ALL MUSIC
Review by Mark Deming

Is Paul Collins truly the King of Power Pop? That’s the kind of statement guaranteed to open a can of worms among record collector types, but Collins certainly has a more honest claim to the title than most folks, given the great records he made in the 1970s and ’80s with the Nerves, the Breakaways, and the Beat (aka the Paul Collins Beat). Collins has cut a handful of fine records since the breakup of the Beat, but King of Power Pop! is the first one in ages that captures the tough, upbeat sound of his most memorable work, and it proves the man hasn’t lost his touch for writing tight, hooky tunes with killer hooks and energetic guitar figures. Collins’ voice is a little rougher than it was in his salad days, but he makes that work to his favor, giving the songs a touch of defiant swagger even when he’s sounding sweet and heartbroken, and when he and his lead guitarist Eric Blakely lock in, this sounds like the perfect follow-up to the Beat’s classic albums for Columbia, bursting with tuneful vigor and rock & roll passion (and arriving a mere quarter-century after the fact). Collins recorded King of Power Pop! in Detroit with producer and engineer Jim Diamond (who also plays bass), and the album features a crew of Motor City notables who give these songs the fire and muscle they need, including Dave Shettler on drums, Wally Palmar (of the Romantics) on harmonica and harmonies, and Nikki Corvette on backing vocals. But the album wouldn’t work if Collins didn’t have a batch of great songs on hand, and “C’Mon Let’s Go,” “Doin’ It for the Ladies,” and “Don’t Blame Your Troubles on Me” are instant power pop classics that all but explode from the speakers, while “Many Roads to Follow” (written in collaboration with his old bandmate Peter Case) shows he hasn’t lost touch with his contemplative side, and “This Is America” builds to a gloriously frantic coda that rocks like nobody’s business. (And the covers of “The Letter” and “You Tore Me Down” demonstrate Collins knows how to bring his own personality into someone else’s great song.) Paul Collins might not be the King of Power Pop, but if there was an elected President of Power Pop, an album this good would certainly sweep him into office; it’s fun, raucous, thoroughly enjoyable rock & roll from one of pop’s greatest unsung heroes.

Long Gone Loser
PAUL COLLINS – “King Of Power Pop!” (Alive Records)
Posted: July 31, 2010 in Album Review

When you release an album called “King Of Power Pop!”, you’re making a pretty big sweeping statement and one that’s sure to have the critics ready to shoot down. Paul Collins has been around long enough to have perfected this craft of power pop song writing so I am sure he’s ready for anything they’re ready to dish out at him. Including me. So I gave this a cranking and have to say, I was hooked in immediately. Wow! This guy just knows how to write a great tune. Under the guidance of producer Jim Diamond, Collins’ simple yet effective and highly infectious ‘King Of Power Pop’ is track after track of golden gems fit for any jukebox across the globe.

Kicking off with a booty shakin’ number called “C’mon Let’s Go!”, a smile widened on my face and my feet were tappin’ uncontrollably. This is good. Damn good! The only thing that’s missing here is the weather. If it was Summer here in Australia I’d crank this album and fire up the BBQ. Hell, in a few months I am sure we’ll do that anyway. Excellent! The songs are short and sweet. They get in and out before they outstay their welcome. You get 13 tracks in under 32 minutes. There’s anthems (“Do You Wanna Love Me?”), there’s power ballads (“Hurting’s On My Side”), subtle ballads (“Many Roads To Follow”), and even a cover of The Box Tops’ probably most well known tune, “The Letter”. The latter of which I am sure was done in tribute to the late Alex Chilton; former singer of the Box Tops and later of Big Star fame who sadly passed on this year. Should I also add that Nikki Corvette and Wally Palmar of The Romantics are guests on this album? I shouldn’t even have to as the album sells itself on the strength of its songs alone.

This album is like the Beach Boys and The Beatles partying with The Replacements and the Ramones. It’s a feel good bunch of songs that are much welcomed in a time when there’s so much negativity in the world today. Sometimes you just need to unwind and forget about your shitty job tomorrow or your ex-girlfriend banging your best friend and just let yourself be one with the music.

So is Mr. Collins the King Of Power Pop? Maybe. Maybe not. But either way, this album is definitely up there with the best of them. Don’t believe me? Tune in to the next episode of the Long Gone Loser Rock Show for a track by track review of this rockin’ little number. Let’s pop!

POPMATTERS
Paul Collins: King of Power Pop!
By Stephen Haag 1 November 2010

I think we can all agree that, at the risk of infuriating Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster’s despotic, psychotic Power Pop Pop-Pop, no one has more right to lay claim to the title of King of Power Pop than Paul Collins: even if his output has slowed in the 21st century, over a 30-year career wit the Nerves, the Breakaways, and Paul Collins’ Beat, Collins has consistently delivered the Rickenbacker jangle and harmonies, as well as songs about girls, “the kids”, and music itself, that power pop aficionados have demanded since the first issue of Bomp!, if not the Who’s “The Kids Are Alright”.

Back stateside after decamping to Spain for 2005’s contemplative Flying High, and teaming up with down ‘n’ dirty garage guru Jim Diamond, King of Power Pop! finds Collins so desirous to make up for lost time that he practically runs out the door, all a-jangle and pleasantly raspy, on the opening blast of “C’mon Let’s Go!”. He tears through the barroom stomp of “Do You Wanna Love Me?” and the self-explanatory “Doin’ It for the Ladies” and “Don’t Blame Your Troubles on Me”, which sounds like a long-lost Nerves track. In fact, the album barrels along for its entire 31-minute runtime, only pausing long enough for Collins to reconnect with his old Nerves-mate Peter Case on the folky “Many Roads to Follow”.

As if further convincing was required, side B cements Collins’s claim to royalty. His urgent cover of the Box Tops’ “The Letter” is a fine tribute to another man fit to wear the power pop crown, Alex Chilton. “Off the Hook” is a fun kiss-off to an ex—“I’m not gonna die if you’re not by my side”—and it sure beats the woe-is-me vibe that permeates too many power pop break-up songs. Meanwhile, the title track combines a brief history of the Nerves, an overview of the dire state of pre-punk ‘70s radio, and shout-outs to the Ramones and the Easybeats… all in 2:27. The facility with which Collins and crew are working is nothing short of amazing. And the rave-up “This Is America” celebrates the best (Chuck Berry) and excoriates the worst (oversize McDonald’s sodas) of the states, and even overcomes an unfortunate lyrical similarity to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (“Uncle Sam, Mary Ann, Chuck E. Cheese, pretty please”) courtesy of a raucous, minute-long coda that threatens to topple, but just keeps building to greater heights.

To Collins’s credit, King of Power Pop! never feels like it’s going through the motions—and at this stage in his career, Collins, preaching almost exclusively to hardcore power pop fans who (and I’m only half-joking) assess albums with checklists of genre conventions and expectations, could get away with a lazy move and still be lauded. As it is, he more than backs up his album’s boastful title on this most welcome—and deserving—victory lap.