#1 Fanclub

With the 70's and Power Pop far in the rearview mirror and Grunge exploding in America, there was something brewing across the Atlantic. Starting in the late 80's with Shoegaze and Madchester scenes, bands in the UK were rallying around their pride in all things Britain. In this episode, Craig and Shawn explore the origins of Britpop, what defines the genre, the bands that brought the scene to international recognition and end with their selections of the most Britpop song and the...

What do you do when your podcast successfully covers the best power pop bands of the 1970’s? When you break down in detail the career and catalog of bands such as Cheap Trick, Big Star and Badfinger? The answer is simple: you close out the 70’s with a Top Ten List. #1 Fanclub continues their pursuit of knowledge on Power Pop, Brit Pop, Shoegaze and Dream Pop with a celebration of perhaps the most important decade of music in a world without The Beatles. Craig and Shawn t...

Cheap Trick Part 2In Part 2 of our Cheap Trick review we pick up in 1979 with the band deciding to record a live album while on tour in Japan to support their third album Heaven Tonight. The decision to record a live album to capture the mania surrounding the band in Japan proved to be career changing. At Budokan, originally slated for release in Japan only, changed the fortunes of Cheap Trick from opening act and small venue headliner to arena kings. Seemingly overnight, Ch...

Formed in 1973 in Cheap Trick are one of the most successful and influential bands in Power Pop history. But to only fit them in the Power Pop box would not be accurate. Over the course of nearly 50 years, they have recorded songs that could be categorized as hard rock, prog rock, glam rock and even pure Top 40 pop.From the beginning, Cheap Trick were a contradiction of sight and sound – Lead Singer Robin Zander and Bassist Tom Peterson looked like they were cut out of the Rock n ...

The Greenberry Woods aren't a household name, but their debut album Rapple Dapple might just deserve consideration as one of the best power-pop albums of all-time. It's been 26 years since it's release & we still feel it's impact to this day. No doubt this is a testament to the songwriting prowess of twin brothers Brandt & Matt Huseman, who's follow-up project Splitsville had equal the hooks but with a bit more bite. The last we heard from the band was in 2003, ...

The Raspberries exploded out of Cleveland and on the music scene in April 1972 with their self-titled debut – just 4 months before Big Star released #1 Record. While the bands and the debut albums share some similarities in sound, there are also some very distinct differences. For one, Raspberries had some instant success in both album sales and with a hit single while Big Star famously never got out of the gate commercially. In the end, Raspberries were a short-lived and al...

In their ongoing effort to spotlight the best bands in Power Pop, Brit Pop and Shoegaze, Craig and Shawn of #1 Fanclub bring you a new weekly series called Quick Play. Faster than your favorite pop song, we spend a few minutes discussing a new band or new music from a familiar artist. This week we feature Power Pop legend Chris Von Sneidern's latest release Emerge - a diverse collection of songs to satisfy old fans and win newcomers. Chris has recorded some of the best known album...

In their ongoing effort to spotlight the best bands in Power Pop, Brit Pop and Shoegaze, Craig and Shawn of #1 Fanclub bring you a new weekly series called Quick Play. Faster than your favorite pop song, we spend a few minutes discussing a new band or new music from a familiar band. This week we feature Zed For Zulu - the latest release Those Pretty Wrongs. The band is collaboration between legendary Big Star drummer Jody Stephens and Luther Russell. Recorded at Ardent Studi...

In Part 3 of 3 on Big Star, Craig and Shawn talk about the remaining albums in Big Star's catalog, starting with the critically acclaimed Third (Sister Lovers) and their "resurgence" album In Space, which features Jon Auer & Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. They wrap things up with the solo recordings of Alex Chilton & Chris Bell as discuss a newer side project for Jody Stephens called Those Pretty Wrongs.Intro music provided by Joe Giddings"#1" from Star Collector's album Songs ...

Big Star should've been big stars. Despite some of the best songs of any band in the 70's, they never achieved the fame and success they deserved. Only years later were they able to receive the acclaim that eluded them during their short run. In Part 2 of 3 on Big Star, Craig and Shawn review every song on their classic sophomore album - Radio City.As mentioned in the cast, be sure to check out Craft Recordings and their recent re-issues of Big Star's #1 Record & Radio C...