Top 5 Pop Albums

loveissucide · 03-06-2010, 08:26 AM

Righto, I think this is a term that's become undeservedly derogatory. What are MB Readers Top 5 Pop albums, so as to prove there's gold among the Top 40 dross.(No compilations). Mine would have to be
1.Lexicon Of Love-ABC. Possibly the most purely enjoyable record ever made, and there's so much wit and genuine emotion under all the glorious Trevor Horn production.
2.Something Else By The Kinks-a perfect disc of 60's pop, with every track a joy and Ray Davies' finest set of lyrics. Plus it has Waterloo Sunset on it.
3.Actually-Pet Shop Boys. Proof the genre can have work of genuine substance within it, with many of these songs bearing grim subject manner and harsh judgements on the 80's.
4.Steve McQueen-Prefab Sprout. It's the way it uses the most insincere music imaginable to dissect emotional chaos. Chris Martin should be forced to hear this if he thinks mewling "I WILL TRY TO FFFFFIIIIIIIIIIXXXXXXX YYYYOOUUUUU" is articulating despair.
5.Armed Forces-Elvis Costello. All the good aspects of late 70's pop, but with actual substance there, as the man is in the lyrical form of his life here. It's the way it all sounds perfect on radio, even though all the songs are essentially about people either physically or emotionally destroying each other or themselves.

Nykeisha Alexandria · 03-06-2010, 04:25 PM

1. Thriller - Michael Jackson
2. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
3. Jade - Sweetbox
4. Britney Spears - Blackout
5. Ke$ha - Animal

[My personal top 5 pop albums]

Urban Hat€monger ? · 03-06-2010, 05:16 PM

David Bowie - Low
Practically the template for all 80s synth pop.
Yes he wasn't the first to do this kind of thing, but for someone who was basically a pop star coming out with something so left field must have come as quite a shock at the time.
Could you imagine someone like Lady Gaga coming out with a krautrock album now? I don't think so.
I doubt any record company these days would let a major star make something so experimental today.

XTC - English Settlement
A double album of finely crafted pop songs from a great band at their peak. I love XTC dearly but I don't think any of their other albums come even close to touching this one.

Pulp - His n Hers
I grew up with this one and must have played it to death over the years.Some of the themes on the album are pretty dark & disturbing in a kind of suburbanite way with Jarvis Cocker's low hushed Scott Walkerish delivery but it's layered on some really bouncy catchy pop hooks to make it more palatable.

Orange Juice - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever
I've always found it a shame this band don't get much more credit than they do. They basically invented 80s jangly indie pop years before The Smiths even showed up. Edwin Collins has an amazing ear for a melody and this album is chock full of them.

The Human League - Dare
You have to admire Phil Oakey. He replaced two musos like Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh with a couple of teenage girls he met in a nightclub.
Let me repeat that...
HE REPLACED TWO MUSOS LIKE MARTYN WARE AND IAN CRAIG MARSH WITH A COUPLE OF TEENAGE GIRLS HE MET IN A NIGHTCLUB. and ended up making their best ever album turning his back on experimental electronica designed to impress art students and made one of the greatest pop albums ever written.
Well done that man.

Flyingpig437 · 08-25-2012, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger ?

XTC - English Settlement
A double album of finely crafted pop songs from a great band at their peak. I love XTC dearly but I don't think any of their other albums come even close to touching this one.

It's a great album but it's crap vfm compared to some double albums. Look at The White album. It's got 30 song and runs for nearly an hr and a 1/2. English settlement had 15 songs on it and runs for 69 mins!! Not good enough. Esp. side 2 which is only 13 mins. Either they should have cooled their boots and written more songs, bunged a 10 mins avant garde piece of crap on it and a cover version or something and bunged that out or they should have cut it down to a single album.

Screen13 · 08-25-2012, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyingpig437

It's a great album but it's crap vfm compared to some double albums. Look at The White album. It's got 30 song and runs for nearly an hr and a 1/2. English settlement had 15 songs on it and runs for 69 mins!! Not good enough. Esp. side 2 which is only 13 mins. Either they should have cooled their boots and written more songs, bunged a 10 mins avant garde piece of crap on it and a cover version or something and bunged that out or they should have cut it down to a single album.

Actually, back in '82, there was a one-disc release for The US, Spain, and New Zealand. Would have liked the whole thing where I lived back then, though.

http://www.discogs.com/XTC-English-S...elease/1007134

Flyingpig437 · 09-06-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Screen13

Actually, back in '82, there was a one-disc release for The US, Spain, and New Zealand. Would have liked the whole thing where I lived back then, though.

http://www.discogs.com/XTC-English-S...elease/1007134

Strange they didn't use Snowman as the final track as on the dbl version. I'd have taken It's only Africa and No thugs in our house and Melt the guns off and put Fly on the wall, Down in the cockpit and Leisure on in their stead..

Rickenbacker · 03-06-2010, 06:48 PM

1. Brian Wilson - SMiLE
The child of a life of hardship and toil, SMiLE, which was finally released in 2004 is an absolute masterpiece of pop, and arguably the best of the genre.

2. XTC - English Settlement
Sprawling and masterfully crafted, English Settlement is the only time XTC's signature formula ever truly worked. Not to mention the top songwriting present with Senses Working Overtime and Jason and the Argonauts. Suffice to say that XTC was doing most of what is present on Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion" decades earlier.

3. Scott Walker - Scott 4
Forget his later work of the avante-gard and consider that the mysterious musical mastermind crafted perhaps the best pop record of the 60s. One can praise Scott's eclecticism to no end, but also note the gorgeous production and vocal deliveries here.

4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective's pop record has been called the future of pop music. That may be a far-fetched claim, but that is not to negate how great this album is. MPP is a perfectly crafted mix of XTC complexity, Beach Boys vocal arrangements, and more than a touch of originality (of which the Maryland group has much). Brothersport is the jam of the decade.

5. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
1999 was a hopeful year. On the edge of a millenium, everybody wanted to know what the next thousand years would hold. The Flaming Lips' masterpiece "The Soft Bulletin", released that year, should have been the future of music. Shame it won't be.

Bulldog · 03-07-2010, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

The Human League - Dare
You have to admire Phil Oakey. He replaced two musos like Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh with a couple of teenage girls he met in a nightclub.
Let me repeat that...
HE REPLACED TWO MUSOS LIKE MARTYN WARE AND IAN CRAIG MARSH WITH A COUPLE OF TEENAGE GIRLS HE MET IN A NIGHTCLUB. and ended up making their best ever album turning his back on experimental electronica designed to impress art students and made one of the greatest pop albums ever written.
Well done that man.

^ Is basically what I was going to say.

So then, the other four...

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

The soundtrack to a great movie here makes for probably my favourite out-and-out pop album of all time. For me, songs like When I Get Home, I Should Have Known Better, You Can't Do That, Can't Buy Me Love, Tell Me Why, and maybe the rest of the album are just totally unforgettable for all the vocal harmonies, infectious hooks and terrific melodies. So, yeah, good stuff then.
YouTube - The Beatles - I Should Have Known Better

Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85

Take the Human League's experiments on Dare of recording everything on synth, add Green Gartside sacking his entire band and replacing with funky session men from New York, and this masterpiece is what you get. It's one of the examples of how synth-heavy the pop production methods of the 80s can actually enhance music if placed in the right hands. While this album didn't quite write the book for the 'new pop' of the 80s, it definitely took the whole thing that little bit further forward, which is just fine really.

YouTube - Scritti Politti - Absolute (Original Extended Vers. - Bigar Edit)

The Desert Rose Band - The Desert Rose Band

The first and by far best album from Chris Hillman (a founding member of the Byrds for those who don't know) and Herb Pedersen's 80s C&W outfit, which melds that laid back vibe that only a top-drawer country album seems to be able to pull off with some sublime pop hooks and melodies with fantastic results. That and the fact that the chorus for One That Got Away is one of the best I've heard make this a real winner for me.

YouTube - One Step Forward - Desert Rose Band

Prince - The Gold Experience

It has the Most Beautiful Girl In the World on it. Nuff said.

khfreek · 03-07-2010, 08:49 AM

Wow, this English Settlement album is really good, thanks for including it in lists!

In no order (except for number 1):

1. Lost and Gone Forever - Guster
perfect perfect perfect. I grew up with them and still am not bored with this album. Bongos, dude!

Aim and Ignite - fun.
What you get when you have a fantastic vocalist and songwriter pair up with an indie multi-instrumentalist god. Undeniably catchy.

Origin of Symmetry - Muse
Best album by one of my favorite pop bands? To quote one of their song titles, Yes Please

Parklife - Blur
I am getting tired of writing these things. Damon Albarn is really good?

Le Sac Des Filles - Camille
I really like almost every track she does, but this album has the least over-the-top-ness of her albums.

The Bullet · 04-16-2010, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khfreek

Origin of Symmetry - Muse
Best album by one of my favorite pop bands? To quote one of their song titles, Yes Please

Muse is NOT pop. Sorry.

03-06-2010, 08:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
loveissucide Himself Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Leuven ,Belgium, via Ireland Posts: 1,325	Top 5 Pop Albums Righto, I think this is a term that's become undeservedly derogatory. What are MB Readers Top 5 Pop albums, so as to prove there's gold among the Top 40 dross.(No compilations). Mine would have to be 1.Lexicon Of Love-ABC. Possibly the most purely enjoyable record ever made, and there's so much wit and genuine emotion under all the glorious Trevor Horn production. 2.Something Else By The Kinks-a perfect disc of 60's pop, with every track a joy and Ray Davies' finest set of lyrics. Plus it has Waterloo Sunset on it. 3.Actually-Pet Shop Boys. Proof the genre can have work of genuine substance within it, with many of these songs bearing grim subject manner and harsh judgements on the 80's. 4.Steve McQueen-Prefab Sprout. It's the way it uses the most insincere music imaginable to dissect emotional chaos. Chris Martin should be forced to hear this if he thinks mewling "I WILL TRY TO FFFFFIIIIIIIIIIXXXXXXX YYYYOOUUUUU" is articulating despair. 5.Armed Forces-Elvis Costello. All the good aspects of late 70's pop, but with actual substance there, as the man is in the lyrical form of his life here. It's the way it all sounds perfect on radio, even though all the songs are essentially about people either physically or emotionally destroying each other or themselves. __________________ www.last.fm/user/p-mccusker http://www.mixcloud.com/pmccusker www.valjester.wordpress.com

03-06-2010, 04:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
Nykeisha Alexandria Groupie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: The Universe Posts: 12	1. Thriller - Michael Jackson 2. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga 3. Jade - Sweetbox 4. Britney Spears - Blackout 5. Ke$ha - Animal [My personal top 5 pop albums] __________________

03-06-2010, 05:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,626	David Bowie - Low Practically the template for all 80s synth pop. Yes he wasn't the first to do this kind of thing, but for someone who was basically a pop star coming out with something so left field must have come as quite a shock at the time. Could you imagine someone like Lady Gaga coming out with a krautrock album now? I don't think so. I doubt any record company these days would let a major star make something so experimental today. XTC - English Settlement A double album of finely crafted pop songs from a great band at their peak. I love XTC dearly but I don't think any of their other albums come even close to touching this one. Pulp - His n Hers I grew up with this one and must have played it to death over the years.Some of the themes on the album are pretty dark & disturbing in a kind of suburbanite way with Jarvis Cocker's low hushed Scott Walkerish delivery but it's layered on some really bouncy catchy pop hooks to make it more palatable. Orange Juice - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever I've always found it a shame this band don't get much more credit than they do. They basically invented 80s jangly indie pop years before The Smiths even showed up. Edwin Collins has an amazing ear for a melody and this album is chock full of them. The Human League - Dare You have to admire Phil Oakey. He replaced two musos like Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh with a couple of teenage girls he met in a nightclub. Let me repeat that... HE REPLACED TWO MUSOS LIKE MARTYN WARE AND IAN CRAIG MARSH WITH A COUPLE OF TEENAGE GIRLS HE MET IN A NIGHTCLUB. and ended up making their best ever album turning his back on experimental electronica designed to impress art students and made one of the greatest pop albums ever written. Well done that man. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

03-06-2010, 06:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	1. Brian Wilson - SMiLE The child of a life of hardship and toil, SMiLE, which was finally released in 2004 is an absolute masterpiece of pop, and arguably the best of the genre. 2. XTC - English Settlement Sprawling and masterfully crafted, English Settlement is the only time XTC's signature formula ever truly worked. Not to mention the top songwriting present with Senses Working Overtime and Jason and the Argonauts. Suffice to say that XTC was doing most of what is present on Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion" decades earlier. 3. Scott Walker - Scott 4 Forget his later work of the avante-gard and consider that the mysterious musical mastermind crafted perhaps the best pop record of the 60s. One can praise Scott's eclecticism to no end, but also note the gorgeous production and vocal deliveries here. 4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective's pop record has been called the future of pop music. That may be a far-fetched claim, but that is not to negate how great this album is. MPP is a perfectly crafted mix of XTC complexity, Beach Boys vocal arrangements, and more than a touch of originality (of which the Maryland group has much). Brothersport is the jam of the decade. 5. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin 1999 was a hopeful year. On the edge of a millenium, everybody wanted to know what the next thousand years would hold. The Flaming Lips' masterpiece "The Soft Bulletin", released that year, should have been the future of music. Shame it won't be. __________________ last.fm rym Talk About the Passion - R.E.M.'s Discography Reviewed

03-07-2010, 08:49 AM	#9 (permalink)
khfreek What a guy Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Brentwood, TN Posts: 2,123	Wow, this English Settlement album is really good, thanks for including it in lists! In no order (except for number 1): 1. Lost and Gone Forever - Guster perfect perfect perfect. I grew up with them and still am not bored with this album. Bongos, dude! Aim and Ignite - fun. What you get when you have a fantastic vocalist and songwriter pair up with an indie multi-instrumentalist god. Undeniably catchy. Origin of Symmetry - Muse Best album by one of my favorite pop bands? To quote one of their song titles, Yes Please Parklife - Blur I am getting tired of writing these things. Damon Albarn is really good? Le Sac Des Filles - Camille I really like almost every track she does, but this album has the least over-the-top-ness of her albums. __________________ last.fm Last edited by khfreek; 03-07-2010 at 09:21 AM.