my power pop addiction, no. 3 (75)

A fair bit of the credit for the greatness of the two Dwight Twilley Band albums, Sincerely and Twilley Don't Mind, belongs to the late Phil Seymour, an excellent drummer and even more excellent backing vocalist. He co-wrote a lot of the songs with Twilley and was largely responsible for the beautiful harmonies that are such a distinct part of the music the two of them made together. Seymour was very much a co-equal with Twilley, but his profile was diminished because he was 'merely' the backing vocalist for the handsome lead singer. It also didn't help that they called themselves the Dwight Twilley Band. The late guitarist Bill Pitcock IV also deserves a lot of credit. His hooky, twangy, riff-o-rama playing style contributed mightily to the excellence of those first two records. Tonight's song comes from Twilley's self-titled third album, recorded after he and Seymour had parted company. The song sounds like it could be an outtake from Exile on Main Street (not a bad thing really). Which reminds me: My sister asked me today where the term power pop comes from. I didn't know, but my friend Jim Green, who used to be one of the influential tastemakers at the Trouser Press back in the day, informed us that the term was first coined by Pete Townshend in 1967, referring to the Who's music. I've never really thought of the Who as a power pop band, probably because they ended up embracing rock so forcefully, and power pop to me represents a reaction against the heaviness of rock. But certainly the Who's pre-Tommy stuff can be thought of as prototypical power pop. I think I'll end up talking myself into circles if I try to elaborate any further right now... Back to Twilley. His first record as a solo artist suffers from Seymour's departure, I think. Still, each album he's released sporadically over the past 35 years is good for about three or four gems each. Some of these albums are a bit hard to find due to their limited distribution, but the search is well worth it for those gems. Discovering them is like finding a $20 bill in a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a few months, unexpected treats that solidify Twilley's central place in the power pop pantheon...