Goldmine's 50 Recommended US Powerpop Albums John Borack compiled two list for Goldmine. Firstly a list of the Top 50 Essential US Power Pop Albums in January 1996. In this first list recommended albums appear in alphabetical order.

John later compiled a revised list of only 25 albums in 1999. This second list is in merit or rank order.

50 Greatest US Powerpop Albums (as of 1996) In Alphabetical Order


1. Bad Examples - Bad Is Beautiful (Waterdog Records CD 1991)
2. Jim Basnight - Retro (Precedent - cassette only- 1993)
3. The Beat - The Beat (Sony/Wagon Wheel CD 1991 - Original Columbia 1979)
4. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (Rykodisc CD, 1992)
5. Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City (Stax CD, 1992 – Original: Ardent '72 & '73)
6. Blow Pops - American Beauties (Get Hip CD, 1994)
7. Candy - Whatever Happened To Fun? (Mercury LP, 1985)
8. Cheap Trick - In Color (Epic CD, original release in 1977)
9. Cheepskates - It Wings Above (Music Maniac [Germen] CD, 1988)
10. Chopper - Slogans and Jingles (Bid Deal CD, 1993)
11. Marshall Crenshaw - Field Day (Warner Brothers CD, original release in 1983)
12. Critics - Braintree (Black Vinyl CD, 1995)
13. dB's - Like This (Rhino/Bearsville CD, original release on Bearsville in 1984)
14. Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action (Aim [Australia] CD – Original: Sire 1976)
15. Flying Color - Flying Color (Frontier LP, 1987 - btw, it's now out on CD)
16. Game Theory - The Big Shot Chronicles (Alias CD, Original: Enigma 1986)
17. Greenberry Woods - Big Money Item (Sire CD, 1995)
18. Michael Guthrie Band - Direct Hits (Ear LP, 1981)
19. Heats - Have An Idea (Albatross LP, 1980) - (reissue CD "Smoke" feats some tracks this)
20. Richard X. Heyman - Living Room!! (Cypress CD, 1990 – Original: NR World 1988)
21. Mark Johnson - 12 In A Room (Tabula Rusa CD, 1992 – re-release on Not Lame)
22. Tommy Keene - Songs From The Film (Geffen LP, 1986)
23. The Late Show - Portable Pop (Rave LP, 1980)
24. Bill Lloyd - Set To Pop (East Side Digital CD, 1994)
25. Richard Lloyd - Alchemy (Elektra LP, 1979)
26. LMNOP - Elemen Opee Elpee (Baby Sue LP, 1986)
27. Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack (Mercury CD, 1994)
28. 92 Degrees - 92 Degrees (Black Vinyl CD, 1995)
29. Plimsouls - The Plimsouls Plus (Rhino CD, 1992)
30. Raspberries - Starting Over (Capitol [Japan] CD, 1990 - original release 1974)
31. Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (One Way CD, 1993 - original release Dunhill 1970)
32. Rooks - The Rooks (Guardian CD, 1993)
33. Rubinoos - Basement Tapes (One Way CD, 1993)
34. Adam Schmitt - World So Bright (Reprise CD, 1991)
35. Scruffs - Wanna Meet the Scruffs? (Power Play LP, 1977 – re-released on CD)
36. Sex Clark Five - Strum And Drum (Records To Russia LP, 1987 – re-released on CD)
37. Phil Seymour - Phil Seymour (Boardwalk LP, 1980)
38. Shoes - Propeller (Black Vinyl CD, 1994)
39. Jimmy Sylva And The Goats - Heidi (East Side Digital CD, 1991)
40. Smithereens - Especially For You (Enigma CD, 1986)
41. Spongetones - Beat And Torn (Black Vinyl CD, 1994 - original two LPs
42. Beat Music and Torn Apart on Ripete Records 1982 and 1984)
43. Chris Stamey - Fireworks (RNA CD, 1991)
44. Bobby Sutliff - Only Ghosts Remain (PVC CD, 1987)
45. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (Zoo, 1991)
46. Toms - The Toms (Black Sheep LP, 1979 – re-released on Not Lame CD)
47. 20/20 - 20/20 (Oglio CD, 1995 - original on Portrait Records, 1979)
48. Dwight Twilley Band - The Great Lost Twilley Album (Shelter/Dunhill Classics CD, 1993)
49. Utopia - Utopia (Rhino CD, 1989 - original on Network records 1982)
50. Chris Von Sneidern - Big White Lies (Heydey CD, 1994)


For the 1999 revision John Borack shortened the list to 25 albums, limited himself to only one entry per artist and rated the albums in merit order.

25 Greatest US Powerpop Albums (to 1999) in Rank Order


1. Chris Von Sneidern - Big White Lies
2. 20/20 - 20/20/Look Out (Oglio rerelease in 1995)
3. Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City
4. Toms - The Toms
5. Tommy Keene - Songs From The Film
6. Cotton Mather - Kontiki (Copper)
7. Adam Schmitt - World So Bright
8. The Someloves - Something Or Other (Australian White Label)
9. Cheap Trick - In Color
10. Beat - The Beat
11. Spongetones - Beat And Torn
12. Shoes - Present Tense/Tongue Twister (Black Vinyl)
13. DM3 - Road To Rome (Australian Citadel)
14. Orange Humble Band - Assorted Creams (Australian Half A Cow)
15. Badfinger - The Best of Badfinger (Capitol)
16. Raspberries - The Very Best Of The Raspberries (UK Zap)
17. Dwight Twilley Band - The Great Lost Twilley Album
18. Myracle Brah - Life On Planet Eartsnop (Not Lame)
19. Merrymakers - Bubblegun (Big Deal)
20. Game Theory - The Big Shot Chronicles
21. Jimmy Sylva And The Goats - Heidi
22. Rooks - The Rooks
23. Greenberry Woods - Big Money Item
24. Three Hour Tour - 1969 (Parasol)
25. David Grahame - Toy Plane (Dog Turner)