gaining a first-ever release. Includes is an illustrated 48-page booklet, Looking For The Magic is a fascinating, highly entertaining celebration of a genre that went under the radar for most of it's formative years.

Shakin' Street - MC5 * Go Back - Crabby Appleton * Egg Carton Wall - the American Dream * We Gotta Get You a Woman - Todd Rundgren * Moon Tears - Grin * Down on My Knees - Bread * You Tore My Down -Flamin' Groovies * To Be Your Friend - Sid Bradley (Erik) * When My Baby's Beside Me (Alternative Mix) - Big Star * Top of the City - Stories * It's My Life - Wackers * I Like Girls (Bearsville Version) - Sparks * Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?) - Blue Ash * Must Be Love - Bang * Friday on My Mind - Earth Quake * Play on - Raspberries * I Don't Mind - Athanor * Some Kind of Jerk- Foxpass * Ahead of My Time - Droogs * I Don't Want to Know - Nils Lofgren * Little Lost and Innocent-Milk 'n' Cookies * Rock and Roll Love Letter - Tim Moore * Government Center -Jonathan Richman * She Might Look My Way (Take 2) - Alex Chilton * Familiar Faces - Target * Last Night - Eric Carmen * American Nights - Runaways * (Don't Fear) the Reaper (Single Edit) - Blue Öyster Cult * Downtown Menagerie - Hollins Ferry * All in All - Just Boys * When You Find Out - Nerves * If You've Got the Time - Babys * Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold * To Stay - John Scoggins * See No Evil - Television * I Trust You - Meyce * Oh, Candy (Single Mix) - Cheap Trick * Ridin' in My Car - NRBQ * Boys Don't Lie - Shoes * She Say Yea - Scruffs * She's the One - Themarshalls * Love in Action - Utopia * Alright You Boys - Venus & Razorblades * Looking for the Magic - Dwight Twilley Band * Ecstasy - Paley Brothers * Forgive and Forget - Marbles * All for the Love of Rock and Roll - Tuff Darts * You, Yeah You - Quick * New Year's Eve - Van Duren * Mind of My Own - Leopards * Walk in the Rain - Pop * Decline and Fall - Sneakers * My Best Friend's Girl - Cars * Losing You to Sleep -Tommy Hoehn * The First One - Gary Valentine * Leave the Past Behind - Moberlys * I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones * Let Her Dance - Spitballs * You Just Don't Wanna Know - Jules & Polar Bears * Gotta Have Pop - Segarini * Say Girl - Robert Johnson * Come Back - Fotomaker * Don't Listen to Them - Bill Kern * Love Is Gonna Come at Last - Badfinger * Drivin' Music - Rubinoos * Rendezvous - Greg Kihn Band * Your Number or Your Name - Knack * Poly Vinyl - Mumbles * Rolene - Moon Martin * Get 'Im Outa Town - Laughing Dogs * She Don't Know Why I'm Here (Album Version) - Last * Slip Away - Ian Lloyd * Should Have Known Better - Richard Lloyd * No More Heartbreaks - Names * She Said - Cheese * Cheri - 20/20