Contents: General editor's preface; Introduction; Pop music: Characteristics of pop music: Pop and rock; Pop as a format: the single; Short and sweet; The art of the familiar; Simplicity and repetition; Round and round, like a record; Machine aesthetics; Pop and television; Pop and commerce; Pop and fashion; Let's dance; Image; Mixed media; The production of pop music: An aural art; The recording studio as resource; From analogue to digital; Using technology; Multitrack recording; Signal processing; MIDI sequencing; Sound synthesis and sampling; Recording the voice; The fade-out; The record producer; Technology and creativity: 'Video killed the radio star' by The Buggles: The ghost in the machine; Music; Lyrics; Production and arrangement; Disco killed the radio star; 'Buffalo Gals' by Malcolm McLaren: A charismatic manager; From manager to artist; Applied cultural theory; The anthropological connection; Stylistic collage; 'Buffalo Gals'; Structure; Timbre; Half-heard words; 'Owner of a lonely heart' by Yes: Yes: from prog. rock to chart pop; 90125; A new image; Live/recorded; Chart pop music; 'Owner of a lonely heart'; Form: repetition and suspension; Timbre and gesture; The artificial guitar; The multitracked vocal; Machine drums; 'Relax' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Zang Tuum Tumb; Another band from Liverpool; The image; Too much, too young?; The making of 'Relax'; 'Remix, re use it'; Banned; The sound of 'Relax'; A novel approach to musical form; What's the hook?; Repetition in 'Relax'; Who's afraid of the art of noise?: What's in a name?; Who's afraid of the art of noise?; Cover imagery; Sampling; Recording records; Listening to samples; Sampling and the art of noise; Studio made; Timbre; Space; 'Jewel', 'Duel' and 'Jewelled' by Propaganda: Recordings revisited; Propaganda; A Secret Wish: pretentious packaging; From engineer to producer; The music of A Secret Wish; 'Jewel'/'Duel'/'Jewelled'; 'Jewel'/'Duel'/'Jewelled' - the structure; 'Jewel'/'Duel'/'Jewelled' - the sound; Technology and propaganda; Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones: Slave to the fashion; Slave to the image; Slave to the cliché; Slave to the Rhythm; 'Re-written by machine'; Concerto for Synclavier; Slave to the sampler; Space; Spatial orchestration; Words; Slave to the remix; Conclusion; Appendix 1. Interview with Trevor Horn; Appendix 2. Trevor Horn discography; Discography; Bibliography; Index.