Making You Think and Feel: 10 Best Pop Albums You Don't Own May 23 '02    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line Pop can at times be formulaic and boring. These ten albums are all diverse, interesting, intelligent, and experimental. Oh, and worth buying. It’s come to my attention pretty recently that not all really great music is rock and roll. In fact, I’ve taken it upon my jaded self to expand my horizons and check out other musical genres. One that I’ve grown particularly fond of is pop. Let me get one thing straight…I hate pop music. I’ve always hated pop music. Somewhere deep in the back of my mind pop music was like that belched by the Britneys and boy bands of the world. A few months ago, I stumbled on Morcheeba, a British pop/trip-hop band. Since that wonderful experience and subsequent epiphany, I’ve found myself snatching up all the best pop music imaginable. I’ve acquainted myself with dozens of bands hailing from various nations (including my own, the United States) and found that generally the best pop music is from Britain. Some of the bands are more popular than others, but all those I’m about to mention are highly talented and amazingly entertaining. So just sit back and take in the glorious new discoveries I’ve made in music. I’m still a rock fan first, but now can count myself a fan of pop…when it’s done well of course. Music is a way of life, a method of thought, and an emotional outlet whether it pop, rock, rap, country, or classical. This is a list of the top not-necessarily-popular pop albums of the 1990’s. 10. Oasis - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? [Epic, 1995] http://www.epinions.com/content_59211484804 Two highly volatile brothers from England formed Oasis in 1993 and went on to become worldwide successes as a result. Morning Glory? was the band’s second full length album and proved to be just what listeners were looking for. Neatly produced with sonic leanings toward rock and punk at times and the Beatles at others, the album spawned more than a few hit singles. Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back In Anger were all (over) played on radio and MTV. But, the fact remains that this is a great album. It’s assembled well musically, the words are catchy, and the Gallaghers are brilliant…even through their incessant fighting. A must own. 9. Cardigans - First Band on the Moon [Mercury, 1996] http://www.epinions.com/content_64073207428 Another very mainstream band, this time hailing from Sweden, the Cardigans are sweet and dour at the same time. This particular album was the band’s third with the second, Life, being their breakthrough hit. Led by the sticky-sweet vocals of Nina Persson, the band took over radio stations with Lovefool in the mid-1990’s. The album as a whole, fortunately, had much more to offer than just one hit single. It’s a sweeping, intelligent vision with experimental musical elements mixed cleanly with straightforward pop. I also particularly enjoy Been It and believe that song to be more important than the one that most people are familiar with. In addition, the Cardigans had the guts to cover classic heavy metal anthem Iron Man with grace and dignity. 8. James - The Best Of [Fontana, 1998] http://www.epinions.com/content_57329290884 James had been making music for a decade before radio stateside finally picked up on their talent on their self titled umpteenth album in 1991. But, it really took until a very sexual and very fun song Laid hit the airwaves a few years later for mass amounts of people to take notice. Hailing from England, James was led by the admittedly very strange Tim Booth. This particular offering, The Best Of is just what it sounds like…a greatest hits compilation. The band’s individual albums are mostly worth owning although they sounded very different in the 1980’s then they did in the 1990’s. As a collection, this one succeeds in splicing together songs from each of the albums and includes amazing tracks like Say Something, Sometimes, Laid and Sit Down. 7. Robbie Williams - The Ego Has Landed [Capitol/EMI, 1999] http://www.epinions.com/content_61398027908 From beginning to end The Ego Has Landed is an absolutely amazing album. It should be…it was Williams’ American debut after releasing two upbeat and lauded albums across the rest of the world. The album combines the best songs from his two earlier albums Life Through A Lens and I’ve Been Expecting You to form a rich, gratifying pop experience. Williams has a superb voice akin to Elton John at times. But what really makes his songs pop are the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and catchy melodies. These fourteen songs are amazing. It’s easy to listen to the album from beginning to end and never get bored. The album contains Millennium (the first song I recall on this side of the ocean) in addition to many other brilliant offerings like Angels, Win Some, Lose Some, and No Regrets. If you’re a pop fan and have yet to buy this…what’s wrong with you? 6. Travis - The Man Who [Epic, 2000] http://www.epinions.com/content_55236202116 I know that Travis is a bit of a joke in Britain. Their music is everywhere, and for good reason if truth be told. Fran Healy has a rich, texture voice that is certainly appealing on many levels while the songs that he sings are equally impressive and equally well done. What makes this band stand out among a sea of imitators are the hook laden melodies and emotionally evocative feel of the lyrics and music. The Man Who is the second release for Travis and the band’s most important offering to date. It includes the radio savvy hit Why Does It Always Rain On Me? in addition to other great songs like Driftwood, Writing To Reach You, and The Fear. Once again, this is a must own album. 5. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup [Elektra, 1996] http://www.epinions.com/content_61957770884 Formed in London in the early 1990’s, Stereolab now features French vocalist Laetitia Sadier. The songs contained on Emperor Tomato Ketchup are intelligent, epic, and sensual. Sadier sings most often in French, at times slipping in an English word or two. The fact that I don’t understand a lick of French makes no difference at all. The songs are meant to be instrumental, Sadier’s voice is just another instrument. When bands are able to successfully use a voice as an instrument, I am always impressed. Emperor Tomato Ketchup got amazing reviews upon it’s release in 1996 for good reason. Each song seems simple, yet upon further inspection there are complex multi-layered instruments. Stereolab is a challenging yet rewarding listen and this particular album including simply amazing tracks like The Noise of Carpet and Cybele’s Reverie are great indications of the importance of this album. 4. Mansun - Attack of the Grey Lantern [Epic, 1997] http://www.epinions.com/content_60290141828 Stylish, experimental, free flowing and wholly different from all their musical contemporaries, Mansun’s debut Attack of the Grey Lantern is quite simply fascinating. It’s a tidy mixture of prog rock and pop in the tradition of bands like The Who, Queen or classic David Bowie. It’s likely that most Americans are still unfamiliar with the band because they really do defy classification and thus cannot find a home on even student radio stations much less major market stations. Mansun creates their own sonic soundscape and successfully channels their many musical influences into one very coherent and ultimately dazzling album, Attack of the Grey Lantern. Songs to avoid missing include: The Chad Who Loved Me, You, Who Do You Hate? and Egg Shaped Fred. 3. Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap [Matador, 1998] http://www.epinions.com/content_61482765956 Incorporating dozens of instruments, Scottish band Belle & Sebastian made a splash on the music scene with their 1996 debut. Critics and listeners alike fell in love with their emotion, sincerity, musical talent, and songs. The band has refused time and time again to sell out. They don’t do huge tours. Rather, the seven-piece Belle & Sebastian led by Stuart Murdoch makes music on their own terms. Using various stringed instruments and normal pop instruments, they have innovated the way in which music is looked at by me and by most other listeners. The Boy With The Arab Strap was the third release and included twelve extremely visionary songs including: Seymour Stein, Chickfactor, and Is It Wicked Not To Care? It’s impossible to go wrong with Belle & Sebastian 2. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend [Zoo/Volcano Records, 1991] http://www.epinions.com/content_54410382980 The lone American on the list, Matthew Sweet hails from Nebraska. He spent the 1980’s bouncing between various bands and a pretty unsuccessful solo career. That all changed in 1991 when Sweet’s third album Girlfriend was released. The majestic, heartfelt, gentle album will certainly go down as a classic of American music. Fifteen tracks long, Girlfriend is the product of a very talented songwriter. Without sounding cliché, Sweet discusses love and love lost time and time again with an occasional political anthem. His voice is high pitched yet wholly appealing. Eventually going gold, Girlfriend did manage a few minor radio hits with the title track and Divine Intervention. But other less popular tracks like I’ve Been Waiting and Looking At The Sun show that Sweet has some range and a whole lot of talent. 1. Morcheeba - Big Calm [Sire Records, 1998] http://www.epinions.com/content_56171138692 Morcheeba is the band that sparked my fascination with pop music and allowed me the opportunity to look more in depth at bands I would have been completely unwilling to explore just a year ago. Using some elements of Trip Hop, Morcheeba creates some of the slickest pop songs I’ve ever heard. Even more important are the divinely smooth vocals provided by Skye Edwards. She possesses one of the most haunting voices I’ve ever heard. On Big Calm, the British foursome is unafraid of using strange instruments in their songs. There are fiddles and trumpets along side unexpected classical strings. This is what good music is all about. My favorite tracks (it’s a hard choice…believe me) are Part of the Process, Blindfold, Over and Over and Shoulder Holster. But, don’t skip around just to hear a song or two. Take in this album as a whole. You’ll be happy I told you to. So there you go. My top ten pop albums of the 1990’s. I’m positive you’ve heard of a few of the bands mentioned (if not all of them). Those that are new to you are just as important as those that are old hat (Oasis, for one). After my positive experience with pop music, I’ve found myself becoming more and more open minded in regards to other kinds of music. But still, my heart is with rock and roll. Thanks for reading!

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