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Popular music has always provided bands and musicians with a wide forum in which to peddle their (sometimes dubious) talents. It is an accessible genre; less combustible than Rock, safer than Punk and more profitable than Jazz. And it is this last factor that has led to the music charts of recent times being dominated by middle of the road, disposable pop groups such as Boyzone, Westlife, Busted... the list goes on. It seems that the faceless suits behind the scenes of the music business, have forgotten about the music and have instead concentrated solely on the business and the money.

The recent reunion of Take That and now The Spice Girls seem to be based not in the restless spirit of a creative resurgence, but rather with an eye for an easy pay day. Before the tragic and senseless shooting of John Lennon could you imagine the Beatless reforming, unless they felt a genuine and unanimous creative need? The Beatles are of course in a different league to, well, anyone. In an age where the production of a pop group seems to be done by numbers, it is hard to mention the words manufactured pop in the same breath as The Beatles, but in a sense they were. When Brian Epstein plucked the band from the urban haven of the Cavern Club in Liverpool, they were not the smartly suited, lovable mop-tops that we all know and love today. They were sweaty, boozy rockers. But when Epstein saw them, he saw potential. He knew that for The Beatles to be as successful as they could be, they would need to be toned down and smartened up. Out with the leathers and in with the suits. Jackpot! The world soon fell in love with John, Paul, George and Ringo and everything they touched turned to gold. Where The Beatles differ from the rest of the pop groups around at the time was in their ability to evolve and apparent need to keep on changing, something that is probably too much of a financial risk for those safely in the middle of the road.

When done well and with a suggestion of credibility Pop music can provide a legitimate and important genre. However when the main concern is money and material, bubblegum pop tends to leave a sour taste in the mouth, and an empty drone in the ears.

Learn more about this author, Stuart Webb.
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