Sophisti-Pop 3

This is as far as I got in my Sophisti-Pop pick go back to volume 1 to get a link to a more comprehensive pick by "K" at Butterboy's website. I do have enough to make at least two more volumes of this and perhaps I will finish it one day, But I didn't want even more overlap with the other comp. Although I think there are several songs and a couple of artists that are not on the other comp. I think there will be a few people that will disagree with me on the choices I made. Are The Stranglers in any way Sophisti-Pop? I would argue that they only have a couple of songs that qualify, and they qualify more than some of the other choices some would make. Either way that's the beauty of this blog. It's my pick.

Sophisti-Pop 3

35 Johnny Hates Jazz - Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight

36 Everything But The Girl - Driving

37 Human League - Human

38 Level 42 - Love Games

39 Deacon Blue - Dignity

40 Black - Wonderful Life

41 Go West - The King Of Wishful Thinking

42 Climie Fisher - Love Changes (Everything)

43 Aztec Camera - Oblivious

44 Big Sound Authority - This House (Is Where Your Love Stands)

45 Spandau Ballet - With The Pride

46 Breathe - Hands To Heaven

47 Jazzateers - Sixteen Reasons

48 Brother Beyond - The Harder I Try

49 Danny Wilson - Mary's Prayer

50 Carmel - Bad Day

51 Stranglers - European Female

52 The Blue Nile - Saturday Night

53 Double - The Captain Of Her Heart

Sophisti-Pop 2

This is the 2nd volume of my pick of Sophisti-Pop. Generally it's jazzy new wave. It usually has a sophisticated sound and to me reminds me of a cross between Steely Dan and Avalon Roxy Music. But it is a genre that only existed after it was mostly gone and done. Although there seems to be a comeback now decades after it was over. So many of the things that people call Sophisti-Pop could be considered other genres. It's all by feel. Look at yesterday's post to see why I am posting this now. And to get a link to a different more exhaustive take on this genre. Tomorrow is part three (the last of my series that I have finished.)

Sophisti-Pop 2

17 Style Council - The Paris Match

18 Spandau Ballet - True

19 Everything But The Girl - I Always Was Your Girl

20 The Christians - Ideal World

21 Blow Monkeys - Digging Your Scene (Long Version)

22 Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back The Clock

23 Scritti Politti - Perfect Way

24 Orange Juice - Rip It Up

25 Living In A Box - Living In A Box

26 George Michael - Kissing A Fool

27 Sade - Smooth Operator

28 Hue And Cry - Labour Of Love

29 China Crisis - Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling

30 Level 42 - Running In The Family

31 ABC - When Smokey Sings

32 Joe Jackson - You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)

33 Grace Jones - I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango) (12 inch version)

34 Bryan Ferry - Slave To Love

Sophisti-Pop 1

I made these volumes of this pick some time ago. It's been awhile. And then I saw on another website by Butterboy that his buddy K had made an even better version than I had. I had some duplicates with his version (that you can get here) And I did have some songs that K did not have, but most of the artists on my version were also on K's version. Just for kicks I am posting my version of Sophisti-Pop here. But go get K's version. It is more comprehensive. I do have Audrey Hepburn on my cover. Nothing says Sophistication more than Tiffany's. And nothing says Pop better than a bobble head cartoon.

Sophisti-Pop 1

01 Level 42 - Something About You

02 Matt Bianco - Half A Minute

03 Curiosity Killed The Cat - Down To Earth

04 Simply Red - Something Got Me Started

05 Swing Out Sister - Breakout

06 Basia - Cruising For Bruising

07 Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams

08 ABC - Poison Arrow

09 Prefab Sprout - Horsin' Around

10 Roxy Music - More Than This

11 The Christians - Harvest For The World

12 Carmel - Sally

13 The Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods (12 Version)

14 Living In A Box - Room In Your Heart

15 Everything But The Girl - Each And Every One

16 Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out