I hardly think the same applies to the Sex Pistols or The Clash.
The point I was making was that both bands were making pop records and their main exposure was from pop magazines & tv shows.When I first started buying rock magazines in the late 80s I didn't see anything of either The Smiths or The Cure in them anywhere.
They're maybe not considered your typical pop act today but back then when your typical pop bands were people like Echo & The Bunnymen , The Icicle Works , Aztec Camera & people like that the pop tag is the one that fits the best.

Yes, i agree that their original exposure was these magazines, but in hindsight; are they pop bands? BLOODFLOWERS can hardly be called a pop album, but you raise some well argued points. You need to watch some more films Urban because I think you have the inclination for deep analysis and I would be interested in your views.

Well this goes back to your genre argument.

Does it make them not a pop band just because they expand their sound to incorporate other things ;)

I think pop music IS NOT about progression, and the minute a band steps out of the SAFE zone, then they acquire a different badge of honour. Is it right? Maybe not. The Beatles are still classed as a pop band, but their later music;even to this day, is not pop. So what is pop then? Are we all really pop music fans? Perhaps we all have an inflated sense of oneself?

Thanks, saw this BB thread in the pop forum after I already posted the thread in the rock forum. Thanks for the merge.

McCartney also stated that "Pet Sounds" is his favorite album of all time, and it influenced him to begin the "Sgt. Pepper" project. Without "Pet Sounds", the "Sgt. Pepper" album would've never been.

They're certainly not my favorite band of that era, but there's no denying they were much more than just a "surf pop" band.

Also Brian Wilson mentioned that "Rubber Soul" by The Beatles was his inspiration for Pet Sounds. They had a pretty healthy rivalry it seems and both bands at this point seemed to have fed off of the other.

It was "Rubber Soul" that inspired Wilson to compose "Pet Sounds".

"Pet Sounds" was released a few months BEFORE "Revolver", so it wouldn't have been possible for Brian to have been influenced by it.

My apologies. Knew it was one of the two, gambled and lost.

Brian Wilson is a genius. Pet Sounds is masterful.