One of the bands that helped to launch the late 70s power pop explosion was The Quick from California. The band was years ahead of other power pop acts like The Knack, Plimsouls, Shoes, 20/20 and so on, and really pioneered the sound that was later the foundation for American power pop, punk and new wave. Their impact and influence far outpaced their achievements during their measley three years of existence. They only had one album, and they never toured outside of California, and yet they were influential in reviving the Whiskey A-G0-GO and creating the Los Angeles club scene in the mid-70s. They had a solid power pop foundation, channeling all the right groups from the British invasion like The Beatles, The Who, and The Kinks -- evidenced by their great covers of The Beatles "It Won't Be Long" and the Four Seasons "Rag Doll". But they didn't just play the same old power pop, they moved the genre ahead by incorporating synthesizers and experimenting with fusing classical music and film scores into their rock and roll, not unlike Roxy Music, Sparks, or David Bowie. (Not surprising when you learn that Earl Mankey -- one time guitarist for Sparks -- produced the album. Mankey also produced and worked The Pop, The Last, The Eddies and other power pop groups over the years) One of The Quick's great songs was made famous by KROQ's Rodney Bingenheimer and later became a staple of power pop bands everywhere, "Pretty Please Me", which was a cult hit of sorts for both The Dickies and Redd Kross. Eventually, the band broke up, with rummer Danny Benair going on to be in the Weirdos and then The Three O'Clock, and singer Danny Wilde who went on to form The Rembrandts and penned their song "I'll Be There For You" which became the overplayed theme to Friends.
