Customer Reviews

Pop Goes the World

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When my spirits are low, this is one of the albums I reach for - cheerful, upbeat and brimming with joy and optimism, but without becoming saccharine...not that I have to be depressed to enjoy a listen. There is a bit less emphasis on synthesizers on this album than on "Rhythm Of Youth" and "Folk Of The 80's", and the production is much much cleaner - excellent, in fact. Compared to their earlier material, some listeners might find this one a little too slick, but there is no question that the material is brilliant. This is MWH at their best. There are no weak tracks (even counting the minute long interludes). "O Sole Mio," "In The Name Of Angels" and "Jenny Wore Black" are superb songs in the same mold as the title track, "Moonbeam" and "Walk On Water" are more uptempo songs, and "On Tuesday," "Lose My Way" (featuring flute work from Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson) and "The End (Of The World)" are mellower, more lush tracks. Add them all up and you have an extremely solid and consistently enjoyable album, which really deserved more attention than it got. It's easily worth the high import price. Whether you like 80's music or just brilliant, upbeat pop, "Pop Goes The World" is a must-have.

UPDATE 03/03/2010: It is now two days shy of 10 years since I wrote the review above. I just listened to PGTW in the car on my way to work today for the first time in a while, and I have to say that this album sounds every bit as great to me now as it did then. While the songs still retain all of their goofy sparkle and charm, I couldn't help but notice the sadness and bittersweetness underlying the bright surface of the songs much, much more than I used to - all part of getting older, I guess. It was a surprisingly moving experience to listen to it - it has much more depth than you might expect. It has been reissued since I originally reviewed it, so do yourself a favor an pick up a copy while it's still in print.

ANOTHER UPDATE 09/26/2011: For the first time since the 80's MWH are touring the US. I saw shows in NYC and Teaneck, NJ on Friday and Saturday and am soon heading out to a third show tonight. If they are coming to your area, don't miss out - they put on a very good show. Included in the setlist are "Pop Goes The World", "On Tuesday" and "Moonbeam" from this album...which still sounds great.

This album is the test of whether, deep down inside, you're a cynic. There's an earnestness, a sincerity, and a thrilling honesty to the songs here. The title track is a quiet little classic, but there are many things here far better than the follow-up "Moonbeam" single. "On Tuesday" is a beautiful song by any measure, with delightfully lyrical flute work by Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, and "In the Name of Angels" should very well make your hair stand on end and make you think about all the time you've been wasting in life as you leap into action. It may sound odd but this band is kind of like the "Peanuts" comic strip set to a dance beat--kind at heart, gentle, fun-loving, and intent on saying something real, damn the fashions of the day. As you might guess from the cover, being a child at heart is a good qualification for appreciating this album--but it also offers dreams for the grown mind.

Men Without Hats were not one hit wonders as many people might think. They had another hit, "Pop Goes The World" in early 1988. I have all four, full length albums from Men Without Hats: Rhythm Of Youth (1983), Pop Goes The World (1987), In The 21st Century (1989) and Sideways (1991). "Pop Goes The World" is their most cohesive and consistent effort. They were an usual band with unusual ideas for synth-pop music that might have frightened the average 80's keyboard band. Their strengths show on this album with tracks like "Pop Goes The World", "On Tuesday", "O Sole Mio", "Lose My Way", "The Real World", "Moonbeam", "In The Name Of Angels", "Jenny Wore Black", "Walk On Water" and "The End Of The World". Not your average 80's fare, Men Without Hats were a head above many other now forgotten bands. I've noticed that "Safety Dance" is a staple of many radio stations' 80's hour. It's comforting to know that people still enjoy a song I grew up with in a day and age where originality seems to be sacrificed for bland teen pop.

I have my memories of the 80s. The club scene in New Orleans, the people, the music... And there was this album. "Pop Goes The World" by Men Without Hats was one of those that you might have dismissed if you only knew them from that "Safety Dance" video (sort of like how people missed some great music from DEVO by only following "Whip It.")

Pop Goes The World is a concept album, and the music flows beautifully throughout it. The sounds, the creativity, and just the whole package are wonderfully presented. Synth pop? Sure! But the best of its genre without doubt. And call me a sissy, but there are points where I get teary-eyed because the music hits me in strange places.

Oh, and if you call me a sissy, I'll beat the crap outta you.

Overall, this is one of those albums that you can buy for yourself, or buy for your kids. It has an honesty and conviction that is lacking from lots of music today. Listen to it with your kids - or be a kid and listen to it.

You want this album. Trust me. You will be better for having listened to it. Kudos to Men Without Hats: aural ambassadors of our Neighbors to the North!

Men Without Hats have been known as a synth-pop group with a touch of liberal social commentary blended in the music. They were doing quite well as this kind of group with songs like Safety Dance and Messiahs Die Young, however this time around things changed. Ivan and friends decided to do a concept album and the result is Pop Goes the World. The concept was some story about a boy and a girl, but that's not what's important. While it's a very different animal than the synth-pop trio's other albums it is a very worthwhile diversion from their norm.

MWOH signed up producer Zeus B. Held (no, I'm serious... he actually went by that name) to help put this album together. Zeus did a fair amount of producing with remix albums for Gary Numan, Alphaville, Dead or Alive, Erasure, Simple Minds and a slew of other 80's electronic and experimental groups. Add some studio musicians and you get a more acoustic album than the previous MWOH records.

Does that mean no more synth-pop? No way. You get two really catchy dance tracks on this album. The most famous one, Pop Goes the World, is a really great song and has a real catchy melody to it. The other track, Moonbeam, hit the clubs back in the 80's pretty strong and was the purist of the two in regards to that genre. They still sound very different than Safety Dance, but at the same time they sound a lot more polished musically and better produced.

Just about every song on this album is worth noting. On Tuesday has Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull peforming on flute and is as much a song of ambience as it is rhythm and melody. A great song to relax to. There are some really good piano ballads on this album with the reflective Bright Side of the Sun and the lightly angst-ridden Lose My Way. This album essentially has a good balance of high energy music, mellow tracks, peppy music, punchy music, and more in between. You will notice the underlying theme of "Johnny and Jenny" throughout most of the album, too.

While Pop Goes the World is very different from anything Men Without Hats did previously this album is definitely one of their better achievements. It shows that Ivan and the gang can expand their musical horizons successfully without losing what made them great in the first place. If you like 80's dance music, or if you just like good music, this album will be a nice addition to your collection.

Quite possibly the greatest pop record ever produced. Yeah, very strong statement - but give it a shot. Just look at all of these reviews - what gives? Well, for one, there really are no duds on here. Zip. Nada. Just an amazing tapestry of music, spun together in beautiful harmony around the themes of love and devotion. I actually purchased this when it first was released, and since then, I am still in total shock of the end-to-end quality. Of course, the biggest shock are the artists - MWH sounded NOTHING like this on their previous efforts. BIG shame that it didn't take off like it deserved. I can only hope many more will take the time and be moved as I was (and continue to be).

All songs are standouts, but as for the "best of the best", these would be "Pop Goes the World", "In the name of Angels", "Lose My Way", and the genius "Walk on Water". If you never considered buying a MWH's CD, here's your open invitation - prepare to be blown away!

ENJOY!

This is a pop masterpiece. A pop (as opposed to "rock") concept album with a story to tell. Well concieved, well executed, and truly original all the way through. Production value is superb and there's not a bad song on it. The title track's use of imaging and sound effects is both quirky and novel, yet the effect never wears. And that's just the first song! Delve deeper for more gems. You can listen to this repeatedly and never tire of it. Each listen brings a new delight. Skip the Prozac... this will make you feel better faster. If you buy nothing else on line today, treat yourself to this one.

Probably one of the most underated bands of the 80's this album is by doubt one of their best. Everytime I put it on I am absorbed by it and there are very few bands that have this effect on me. Moonbeam and Jenny are my two favorites. I highly reccommend it to anyone.

I'm normally a classic rock fan ('60s/'70s progressive), but I ended up with this from a cheap bin when the '80s retro craze started. I started listening to this and couldn't stop...I have no idea how many times I've played it.

It's sort of a vague concept album about life and love and death. I was pleasantly surprised to find Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (one of my favorite bands) plays flute on "On Tuesday"!

As a warning, this album contains LOTS of synths, and parts of it even get to the point of being cheesy...but it seems like the band knows this, and do it deliberately to make the music seem more spontaneous and less pretentious. Anyway, it works.

It should have been a classic...I can't believe how overlooked it is.

Right after "Pop Goes the World" made it to the charts, I picked up this album. It quickly became one of my favorites as an upbeat and joyful collection of melodies. Designed to be listened straight through, many of the tracks feed directly into the next without any gap. This is lost on anyone shuffling the tracks, ripping just a few tracks, or listening to any of these from the Greatest Hits album(s). There are only a few albums which have been on my frequent rotation list over the years that have maintained their position there for decades. Pop Goes the World is one such album - even now, more than 20 years after the original purchase, I still listen to this album with some degree of frequency. It's still fun, it's still enjoyable, and the melodies are still entertaining. I enjoy Men Without Hats in general, and have each of the other albums - this is the group's best effort. So if you like MWH but haven't a copy of Pop, grab it while you can.