Genre: pop
Rating: 4 stars ****
Title:  Gotta Have Pop
Company: Bomb
Catalog: 7027
Year: 1978
Country/State: Stockton, California
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: pink colored, marble vinyl, includes original lyric sleeve and insert
Available: 2
Catalog ID: 6343
Price: $15.00

Here's an amazing pop guy who's repeatedly been overlooked by his contemporaries and the buying public. Blame it on a combination of bad luck, poor timing, and being signed as a solo act to a small, independent Canadian record label ...
Over the year's singer/songwriter Bob Segarini's been a slew of interesting bands including the criminally overlooked Family Tree and the even more talented (if equally overlooked) Roxy-turns-into-The Wackers, and the short-lived The Dudes.

I usually make a real effort to avoid hyperbole. Still, in this case about all I can say is that 1978's "Gotta Have Pop" offered up a wonderful set of late-1970s power-pop tunes. Produced and written by Segarini (there was one cover tune - Slade's 'When the Lights Are Out'), the album may have sported a disconcerting cover (an apparently dead and seaweed covered Segarini sprawled across a 45 rpm covered beach), but the rest of the collection was pretty fantastic. Packed full of instantly catchy melodies, jangle guitar, sweet harmony vocals, and clever lyrics, it was hard to find something bad to say about the collection ... okay it was way too short. Imagine a cross between the best of UK new wave acts (Elvis Costello attitude, Ian Gomm commercial ness, and Nick Lowe catchiness comes to mind), American heartland rockers (think Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley), with a touch of 10 C.C. commercial quirkiness and you'll have a feel for stuff like the title track, 'Afraid of the Ocean' and 'Don't Believe a Word I Say'. I'm hard pressed to name another album with as many hooks pressed into its grooves.

- originally intended for The Dudes planned sophomore LP, curiously the title track was one of my least favorite performances. With a mild new-wave edge, the song wasn't bad and the lyric were actually kind of cute ("loved the Beatles up to Sergeant Pepper , then they ruined pop for what could be forever ..."), but the melody was middling compared to some of the other tracks. rating: *** stars- Opening up with some instantly catchy strumming guitars and multi-tracked harmony vocals (love the product effect on the chorus), 'Hide Away' managed to be a near perfect top-40 song. Hard to figure out how nobody was paying attention to this one. rating: **** stars
- With Segarini handling steel drums, 'Afraid of the Ocean' sounded like something a band like 10 C.C. would have killed to get their hands on - highly commercial, but quirky enough to make you do a double take. The mild Caribbean feel only served to give it an exotic touch. One of my favorite songs on the album. rating: **** stars
- 'I Don't Want To Lose You' was another great slice of power-pop. Highly radio friendly, Mike St. Denis' lead guitar solo was almost worth the price of admission by itself. rating: **** stars
- The '50s doo-wop flavor didn't do a great deal for me, but 'Don't Believe a Word I Say' had some of the funniest lyrics I've heard in a long time. I know I was totally pathetic when it came to talking to women, but this character makes me look like Casanova ... Another song that Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman would probably have been proud to take credit for. rating: *** stars
- I'm usually not a big sax fan, but have to admit that Paul Irvine added a nice edge to the bouncy 'Livin' In the Movies'. AH, the heartbreak of losing the woman you love. rating: *** stars
- Hum, 'Steady Eddie' came off as a wonderful mix of Bruce Springsteen and Huey Lewis trying to mimic one of those '1950s harmony groups. Good luck getting this one out of your head. rating: **** stars
- To my ears the rocker 'Dressed In the Dark' exhibited a distinctive English new-wave feel - very Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe inspired. Perhaps not as tuneful as some of the other tracks, but it had plenty of energy. rating: *** stars
- The album's lone cover, Segarini managed to turn Slade's 'When the Lights Are Out' into a should've-been-a-hit. Complete with glistening jangle guitar (courtesy of Phil Angers) and mesmerizing harmony vocals, this should have been the single. rating: ***** stars
- For a man with an obvious Beatles fixation, 'Love Song' may be the ultimate Fab Four tribute song ... and he even managed to include a hysterical series of subtle and not-too-subtle nods to John, Paul, George and Ringo. It was obviously recorded years later, but YouTube has a charming performance of the song at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV3arBlcuP rating: *** stars
The album was tapped for a couple of UK singles:



- 1978's 'Gotta Have Pop' b/w 'Strange People' (Epic EPC 7474)
- 1979's 'Livin' In the Movies' b/w 'Dressed In the Dark' (Epic EPC 8029)

In Canada there different 45s were releases:

- 1978's 'When the Lights Are Out' b/w 'Dressed In the Dark' (Bomb catalog B 5015)
- 1978's 'Don't Believe a Word I Say' b/w 'People Are Strange' (Bomb catalog B 5018)

In spite of critical praise, as a small independently label, Bomb Records just didn't have the resources to push the album and it vanished without much in the way of sales. For what it was worth, my seven year old was fascinated by the pink, marbled vinyl. Come to think of it, so was I. The album was originally released with a bonus 45

"Gotta Have Pop" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Gotta Have Pop (Bob Segarini) - 3:30
2.) Hide Away (Bob Segarini) - 3:40
3.) Afraid of the Ocean (Bob Segarini) - 3:00
4.) I Don't Want To Lose You
5.) Don't Believe a Word I Say (Bob Segarini) - 3:35

(side 2)
1.) Livin' In the Movies (Bob Segarini) - 4:04
2.) Steady Eddie (Bob Segarini) - 4:33
3.) Dressed In the Dark (Bob Segarini) - 1:54
4.) When the Lights Are Out (Noddy Holder - Dave Lea) - 3:30
5.) Love Story (Bob Segarini) - 4:02