Miscellaneous Odd Pop

"Instrumental pop" means popular music performed without someone singing lyrics (counting vocalese, wordless chorus, and whistling as instrumental). While a featured instrument or family of instruments usually dominates, there are albums which escape classification as anything more specific than "big band." Liner notes sometimes describe a notion of "sound pictures," by which is meant music with canned sound effects. But odd sounds also can be produced with found objects, sculptures, and animals. High-concept sounds have resulted from unusual, even accidental manipulations of such standard equipment as instruments, studio controls, and recording tape.

An album of "sound pictures," or other strange pop, usually stems from a creative arranger. It takes vision to integrate gimmicky sounds successfully into standard music. Most sounds (really "noises") are interesting only once, but music is supposed to bear repeated listenings. As with solos and choruses, the difficulty is to let sounds punctuate but not puncture the otherwise standard tune. Otherwise the result is just "cheese."

For now, this page includes Mamie Eisenhower's favorite band, the Three Suns. This trio of organ, guitar, and accordion (plus rhythm and other accompaniment) lasted for decades on the strength of zippy arrangements and spirited "hi-fi hi-jinks." Their classic Movin' and Groovin' leads the class of both Three Suns albums and the RCA Stereo Action series.

Buying: Avoid standard stereo-demonstration and sound-effects albums. This is only a catch-all category, so please see other sections.