Day 15: Power Pop

Phil Seymour
Phil Seymour

The history of power pop is littered with instances in which tremendous pop craftsmen have played second-fiddle to the other brilliant songwriters who fronted their bands. Chris Bell's contributions to Big Star were overshadowed by those of Alex Chilton. Likewise, the talents of ex-Teenage Fanclub drummer Paul Quinn never had sufficient breathing room in a group with three other gifted songwriters, but he proved himself their equal with his stellar, Gene Clark-channeling debut North Pole, which he recorded under the name the Primary 5. Perhaps the most unfortunate victim of standing in the shoulder of giants was Phil Seymour, who is best-known as the uncredited half of the obnoxiously named Dwight Twilley Band. While Dwight Twilley is well-known in power pop circles for the hard-rocking hit "I'm On Fire" and the Twilley Band's cult-classic debut Sincerely, for my money, the less recognized Seymour was the more talented tunesmith. Seymour's self-titled debut is Exhibit A. It's not surprising that the opener, "Precious to Me" was a modest hit with its shimmering guitars, harmonized backing vocals and memorable, and track two, "I Found a Love," is even better. With rhythmic drive and a catchy refrain, it's power pop gold. While Seymour doesn't sustain this level of craft for the entire album, even the forgettable tracks are functional in context, and amazingly, the best tracks are yet to come. "Let Her Dance," employs hand claps to great effect, while "Baby It's You," Seymour's finest three minutes on record, has one of the most addictive guitar lines this side of the Byrds' "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better." Another reason to choose Seymour over Twilley: a Collector's Choice reissue of Phil Seymour is now readily available, while the Twilley Band's out-of-print debut can only be obtained from used sellers or at Twilley's website for the extortionate price of $50! Twilley will sign his merchandise for you, but that'll cost you an extra ten-spot. Me to Twilley: "Dude, enough with the name already."

To hear audio clips of Phil Seymour, click here.