Britpop : Time For Reevaluation?

Auteurs had a pretty great career really. All four albums sound quite different and are all really solid. After Murder Park in particular is a brilliant album. I've been looking back at the NME and Melody Maker end of year lists a lot recently. I was surprised to see how well New Wave was received. Think the press had moved on by the second album though.

for those who want to check lists
http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nmeindex.html

http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/select.html

http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mmpage.html

BRITPOP
Frieze, December 1995

By Simon Reynolds

http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/britpop-dissected-2-1995-and-battle-of.html

I was 25% of the audience at a ocs gig in 2004

your dog escaped?

lol

1. Catatonia – International Velvet

yes thats when MM jumped the shark

Thanks to rave, the most vital sectors of '90's UK subculture are all about mixing it up: socially, racially, and musically (DJ cut'n'mix, remixology's deconstructive assault on the song). Returning to the 3 minute pop tune that the milkman can whistle, reinvoking a parochial England
with no black people, Britpop has turned its back defiantly to the future. Here's hoping the future will respond in kind, and remember Britpop only as an aberrant, anachronistic fad--like trad jazz, the early '60s student craze that resurrected the Dixieland sound of 30 years earlier. Perhaps
Oasis will one day seem as inexplicable as Humphrey Lyttleton!

How International Velvet managed to make #1 album of the year in MM in 1998, I'll never know. Sure, it delivered their two best known hit singles, but as an album it's quite weak. The follow-up, Equally Cursed & Blessed, is no better. It's a shame, because I still like their first album (Way Beyond Blue).

hated that band so much. road rage gave me rage all right and as for mulder and s arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

not to mention that song with space

'The Ballad Of Tom Jones'? Yeah, I hated that. But I thought Space were fucking terrible in general, anyway.

Caaaaalling all avenging angels, angels, kickass angels... arrrrgh!!!

this is truly the dark night of your souls huh

Looking at those lists it seems like Melody Maker were just a bit cooler for the first half of the 90s. They had Laughing Stock in their 91 list which somehow NME completely missed out. Same with Dubnobasswithmyheadman too. They had Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev albums in before Deserters Songs/Soft Bulletin. Dummy was their album of the year over NME going with Definitely Maybe. Having the first Tindersticks album as their album of the year was a really awesome move too. Indeed it didn't last when it got to having Catatonia at number one and Head Music the following year. I'm a huge Suede fan but even I knew that was nonsense at the time.

xpost:

and now it's the dark night of yours

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E02YUPnEP00

Luke Haines's first book is a great read: funny, fast-paced, somewhat informative of the goings ons of that era. His follow-up is pretty terrible, though. I couldn't stand it. Maybe it's because he kind of stopped being interesting post-auteurs and can't really fathom why. I don't know what happened.

xpost Actually it might be the 97 list where things changed. NME had Spiritualized number one and Melody Maker went with The Verve. Also they found room for Be Here Now in their top ten. Hurricane #1 and Republica lower down on the list too. Having said that I forgive them everything for having Billy Mackenzie in there and Kenickie in the top ten (where they should be)

He's so intolerant of the music scene, and all he has to offer is warmed-over glam tunes that reveal he likes reading people's biographies .

Interesting Space fact. They just released an album last month. The album title, artwork and song titles are quite something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_of_the_Mutant_50ft_Kebab

Space are so bad. I know someone who ranks them highly, and I don't get it. I heard a new song off the last album and it sounded like female of the species without the budget.

If we came up with a WORST Britpop Songs what would go on it?
One song per band so choose wisely

in no order

1) Oasis - Roll With It
2) Blur Country House
3) Ocean Colour Scene - Day We Caught The Train
4) Dodgy - Good Enough
5) Kula Shaker - Hey Dude
6) Cast - Live The Dream
7) Powder - Afrodisiac
8) Supernaturals- Smile
9) Catatonia - Mulder & Scully
10) Space Feat Cerys - The Ballad Of Tom Jones
11) The Divine Comedy - Something for the Weekend
12) My Life Story - 12 Reasons Why I Love Her
13) Sleeper - Inbetweener
14) Lightning Seeds - 3 Lions
15) Babybird - You’re Gorgeous.
16) Bluetones - Cut Some Rug

What else can we add to worst ever Britpop Compilation?

Poor Divine Comedy.

There's a thread for that. I think consensus was Reef - Place Your Hands.

Northern Uproar - Town

Oh yeah Reef were the worst.

Kitchen Person - Head Music was one of the biggest letdowns ever for me. Loved those 3 albums and bsides then that travesty. I sold it. Something I rarely did.

oh christ yeah reef

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScBuPPou5pE

I dont know that at all

Yeah I don't remember this song at all. I'm listening to the chorus right now. Reminds me of Viva Brother. Add it to the list.

Its very proto-landfill so even if its not well known its bad enough to get in

Kitchen Person - Head Music was one of the biggest letdowns ever for me. Loved those 3 albums and bsides then that travesty. I sold it. Something I rarely did.

― ۩

I've been back and forth on that album so many times I'm not sure what to think of it anymore. I do still like some of it (Electricity, Everything Will Flow and Indian Strings) but there is some absolute twoddle on there too (Savoir Faire and Head Music) Even though it is quite a flawed record who knew it would get so much worse for them.

I thought for shed seven - dolphin. but im sure most would say going for gold

More songs for the list.

Jocasta - Change Me
Nilon Bombers - Superstar
Ether - Best Friend
Mainstream - Step Right Up
Midget - All Fall Down
18 Wheeler - Crabs
Embrace - All songs
Shed Seven - At the Link it's easy
Posh - Mermaid
Catch - Bingo

Longpigs - She Said

The Verve - Lucky Man

The Levellers - What A Beautiful Day

so far we have
1) Oasis - Roll With It
2) Blur Country House
3) Ocean Colour Scene - Day We Caught The Train
4) Dodgy - Good Enough
5) Kula Shaker - Hey Dude
6) Cast - Live The Dream
7) Powder - Afrodisiac
8) Supernaturals- Smile
9) Catatonia - Mulder & Scully
10) Space Feat Cerys - The Ballad Of Tom Jones
11) The Divine Comedy - Something for the Weekend
12) My Life Story - 12 Reasons Why I Love Her
13) Sleeper - Inbetweener
14) Lightning Seeds - 3 Lions
15) Babybird - You’re Gorgeous.
16) Bluetones - Cut Some Rug
17) Reef - Place Your Hands.
18) Shed Seven - Dolphin.
19) Longpigs - She Said.
20) Catch - Bingo.
21) Embrace - All You Good Good People.
22) The Levellers - What A Beautiful Day
23) Jocasta - Change Me
24) Nilon Bombers - Superstar
25) Ether - Best Friend
26) Mainstream - Step Right Up
27) Midget - All Fall Down
28)18 Wheeler - Crabs
29) Robbie Williams - Angels.

*Starts looking through Shine compilation tracklistings*

people hate lucky man?

I'm now trying to outdo you with a worse song each time but I'm struggling. Think I'm going to have to go study those ITV Chart Show indie charts on Youtube again.

I've always hated Lucky Man. Think they got worse with each album and that's the one that always bugged me.

if im gonna add tracks I hate by bands i like i may as well add Manic Street Preachers - The Everlasting.

worst song on Head Music?

Seahorses - Love is the Law

Hey, you changed my Shed Seven choice.

i already had that shed seven song in!

Don't forget Thurman's English Tea.

naw love is the law was their best song. they had a terible one after that i forget the name of

which song from head music?

1. Menswe@r - Stardust
2. Cast - Guiding Star
3. Smokin' Mojo Filters - Come Together
4. Northern Uproar - Livin' It Up
5. Ruth - I Don't Know
6. My Life Story - Sparkle
7. Dodgy - Good Enough
8. The Supernaturals - I Wasn't Built To Get Up
9. Republica - Drop Dead Gorgeous
10. Reef - Come Back Brighter
11. The Seahorses - You Can Talk To Me
12. Rialto - Monday Morning 5.19
13. Travis - More Than Us

which song from head music?

― ۩

Even though they did some weak stuff on there I just can't be the one to name a song.