The Rough Guide to Cult Pop (Rough Guide Music Guides)

List Price: ?11.99
Amazon Price: ?7.47
Used Price: ?22.47
Customer Review: Don’t fear it, embrace it!
This album is full of the complex rhythms and quirky tunes mixed with admittedly bizarre lyrics to make something that works unusually well. If you have listened to a little Talking Heads or own a ‘best of’ compilation, I would highly recommend this as a must buy album on the way to becoming a full-blown fan. Very infectious! As a bonus, this version has a nifty DVD disc thrown in. There are live videos of ‘I Zimbra’ and ‘Cities’ as well as the whole album in a snazzy 5.1 format. ‘Surround yourself in Talking Heads’, is what they suggest and it isn’t a bad idea, especially at such a reasonable price.
Customer Review: The first masterpiece from Talking Heads-Eno…
Whilst debut '77' is a pleasant enough take on the Modern Lovers' debut (unsurprising since Jerry Harrison was once a Modern Lover)it was far from a classic - a bit too studied and indebted. It's hard to imagine 'Don't Worry About the Government' exisiting without 'Government Center' - though any record with 'Psycho Killer' on can't be all bad. Bryne & co just seemed a studied blend of Television with a diluted nerd a la Jonathan Richman. Things changes in 1978 with 'More Songs About Buildings & Food' when Brian Eno came on board as the extra member (a role he'd had with Roxy and Berlin-Bowie and later U2). The catchy-angular pop took on more interesting rhythms and songs like 'The Big Country', 'Artists Only', 'Warning Sign' & 'Stay Hungry' showed a great band developing. 'Fear of Music' is where that promise came true, creating the first masterpiece from the Heads and Eno, an album that these days slips into the endless list of Top-100 albums (bizarrely usurping superior follow-up 'Remain in Light'!). 'Fear of Music' feels like a complete album, a lot of the songs seeming to adhere to an art-concept: hey Dave, why not write a song called: 'Air'/Animals'/'Cities'/'Drugs'/'Heaven'/'Mind'/Paper'…, uh - OK! Opener 'I Zimbra' predicts the world rhythms that would dominate 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' and 'Remain in Light' - featuring Gene Wilder (…that Gene Wilder?) on congas alongside Eno's frequent foil Robert Fripp - who links this record to “Heroes” and 'No Pussyfooting' and would contribute his Frippertronic-style to Blondie's 'Parallel Lines' on the great 'Fade Away & Radiate.' Byrne's forays into world music begin with 'I Zimbra' - though here they can be seen as the missing link between Can's 'Soon Over Babalama' and Bowie's Eno-assisted 'Lodger.' 'Fear of Music' can be seen as a counter-point to surrounding albums like 'Low', 'The Idiot', 'Q. We are Devo…', 'Systems of Romance', “Heroes”, 'Chairs Missing' & 'Drums & Wires' (amongst others). The great 'Mind' is next, listening to this version it sounds much greater than the prior tinny cd-remaster, 'Cities' extends on the angular-funk previously demonstrated on 'With Our Love' & 'Found a Job' - with a nice line in universality. 'Life During Wartime' takes its title from Lucius Shephard's sci-fi novel of the same name - advancing on Richman's 'Modern World' and nodding to CBGB's and the SLA…I tend to favour the full on live-tight-funk version found on 'Stop Making Sense' myself. 'Memories Can't Wait' is a wonderful post-'Low'-droner, advancing on the electronics apparent on the earlier 'Warning Sign' - the synth-drones are wild here, sounding both alien and touching as Byrne sings “Everything is very quiet/Everyone has gone to sleep/I'm wide awake on memories/These memories can't wait…” It's safe to say that like the Bowie-Eno-Visconti works, this is a kind of science-fiction- The second half is as great, opening with 'Air' featuring The Sweetbreathes on backing vocals - Byrne nerd-raps the verses and then that killer chorus comes in “AIR………” - post-punk sirens that will drag you under. 'Heaven' is a gorgeous song, though does have relatives in the Pere Ubu-song of the same name (see 'Terminal Tower') and the 'Lady in the Radiator Song/In Heaven' from David Lynch's 'Eraserhead.' I'd also say some of the charming work of Pavement could emanate from here; again, I'd point to the lovely version on 'Stop Making Sense' performed by Byrne and Tina Weymouth. 'Animals' betters the earlier approach found on the prior albums, and shows that the angular thing was leading somewhere else - the guitar here sounds at odds with the NY-angular thing, heading towards the equator. 'Electric Guitar' is looser stuff, sounding like a drunken Mick Karn and a relative of Bowie's 'Repetition' - it's probably the least track on the LP. Things conclude with the great 'Drugs', later covered in an ambient-dance manner by This Mortal Coil (see 1986's 'Filgree & Shadow') which saw Byrne sample birds from the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane/Oz - the kind of sampling Byrne would explore on 'My Life…' & 'Remain in Light' (Byrne & Eno pioneers of this alongside someone like Holger Czukay on 'On the Peak to Normal' or 'Movies'). 'Drugs' wipes everything away, taking the album out on a peak - with its robo-rhythms, auto-violin-sound, and mutant-funk at the core, the Heads by now were leaving Bowie in the dust. The gorgeous ambient-guitar is utterly euphoric, it's just a shame that the song isn't 20 years long ; play this last track from 'Fear of Music' and the first song from 'Remain in Light' ('Born Under Punches') and you see the jumping point was here. The influence of 'Drugs' on the early work of Matt Johnson ('Burning Blue Soul'), Associates circa 'Fourth Drawer Down' ('Q-Quarters', 'Fearless', 'Tell Me Easter's on Friday') & the blissed out work of the good early Simple Minds ('Room', 'Kant-Kino', 'Seeing out the Angel'). Whilst 'Fear of Music' isn't as great as 'Remain in Light' (…my opinion, poppers) it's still a great album and one of those necessary purchases from that fantastic age. The remastered sound is utterly welcome, though I'm not one for alternate versions and tie in DVDs that play through your third-eye. Great stuff, and 'Remain in Light' and 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' make more sense with it.
Read more..

Now That’s What I Call Music Vol.56 is another double-CD triumph compiling the best music from the UK pop charts. Featured here are the massive number ones “Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas, “Slow” by Kylie, “Be Faithful” by Fatman Scoop and “Crazy in Love” by Beyonc?. Other highlights include “Mad World” by Michael Andrews, “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake and “Are You Ready for Love” by Elton John. –Steve Beefmark
List Price: ?15.99
Used Price: ?0.99
Customer Review: exellent
this album is superb!it has all the recent songs all the way from the black eyed peas to michel andrews.it has all the no.1’s from the most recent months. it has all the latest from pop, rock ,roll,rap,jazz and r and b.we start with disc 1 with some of the number 1 hits.then we progress to some of the best pop songs this season.songs from lemar and jemelea.also great songs from beyonce,ultrabeats and liberty x.at the end there are some really poppy songs.i hope you are taking notes.there will be a test later!on disc 2 there is loads of rap and rock. songs from 50 cent,joe budden,steriophonics and justin timberlake-every girls favourate dream.not to mention the fact that the song mad world has also been number 1 for weeks.and just think (in november last year)when now 56 came out0 they did not have a clue that the song would be number 1!in conclusion to this now is doing outstandingly at the moment and is doing so much better than hits bmg/emi’s rivals at the moment . keep on rolling now!!!!!!!!!!!
Customer Review: how is it they are still making these good?
this is really paining me to say but i got this at xmas and for once i havnt regretted it. 2003 had an unusual spree of pop stars producing quality music (as far as pop music goes that is). this cd definatley reflects that it has every thin from sugar babes to fat man scoop to ultra beat . it does actually have a lot of good music on it. wat can i say im shocked.
Read more..

List Price: ?11.99
Amazon Price: ?10.48
Used Price: ?5.00
Customer Review: Hardly a new release
A brilliant album, but hardly a new release. This album has been remaindered in my local Woolies for years for under ?5.
Read more..

Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues (American Made Music)

Popjustice
Popjustice: amazing pop music coverage of the pop news, podcasts, downloads, videos and interviews variety.

Latin Pop Music at CD Universe
Published at November 30, 2007 in Chinese Music and Korean Music. 0 Comments. It was a surprise to many, including Korean pop sensation Rain himself.. …

The Rough Guide to Cult Pop (Rough Guide Music Guides)