While punk rock was the biggest story in U.K. rock in the late '70s, lots of interesting things happened in its immediate aftermath, and the short/fast/hooky sound of acts like the
Buzzcocks,
the Damned, and
the Jam unexpectedly made the three-minute single fashionable again. Meanwhile,
Elvis Costello paired the edge of punk with first-class songcraft, making his music appealing to people who found the
Sex Pistols or
the Clash too rough for their liking. The result was a flood of acts playing high-energy tunes with engaging melodies and enough spirit to seem hip without being alienating, and 1978 to 1982 was a golden age for British power pop. There were so many great singles from this era that
Cherry Red Records has already issued two three-disc sets of U.K. power pop gems -- 2018's
Harmony in My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81 and 2022's
Kids on the Street: UK Power Pop and New Wave 1977-1981 -- and they've made it a hat trick with 2024's
New Guitars in Town: Power Pop 1978-82. If "New Wave" doesn't appear in the title, the presence of acts like
the Undertones,
the Flys,
Eddie & the Hot Rods, and
Wreckless Eric (not to mention the
Buzzcocks,
the Jam, and
Elvis Costello) confirms it's well represented in this set, though the bulk of this collection is devoted to lesser-known acts, many of whom left behind one or two killer singles before fading into the sunset. "If Looks Could Kill" by
the Kicks, "Don't Take My Advice" by
No Sweat, "Do It Again" by
the Deaf Aids, and "Four Letters" by
the Donkeys may not pop up regularly in playlists of first-era U.K. punky pop, but in this context, they sound like gems, and more polished numbers like "Here in L.A." by
Filmstars, "Lunchtime Love Affair" by
the Cartoons, "Superman's Shoes" by
the Slide, and "Say Hello to My Girl" by
the Kraze show even the acts who had their eyes on the pop charts were doing exciting and enjoyable work. As is customary with
Cherry Red's archival sets, the mastering sounds good, even on tracks clearly recorded on a shoestring and probably taken from secondary sources, and the liner notes by
Mark Brennan are concise, entertaining, and written with the passion of a true fan. If you enjoyed
Harmony in My Head and
Kids on the Street,
New Guitars in Town will once again start a pogo party as soon as you press play, and those who haven't dug deep into this era will be pleasantly surprised by how many fine tunes are here, waiting to be rediscovered. ~ Mark Deming
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