The IMPOSTORS [San Francisco, California]

Bay Area band. The IDOTNW said thay had two more tracks on comps.

EP 7" « Nighttime Tv » b/w « Burgler »« Off With His Head » (USA [415 Records #S-0004] ?) 7" « Don't Get Mad » b/w « It's Better This Way » (USA [415 Records #S-0007] 1980) "Don't Get Mad" is a good typical powerpop song.

The JACKS [Tulsa, Oklahoma]

Walter Kleinecke formed the Jacks around 1976, which was his first original music band. They played mostly in Oklahoma until the band moved to Cleveland in 1977. He was in Ohio for a year then moved back to Oklahoma and reformed the band. They played mostly in Dallas for a couple of years. By that time, the new wave had gone mainstream and the whole scene diminished. The band broke up after going through several different versions in the mid 80's. [walter k.]

Walter Kleinecke : guitar Brian Plummer : drums

7" « It's Not True » b/w « Just Like Yesterday » (USA 1980) [Unreleased] (?) Tapes recorded at Longbranch Studios in Tulsa. It seems there are many unreleased demos. According to Walter Kleinecke, the best 3 songs to get hold of are "Her Number One", "Help Yourself" and the original acoustic version of "2 of a Kind" (covered by the fab band SINS TAYLOR).

The JETBOYS [Columbus, Ohio]

7" « I Don't Want To » b/w « Get The Kids Jumpin' » (USA [New Age #2-STEP] 1981) Columbus, Ohio is thought to have been the home of this band. One can hear in " I Don΄t Want To " the same pop influences that Stiv Bators injected into punk circa `78 (after all he was from Ohio too). Add hints of Ramones and early `80s L.A. beat'n'pop sounds and you get the picture. Good, but nothing exceptional though. The flip " Get The Kids Jumpin' " is rather ordinary. Sole single ? [PG]

The JETS [Minneapolis, USA]

Features Graham Elvis, later to join The Elvis Brothers.

Mick Isenburg : Graham Valker :

7" « Paper Girl » b/w « Lover Boy » (USA [Twin/Tone #7805] 12/18/1978) How can you recognize a *true* powerpop band from the late seventies era, looking at the picture sleeve ? See Beatles haircuts and smart suits (with skinny ties if necessary) ? probably... any McCartney clone ? You get it (don't ask me to explain why though, it's just statistics...). So one can imagine that The Jets' pop intentions were similar to those of Pezband, Off Broadway (that kind of lightweight Cheap Trick stuff), Ray Paul or even The Raves. They weren't as good as The Raves though but "Paper Girl" was a good tune, not so Beatles-ish in fact. It seems that the Jets only put out one 45 (1,500 pressed) before fading away. Both tracks can be found on "Big Hits of Mid-America Vol. 3" from Twin/Tone compilations.

Robert JOHNSON [Memphis, Tennessee]

Formerly in BELL HEIRS.

7" « I'll Be Waiting » b/w « Guide My Energy » (UK [Ensign Records #ROJO 1]1977/1978) The Memphis Demos. QUITE different from the "Close personal friend" LP versions. The B-side appears only on this 7". Far better than the LP imho. That's the stuff. LP « CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND » (UK [Infinity Records #INF 9000] 1978) His slickest material. Good but check out the "MENPHIS DEMOS3" first.

The JUMPERS [Buffalo, ?]

7" « You'll Know Better When I'm Gone » b/w « I Wanna Know (What's Going On) » (USA ) 7" « Sick Girls » b/w « ) » (USA [Pias Records] 1979) [Tr] « »« »[ on « Waves : An Anthology Of New Music Vol.2 » (Bomp, 1979)](USA 1979, July/) Recorded especially for Waves, this great track was more in the Romantics' line : energetic, unabashed rock-pop ditties. Very good of its kind. Personally I love it!

JUST BOYS [USA]

7" « Hook,Line And Sink Her » b/w « Thanks A Lot » (USA [Counterfeit \$ Record #CRS11] 1977)

The KIND [Chicago?, Illinois]

7" « Total Insanity » b/w « When You Rock » (USA [360 Records #TS 1003] 1981) Probably released on the band's own label. Very Cheap Trick-esque of its Kind. Both sides are good anyway.

The KNACK [?, USA]

LP « GET THE KNACK » (USA [? #?] 06/1979) LP « ... BUT THE LITTLE GIRLS UNDERSTAND » (USA [? #?] 02/1980) LP « ROUND TRIP » (USA [? #?] 10/1981)

Barry KNOEDL [USA]

7" « Baby Don't Give Up » b/w « I Just Want To Make You Happy » (USA [Death Records #Kill 002] 1978) Sweet-tasting powerpop longing at the softer side of Badfinger's repertoire.

The KNOW [USA]

7" « I Like Girls » b/w « Out Of Reach » (USA [Planet] 1980)

The KRAYOLAS [San Antonio, Texas]

The Krayolas, in addition to "Kolored Music" released at least one other full-length, "Dead End Life." It appeared at least on cassette, and came out on Box records in 1987 (outside of the timespan covered by BtP! hence no entry in the disco.). Like "Kolored Music," it's a mix of great Beatlesque pop and gruffer rock'a'boogie, thanks to a second songwriter (and a la "Kolored Music" and other bands' albums, like the Blazers' [early P. Hux]) [jordan o.].

7" “ All I Do Is Try ” b/w “ Sometime ” (USA [Saloyark?] 1977) 7" “ Aw Tonight ” b/w “ Roadrunner ” (USA [Saloyark?] 1977) 7" “ Gator Gator ” b/w “ Alamo Dragway ” (USA [Saloyark?] 1978*) So-called "the long lost single" by the band itself. Recorded at ZAZ Studios ; never officially issued. 7" “ Christmas Time ” b/w “ Cry Cry, Laugh Laugh ” (USA [?] 1980) Great original version of "Cry Cry, Laugh Laugh". 7" “ Happy Go Lucky ” b/w “ Sphinx Won't Tell ” (USA [?] 1982) EP 12" “ Sunny Day ” b/w “ Dorothy ” (USA [Box Records?] 1982) "Sunny Day" sounds like the best pop song the Bluebells never recorded. LP “ KOLORED MUSIC ” (USA [Box Records #2001] 1982) CD “ BEST RIFFS ONLY ” (USA [Box Records #2006] 1977-1988) "Best of" released by the band. It's a mix of great Beatlesque pop and a couple of rock'a'boogies. The inclusion of the impossible-to-find first single "All I Do Is Try"/"Sometime" plus the unreleased "Rhymes of Tomorrow" is worth the price alone. The tracks from the LP "Kolored Music" and "Sunny Day" range from good to great. Powerpop in the Bubblegum The Punk! vein. [pierre] "Best Riffs Only" includes the superior single version of Aw Tonight (not the Kolored Music remake), the singles mixes of Happy Go Lucky and The Sphinx Won't Tell, the original recording of You're Not My Girl (recorded at the same session as the Aw Tonight single, and not the Kolored Music version) and the original mix of the Bernie Grundman-mastered Sunny Day (which was less cluttered without overdubs on the maxi single).

Don KRISS [Cleveland, Ohio]

7" « One Mistake » b/w « Let's Do Something Tonight » (USA [Carrot] ?) EP 7" « Too Much Traffic » b/w « Vanessa »« Out Of My Own » (USA [Carrot #7083-26] 1977) 7" « Don't Tell Me » b/w « (I'm) Not Gonna Be Here Very Long » (USA [Carrot #8053S15] 1978)

Robin lane & the chartbusters [USA]

Lane, Robin : guitar, vocals Radcliff, Leroy : guitar, vocals Brebner, Asa : bass, vocals

EP 7" « When Things Go Wrong" » b/w « Why Do You Tell Lies" »« The Letter » (USA [Deli Platters Records] ) Released on Deli Platters. Not pure pop but interesting folk-tinged songs. "Cut like a knife" said the ad' at the time.

The LAST [California]

LP « L.A. EXPLOSION » (USA [Bomp! #BLP 4004] 1979) A great LP ! "She Don't Know Why I'm Here" reminds me Arthur Lee's Love. They were pure pop songs too as "This Kind of Feeling" which was somewhat precursor of the Spongetones' Merseybeat material (around nearly at the same time in North Carolina) or the wonderful perfect surf-song "Every Summer Day"...