I've have to say Del Amitri, as they were a little more mediocre.
Deacon Blue - sophisti-pop MOR
Another would be :-
Travis - Post-Britpop MOR (same as Coldplay are regarded soft rock more or less a close cousin of MOR) ;-)
Orange Juice could be considered MOR as well, although generally lumped in with Indie pop / Postcard label.I regard them as a power pop / sophisti-pop cross-over band myself which does sort of go towards a MOR sound.How about the Waterboys they hint at a MOR sound sometimes as well with some of their 'broader appeal' songs
edit Aztec Camera ??
Probably loads more you could squeeze into the MOR category.Its seen as such a derogatory term it's not used very often though.There seems to be a resistance to using pop rock even.Strange when the Beatles are generally called pop-rock
Another would be :-
Travis - Post-Britpop MOR (same as Coldplay are regarded soft rock more or less a close cousin of MOR) ;-)
Orange Juice could be considered MOR as well, although generally lumped in with Indie pop / Postcard label.I regard them as a power pop / sophisti-pop cross-over band myself which does sort of go towards a MOR sound.How about the Waterboys they hint at a MOR sound sometimes as well with some of their 'broader appeal' songs
edit Aztec Camera ??
Probably loads more you could squeeze into the MOR category.Its seen as such a derogatory term it's not used very often though.There seems to be a resistance to using pop rock even.Strange when the Beatles are generally called pop-rock
Hue and Cry would also be in that category, quite a lot of MOR in Scotland (actually they're pretty much all from Glasgow, tough city, bland music).
Orange Juice I wouldn't call MOR, The Blue Nile is an example of a good Scottish MOR band or are they AOR?
Another would be :-
Travis - Post-Britpop MOR (same as Coldplay are regarded soft rock more or less a close cousin of MOR) ;-)
Orange Juice could be considered MOR as well, although generally lumped in with Indie pop / Postcard label.I regard them as a power pop / sophisti-pop cross-over band myself which does sort of go towards a MOR sound.How about the Waterboys they hint at a MOR sound sometimes as well with some of their 'broader appeal' songs
edit Aztec Camera ??
Probably loads more you could squeeze into the MOR category.Its seen as such a derogatory term it's not used very often though.There seems to be a resistance to using pop rock even.Strange when the Beatles are generally called pop-rock
I quite like the term sophisti-pop, i don't remember the music being called that at the time nor The Beatles being called pop-rock. There's a touch of revisionism here. But compared to some of the 'works' you hear nowadays that are supposed to pass as songwriting (Calvin Harris, Example (English admittedly)), these guys were quite sophisticated.
Some of this music is simply great pop music not MOR, great musicianship and some great songwriting. I'm surprised some of you don't recognise that.
Deacon Blue are amongst my favourite bands and Raintown is a brilliant album.
I'm off to listen to 'Fergus Sings the Blues' and then Danny Wilson's "Mary's Prayer".
This is beautiful music, appreciate.
'Tell Me why James and Bobby Purify
I'm lost In music Sweet Soul music'
Hue and Cry would also be in that category, quite a lot of MOR in Scotland (actually they're pretty much all from Glasgow, tough city, bland music).
Orange Juice I wouldn't call MOR, The Blue Nile is an example of a good Scottish MOR band or are they AOR?
Does AOR mean Adult Oriented Rock or Album Oriented Rock though
Alot of cross over with both meanings of AOR - adult (popish rock for 30 + age group), album (generally longer songs or more experimental type of songs included)
You have Triple A (album adult alternative) which sort of includes both meanings of AOR as well, but generally doesn't seem to have that much cross-over with AOR (generally a rockier sound association, due to it's '70's association - when heavy rock sounds were more popular / heard more often) but probably has more cross-over with MOR.
Adult Contemporary has alot of cross-over with MOR as well as Triple A.
Does AOR mean Adult Oriented Rock or Album Oriented Rock though
Alot of cross over with both meanings of AOR - adult (popish rock for 30 + age group), album (generally longer songs or more experimental type of songs included)
You have Triple A (album adult alternative) which sort of includes both meanings of AOR as well, but generally doesn't seem to have that much cross-over with AOR (generally a rockier sound association, due to it's '70's association - when heavy rock sounds were more popular / heard more often) but probably has more cross-over with MOR.
Adult Contemporary has alot of cross-over with MOR as well as Triple A.
The problem with genre-thinking is that it can confuse your pop sensibilities.
Probably called that because of it's jazz elements - jazz has a sort of easy/cool sophistication about it.Sophisti-pop never really took of as genre term - too close to the aggro pop / punk period really - back lash.The Postal label put out alot of sophisti-pop - a Scottish label.As said they are almost exclusively known as an Indie pop label now, even though there were no references to Indie pop as a genre in those days.Only Indie labels (in the modern context, started about 1978) & Indie charts which started in 1980.
The Beatles were always called pop rock in the 60's & definately in the '70's.A beat group sometimes in the early '60's perhaps.There was very little genre terminology to call them otherwise.Perhaps they partially joined the psychedelic movement from '67 onwards.
Probably called that because of it's jazz elements - jazz has a sort of easy/cool sophistication about it.Sophisti-pop never really took of as genre term - too close to the aggro pop / punk period really - back lash.The Postal album put out alot of sophisti-pop - a Scottish label.As said they are almost exclusively known as an Indie pop label now, even though there were no references to Indie pop as Indie pop in those days.Only Indie labels (in the modern context, started about 1978) & Indie charts which started in 1980.
The Beatles were always called pop rock in the 60's & definately in the '70's.A beat group sometimes in the early '60's perhaps.There was very little genre terminology to call them otherwise.Perhaps they partially joined the psychedelic movement from '67 onwards.
I really don't think they were. I think that term came later. They were called a pop group or a beat group at the time. This pop rock genre sounds like it is a critical term which came later as it contains contains the tension between commercial pop and authentic rock. My point about genres is just like in film and literary studies, genres do not have fixed boundaries.
Does AOR mean Adult Oriented Rock or Album Oriented Rock though
Alot of cross over with both meanings of AOR - adult (popish rock for 30 + age group), album (generally longer songs or more experimental type of songs included)
You have Triple A (album adult alternative) which sort of includes both meanings of AOR as well, but generally doesn't seem to have that much cross-over with AOR (generally a rockier sound association, due to it's '70's association - when heavy rock sounds were more popular / heard more often) but probably has more cross-over with MOR.
Adult Contemporary has alot of cross-over with MOR as well as Triple A.
You're right there, they're called Adult Alternative/ Sophisti-pop on Wikipedia.
I really don't think they were. I think that term came later. They were called a pop group or a beat group at the time. This pop rock genre sounds like it is a critical term which came later as it contains contains the tension between commercial pop and authentic rock. My point about genres is just like in film and literary studies, genres do not have fixed boundaries.
Perhaps pop rock was more often used from after 1970 (say when Paranoid by Black Sabbath got to no.4 in the singles chart) up until the punk era.Pop rock did get alot of back lash from 'the punk journalist's'.Don't think there was alot of critisism of the term pop rock in the early '70's, there was more acceptance of all genres.There was a divide between old peoples music - easy listening & young peoples music (which included rock, pop & acoustic/folk - after Dylan went electric).People switched from listening to soft rock, acoustic rock, pop rock, heavy rock depending on their mood in those days - perhaps a reason why progressive rock took off so well.It was more about the quality of the music rather than the genre in those days.Rock dominated the early '70's in all it's forms though - right up until Disco movement.Perhaps Glam rock helped break down the resistance to a new form of dance music - which incorporated simple beats quite often.Not sure there was that much resistance to Disco at first in the UK, unlike America in the mid to late '70's.Nu-Disco seems to have been incorporated into one of Indie's 'many heads' these days.
Gun were a superb Scottish hard rock band, until their 4th album took them into pop/MOR territory and finally did for them. It was such a disappointing album, probably 2 good tracks and the rest is "what the hell is going on here?".
Gun were a superb Scottish hard rock band, until their 4th album took them into pop/MOR territory and finally did for them. It was such a disappointing album, probably 2 good tracks and the rest is "what the hell is going on here?".
Oh God I remember the 'Telephone Number' album with it's WTF album cover. It's a shame they'll always be remember for the 'Word Up' cover - they had more to offer than that.
Oh God I remember the 'Telephone Number' album with it's WTF album cover. It's a shame they'll always be remember for the 'Word Up' cover - they had more to offer than that.
Yep, that's the one.
Stuff like "Shame On You", "Steal Your Fire" and "Taking On The World" are absolute classics. Then we got the 'telephone number' album.
I'm a fairly proud Scot, but I absolutely f#cking loathed and detested Deacon Blue, Aztec Camera and Wet Wet Wet. Scandalously bad coffee table or elevator music aimed at Vectra driving, Hush Puppy wearing salesmen who think they're hip. Hue & Cry were boring arseholes and later era Travis were as exciting as Ocean Colour Scene.
As a Scot, ive never been thrilled with our musical output, a few of Texas singles were alright, as were Travis, but nothing for me has hit me as WOW!! Although Fairground Attractions "Perfect" is a quite a cute little pop song.
Also do Garbage count as a Scottish act? I think Shirley Manson is one of our best performers alongside Eurythmics era Annie Lennox (Who hails from my area Garthdee in Aberdeen)
As a Scot, ive never been thrilled with our musical output, a few of Texas singles were alright, as were Travis, but nothing for me has hit me as WOW!! Although Fairground Attractions "Perfect" is a quite a cute little pop song.
Also do Garbage count as a Scottish act? I think Shirley Manson is one of our best performers alongside Eurythmics era Annie Lennox (Who hails from my area Garthdee in Aberdeen)
Shirley Manson is fom Edinburgh but I'm pretty sure the other members of Garbage are American.
Comments
Deacon Blue - sophisti-pop MOR
Another would be :-
Travis - Post-Britpop MOR (same as Coldplay are regarded soft rock more or less a close cousin of MOR) ;-)
Orange Juice could be considered MOR as well, although generally lumped in with Indie pop / Postcard label.I regard them as a power pop / sophisti-pop cross-over band myself which does sort of go towards a MOR sound.How about the Waterboys they hint at a MOR sound sometimes as well with some of their 'broader appeal' songs
edit Aztec Camera ??
Probably loads more you could squeeze into the MOR category.Its seen as such a derogatory term it's not used very often though.There seems to be a resistance to using pop rock even.Strange when the Beatles are generally called pop-rock
Hue and Cry would also be in that category, quite a lot of MOR in Scotland (actually they're pretty much all from Glasgow, tough city, bland music).
Orange Juice I wouldn't call MOR, The Blue Nile is an example of a good Scottish MOR band or are they AOR?
I quite like the term sophisti-pop, i don't remember the music being called that at the time nor The Beatles being called pop-rock. There's a touch of revisionism here. But compared to some of the 'works' you hear nowadays that are supposed to pass as songwriting (Calvin Harris, Example (English admittedly)), these guys were quite sophisticated.
Some of this music is simply great pop music not MOR, great musicianship and some great songwriting. I'm surprised some of you don't recognise that.
Deacon Blue are amongst my favourite bands and Raintown is a brilliant album.
I'm off to listen to 'Fergus Sings the Blues' and then Danny Wilson's "Mary's Prayer".
This is beautiful music, appreciate.
'Tell Me why James and Bobby Purify
I'm lost In music Sweet Soul music'
Does AOR mean Adult Oriented Rock or Album Oriented Rock though
Alot of cross over with both meanings of AOR - adult (popish rock for 30 + age group), album (generally longer songs or more experimental type of songs included)
You have Triple A (album adult alternative) which sort of includes both meanings of AOR as well, but generally doesn't seem to have that much cross-over with AOR (generally a rockier sound association, due to it's '70's association - when heavy rock sounds were more popular / heard more often) but probably has more cross-over with MOR.
Adult Contemporary has alot of cross-over with MOR as well as Triple A.
The problem with genre-thinking is that it can confuse your pop sensibilities.
You're right there, they're called Adult Alternative/ Sophisti-pop on Wikipedia.
I try not to devulge my pop sensibilities most of the time
I did forget about them, they're a bit more pop than rock though.
Oh God I remember the 'Telephone Number' album with it's WTF album cover. It's a shame they'll always be remember for the 'Word Up' cover - they had more to offer than that.
Yep, that's the one.
Stuff like "Shame On You", "Steal Your Fire" and "Taking On The World" are absolute classics. Then we got the 'telephone number' album.
The likes of Deacon Blue, Wet Wet Wet and Hue and Cry are pretty dire.
Fortunately there's plenty of great Scottish bands to make up for the dross (Jesus and Mary Chain, Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, Cocteau Twins etc.)
Agreed. Their songcraft and melodies for their first few albums were stunning. It's a shame they're written off by so many people.
Big Country and Nazareth. Both big hitters from the Scottish music scene.
Also do Garbage count as a Scottish act? I think Shirley Manson is one of our best performers alongside Eurythmics era Annie Lennox (Who hails from my area Garthdee in Aberdeen)
I hate when you're at a wedding and Runrig comes on, I run to the loos >:(
Shirley Manson is fom Edinburgh but I'm pretty sure the other members of Garbage are American.