A thread that might go over like a lead balloon, but I know there are a few people here who appreciate this sort of music. I went back and forth on what descriptor to use for the thread, but ultimately settled on just "pop." The impetus though was more to talk about a body of music that I enjoy that is not particularly rocky, maybe not rock at all in some cases, but is somewhat more ambitious than just straight ahead pop music. It's not quite prog either, but it scratches a similar itch for me musically. The albums on this list will hit on a number of pop sub-genres, and some of them have been described as art pop, chamber pop, baroque pop, power pop, sophisti-pop, indie pop, alternative, or the most vague of them all, contemporary pop. Some of it would have been called adult contemporary when I was a kid, but I don't know if that term applies anymore.
I tried to draw some lines to focus on the more pop side of some of these artists who at time veer off more into prog territory or into more avant garde styles that start to lose the more accessible aspects of what I think of as pop music (I may break that rule a time or two on the list though). I'm also leaning away from stuff that might fit into more of a guitar rock bucket. I'm leaving some music that I love by some of these artists off this list, but only because it didn't quite fit the parameters I'm setting out. I'm also not totally ranking these based on personal preference (nor do I really have a hard and fast ranking of all of these albums outside of the top 10-15 or so). Some of them I've bumped up or down to get a little more variety as I unveil these. I thought about limiting it to one album per artist, but that would have required tougher choices and leaving off some absolute favorites. Still, I tried to get as much variety on the list as I could, and I ultimately did bump some albums from a couple artists just to keep from repeating similar albums.
This is my first time committing to something kind of longer form on here, so bear with me. I'll try to get to one or two albums a week just to keep it moving. Alright, let's begin shall we?
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Rather than doing an honorable mention list, I'm going to just highlight two albums at the start that I'm leaving off the top 50 list only because 1) they are classic artists that most people know or have already heard of, and 2) they serve as a nice introduction for the type of music I'm looking at here, and many of the albums on the list draw from each of these artists.
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
Who doesn't love the Beach Boys? I'm sure a lot of people don't, but they were a favorite of my dad's so I grew up hearing them a bunch. I don't know that I thought that much of them until I saw a documentary as a teen where Billy Corgan was interviewed and made a statement along the lines of God Only Knows being the greatest song ever written. At that age, Corgan's music was more up my alley, so I took notice. We all know the story of how The Beatles inspired Brian Wilson to step up his game for this record and create "the greatest rock album ever made." I suppose those sorts of statements created a bit of a legend around this album for me, but it's hard to deny the genius behind it. Just incredible production for its time, and a richness to the songwriting and arrangements that is timeless. You'll definitely hear other bands in this countdown reaching for similar vocal harmonies and instrumentation. It's absolutely the template for much of the music on this list. Maybe it should have been number 1 on the list (though we're talking my personal favorites here), but kicking things off instead just made sense.
Favorite tracks: God Only Knows, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), I Just Wasn't made For These Times
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Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1968)
Another foundational act who I didn't really appreciate until the last 6 or 7 years really. This is my favorite of their albums that I own. It's a beautiful recording, with a delicacy that you just don't hear on modern recordings. Side 1 in particular is what makes this album special as it's essentially a concept piece "that explores a life journey from childhood to old age" according to Wikipedia. It's notable particularly in the interplay between the acoustic guitars and strings, which is going to be a trademark of several albums on the list. America and especially Old Friends are the highlights here, but I'm also quite fond of the Bookends Theme tracks. But I'd also like to point out how bonkers Save The Life Of My Child is, with the gospel choir breaking into the track at seemingly random times and what sounds like Taurus bass pedals but I'm sure must have been something else back then. Side 2 features more of the known tracks like Mrs. Robinson and Hazy Shade of Winter. For whatever reason, I've always found the later to be very grating, no matter who performs it. But that's a small misstep.
Favorite tracks: America, Old Friends, Mrs. Robinson, Bookends Theme (I and II)
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Honorable Mention/Transcends The Ranking:
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
- Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
Top 50:
50. Adrian Belew - Inner Revolution
49. Duncan Sheik - Duncan Sheik
48. The Sundays - Static & Silence
47. Tim Finn - Tim Finn
46. Beck - Sea Change
45. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
44. Field Music - Open Here
43. Kevin Gilbert - Thud
42. Luis Philippe - Azure
41. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
40. Sting - Mercury Falling
39. Fernando Perdomo - Zebra Crossing
38. Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily
37. The Clientele - Strange Geometry
36. Prefab Sprout - The Gunman And Other Stories
35. Gotye - Making Mirrors
34. Steve Winwood - Back In The High Life
33. Phil Collins - ...But Seriously
32. Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee
31. Talk Talk - It's My Life
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