Is Every Band/Artist Capable Of Making A Good Pop Record?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

OK maybe a "quite good" one.

I thought about this in the wake of the "Dakota" controversy earlier this year. There are actually not v.many artists who have managed to avoid making at least one record that works as pop somehow. I think the Stereophonics might still qualify but many wd defend that song at least.

So name some and we can try to think of counter-examples from amidst their oeoeoeuvre.

Obviously this does not count i) people who've only been around for one record and are still getting their fun-hating phase out the way, ii) Wire magazine regulars.

I will be posting an important piece of evidence later today.

Comments

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

i'm marginally confused.

we are picking people what aren't pop and then someone else goes "ah, aaah, but no"

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Well yes, my theory is that everyone ends up making pop records whether they want to or not.

(Said records might be something else as well as pop though innit)

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Motorhead

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Ace of Spades" is a pop classic by pretty much any measure!

[zenith.livejournal.com]

The exclusion of Wire magazine regulars makes this tricky. If a band or artist achieves your challenge, doesn't the Wire automatically love them?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think it applies to MOST Wire mag regs too but I'm willing to concede that Jandek probably hasn't made a good pop record, for instance.

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

yes, I can't see the justification for this one - it seems a kind of circular argument. No bands avoid this! We will prove this by disqualifying any bands who avoid this!

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

I would suggest those "emo"-ish American rock bands, eg. SMASHING PUMPKINGS and their derivatives, who are so tedious and up their own ar5es that I could never accuse them of having made a pop record.

I am probably being too subjective about this though...

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

I don't think being up your own as5 stops you from making a pop record, but being tedious certainly does.

[marnameow.livejournal.com]

Leonard Cohen?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I don't know enough Laughing Len to know whether he's made a successful pop record - I heard the album he made with Phil Spector and it sounds like a queasy accomodation with pop but not actually a good pop record. So you may be on to something here!

Maybe the first we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin one?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

First we take manhattan (at least his version) seems quite poppy to me - obv not actually charting (or even released as a single, but...)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'Famous Blue Raincoat'! Timeless pop ballad! Covered by about a gazillion people! Also 'Dance Me To The End Of Love', also 'First We Take Manhattan', L Cohen is totally pop.

i judge that...

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

the answer = PINK FLOYD after syd left

Re: i judge that...

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

We don't need no judgification.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i was gonna say RUSH, but then i remembered Time Stand Still (or whatever it was)

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

xanadu is totally pop

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

Spirit of Radio!

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Frank Zappa = "Valley Girl" and "Dancing Fool" = supports your theory.

But how are you defining artists?

You can't say that Yoko Ono ever made a popular pop record.

And I'm not sure the St Winifred School Choir are pop even though they had a number one. At least, no one will play them at poptimism, even though I keep asking.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's only a matter of wine time re. St Win's.

Walking On Thin Ice = pop surely?

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Man or Astroman??

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Don't they make crazy sci-fi surf music which is pop almost by definition!

I JUDGE THAT...

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

no appeal is possible against...

...

... SLEEPER

Re: I JUDGE THAT...

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

How is Nice Guy Eddie not pop?

[darkpigeon.livejournal.com]

house of pain

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

How is Jump Around not pop?