PAUL COLLINS (one of the originators of the high-energy sound known as Power Pop and co-founder of THE NERVES, THE BREAKAWAYS and THE BEAT) has a new studio album coming out aptly entitled KING OF POWER POP! (on Alive Records) and it’s a complete return to his roots – to power pop, the sound he helped create and popularize, a sound that has seen a resurgence in recent years, a sound that is here to stay!
Produced and engineered in Detroit by Jim Diamond (Dirtbombs, The Go, The White Stripes, to name just a few), KING OF POWER POP! also features Eric Blakely on guitar and backing vocals, Diamond on bass, and Dave Shettler on drums (SSM, The Sights). Motor City guests include Wally Palmar of the legendary power pop hit-makers THE ROMANTICS, as well as pop icon Nikki Corvette of NIKKI & The CORVETTES. The catchy cover art is the work of legendary artist BILL STOUT.
FOR MORE INFO ON PAUL COLLINS:
http://www.alive-totalenergy.com/x/?page_id=1592
http://www.thepaulcollinsbeat.com
FOR MORE INFO ON THE BEAT ARMY:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-BEAT-ARMY/346148489520
FOR MORE INFO ON ALIVE RECORDS:
http://www.alive-totalenergy.com
FOR MEDIA AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
Tony Bonyata
Pavement PR
p: 262.903.7775
e: bonyata@wi.rr.com
http://www.pavementpr.com
HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT PAUL COLLINS’ KING OF POWER POP!
“King of Power Pop ranks with Collins’ best work.” – Terrance Flamm / ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER
“Being in charge of checking in new rock at a radio station, it’s easy to lose my enthusiasm for new releases. CDs start to sound the same. But Paul Collins’s King of Power Pop shattered all that. I was zapped by its fresh, fun, cool, tingly, and exciting voltage. I put it on and then played it again. I had to set my lemonade down on the new Phillip Selway CD to help Paul Collins with an air guitar solo.
The songs on King of Power Pop are rippingly exciting, punky and professional, youthful and accomplished. This disc has wings.” - William Gillespie / SMILE POLITELY
“The album was cut almost entirely with four guys—Collins on lead vocals and guitar, Eric Blakely on lead guitar, Dave Shettler on drums, and Jim Diamond handling both bass and production—who feed their power pop jones with one tight, aggressive arrangement after another. Collins’ voice can run a bit rough in places, but that actually adds an endearing humanity to a genre that is sometimes guilty of buffing songs to a sugary sheen. This album has rough edges aplenty and in places feels as much garage rock as power pop. There’s simply no denying an album this sincere in its intentions and passionate in its execution. As an album title, King Of Power Pop feels like a self-mocking punchline, but it really doesn’t matter how serious Collins is or isn’t, because he plays the music with such authority, sense of purpose, and flat-out joy that you want to award him the title regardless. Rating: A-” – THE DAILY VAULT
“Layered with funky guitar chords, amazing harmonica riffs, and Paul Collins’ gruffly sweet voice… a toe tapping, fast blazing, hard rocking good time!” – THE ROCK AND ROLL GURU
“Collins almost sounds like a kid who’s just strapping on a guitar for the first time. He just released King of Power Pop!, a record whose title might come off as a bit ostentatious if there wasn’t some truth to it…. A full return to the hook-laden rock music Collins helped shape more than three decades ago.” – NEWS & REVIEW / CHICO, CA
“…a cracking Power Pop album full of songs so catchy and durable you immediately feel you’ve been living with them for a thousand years.” – Tim Peacock / WHISPERIN & HOLLERIN – UK
“With assistance from Detroit musician and producer Jim Diamond, King of Power Pop! finds Collins comfortably back in form, in the thick of his power pop roots. Accompanied by Austin singer/songwriter Eric Blakely on lead guitar, Detroit stalwart Dave Shettler on drums, and Diamond on bass, Collins proves that he still has the chops, executing deft hooks with his distinctive flourish of energy….. a satisfying pop record perfectly fitted for the waning signs of summer.” - THE NORTH COUNTY JOURNAL
“The King of Power Pop! He is.” – SAN DIEGO READER
“Collins bangs-and-crashes his way through thirteen high-octane slabs of outright power pop majesty, a baker’s dozen, if you will, of sugar-coated sonic delights. Leave it to the commoners of the blogosphere to endlessly debate Paul Collins’ status in the power pop firmament; as for this humble rockcrit, given the uniquely high quality of tuneage on King of Power Pop!, with nary a duff track among the thirteen, I say give him the crown. He’s earned it with better than three decades of uncompromising loyalty to the power pop aesthetic.” – REV. KEITH A. GORDON / BLURT MAGAZINE
“Collins doesn’t fornicate around here – he just whips out nugget after nugget of catchy, melodic, chiming guitar pop with two guitars, bass and drums. The assertion in the album title may seem over the top, but after spinning King of Power Pop a few times, you’ll find it difficult to disagree.” – MICHAEL TOLAND / THE BIG TAKEOVER
“Being in charge of rock at a radio station, it is easy for my enthusiasm to get tainted, jaded, strained – CDs start to sound the same. But this disc shatters all that with its fresh, fun, cool, tingly, and exciting current. The title track is especially heart-breaking and -warming and sums up a lot for me as an artist but as also an observer of the cruel paradox of power pop obscurity. These songs are rippingly exciting, punky and professional, fatless, and accomplished in the best and most youthful-feeling way. This disc has wings.” – WILLIAM GILLESPIE / WEFT RADIO-CHAMPAIGN
“… solid, punchy, thoroughly enjoyable rock and roll. King of Power Pop! is a fun, fast-moving record and a welcome return for an artist who has long deserved to break out of cult status.” – MUSIC TAP
“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). 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.” – MARK DEMING / ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“King of Power Pop! sure-footedly hearkens back to the classic Beat/Nerves formula: big, British Invasion hooks ramping down the grimy, ’70s Sunset Strip.” – FLAVORPILL/CHICAG
“…a tough, rocking genre gem.” – STEVE WILSON / KANSAS CITY FREE PRESS
“Fans of ringing Rickenbacker guitars; crisp, pounding drums; and tight, explosive two-minute pop songs will find everything they crave here.” – SAM GNERRE / THE PRESS-TELEGRAM
“Produced and engineered in Detroit by master knobtwister Jim Diamond (Dirtbombs, White Stripes), these thirteen rapid-fire pop concoctions barely allow the listener to catch a breath before Collins is off and running again. King Of Power Pop! will do the trick, whether you’re cleaning the garage, driving the neighborhood kids to soccer or shaking yer moneymaker in hopes of wooing a new mate. Let’s see you shake this one.” – MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG
“Anyone who loves the Nerves EP and the Beat’s albums (particularly the debut) should grab a copy of this one ASAP.“ – HYPERBOLIUM
“With just the right level of sweetness to rasp quota, Paul Collin’s voice has never sounded better… in addition to being a modern day troubadour with a power pop heart, Collins is also a tasteful ol’ f**ker.” – TERRY HERMON / BUCKETFULL OF BRAINS MAGAZINE / UK
“Touring in support of his brand new release, The King of Power Pop, expect an evening of sweaty rock and roll, sharp hooks, and tight choruses culled from his decades-long career.” – BRIGHTEST YOUNG THINGS
“…slightly twitchy and supremely tuneful.” – KENNETH PARTRIDGE / SPINNER
“Paul Collins’ new record, The King of Power Pop!, is better than any Paul Collins record circa 2010 has a right to be. The sound is focused and uncluttered with just the right touches of percussion and acoustic guitar added to the standard mix of electric guitar, bass and drums. Collins’ voice has held up well and he has new found gruff edge that is charming… A very good power-pop record by an often overlooked originator.” – FRIENDLY SUGGESTIONS
“…. awesome, solid stuff.“ – RADIO K / MINNEAPOLIS
“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. 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.” – LONG GONE LOSER MAGAZINE / AUSTRALIA
“… a vintage collection of new power-pop straight out of 1979. Packed full of infectiously punchy pop tunes, Collins new album is proof that if you’re patient and wait long enough, eventually the public taste will come back to you. – DENIS ARMSTRONG / OTTAWA SUN
“…an original from the scene proves that the charms of power pop have not faded with time, with a brilliant solo release on a subsidiary of Bomp called Alive!. This release, expertly produced by Detroit rock genius JIM DIAMOND (who’s on fire recently with another great release by SCOTT MORGAN) is more than nostalgia and still beautifully raw.” – PIRATE CAT RADIO / SAN FRANCISCO
“As one of the founders of the legendary Nerves, Paul Collins now performs with Paul Collins’ Beat (formerly just The Beat) and has continued to rock the pop scene harder than anyone out there.” – THIRD COAST DIGEST