As with many of my games, the great thing about Popscene is that it's as good as you make it. You're cordially invited to create your own content - from using your own music to adding your own graphics. If your CD collection is feeling a little limited, this game is the perfect excuse to broaden your horizons! To start you off, here's my personal guide to a killer Popscene playlist...

Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
Pop ~ Solo Artist ~ Black
With over 50 million copies sold, it's the world's best-selling album for a reason. Thriller boasts so many classic tracks that you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the "Greatest Hits"! It contains no fewer than 8 successful singles - all of which are ripe to rule again in the virtual charts of Popscene. The relatively short playlist could be problematic for some players (as could attaining the elusive front man!), but it's perfect for a solid pop record. So too are the other titanic releases that defined the 80's: Off The Wall and Bad. Although they're great in the right context, his subsequent albums are a little too self-indulgent and conceptual to be used in this game...

Jackson Five: "The Best Of..."
Pop ~ Group ~ Black
He's been around so long that different eras of Michael Jackson might as well be different people! The inexplicably powerful voice of his younger self can be enjoyed on this collection of Jackson Five classics. Being a "Best Of...", it offers a steady flow of good tracks - beginning with an irresistible medley of the 3 most commercially successful. Thanks to ballads like "I'll Be There", there's plenty of variation to maintain your interest too. It's ideal for young artists - preferably in group formation. However you use it, the exhaustive 20-track playlist ensures that there's plenty of material to mine. More so than any other pop record...

Jay-Z: "The Blueprint"
Rap ~ Solo Artist ~ Black
Of all the rap albums you could work from, Jay-Z's no-nonsense, skit-free efforts are a perfect match for Popscene. The 14-track playlists are a snug fit too - allowing you to unlock any song, safe in the knowledge that there'll be a hit behind it. Of his many albums, 2001's The Blueprint is the most indispensable (both in real life and in the game!). By now, his craft had been well and truly mastered - and the result is an effortlessly strong collection of hits. Earlier outings aren't quite so enjoyable, and subsequent albums are a little too meandering and conceptual for the game. That said, any of them are preferable to those of his peers...

Young Gunz: "Tough Luv"
Rap ~ Group ~ Black
Roc-a-fella's secret weapons hit the scene, "gunz" blazing, with this impressive debut album. Coming from the same stable as Jay-Z, it boasts a similarly skit-free, well-judged playlist - and makes an equally good choice for the game. Fortunately, the hit rate has survived intact too. There are plenty of upbeat tracks to enjoy, interspersed with more meaningful tracks that make for a surprisingly varied playlist. Working as a duo, they come in handy as the group equivalent of their solo peers. Being in their late-teens also makes them the ideal soundtrack for younger rap acts...

Eminem: "The Eminem Show"
Rap ~ Solo Artist ~ White
He can't possibly be left off the list, but Eminem's skit-laden albums are as troublesome as the man himself! As amusing as they are, there's no place for interludes in Popscene. You'll regularly need to visit the studio to make sure they're not being recorded. The game's 14-track limit also doesn't sit well with his 20-track playlists. With that in mind, 2002's The Eminem Show is the best choice. It boasts the strongest front-runners and the fewest skits. Fortunately, it's by far the best album anyway. The novice flaws of The Slim Shady LP have been ironed out by the man's own production, and the childish content of The Marshall Mathers LP has been upgraded to something altogether more impressive. Beggars can't be choosers though! Let's face it, there can be no other soundtrack to your white hip hop careers...

Limp Bizkit: "Chocolate Starfish..."
Rap/Rock ~ Group ~ White
His efforts before and since leave a lot to be desired, but Fred Durst hit the nail on the head with this particular album. Released at the height of the WWF's explosive comeback, it'll sound pleasantly familiar to any wrestling fan! It stands up as a strong album in its own right too - boasting an impressive flow of killer tracks. Apart from a talkative opening track, the playlist is relatively reliable as well. Best of all, the curious blend of rap and rock makes for a genuinely unique sound. A versatile one too, which you'll be able to assign to any white urban act... 

NERD: "In Search Of..."
Rap/Rock ~ Group ~ Black
Pharrell Williams' pet project treads a similar line between rock and hip hop. NERD effortless blend the two styles, and emerge with some incredible material. As with Limp Bizkit, it's well suited to the game too - providing a rare opportunity to use black artists in a rock capacity. As ever, the 14-track, skit-free playlist will give you plenty to play with in the recording studio. Although Pharrell Williams is omnipresent in today's music industry, this is a rare opportunity to pin him down to one album - in a lead vocal role at that. Almost all other records (including his own Neptunes compilation) reduce him to sporadic appearances...

Blur: "Park Life"
Pop/Rock ~ Group ~ White
Back on the other side of the Atlantic, your rock needs can be satisfied by bands like Blur. Their accessible style kick-started the "Brit Pop" sound and brought indy music to the masses. They're the ideal candidates to do the same for Popscene too! Sitting in the middle of that era, Park Life is the best album to call upon. Earlier efforts haven't stood the test of time, and following albums sacrificed their sense of fun in a bid to be taken seriously. An admirable move, but not one that sits well with the game. Almost all of the tracks on this album are sharp and lively enough to be brought to life on stage. The closest thing to a "skit" is a handful of harmless instrumentals, so the playlist is perfectly reliable too...

Oasis: "What's The Story..."
Rock ~ Group ~ White
Blur's arch rivals throughout that "Brit Pop" movement are also worth a look. Oasis countered Blur's pop leanings with a more enduring, self-assured rock sound. The result is a more traditional style of music that harks back to the glory days of The Beatles. Of the handful of seminal early albums, What's The Story... is possibly the best to use in the game. It's a little more lively and accessible than those that came before or since - boasting a healthy crop of recognizable hits...

Final Thought
Of course, I could be here all day listing various albums and artists - but I think you get the point. The game is versatile enough to accommodate any genre of music you care to use. You're not necessarily encouraged to track down these particular albums. They're just an example of what to look for in albums of your own. Anything with a suitably long, skit-free playlist is worth a look - even if you wouldn't normally listen to it in real life. With that excuse on standby, go and raid your little sister's CD collection so that you can give Britney Spears a try!