Play On! Power Pop Heroes: Volume One
by Ken Sharp


"I think the essence of power pop is its transcendent ability to put a smile on your face and make the hair on your arms stand up…That’s what it’s always done for me." — Eric Carmen

About The Book:

Back in '67, in describing their new single "I Can See for Miles," the Who's Pete Townshend coined the term "power pop," not knowing that the genre would come to take its name from his offhand description.

"A Hard Days Night"..."You Really Got Me"..."Glad All Over"..."Feel A Whole Lot Better"..."Pictures of Lily"..."She's Not There"..."Carrie-Anne"..."Walk Away Renee"...”Tin Soldier”…"Happy Together"... “Lies”…"Do Ya"...”Open My Eyes”…"Go All the Way"..."No Matter What"..."September Gurls"...these classic songs share one common thread: they contain all the ingredients that make up a musical form known as "power pop."


In Play On! Power Pop Heroes: Volume One (Jetfighter/$40), the first installment of a three-volume series, Ken Sharp honors the musical innovators who built the genre’s foundation. Featuring a foreword by Eric Carmen of Raspberries, the 520-page book culls exclusive extended interviews with 20 artists that defined the genre, including members of the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, the Hollies, the Dave Clark Five, the Zombies, Bee Gees, the Turtles, the Left Banke, Small Faces, the Move, Jeff Lynne and others. Also covered in this volume are representatives of the first generation of dedicated acolytes who followed the progenitors’ trail: Badfinger, Raspberries, Big Star and Emitt Rhodes.

Track-by track commentary is provided about seminal albums including Pet Sounds (the Beach Boys), There Are But Four Small Faces (Small Faces), The Nazz (Nazz), Side 3 (Raspberries) and Emitt Rhodes (Emitt Rhodes) plus select artist commentary about classic recordings from members of The Zombies, The Turtles, The Hollies, The Knickerbockers and Badfinger. Illuminating conversations with renowned producers George Martin (the Beatles), Shel Talmy (the Who) and John Fry (Big Star), engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott (the Beatles), and songwriters Tony Asher (the Beach Boys), Graham Gouldman (the Hollies) and Garry Bonner (the Turtles) add to the inside story of this influential genre.
Acts featured in Volume One:
The Beatles
The Beach Boys
The Dave Clark Five
The Kinks
The Hollies
The Byrds
The Who
The Turtles
The Knickerbockers
The Zombies
The Left Banke
Bee Gees
Small Faces
The Move
Jeff Lynne
The Nazz
Emitt Rhodes
Badfinger
Raspberries
Big Star


Ken Sharp is a New York Times Best Selling writer who has authored or co-authored over eighteen music books, contributes to a variety of national music magazines, works on music documentaries and has done liner notes for releases by Elvis Presley, Sly & the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Small Faces, Santana, Cheap Trick, Raspberries, Eric Carmen, KISS, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, The Babys, John Waite, The Guess Who, Jellyfish, Jefferson Airplane and others. Contact Ken Sharp

His books include: Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, Elvis: Vegas ‘69, Nothin’ to Lose: the Making of KISS (1972-1975), Elvis Presley: Writing for the King, Sound Explosion: Inside LA’s Studio Factory with the Wrecking Crew, Overnight Sensation: The Story of the Raspberries, Raspberries: TONIGHT!, Eric Carmen: Marathon Man, Reputation is a Fragile Thing: The Story of Cheap Trick, Play On!: Power Pop Heroes, Kooks, Queen Bitches and Andy Warhol: The Making of David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, KISS: Behind the Mask, Meet the Beatles…Again!, Small Faces: Quite Naturally, Rick Springfield: A Year in the Life of a Working Class Dog, Power Pop, The KISS Years!, and KISS Army Worldwide!: The Ultimate KISS Fanzine Phenomenon.