32 Essential Pop Vinyl Records: Every Era Covered
Pop is the broadest genre in popular music. It spans seven decades, dozens of sub-genres, and styles ranging from contemporary chart-toppers like Sabrina Carpenter and Harry Styles back through Britpop and 80s synth-pop to the 60s foundations. This guide picks thirty-two essential pop vinyl albums currently in stock at Viking Records — chosen as a balanced starting point across the full era and sub-genre span.
We start with the contemporary pop bestsellers — the records most readers will recognise from the UK Official Charts vinyl Top 40 right now — and work backwards through 2010s landmarks, Britpop, 80s pop icons, synth-pop, and finally the 50s-70s foundations for those who want to go deep into pop's history.
For deeper sub-genre browsing, Viking groups its Pop collection into 50s/60s, Britpop, Pop, Pop Punk, and Synth-pop — all worth a browse alongside this guide.
→ Shop the full Pop vinyl collection at Viking Records
Part One: Contemporary Pop Bestsellers
Eight records from the current and recent UK Official Charts vinyl bestsellers. If you're buying pop on vinyl in 2026, these are the records flying off shelves right now.
Harry Styles — Kiss All The Time
Styles' fourth solo album and the fastest-selling vinyl release of 2026 in the UK. Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is brighter and more dance-oriented than Harry's House, with the title track and the album's lead singles both built around a 70s disco sensibility filtered through contemporary production. Currently sitting at #1 on the UK Official Charts vinyl bestsellers list.
Key track: Kiss All The Time
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Harry Styles — Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. (2025, Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
Olivia Dean's sophomore album, and one of the most-anticipated UK pop releases of 2025. Warm, soulful, effortlessly cool — the album sits in the lineage of Sade and Amy Winehouse but unmistakably its own thing. Currently #2 on the UK Official Charts vinyl bestsellers list.
Key track: Dive
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Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving (2025, 1LP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Sabrina Carpenter — Short n' Sweet
The breakthrough album that turned Sabrina Carpenter from teen-Disney veteran into one of the most-streamed pop artists of 2024-25. "Espresso" and "Please Please Please" both became summer-of-2024 standards, and the album as a whole sits in the lineage of late-90s pop crossed with contemporary production. The 1LP Gatefold Baby Blue Vinyl is currently a top-30 Official Charts vinyl seller.
Key track: Please Please Please
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Sabrina Carpenter — Short n' Sweet (2024, 1LP Gatefold Baby Blue Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Charli XCX — Wuthering Heights
The follow-up to the cultural moment of Brat. Charli XCX has been one of the most consistently inventive pop artists of the past decade, and Wuthering Heights continues the direct, propulsive style of Brat with sharper hooks and more variation across the tracklist. Currently in the UK Top 10 best-selling vinyl albums.
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Charli XCX — Wuthering Heights (2025, 1LP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard & Soft
Eilish's third album and the one most fans now point to as her best. Hit Me Hard & Soft is denser and more emotionally ambitious than the earlier records, with "Lunch," "Birds of a Feather" and "Bittersweet" all becoming singles. Currently in the UK's Top 30 best-selling vinyl albums.
Key track: Birds of a Feather
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Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard & Soft (2024, LP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Lily Allen — West End Girl
Lily Allen's comeback album after years out of the spotlight. Sharp, witty, unmistakably London — the lyrical detail that made her early career stand out is fully present here. Currently a UK Top 10 vinyl bestseller.
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Lily Allen — West End Girl (2025, Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
The Weeknd — After Hours
The Weeknd's most successful album to date, and the one where his synth-pop direction fully arrived. "Blinding Lights" became the longest-charting single in Billboard Hot 100 history, and the rest of the album holds up as a cohesive late-80s synth-pop pastiche done with real care. The 2xLP pressing is the standard edition.
Key track: Blinding Lights
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The Weeknd — After Hours (2020, 2× Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell!
The album that turned Lana Del Rey from a polarising figure into one of the most critically acclaimed songwriters of her generation. Norman Fucking Rockwell! is longer, slower, and more lyrically complex than her earlier work — the title track and "Venice Bitch" became some of the most-discussed pop songs of the year.
Key track: Venice Bitch
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Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019, 2xLP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
"Harry Styles' Kiss All The Time, Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet and Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving are three of the fastest-moving pop vinyl releases of the year."
Part Two: 2010s Pop Landmarks
Four records from the 2010s that have already settled into the modern pop canon.
Tame Impala — Currents
The album where Kevin Parker shifted Tame Impala from psych-rock to psych-pop, and in doing so created one of the most influential pop records of the 2010s. The synth-heavy production across "Let It Happen," "The Less I Know the Better" and "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" has been copied by countless artists since.
Key track: The Less I Know the Better
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Tame Impala — Currents (2015, Fiction Records Reissue 2xLP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Adele — 21
The best-selling album of the 21st century in many markets. 21 contains "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain" — three of the most-played pop songs of the entire decade. Adele's voice is unique enough that the album genuinely sounds like only she could have made it.
Key track: Rolling in the Deep
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Adele — 21 (2011, LP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Amy Winehouse — Back to Black
One of the defining pop albums of the 2000s. Back to Black reset what mainstream pop could sound like — the Mark Ronson production references 60s Motown but never feels like pastiche, and Amy Winehouse's songwriting and voice are unmistakable across "Rehab," "Tears Dry On Their Own" and the title track. This Deluxe Half-Speed Remastered 2xLP with obi-strip is the audiophile pressing.
Key track: Back to Black
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Amy Winehouse — Back to Black (2006, Half Speed Remastered 2xLP + Obi) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Britney Spears — Blackout (2007)
Blackout sits in the pop canon as the most critically reappraised album of Britney Spears' career. Recorded during one of the most public periods of personal difficulty in modern pop, the album turned out to be a propulsive, hook-dense electro-pop record that producers and artists have been borrowing from ever since. "Gimme More," "Piece of Me" and "Toy Soldier" all sit on this Orange Vinyl LP edition.
Key track: Gimme More
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Britney Spears — Blackout (2007, Orange Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Three: Britpop
Four records from the mid-90s British pop explosion. For Oasis specifically, our dedicated Oasis vinyl guide covers their catalogue in depth. Browse the full Britpop vinyl collection for more.
Pulp — Different Class
One of the most distinctive pop albums of the 1990s. Pulp had been recording for over a decade by the time Different Class made them famous, and the depth of Jarvis Cocker's songwriting shows on every track. "Common People," "Disco 2000" and "Sorted for E's & Wizz" became Britpop standards.
Key track: Common People
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Pulp — Different Class (1995, Remastered 180g LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Blur — The Great Escape
Released at the height of the Blur-vs-Oasis chart battle. The Great Escape continued the character-study songwriting Damon Albarn had developed across Parklife but with darker, more melancholy undertones. "Country House," "The Universal" and "Charmless Man" are the standouts.
Key track: The Universal
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Blur — The Great Escape (1995, 2xLP Vinyl) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Suede — Dog Man Star
Often cited as the album that started Britpop a year before Britpop began. Dog Man Star is darker, more glam-influenced and more lyrically intense than the records that followed it, and it remains Suede's most-loved album. Bernard Butler's guitar arrangements across "The Wild Ones," "We Are the Pigs" and "Still Life" are among the most distinctive guitar playing of the era.
Key track: The Wild Ones
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Suede — Dog Man Star (1994, Gatefold 180g 2xLP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
The Stone Roses — The Stone Roses
The album that bridged the late-80s indie scene and the Britpop wave that arrived five years later. The Stone Roses' debut combined jangly guitars, baggy rhythms and Ian Brown's confident vocals into a sound that influenced almost everyone who came after. "I Wanna Be Adored," "Made of Stone," "She Bangs the Drums" and "I Am the Resurrection" all sit on this single record.
Key track: I Wanna Be Adored
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The Stone Roses — The Stone Roses (1989, Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Four: 80s Pop Icons
Six records from the era when pop became a global phenomenon. The biggest commercial artists in music history are concentrated in this period.
Michael Jackson — Bad
Thriller's commercial successor — and while it sold "only" 35 million copies (less than Thriller's 70+ million), Bad contains a remarkable run of singles: "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal." This Diamond Celebrations Picture Disc edition presents the album with the visual flair the era demanded.
Key track: Man in the Mirror
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Michael Jackson — Bad (1987, Diamond Celebrations Picture Disc, 180g LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Madonna — Like A Prayer
The album where Madonna shifted from pop singles artist to album artist. Like A Prayer is darker, more confessional, and more musically ambitious than anything she'd done before — the title track combines gospel choir with rock guitar and a deeply provocative video that defined late-80s MTV. "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both became standards.
Key track: Like A Prayer
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Madonna — Like A Prayer (1989, Remastered Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Prince — Purple Rain
The album, the film, and the moment Prince became the most important pop artist of the decade. Purple Rain mixes rock, funk, gospel and proto-synth-pop across nine tracks that all became singles or singles-in-waiting. "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy" and the title track are among the most-played pop songs of the entire decade.
Key track: Purple Rain
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Prince & The Revolution — Purple Rain (1984, Remastered LP + Poster) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Tina Turner — Private Dancer
One of the great comeback records in popular music. Recorded after Tina Turner's solo years in the wilderness following her split from Ike Turner, Private Dancer sold over 20 million copies on release and became the template for late-career pop reinvention. "What's Love Got To Do With It," "Better Be Good To Me" and the title track all became standards.
Key track: What's Love Got To Do With It
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Tina Turner — Private Dancer (1984, 180g 2015 Remaster) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Sade — Diamond Life
Sade's debut album crossed pop and jazz in a way nothing else from the early 80s quite managed. "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love Is King" became the singles, but the album as a whole is one of the most consistently elegant pop records of its era. This Half-Speed Mastered Reissue is the audiophile pressing of choice.
Key track: Smooth Operator
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Sade — Diamond Life (1984, Half-Speed Mastered Reissue LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
ABBA — Gold
The best-selling greatest-hits album in UK chart history, and a near-perfect introduction to one of the most consistent songwriting teams of the 1970s. "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo," "Mamma Mia" and "The Winner Takes It All" all sit on this 2xLP. A perennial seller at Viking and currently a top-40 vinyl chart album in the UK.
Key track: Dancing Queen
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ABBA — Gold: Greatest Hits (1992 compilation, 2× Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Five: Synth-pop
Four records from the synth-pop tradition that ran alongside the bigger-hits 80s. Browse the full Synth-pop vinyl collection for more. For Depeche Mode specifically, our dedicated Depeche Mode vinyl guide covers their catalogue in depth.
New Order — Power, Corruption & Lies
The album where New Order fully escaped the shadow of Joy Division and became something new — a synth-pop and dance band that took the moods of the previous era into new rhythmic territory. "Blue Monday" was originally released as a separate single (one of the most-purchased 12-inches in UK history) but later editions add it to the LP.
Key track: Age of Consent
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New Order — Power, Corruption & Lies (1983, Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Pet Shop Boys — Actually
The Pet Shop Boys' second album and the one that established their sound: ironic lyrics, sumptuous production, and a kind of melancholic dance-pop unique to their catalogue. "It's a Sin," "Heart" and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (with Dusty Springfield) are the singles, but the album holds together as a single piece.
Key track: It's a Sin
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Pet Shop Boys — Actually (1987, 180g Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Eurythmics — Sweet Dreams
The title track became one of the most recognisable songs of the early 1980s — and the rest of the album holds up just as well. Annie Lennox's vocals against Dave Stewart's synthesiser arrangements set a template that countless artists followed in the decade that followed.
Key track: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
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Eurythmics — Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1983, Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
George Michael — Faith
George Michael's solo debut after Wham!, and the album that turned him into a global figure. Faith sold over 25 million copies on release, and contains "Faith," "Father Figure" and "I Want Your Sex" — all of which were on heavy rotation across MTV and BBC Radio 1 for most of 1988. This Red & Black Marble vinyl 2xLP edition is currently a strong seller at Viking.
Key track: Faith
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George Michael — Faith (1987, Red & Black Marble Vinyl 2xLP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Six: Foundations (50s-70s)
Five records from the era that established what pop music could be. Browse the full 50s and 60s vinyl collection for more.
Frank Sinatra — In The Wee Small Hours
Often described as the first concept album in popular music. Sinatra recorded In The Wee Small Hours during the breakdown of his marriage to Ava Gardner, and the album moves slowly through sixteen songs about loneliness and late nights. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are sparse and restrained, leaving Sinatra's voice front and centre.
Key track: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
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Frank Sinatra — In The Wee Small Hours (1955, 180g Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
The Beach Boys — Pet Sounds (1966)
Widely cited as one of the greatest pop albums ever made. Brian Wilson recorded Pet Sounds in response to The Beatles' Rubber Soul and almost certainly influenced Sgt. Pepper's in return. The arrangements are denser and more inventive than almost anything else from the era — "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows" and "Caroline, No" sit alongside instrumental experiments that pointed toward the next decade of pop. This Mono pressing presents the album in its original mix.
Key track: God Only Knows
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The Beach Boys — Pet Sounds (1966, Mono 1xLP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
The Beatles — Revolver
The album where The Beatles stopped being a touring band and committed fully to the studio. Revolver introduced backwards tape effects, Indian instrumentation, and the kind of arrangement complexity that would define pop for the next decade. "Eleanor Rigby," "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Here, There and Everywhere" all sit on this record.
Key track: Tomorrow Never Knows
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The Beatles — Revolver (1966, Reissue 180g Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
The Beatles — Abbey Road
The last album The Beatles recorded as a band, and one of the most beloved records in pop history. The medley that closes Side B — "You Never Give Me Your Money" through "The End" — is among the most carefully assembled passages of music ever committed to tape. This 50th Anniversary heavyweight pressing is taken from the 2019 remix by Giles Martin.
Key track: Something
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The Beatles — Abbey Road (1969, 50th Anniversary Heavyweight LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Carole King — Tapestry (1971)
One of the most-purchased pop albums of the entire 1970s — Tapestry stayed on the Billboard charts for over six years and sold more than 25 million copies. Carole King had been writing for other artists for a decade by the time she made it her own album, and the result is a near-perfect run of pop-soul songwriting. "It's Too Late," "I Feel the Earth Move," "You've Got a Friend" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" all sit on this 180g LP.
Key track: It's Too Late
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Carole King — Tapestry (1971, 180g Vinyl LP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Stevie Wonder — Songs In The Key Of Life
One of the most ambitious pop albums ever made — a double LP plus a bonus EP, written and largely performed by Stevie Wonder himself across two years in the studio. "Sir Duke," "I Wish," "As" and "Isn't She Lovely" all appear here. The album works simultaneously as a soul masterpiece, a pop opus, and a personal statement.
Key track: As
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Stevie Wonder — Songs In The Key Of Life (1976, 2xLP + 7" EP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Related artist guides on Viking Records
Several pop artists are big enough to warrant their own dedicated vinyl guide. If any appear in this list and you want to go deeper:
Lorde — Every Album Ranked · Contemporary alt-pop, all four studio albums.
Taylor Swift — Complete Buying Guide · Country-to-pop, the full catalogue.
Kate Bush — Complete Buying Guide · Art-pop, every studio album.
Depeche Mode — Buying Guide · Synth-pop legends, every studio album.
Oasis — Vinyl Guide · Britpop, every studio album.
Additional Canon
Eight records that fill in the canonical pop story above — the Beatles peak, the 80s synth-pop apex, the late-90s/2000s electronica crossover, modern megastars and the Carpenters lineage.
The Beatles — Rubber Soul (1965)
The album where The Beatles stopped being a singles band and became an album band. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) introduced the sitar to Western pop; In My Life crystallised what John Lennon could do as a lyricist; Drive My Car opened the band’s comedic-rock register. 180g remastered LP.
Key track: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
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The Beatles — Rubber Soul In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore The Beatles on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
Frankie Goes to Hollywood — Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984)
Trevor Horn produced one of the most commercially and culturally massive UK pop records of the 80s. Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love all hit number one as singles; the album turned them into a sustained statement about sex, war and televisual saturation. 180g LP.
Key track: Two Tribes
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Frankie Goes to Hollywood — Welcome to the Pleasuredome In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Frankie Goes to Hollywood on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
Madonna — The Immaculate Collection (1990)
If you only own one Madonna record, this is the one. The 80s peak compressed into a single 17-track compilation — Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, Vogue. Q-Sound mastering for the original CD release gave way to a 2xLP vinyl pressing that respects the dance-pop production values these records were built on.
Key track: Like A Prayer
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Madonna — The Immaculate Collection In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Madonna on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
Daft Punk — Discovery (2001)
The album that turned French house into the central conversation in pop production for the next two decades. One More Time, Digital Love, Harder Better Faster Stronger — the vocoder hooks, filter-disco builds and chopped-sample architecture that everyone from Kanye West to The Weeknd subsequently borrowed from. Daft Life Ltd reissue, 180g 2xLP.
Key track: One More Time
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Daft Punk — Discovery In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Daft Punk on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
MGMT — Oracular Spectacular (2007)
The Wesleyan duo’s debut and the album that gave 2000s indie-pop its most-quoted festival singles — Time To Pretend, Kids, Electric Feel. Dave Fridmann’s production wraps the songs in synth maximalism that pointed forward to the 2010s indie-pop wave. LP.
Key track: Time To Pretend
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MGMT — Oracular Spectacular In stock at Viking Records Shop NowBrowse Pop → |
Florence + The Machine — Lungs (2009)
The album that announced Florence Welch as one of the great British vocalists of her generation. Dog Days Are Over, Rabbit Heart, You’ve Got The Love (the Candi Staton cover that became her own) all live here. Lungs sold 2 million copies in the UK alone and turned chamber-pop into a mainstream sales proposition. LP.
Key track: Dog Days Are Over
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Florence + The Machine — Lungs In stock at Viking Records Shop NowBrowse Pop → |
Lady Gaga — Born This Way (2011)
Lady Gaga’s second album and the commercial peak of the Stefani Germanotta era. Born This Way became a global LGBTQ+ anthem; Edge of Glory and Marry The Night extended the dance-pop production scale she’d established on The Fame. 2xLP.
Key track: Born This Way
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Lady Gaga — Born This Way In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Lady Gaga on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
Carpenters — Collected (comp)
The lineage of perfectly-produced soft-pop that Burt Bacharach taught and Karen and Richard Carpenter perfected. Close to You, We’ve Only Just Begun, Top of the World, Yesterday Once More — the songs that influenced everyone from Sonic Youth (Tunic) to Sufjan Stevens. Two 180g LPs, Music On Vinyl pressing.
Key track: Close to You
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Carpenters — Collected In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Carpenters on vinyl → Browse Pop → |
Where to start
If you're building a pop vinyl collection from scratch, three starting points cover most of pop's breadth: a recent bestseller like Harry Styles' Kiss All The Time or Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet for the contemporary sound, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black for the late-2000s pop apex, and Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life for the soul-pop tradition. After a few weeks with those, the rest of this list will sort itself by which corner of the genre you most want to explore.
For genres adjacent to pop — particularly the alt and indie acts who cross over — our Alternative / Indie vinyl collection is worth a browse. Several of the artists in this list (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, The Weeknd) sit comfortably in both genres.
→ Shop the full Pop vinyl collection at Viking Records
Keith runs Viking Records — a UK online vinyl shop curating new releases, deluxe pressings, and standout records across genre and era. New posts every week.
