Novalis's "Pop Oddities"

People like their pop straight. And really, who can resist a good song penned by Ray Davies or John Lennon? But this is an attempt to represent the other side of pop music. These albums strech the boundaries of conventional pop song-writing by their unusual complexity (Van Dyke Parks), their disrespect for verse-chorus structures (Laura Nyro), their use of pop as self-referential commentary on pop music (Zappa, Os Mutantes, Bonzo Dog…), their innovative integration of electronic music (White Noise, Silver Apples), or by being just plain weird (The Residents, Renaldo & Loaf), while managing to be catchy, although in a twisted way. Both famous and obscure musicians are represented.