Zaikesman is spot on! The ability to write a truly great three-minute pop song is a rare and undervalued talent. Technical proficiency on a particular musical instrument is far more common. How many people do you personally know, on a first name basis, that are, to cite one example, amazingly skilled guitarists? I suspect that many of you, like myself, count several among your friends and acquaintances. I must confess though, that no one within my circle of friends has ever composed a truly memorable three-minute pop song.
Rarest of all is the group that puts out an entire album wherein every single track could/should be a great pop song. In this elite and righteous rank, I would include the Rubber Soul era Beatles, the Bee Gees, The Hollies, The Kinks (at least in the 60's and 70's), The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, The Stone Roses, The Primitives, The Jam, Simon & Garfunkel, The Everley Brothers, Toots & The Maytals, The Honey Cone, and The Chi-Lites.
I have no guilty pleasures. If the voice of intellect asks me to look askance at some bit of music that is otherwise giving me pleasure, I just tell the voice of intellect to shut up.
