pop rock

Record #957: The Goo Goo Dolls – Dizzy Up the Girl (1998)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

As a college freshman who thought he was way more knowledgeable about music than he was, I repeated often and loudly that there was one band that everyone loved, no matter what kind of music they usually listen to.

That band was the got dang Goo Goo Dolls. And as far as my horizons have been expanded since then, I still stand by it.

While on the surface, there might not seem to be anything all that exceptional about their brand of uber-radio-friendly pop rock, there are several reasons this record went 5x Platinum—and absolute megahit “Iris” is only one of them.

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Record #820: The Get Up Kids – On A Wire (2002)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Sometimes, context has a way of tainting our perspective. When we’re in the midst of events, we’re sometimes too close to be able to see clearly.

Case in point: On a Wire, the follow-up to their classic sophomore album, Something to Write Home About. While I personally wasn’t enthralled enough by that record to follow them any further*, many die-hard fans were disappointed with this disc to the point that they felt betrayed.

But for me, having come back to this record with two decades of space between its release and my listening, hearing it without the crushing weight of anticipation and dashed hopes allows it to blossom into a wonderful collection of great songwriting and catchy pop rock.
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Record #770: Boston – Boston (1976)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

After decades of these songs being staples of classic rock stations and karaoke bars, it’s tempting to lump Boston in with the throngs of arena-ready, prog noodling bands often labelled (derisively) “Dad Rock.”

And yeah: your dad probably loves this album. But to dismiss it as dad rock is to miss the truth…

This is one of the greatest DIY records ever made.

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Record #758: Coheed & Cambria – Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World For Tomorrow (2007)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Coheed & Cambria attracts a lot of criticism for their… whole deal. Sci-fi prog rock concept albums based on a comic book written by the lead singer who then sings about genetic wars and space armadas in an androgynous elf voice isn’t exactly a recipe for mainstream success. But at their best, Coheed has a gift for wrapping these weirder elements up in sugary sweet pop hooks and classic rock tropes.

This mystical ability to mix prog and pop made me a massive fan of their first three albums, but every time I’ve dug into their later works, it seemed they leaned far too heavily into their more experimental compositions, neglecting the earworms entirely. But after finally acquiring a copy of their stunning debut, I learned that I had entirely missed their fourth album, No World For Tomorrow, which might actually be their hookiest, catchiest, classic-rockiest album ever.

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Record #692: Mike McGear – McGear (1972)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Every so often, someone will suggest a record for me to review. I always tell them the same thing: on this blog, I only review albums that I own on vinyl, so if they want me to review something, the would need to give it to me.

To date, only my friend Jay has taken me up on that offer, with this Beatles-adjacent release.

Mike McGear, born Peter Michael McCartney, is the brother of the one and only Paul McCartney. If he was trying to get out of his older brother’s shadow, this album is a strange way to go about it, as Paul produced the album, wrote (or cowrote) most of the songs, and offered up Wings as a backing band.

It’s no RAM, but save for the fact that his brother is singing lead vocals, this feels all the world like a forgotten Paul McCartney solo record.

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Record #677: Mike + The Mechanics – Mike + The Mechanics (1985)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

At times, Genesis feels less like a progressive rock band and more like Xavier’s School For Gifted Solo Pop Artists.

Of course there’s the original frontman, Peter Gabriel, who perfected the pop record in 1986’s So. His replacement, Phil Collins, crafted such heartfelt pop that 30 Rock once claimed—correctly—that all that is necessarily to enjoy him is “two ears and a heart.”

In the shadow of such massive monoliths, it makes sense that Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford would be overlooked. In fact, I didn’t even know he had a solo career until I found this album in a box of freebies. But at first listen to his debut Mike + The Mechanics, Mike makes it clear that he’s just as capable.

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Record #676: Journey – Infinity (1978)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

If you were to conduct a survey to find the most important rock bands of the 1980s, the name “Journey” would be somewhere in the top five most common answers. Their huge hooks and virtuosic guitar solos have given them a permanent spot in “Yesterday and Today” radio stations across the country.

That legacy of hard-hitting singalongs started on Infinity, their fourth studio album, and their first with vocalist Steve Perry. That addition was the perfect ingredient to take them from an obscure progressive outfit to hit-making, bonafide arena rockers.

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Record #675: Jars of Clay – Much Afraid (1997)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: I love this album. Wholly, completely, and without irony.

It’s not just a nostalgia thing either: despite Jars of Clay’s mainstream success in the mid 90s, I didn’t get into them until a decade later (when I stole all of my mom’s JoC CDs after graduating high school). Even after getting into more respectable music, I’ve always loved Jars of Clay. They’re not just good for a CCM band—they’re good period.

And even in the midst of a long and consistent career and in the shadow of a widely celebrated debut, I think their sophomore release, Much Afraid, has always been my favorite.

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Record #670: Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night (1987)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

After the manic scattershot of Tusk, Fleetwood Mac pulled hard to the center with 1982’s Mirage, a pleasant enough record that I remember being a bit dull (though I’m overdue a relisten).

After a five year break, they returned with Tango In the Night, an album that combines their winning popcraft with Lindsey Buckingham’s more esoteric tendencies in a way that feels like they’re actually in concert with eachother.

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Record #664: Electric Light Orchestra – TIME (1981)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

The 1980s saw a lot of rock and roll stalwarts trading in their electric guitars and drum sets for synthesizers and drum machines. Not even hair metal heroes like Van Halen were safe from the new wave revolution.

Even so, it stung a little harder when Electric Light Orchestra traded in their strings and horns for analog synthesizers.

However, it’d sting a whole lot more if the songs weren’t so damn catchy.

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