^ Hey, thanks, grindy! I first came across Mulatu Astatke when a guy called s_k, who sadly no longer posts here, recommended them to me. Being busy at the time, I let them drop to the bottom of my to-do list, but listening to this album you've posted, I'm most impressed. What a cool sound!
More rock than pop, but an irresistible fuzzy guitar riff from Brazil, 1968:-
Of course a good source for mainstream Euro-pop is this annual competition, covered by misspoptart:-
http://www.musicbanter.com/general-m...15-thread.html
http://www.musicbanter.com/general-m...14-thread.html