Sorrows ‎– Teenage Heartbreak (Reissue) (1980)

Over the course of their short two-album career, Sorrows did absolutely nothing that was startlingly new or original. But what they did, they did really well, especially on their 1980 debut, Teenage Heartbreak. More than just another entry in the post-Knack skinny-tie brigade, Teenage Heartbreak is a first-class power pop album of its era, up there with the debuts by the Rubinoos and the Plimsouls. The title track sets the tone immediately, with a killer stuttering hook and appropriately rough-edged harmonies. All four members write, but most of the best songs belong to guitarist Arthur Alexander (not the '60s R&B guy who sang "Anna [Go to Him]" and "Soldier of Love," obviously), whose Roy Loney-style voice adds a nice garage rock element to songs that might otherwise be a little too bubblegummy. The best of the non-Alexander songs is "Can't Go Back," a winsome little sweet 'n' jangly rocker written and sung by Joey Cola, Alexander's former bandmate in the short-lived but much admired Poppees. Bassist Ricky Street's "I Don't Like It Like That" is pretty terrific too, with a stomping break that makes it sound like a classic early Sweet single. Not every song is up to those standards, but even the two or three weaker tracks are performed with enough infectious enthusiasm to get by on attitude. Teenage Heartbreak is probably for power pop fans only, but those fans will find themselves richly rewarded.