Pop Rocks!: Episode 2.5: GIRL GROUPS SHOW!

That's right, to offset the boys and their girl songs from last week, I thought I'd dedicate this one to the ladies. All of the songs in the first hour and forty minutes of the show were culled from this fantastic three disc compilation I found called "A Million Dollar Girl Groups," highlighting dozens of obscure doo-wop girl groups from the late 50's and early 60's.

The Miller Sisters - Please Mr. Disc Jockey
Ann Gibson & Group - It Hurts to Be in Love
The Shondelles - Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
The Gleams - Give Me a Chance
The Petites - The Beating of My Heart
Shirley Ross & Group - Girl in Love
The Velveteens - Please Holy Father
The Teardrops - I'm Gonna Steal Your Boyfriend
The De-Vaurs - Teenager
The Four J's - Will You Be My Love?
The Taylortops - I'll See You Somewhere
Barbara Perkins & Group - Unbelievable
The Sweet Marquees - I Love My Baby
Baby Washington & Group - Congratulations Honey
Penny & the Overtones - What Made You Forget?
The Belletones - All My Love
Hartsy Maye & Group - As the Years Go By
The Pearlettes - Never Be Another Boy Like You
Barbara Joy & Group - Do This Do That
Pearl Galloway & Group - Think it Over Baby
The Contessas - You're a Hard Guy to Please
Venus & Group - Walkin' & Talkin'
The Duchesses - Every Boy in Town
Ruby Lee & Group - I'm Gonna Put a Watch on You
The Dew-Drops - He Was Out With a Lady
Lenore Bifield & Group - Lies
The Baby Dolls - Is This the End?
Verna Williams & the Sharp Cats - Mine All Mine
Mimi Allen & Group - Do You Miss Me?
Dorothy Forbes & Group - My Love is Just For You
The Miller Sisters - You Know I Can't Live Without you
The Charmettes - The Deed to My Heart
The Cordells - Dream Boy
The Brooktones - Cute & Collegiate
The Gingersnaps - Bald Headed Papa
Renee Higgins & the Vontones - Bald Headed Man
Sherry Ray - Say LIttle Star
Nita Hammond - Mighty Fine

The Pipettes - I Like a Boy in Uniform (School Uniform)
Heavenly - Boyfriend Stays the Same (Heavenly vs. Satan)
Cub - Little Star (Betti-Cola)
Tiger Trap - Puzzle Pieces (Tiger Trap)
Maow - Mean Mean Man
All Girl Summer Fun Band - Video Game Heart (AGSFB 2)
Pony Up! - The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is that They Die) (Make Love to the Judges
With Your Eyes)
Electrelane - To the East (No Shouts, No Calls)

Reviews

The Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army (TVT)
Review: 5.5/10

From the look of the little fold-out poster inside, it looks like Tim DeLaughter has replaced his backing band with younger, more beautiful people than I remember from the original Polyphonic Spree videos (or maybe he just cut them out! Since the Spree has been whittled down from 28 members to a measly 24!). Maybe that’s why this record isn’t nearly as good as their first two. I’m as big a fan of symphonic sunshine pop as anyone, and while this record has a few hit-you-in-the-guts-with-rainbows-and-sun-beams tracks, a lot of it sounds like DeLaughter doing a poor Wayne Coyne impression and the excitement of the best tracks is what is lacking on the others. Yes, I’ve listed the single “Running Away” as the first suggested track, but it’s the single for a reason, y’know? It’s the song I want to hear when I’m driving around on a sunny day in July. The other suggested tracks are pretty great, too. Perfect in small doses.

Suggested: 2, 5,12, 8, 9
-Ian Hrabe, July 9^th, 2007

BOAT – Let’s Drag Our Feet (Magic Marker)
Review: 7.5/10

More stellar indie pop form Magic Marker Records, the people who brought us records by Tullycraft, All Girl Summer Fun Band, and Galactic Heroes. This is music made by elementary school teachers and they play what they like to call “Sloppy Pop,” and have christened themselves the “Best Sloppy Pop Band in the World.” It is quite “quirky,” which usually “irks” me. You know when something is intentionally quirky, like that movie Little Miss Sunshine, and it’s trying to hard to be offbeat that it’s just stupid? Well, these guys, I feel like all of their quirks are honest and this is some really great offbeat, unpretentious pop full of whistles, kazoos, and other slaphappy instruments with cute sweet lyrics and weirdo song titles. Destined to be maligned by detractors of joy.

Suggested: 3, 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, all.
-Ian Hrabe, July 9^th, 2007