This is Pop?

"This Is Pop" is a song written by Andy Partridge released as a single in 1977, then re-recorded and released that same year on White Music.

A promo video was shot as well as a preformance on the short lived British T.V. show, Revolver.

Two live versions appeared on the 1998 Transistor Blast box set.

Quotes[]

Andy: “Produced by the man who had no idea that he was going to end up as Mr Shania Twain, ‘Mutt’ Lange did a brilliant job. Virgin smelled a single in the languid album version on White Music, but suggested we re-record it, toughen it up, armour it for the arena. It was a shock working with Mutt. Our only two previous forays into the world of the professional studio had been shepherded gently by the easy going, no, saintly John Leckie, Mutt was a different man. Whereas John stepped back and in an invisible, uninvasive way, took aural photographs of what you did with your song, Mutt focused in on every sound, every curl, and cooked the groove out of us. We must have played this song well over fifty times, over and over and over. Until the cursing under our breath became louder than our guitars and drums. But he boiled a great take out of us. A zen process, when we stopped thinking about it, out it came, the perfect version.

“This was recorded at Utopia Studios, Primrose Hill, London. A subterranean womb of a studio we would return to for ‘Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down’ and the U.S. single version of ‘Ten Feet Tall’. Vocals were all added later at Wessex Studios, London. A converted church, and haunt of The Clash.

“As a quick footnote, I always imagined this as a piece of music playing in a moloko (milk) bar in ‘A Clockwork Orange.’”

Andy (on the promo video): “In 1976 I read a tiny review of a group called The Sex Pistols and the journalist was looking for words to describe them and their music. I thought how stupid a lot of writers are, trying to find categories and names for things when surely if you're in a group to be popular and your music becomes popular then you are a pop group, making pop music. Despite what haughty, clever or elitist tags you are given or claim for yourself. If you don't want to get wet stay out of the pool.”

Andy (on the live version): “Sorry about the sermonizing at the top of a very rocked up ‘This is Pop’.”

Single tracklisting[]

A-side: "This is Pop? (single version)"
B-side: "Heatwave" (Colin Moulding)

Lyrics[]

In a milk bar and feeling lost

Drinking sodas as cold as frost