Popular Masterpieces

Not many people know this, but Michael Jackson's Thriller is every bit as good as Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons or Dizzy Gillespie's A Night in Tunisia. There seems to be a distinct stigma attached to any kind of culture or art that falls under the umbrella of Popular. It seems that the general consensus is that People are animals of the lowest possible taste, that anything liked by an overwhelming number of People must be Bad. But statistics have shown that if an object of creation is popular, its usually for a reason.

Thus, I propose a list of five candidates for Popular Masterpieces - singular works of popular music that achieve the heights and wonder of human experience and emotion. They appear in no particular order, and without justification. I consider them all self explanatory.

• THE BEATLES - A Day in the Life
• JACKSON BROWNE - Late for the Sky
• JEFF BUCKLEY - Lover, You Should've Come Over
• DAVID BOWIE & FREDDIE MERCURY - Under Pressure
• JIMI HENDRIX - Little Wing