You Need Pop (No Explicit Lyrics)

In the late '70s, NYC’s The Speedies could've easily contended with contemporary pop hitmakers The Records or even The Knack. Yet they never released an album and fell between the cracks—much like their peers The Marbles, The Planets, and Mumps. The 2005 compilation You Need Pop plays like a Speedies album that never happened. “No Substitute” opens with a radiant Rickenbacker jangle before frontman John Marino sings of teenage hormonal frustration and undying devotion to his young muse. While his affected English accent makes the title track sound more Jam than Plimsouls, “Let Me Take Your Photo” is more evocative of power pop's skinny-tie era. Blondie drummer Clem Burke produced the adrenaline-charged “Time” (note the new wave–influenced rhythm guitar shimmer) and “Something on My Mind,” which moves with a mechanized rhythm slightly similar to “Heart of Glass.” Lead guitarist Eric Hoffert could’ve become an A-list session player, as evidenced by his versatility on “Urban Mania.”