Illustration from an advertisement for Swan Shoes, 1947
Guess who loves the Beatles? Every single power-pop band ever. But I think Off Broadway deserves some attention for their Beatles love because they have been called "Cheap Trick Light" since they put out their debut album ON in 1979. Sure, they came out of the same Chicago scene as Cheap Trick, they played the same kind of amped-up guitar pop as Cheap Trick, and I think they even opened for Cheap Trick. But Off Broadway are pure power pop, whereas the power-pop credentials of Cheap Trick have been rightfully debated. Early Cheap Trick were too arty, ambitious, and often theatrical to fit into the genericness that power power requires. Off Broadway fits the mold better, particularly where the vocals are concerned. This is a good thing for people like me, who find Robin Zander's amazing vocal prowess to be a little too much at times.
"Stay in Time" was Off Broadway's debut single, and the similarity to Cheap Trick is immediately noticeable in the song's energy and guitar tone. But the melody itself is very Beatlesy - the verse is only a couple lines long and quickly tossed aside in favor of a great chorus. The handclaps, the use of "boy" at the end of every line, and the repetitive bridge are all evidence of total Beatles love. And that surprise soft-psych ending is a nice touch too. Unfortunately for Off Broadway, they never could get out of Cheap Trick's shadow to have their own big breakthrough. They deserve more credit for their excellent debut album, and now I'm starting to have some regrets about mentioning Cheap Trick so many times in this post. But if you don't want lazy writing that relies heavily on stock music-critic tropes, you're at the wrong blog!
"Stay in Time" by Off Broadway
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