This Is Pop

This was a great series of music documentaries. Even with regards to music I don' really listen to. I hope the go on to make a second series.

Right off the gate this documentary series starts off well by describing the rise and fall of Boyz II Men. They explain in great detail how they came up, how the highs came about and what caused the fall of their dominance. They do the same thing with episode 2 with T-Pains career and the auto tune phenomenon. I think for someone who doesn't know every single story behind Boyz 2 Men, T-Pain and the backlash against auto tune and then the big Swedish pop phenomenon, I think those first 3 episodes are amazing.

I can also say that as a swede, I appreciate when our impact in the pop music industry is rightly acknowledged. I have to say however that it would have been even better if they acknowledged the artist Robyn's impact when it comes to early Swedish pop export.

All in all the second half of this show was a bit anti-climactic at times and had a lot of moments where bits and parts of stories were brought up without deep diving into them. I wish they would have picked a handful of stories and really go into detail with them (for example in the Festivals episode). However, this is just me picking this documentary apart, I really do think that they did a great job showcasing aspects of music history that we seldom hear about. Therefore it gets a 7/10 and was really worth the watch.

It's a bit ironic that Pop Music has always been plagued by new sounds causing backlash and prevailing despite those who say it doesn't fit their definition as "pop."

It seems only fitting that the reviews here also highlight this. Many of the low star reviews essentially say "this is bad because it didn't feature what I think is pop." I mean seriously, in an 8 episode mini series why would anyone want to waste an episode on Michael Jackson? Famous? Yes. King of Pop? Yes. Written endlessly about already? Yes. Hour long documentaries about his life and legacy already? Yes. If you want Michael's history, it's easy to find.

Now, to review that the documentary series DID showcase. What's on display is really good. Each episode takes a single topic and tells the history. Be it protest music, the Sweedish influence, Britpop, or Pop Country the show focuses on the conflict described above (artists being told they aren't "pop"). Starting with the origins of the artists involved, their struggles to navigate the industry, and their prevailing despite it due to some industry outliers putting faith in them and the fans approval (which ultimately defines what pop music is).

Overall, if you enjoy music history the series was really wonderful. The creators brought in a nice selection of guests for interviews, including primary sources. They covered topics that are less well known (aka, Michael Jackson doesn't get an episode).

The the format really worked well, except the narrative segments that tied parts of episodes together was a bit amateur. It's hardly noticeable, as it's only a few minutes of each episode but I often found them to be a bit mocking. Docked 2 stars from the review for it.

In total, I hope the show gets another chance for a season 2. Tons of really great things in Pop Music that couldn't get covered in 8 episodes. And who knows maybe some day they'd find the time to create a King of Pop episode.

First 3 episodes are great, Stockholm Syndrome is the best. Then the rest is trash music and trash episodes.

It was great to see talented singers and Band's like Boys II Men, Oasis and the pop years to name few.

It also makes you realise the untalented artists we have of today, the mumble rappers, the overuse of auto-tune and how songs no longer have a meaning like they used too. And what's sad is the new generation think current music is actual music.