Shake Some Action

One of my best Christmas gifts this year was John Borack's book "Shake Some Action: Ultimate Guide to Cultural Leanings of Glorious Nation of Powerpopistan" recently published by the Powerpopistan propaganda ministry at Not Lame.

In the book, Borack and fellow Powerpopistanis like David Bash (War Minister for Overthrow of International Pop), Bruce Bodeen (Health Minister in charge of Insanity through the Greatness of Powerpop) , and Anna Borg (Token Female Minister to Balance the Boys Club) explain the benefits of their most glorious nation. One necessary trait for spreading the gospel of the B bands (Beatles, Beach Boys, Badfinger, Big Star) is having a last name that begins with the letter B, the most sacred of letters in Powerpopistan.

The central point of the book is made up of Borack's list of the 200 Most Glorious Albums of Powerpopistan. Here is the top Twenty.

1 - Raspberries - Starting Over
2 - Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City
3 - Shoes - Present Tense/Tongue Twister
4 - Cheap Trick - In Color
5 - 20/20 - 20/20/Look Out!
6 - Chris Von Sneidern - Big White Lies
7 - Tommy Keene - Songs From The Film
8 - The Orange Humble Band - Assorted Creams
9 - Adam Schmitt - World So Bright
10 - The Beat - The Beat
11 - DM3 - Road To Rome
12 - The Toms - The Toms
13 - Badfinger - Wish You Were Here
14 - Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
15 - The Someloves - Something or Other
16 - Game Theory - Big Shot Chronicles
17 - Nick Lowe - 16 All-Time Lowes
18 - Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw
19 - Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack
20 - Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers

Firstly, it is nice to see Game Theory getting some love in Powerpopistan (the Loud Family also made the top 200). Nextly, the proliferation of compilations (16 All-Time Lowes) and two-fers (#1 Record/Radio City) could be seen as an act of aggression against those who pedantically define albums as "Long-playing studio recordings which are not compilations". My main beef is that the album for which the book is named did not manage to crack the top twenty (SSA came in at #23). Still, I own all of these recordings and they are all worth owning. Except maybe Material Issue. Jim Ellison was a martyr to the Powerpopistan cause, but that record should be much lower on the list, if it should be there at all.

We will end with six different versions of that glorious Powerpopistan anthem about the shaking of some action, so that we may all bust out at full speed. I think that this is all we'll need to make it alright.

1. The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action
2. The Rubinoos - Shake Some Action
3. Tommy Keene - Shake Some Action
4. Cracker - Shake Some Action
5. Jamie Clarke - Shake Some Action
6. Mood Six - Shake Some Action