Pop album that has stood the test of time

 

@knownothing: I too am fortunate in having seen Rockpile in 1980. Three nights in a row, at The Country Club in Reseda California. Tickets were ten bucks!

I also saw Little Village live, on a sound stage in North Hollywood at an industry-only event. Their performance that night of John Hiatt's "Lipstick Sunset" (found on the Bring The Family album) is hands-down the most transcendental experience I've had via live music. During Cooder's guitar solo in the song I had an out-of-body moment, which I had preciously experienced only once, when first hearing J.S. Bach's Concerto For Four Harpsichords. I haven't been the same since. 

 

I like and endorse most of what has been listed. It depends on the definition of pop but I tend to listen to what I call "edgy pop" and I’ll add to the list including a few more recent ones:

Tristen: Sneaker Waves

Alvvays: Blue Rev

Alex G: God Save the Animals

Big Thief: UFOF

Jadu Heart: Derealized

MIYNT: Lonely Beach

Nilufer Yanya: Painless

Pip Blom: Boat

And a few older ones:

The Bongos: Beat Hotel

Howard Devoto: Jerky Vision of the Dream

The Kinks: The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society

Comateens: Pictures on a String

Crowded House: Crowded House

Ramones: Rocket to Russia

The Cure: I think their most pop album is Japanese Whispers and probably Head on the Door is second

Dandy Warhols: 13 Tales from the Urban Bohemia

Echobelly: On

Elastica: Elastica

Ex Hex: Rips

Helium: Magic City

Emilie Simon: The Flower Book

The Feelies: Only Life

The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Garbage: Garbage

Ivy: Long Distance

Japan: Tin Drum and Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Phantasic Fernature: Phantastic Fernature

Kate Bush: anything and all but Hounds of Love

The Kooks: Inside In/Inside Out

Lucious Jackson: Natural Ingredients

Martha & The Muffins: Danseparc

The Mekons: Rock ’n’ Roll

Mutants: Fun Terminal

New Pornographers: Twin Cinema

Pixies: Doolittle

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Salad: The Lost Album, Vol 1

Speedy Ortiz: Foil Deer

Spoon: Kill the Moonlight

The Tubes: Remote Control

Nick Lowe: Pure Pop for Now People

They Might Be Giants: They Might Be Giants

Jack Rubies: See The Money In My Smile

Broadcast: Tender Buttons

There are probably others which skirt pop but these mostly all have catchy pop songs and my list is getting too long. I wanted to hit a number that were missed and maybe some that y’all never heard of.

King of Pop - MJ

70s-80s Fidelity mostly missing, but partying energy and fun was plentiful.  

I was a teen in the 80’s, so grew up on this stuff, so these artists and albums carry a lot of nostalgia and happy memories, but for me they have stood the test of time and hold their own today:

Talk Talk - everything they released

REM - everything up to and including Green (they lost me after Green)

Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen

Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam

Pixies - Surfer Rosa, Come on Pilgrim, Dolittle

Lloyd Cole &. The Commotions - Rattlesnakes, Five Easy Pieces, Mainstream

Big Country - The Crossing, Steeltown

The Mercury Rev album was a '91 release but blew my mind at the time, despite the appalling production 😊. Apart from maybe Prefab Sprout and Lloyd Cole, I wouldn't classify the others as "pop", but I didn't really listen to what was classed as pop back then