I was recently on a deep dive for more Style Council nuggets and I found many in the US described the Shout to the Top hitmakers as “Sophistipop”. It’s not a term I remember from the 80s but it makes a certain sense to describe those breezy turns with Latin flourishes, the occasional dash of woodwind and a tendency to turn up at GLC / miners’ benefits. So see how you get in with this sophistipop sampler. Warning: contains traces of Matt Bianco.
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Excellent. Not my natural wheelhouse, but much more fun than the earnest, political 80s which we’ve been dissecting recently. I’ll be listening to this while I go about my day, bopping as I go…
You do know Latin Quarter is on the playlist don’t you?
It;s a fine choice of tunes, though I would have gone for one of the other songs off of ‘Whose Side Are You On’ – maybe ‘Get Out of Your Lazy Bed’ or ‘Sneaking Out the Back Door’ – when they first emerged, Matt Bianco made fun music – no need for a warning for me.
Yebbut I can skip it, can’t I?
Mind you, 1 out of 34…I can deal with that, I think.
I recall that Bryan Ferry used to get very upright about being called ‘sophisticated’ and would rattle off the dictionary definition.
Bizarre – you’d have thought he’d just smile enigmatically…
That’s a great play list which reminded me of this lovely song from the 80’s.
Gosh, I’ve gone all this time without ever hearing that.
Fascinating! A gorgeous one hit wonder from Glasgow.
https://thenewvinylvillain.com/category/april-showers/
Your playlist is excellent!
Nice to see my tall chum in there. I think that’s the re-recorded version of Graceland, which includes a key change at the suggestion of Eureka album producer Steve Earle.
Mr Earle referred to Tony the keyboard player as “The Jazz Fairy”, such was his love of sophisticated chords.
I love that song. Had no idea Steve Earle was anything to do with it.
I did wonder if it fit the description but if there’s a jazz fairy involved it must be sophistipop.
He kind of is and isn’t. It was originally recorded as an indie single, and on the indie debut LP. Then slightly remixed version issued as a single when they signed to Ensign. Then Ensign were bought by Chrysalis, and the remix was released as a single again.
Then Steve Earle produced the second album, and it was re-recorded with an added key change, then the new version was remixed and issued as a single to promote the self-titled best of album. And then they split up.
Are you still with me? I stuggle, to be honest.
Hello…? Matt Bianco? https://youtu.be/NEkB25V_ow8
Anything that gets Prefab Sprout in front of more people is OK with me.
The sheer amount of Steely Dan chords in their work means they’ll always be sophistipop to me.
But the best exemple of it must be this Scritti Politti song (one of my favourite songs of any genre, actually); “Oh Patti (Don’t Feel Sorry For Loverboy):
The best version of the first track isn’t by Simply Red. Their version is a cover.
I much prefer it to the original. Besides, the original is American so can’t be sophistipop.
It’s not a term I have heard before. However, I think this may belong on that list.
I wondered about that. And Bourgeois Tagg as well. Euro-sophistipop!
I think it was someone on here, that ages ago, mentioned Andy Pawlak. I’d never heard of him, but it was a very welcome shout.
Looking at the wikipedia page, and knowing that they are never wrong, Level 42 are mentioned as of this genre.
Now, I can see that with the earlier output – a sort of funky, soul-y, jazz-y thing happening. But by 1985 when they “went big” with World Machine I think they’d washed it out of their system.
It does leave me with a thought though – if a qualification of the style is to whack the bass strings with your thumb, does that mean Kajagoogoo should also be mentioned?
I carefully considered both. I think Level 42 qualify but Kaja were a genre of their own.
Steely Dan, the retroactively applied link between yacht rock and sophisti-pop. Even the past is hard to keep up with.
The past sure is tense…
Dan were sophistripop.
*gentle ripple of appreciative applause from the audience*
Ah, the Kane Gang. Good choice. A fine band, more than a little eclipsed by Kitchenware label mates Prefab Sprout. They never maintained anything approaching the same consistency of top tunes that the Sprouts managed, but at their brief best they were top class.
The closing track from their debut album is just bloody lovely:
It sure is. The third album I ever bought after Welcome to the Pleasuredome and Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise.
What a wonderful playlist! Going to have this on to start the day tomorrow. Thanks!
Cracking playlist Martin – myself and Mrs F did the weekly house clean to this earlier today. A few other thoughts on top of the ones already mentioned
Tears for Fears – Advice for the Young at Heart
Love and Money – Jocelyn Square
Hue & Cry – looking for Linda
Lisa Stansfield – Been Around the World
Lotus Eaters – First Picture of You
The Lotus Eaters I took off as it wasn’t quite right. There was some Love and Money and Hue & Cry, too. Will listen to your suggestions.
I’ve been thinking about Lisa Stansfield a lot recently (my next cafe vinyl afternoon has a second summer of love theme). She’s a sort of one-woman Venn diagram between boggled-eyed Acid House (with Coldcut), ‘coffee table’ music, chart fodder pop and sophistipop. All with a Mancunian twinkle in her eye. I didn’t really appreciate her at the time, but I’ve grown to her charms as I have aged.
Excellent stuff, plenty of which I’ve not heard before or not heard for years. When I first discovered pop music in the mid 80s most of this kind of thing simply wasn’t straight pop enough for me, then a couple of years later it seemed irredeemably naff to indie kid me. I had Each and Every One on the Hits Tape (shortlived competition to the Now… compilations) and I was convinced it was the worst song I’d ever heard. Now it sounds flipping great as do many of the others.
20 years too late for the 80s, but pop doesn’t get more sophisticated than Cousteaux.
And there are a few covers bands who fit the bill nicely.
Nouvelle Vague
Postmodern Jukebox
And of course the sizzling hot sounds of Mike Flowers Pops!
Another candidate: Robert Wyatt.
Or indeed his old bandmate, Kevin.
Balalaikas, choir, brass, vibraphone… it has to be sophistipop!
Following on the Cousteau line of thinking above – perhaps Tindersticks fits the bill here?
Brilliant choice, @fitterstoke! They fit in perfectly.
The footage is from La Fille sur le Pont.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144201/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_la%2520fille%2520sur