I'm too old to listen to current pop music in the US or Europe, I guess. I don't like most of it. I hate rap and think French rap is even worse. Now I do like some French pop music and listen to it, but it is older guys who've been around a while. I do like Francis Cabrel and he is still selling discs, I guess, although I didn't like his current one that well. I listen to Renaud, Maxime Forestier, etc., as well as Cabrel, as well as Barbara and some older singers like her. I have a disc by Keren Ann but it's rather soporific IMO. I also have a disc by Les Nubians and like them okay. Never did like Hallyday, but can listen to Sardou.

I like Stephan Eicher, he records in German/French and English, I guess (I think he's Swiss?).

I do like more current pop music from Latin and South America, but not Europe. I also like what is broadly termed "world music" with artists that can be from a lot of different countries, but that's not popular radio music.

Oops, jumped in a bit fast there... I've just seen that Mucky was talking about British chart music. Most of which is, indeed, rubbish.

You can find French radio stations for example here. http://www.brume.org/radios/index.ph...oixville=PARIS

Some of them have a audio stream you can listen to. The most popular ones would be Skyrock, NRJ, FunRadio, RTL 1&2 and Europe1. Some of the more less popular ones that most people don't even know that exist are BeurFM(North-African music) JudaicFM (Jewish) CherieFM(love songs only)and so on. There are plenty.

I am from Finland and know well English, French, some German and Swedish, besides my native Finnish. I like very much listening to French rap music. At the very moment I am listening to a favourite of mine, MC Solaar. He's just great. Perhaps listening to European music doesn't make much sense to most Americans, but I sure like it.

There's nothing wrong with American pop-music either. I like that as well. So, my question is does any of you Fodorites listen or buy any European pop-music?

From Finland I could recommend HIM (kind of romantic hard-rock, that appeals mainly to 18-22 year-old girls) or The Rasmus (a band playing mainstream rock, great performers, eventhough the boys are quite young).

Any favourites out there? Do you listen to radio stations from abroad? I sure like listening to local Parisian stations over the Net. I used to live in France for over a year and it feels nice to listen to something different from the local stations we have here.

love european dance music! Wish DC had a station that played european music! A good internet station to listen to is http://www.beirutnights.com/

European pop music reminds me of a famous passage from Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D":

"I told him I had been that morning at a meeting of the people called Quakers, where I had heard a woman preach. Johnson: 'Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.'"

As much as I love Europe, I find Euro-pop to be pretty awful (USA pop isn't much better!) I do like French Cafe music, gypsy music,Rai dance music, Scandanavian folk music,Celtic music, etc, etc. Of course the UK has had some great pop music in the past, but I can't remember any memorable pop music in my Eurpoean travels. PS to our European friends - most European pop is virtually unknown in the US.

Europeans do a lot of things much better than the Yanks but pop music ain't one of 'em! Back in my day the British (who may or may not be "European" according to themselves) gave American pop a good run for the money but those days are long gone. Most of the time when I turn on my car radio in Europe or walk into a fast food spot the music that comes out is American.

From Christina's posting: <<I'm too old to listen to current pop music in the US or Europe, I guess.>>

Oops, I didn't know there's an age limit to enjoy pop music or rap.
I have a son aged 21 who is a big fan of French rap. Over the years I have learned to appreciate this kind of music.

I have to disagree with you, Mucky! British *mainstream* music is essentially a load of mass-produced dross, but there are still loads of great British bands out there that are worth listening to (Belle & Sebastian, the Streets, Badly Drawn Boy, Franz Ferdinand, Morrissey, Basement Jaxx, etc.)! Try listening to BBC 6 music (online at www.bbc.co.uk/6music or on DAB radio) to hear something other than the latest manufactured boy band singing an Elton John cover.

And although there are some great French acts around at the moment (Manu Chao, Dolly, Air, etc.), the French charts are full of terrible manufactured boy/girl bands and Pop Idol winners. And we have to put up with Johnny Hallyday here too. ;-)

You can obtain reservations for the London Eye at Global Tickets - 1-800-223-6108. Tickets are $17.00 each, about $5.00 more than in London. However, I found out today not to book thru them for rail transportation. Price for two tickets from London to Holyhead was about $80 more than going thru BritRail.