The *Yellow Pills* series, along with RPM USA's *Three Minute Revolution*,
were what clued me in to the whole power pop underground in the first place.
I was sent reviewer copies of *YP* Vol. 3 and *Three Minute Revolution* back
in '96 when I was still writing album reviews. I wasn't even aware that
there was an entire indie scene that was keeping this kind of music alive,
much less putting out comps of such high quality. I was a fan of
under-the-radar bands of this type such as the Cavedogs, Redd Kross, and
Something Happens, but I didn't know that there were people out there
anthologizing bands of that ilk or running labels geared towards supporting
such music. Since I was already a fan of power pop, the four *YP* comps were
manna from heaven. Like other Auditeers, I tracked down and bought several
CDs of heretofore-unknown bands who were represented on them.

My musical taste must run pretty close to Jordan's, since I've heard very
few comps that register as high a batting average with me as do the four in
the *YP* series.

My favorites:

Vol. 1 -- "Love Sick Trip" by Three Hour Tour; "I Like the World" by Mark
Johnson
Vol. 2 -- "Carnival of Souls" by Wondermints; "Switchblade Sister" by Redd
Kross
Vol. 3 -- "Weird Sister" by Gigolo Aunts; "Nobody Knows" by Scott McCarl
(better than the Raspberries version, IMO); "Penelope Baker" by Her
Majesty's Buzz; "Skyvue" by the Finns
Vol. 4 -- "Stood In the Rain" by Four O'Clock Balloon; "Show You" by DM3


Gregory Sager