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)

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

oh i thought this was AN TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

But whether they are 'pop' are not has no bearing on whether they are GOOD or not! Robbie Williams, for example (that terrible new single is currently assailing my poor ears), has probably never made a song which isn't Pop, but neither has he made a song which isn't Fucking Dreadful.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Well I like "Radio", "Rock DJ", maybe even one or two others, but yes, of course it's possible to make RUBBISH POP.

But yeah it's an interesting point! I was thinking about good pop I will grant you, or records which "work" on a pop level even if they might not be good in other ways. As ever I'm trying to keep things pretty vague.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh there are many bands I believe to be incapable of ever making a GOOD POP record. Stereophonics certainly qualify. But then those bands I also think are incapable of making good music, ever.

There are probably several people who might be able to make great non-pop but never great pop, though. Diamanda Galás, say.

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

"Supreme"! Glorious song.