These acts fall along a continuum, with some placing extra emphasis on the craft of melody, while others shove their infectious earworms straight into your skull. What these acts all share is a belief that, where catchy hooks are concerned, bigger is always better.

Rightly, the term "power pop" began with The Who. Pete Townshend coined the term in 1967, perfectly encapsulating the group's approach at that time. The Who were originally rooted in R&B, a style well suited to Roger Daltrey's throaty howls and Keith Moon's bashing drums. Marry that to Townshend's increasing harmonic sophistication, and you get the perfect recipe for power pop, as evidenced by hits like "The Kids Are Alright," "I Can See for Miles," and "Magic Bus." Along with The Who, the jangly mid-'60s songs of The Byrds and, of course, the The Beatles of Hard Day's Night through Revolver contributed strongly to the development of power pop. It is a sound that has endured for nearly forty years now, from Big Star's #1 Record in 1972, through Material Issue's International Pop Overthrow in 1991, and right up to the freshly released self-titled album by super-group Tinted Windows. While acts like The Who and Big Star are well-known originators, many of the important early power pop albums are far too often overlooked.

The Beatles did more than just inspire future power pop bands. A certain Walrus-suited member of The Fab Four lent a hand to power pop's seminal acts. Throughout the 1960s, Paul McCartney was a fan of a Welsh band called The Iveys. He even wrote material for them and got the group signed to Apple Records. It wasn't until they changed their name to Badfinger, however, that they would become famous hit makers. They would also become one of the pioneers of power pop. Early singles like "Come and Get It" and "Baby Blue" are fine examples of the style's early incarnation, but Badfinger wouldn't go into full-on power pop mode until 1974's excellent Wish You Were Here (beating Pink Floyd to that album title by one year, incidentally).

Although Badfinger are regularly trotted out on oldies radio, this gem of an LP isn't widely known. The album kicks off with a big, tough, ricocheting guitar riff that's backed by precision cymbal crashes and a punchy bassline, all of which are power pop hallmarks. It's followed by "Your So Fine" [sic], a plucky country-rock ditty that shows how The Byrds would influence many of power pop's mellower tunes. While the words "mellow" and "power" may seem at odds, the best of the genre's bands have crafted albums with enough variety to keep them vital for decades to come. To this end, Wish You Were Here also offers the Phil Spector-like "Know One Knows" [again, sic], with its giant echoing drums and soaring chords. Even the brief and tender ballad "Love Time" features the emphatic phrasing of a good power pop song.

The same year Wish You Were Here hit stores, Cleveland power pop band Raspberries issued their fourth and final LP, Starting Over (in hindsight, an ironic title). Fronted by future soft rock singer Eric Carmen, Raspberries truly were looking for a fresh start in 1974, having taken on a new rhythm section. Though short-lived, this incarnation of the band were masters of the power pop sound. The album's opening cut, "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," mixes expansive Beach Boys-like harmonies with stadium filling riffs, a blustery little saxophone solo, and a middle section filtered to sound like it's being broadcast on a tinny transistor radio. The single reached a respectable #18 on the Billboard charts, while the LP eked out a fairly miserable peak of #143.

This poor showing couldn't be less indicative of the record's excellent music, though. "All Through the Night" is hip-shakin' boogie-woogie with a highly memorable refrain, "I Don't Know What I Want" predicts the heavy pop of Cheap Trick, and "Party's Over" is Rolling Stones blues rock, but with tightened-up riffs and pitch-perfect backing vocals. The album even coughs up a drunken acoustic tune, "Hands on You," that would be a throwaway track if it weren't so damned catchy. This mostly forgotten record is proof that a Raspberries hits collection is nowhere near enough.

One year earlier, in 1973, the nearly forgotten Blue Ash issued a truly great power pop LP, No More, No Less. From a different Ohio burg, Youngstown, Blue Ash were a particularly rockin' power pop quartet. For instance, their steroidal cover of early Beatles tune "Anytime at All" would never be mistaken for the original. The track before that on No More, No Less is called "Smash My Guitar." – a clear homage to Pete Townshend.

The whole album drips with more gritty rock sweat than many other power pop albums. This is partly due to Jim Kendzor's full and sandpapery vocals. Also, guitarist Bill Yendrek is clearly a rocker at heart, grinding away on bluesy riffs with a thick and gritty tone. Nonetheless, Blue Ash's best songs here – "All I Want," "Plain to See," and especially "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her)" – are contagiously poppy. Given the quality of this album, it's incredible that No More, No Less wasn't issued on CD until 35 years after its original release.

Illinois power pop band Shoes didn't have to wait quite as long for their masterpiece of the genre to go digital. Their fourth album, 1977's Black Vinyl Shoes, came out the year that new wave broke. That year was a mini-revival for power pop, which shared many similar musical values with new wave. As is typical for records from this era, Shoes placed the emphasis on their catchy melodies, rather than the big rock and roll riffs that were deemed anachronistic at that time.

Led by brothers John and Jeff Murphy and high school pal Gary Klebe, the band display their perfect pop taste all over Black Vinyl Shoes. "Do You Wanna Get Lucky" brims with poignant guitar melodies, the Murphys' unassuming tenors, and a big, "Be My Baby"-like drum part. "It Really Hurts" follows a steady chugging beat, while Jeff Murphy's guitar cranks out classic power pop riffs. In a climate where acts like Elvis Costello and The Cars were becoming famous, Shoes should've received far more attention. As it is, they languish in obscurity and Black Vinyl Shoes remains a little known classic. Its lone 1992 pressing on CD is sadly out of print.

Power pop continues to be a vital genre to this day, despite its niche appeal. It enjoyed another rebirth in the early '90s, thanks to Jellyfish, The Posies, Matthew Sweet, Material Issue, and Weezer, who added a punk-pop buzz to its sound. In 1995, Colorado indie label Not Lame Recordings opened shop, devoting its roster to power pop bands. A few years later, a power pop festival called International Pop Overthrow sprouted up in Los Angeles. Eleven years later, it's still going strong, resulting in many terrific sampler CDs boasting myriad obscure bands from the genre. Keeping power pop alive today are groups like Sweden's Invasionen (formerly The Lost Patrol), Canada's wonderful The New Pornographers, and, for better or worse, The Jonas Brothers. Well, it is pop music, after all.