Word: europop
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Weaned on Anglophonic rock 'n' roll, Americans have long been resistant to foreign pop-musical imports whose accents are other than English. ABBA, the Europop megagroup of the '70s, sang in English, not Swedish; Japan's Pink Lady was a bomb in any language. But the Latin sound could be different...
...release by Trio, a new German rock group, sums up the entire album. Trio and Error is a sampling of musical styles ranging from European tavern songs through fifties rock 'n' roll up to '80s power riffing and synthopop. On the surface (which counts for a lot with most Europop bands like Trio,) Trio and Error is an enjoyable album with a lot of catchy melodies, some witty choruses, and a spare, deadpan sound. However, this album works only on that surface level, because Trio never tries to capture the depth of feeling or soul present in the rock forms...
Popular sounds are either innocuous imitations of ABBA-like Europop - like Yakushimaru's current No. 1 single, Be a Little Bit Gentle- and the derivative post-Beatles croonings of male stars like Shinji Tanimura and Motoharu Sano. Overwhehningly domestic in origin (Japanese performers account for about 70% of the record market), the pop world shows little sign of the some times violent creativity now rampant in the post-punk West...
...Gang has definitely evolved over the last few years--their funky Europop of today contrasted by the lean, spare minimalists post punk of their first. "Entertainment," a success of a different sort from their latest. Yet there are constants, most of which derive from the exquisite musicianship of the band members. This level of musicianship along with an admirable earnestness and intensity of purpose no matter what you may think of its politics--has raised the Gang above the trendy, and most irrelevant British punk-funk scene...
...Webber was to compose a score that did not sound like outtakes from The Pirates of Penzance. Because of this metrical restriction, Lloyd Webber could not have matched the profligate melodiousness of his score for Evita if he had tried. He has not; he works mostly in the loud Europop vein, hurling his listeners up against the caterwaul...