Britpop : Time For Reevaluation?

And what were the worst albums/bands of the era.

1994

I f-ing hated the britpop music culture 94-96.

Catergories - Monkey Resemblance, Number of videos with a budget above the bands station, Union Jack bandying, Current obscurity and Degree of monobrow.

So did Brit-pop's best band, the Boo Radleys, who annihilated their own career with the so-called screw-you-all anthem C'mon Kids. Careericide is cool, especially when it's built on great songs and an uncanny Liam imitation telling everybody to reject Liamism.

Heh heh heh. Always loved that man's writing when he was in a mood.

Menswear were still great, though.

with any "scene" there are always going to be mediocre artists following behind the front-runners - hence menswear, shed 7 etc.

I think I quite like Britpop. I think I can understand why many people didn't.

Geir will answer that question over the next couple of days!

To which this US resident says, "Big deal. People wanted to be proud of England, let 'em. At least we got Teenage Fanclub out of it." (Yeah, I know, they weren't Brit-pop. But would they have found a rabid fanbase without it? I dunno....)

Plus: XTC/Who as spiritual godfathers = better than any two movement spiritual godfathers I can think of.

Britpop = bunch of British bands using very British influences and addressing very English issues in their lyrics: but i'm not sure it threw up any more great British music than any other stage of the 90's. Just that a lot of the good bands were related (vaguely, at least).

My fave bit in the Stubbs article is where he talks about British music being in the doldrums in the early 90's ("Suede, Massive Attack, MBV - rubbish like that.") There was always great music (and crap music) coming out of Britain, just it was more focused during that period.

Remove the sarcasm and you're on the money!

i do.

ned, i KNEW you were going to post that post. you are a swine and a half ;-)

For starters 94-96 [just limiting it to British artists]

great music was made by:
bark psychosis, laika, o'rang, scorn, techno animal, The aloof, tricky, anaethma, slam, underworld and the year of 1995: jungle music one of most exciting British music cultures of alltime - was in full flow - the NME and MM virtually ignored it, apart from the odd column from Simon Reynolds. every thursday on Radio 1 at 9 - 10 - essential listening in 1995.

what fucking annoyed me was the overwhelming suffocation of NME, MM and music on TV at the time - that music revolved around a bunch of shitty conservative trad retro bands peddling melodic songs crap. The two media henchmen: Lamacq and Chris Evans were responsible for the utter mess.

the britpop/ladrock that i refer to, that stank of trad retro-isms: Shed 7, Cast, Bluetones, OCS, Oasis, Kula Shaker, Supergrass, Dodgy and Paul Weller.

I remember picking up the MM/ NME in 94/ 95 and 96 and shaking my head - how utterly wrong-headed they were each week.

all released at least one song i like! ok...not Shed 7...or OCS...

This is still true! In 6 years time are people going to be talking about the Vines, Datsuns, Libertines etc as the most exciting music being made in 2003? Er....bollocks are they.

But re: Tom's point - the pop is the important thing. Pulp & Blur especially released fantastic pop records during the 'Britpop' period that would have sounded fantastic regardless of whatever scene they were attached to. Obviously most of the really good guitar music being made 94-96 wasn't considered 'mainstream' Britpop - eg SFA, Boo Radleys, Gorky's - but what's new? At what point in the last 25 years has there not been great British guitar music, and when has the best stuff ever been the most widely celebrated?

So: Britpop as a 'scene' or 'movement' is worthless - a marketing device, basically. Some good records were made, lots of shit ones were too. It is entirely unremarkable.

the thing that annoys me the most about the 'Live Forever' film is how the makers are repeatedly quoted as inferring that the 80s were just awful and Britpop/the 90s made everything better again and i just want to slap them for being so fucking wrong

looking back on Britpop some terrific singles came out, a few great albums but for 'rock critics' its albums that count. But i guess its the whole flag waving thing that embarrasses everyone. I just wonder how Scottish people felt about 'Britpop'. I cant imagine scots waving union jacks with vigour somehow (or the welsh)
Steve M , the 90s and the 80s had as many great singles/bands/albums as the 60s & 70s. And the same amount of rubbish. Sometimes you just need to dig deeper. Clearly the person responsible for 'Live Forever'film didnt.

I wonder why Britpop remains so unloveable. Similar scenes like Merseybeat and Glam (if you discount the great groups involved in both) had loads of chancers and mediocre music, but they had some kind of charm, some sense of fun. I think Britpop is hated for its cynicism, the blatant but ironised careerism of the participants. Nobody was grateful.

i'm trying to disprove thi, but no joy yet...

Stevem I mean they're inherently good even if the record is rubbish - they're like tiny micro-universes of pop where you can glimpse strange alternate realities in which the usual rules do not apply.

ha, never mind that Chandrasonic was a fan of The Byrds at this time (according to NME end of year singles round-up panel)

It will be interesting to see how much junk in the past decade makes the 100.

last time around they did it was October 93 http://www.rocklist.net/nme_writers.htm

[i,e pre britpop era, i define the Britpop era as April 94 onwards (death of Cobain, focus on Britain: first Oasis single and the english culture of Parklife)

i quite like the idea of Britpop as Messiah/sacrifical lamb - crucified for our sins...but that needs developing.

Anyway, weren't Echobelly Britpop? And Sonia was GREAT and 'Call me Names' is a top song, and far better than any ADF song on the same subject. So they are talking bollox.

Britpop wasn't flag waving anyway. I was there. And from what I remember it was people of all creeds and colours dancing to Sleeper in the indie discos. In fact, I was the only Brit in the student flat from January - May 1996, so any notion that Britpop was racist is ignorant pish.

And the 'new lad' thing... well fair enough, but that was just Oasis and don't think many of their beer guzzling, lardass fans would have been into the effetism of Pulp, The Divine Comedy, Suede et al.

I have fond memories of the period. I enjoyed many of the bands (yes, as it has been well documented, even Sleeper) and still rate Pulp as one of my three fave bands of all time. I agree there was a lot of toss came from Britpop, but so what? Cherish it for albums such as 'Coming Up' (the only Suede that is likely to be classed as 'Britpop' IMO), 'Definately Maybe', 'Different Class' and '1977'. I still love The Bluetones as well. I thought 'Science and Nature' was a great album.

But anyway, I'm sure many will want to rip me a new asshole for defending Britpop. But that article is toss. Chris Evans may have been many things, but he was not Howard Stern, who is as bigoted and fuckwitted and pig ignorant as even the more braindead George Bush voter.

Man, this is a researchers dream. You couldn't get a demographic this distinct all together in one place if you tried. If ever you wanted to conduct a nuclear test, or see how the plague's been hanging about for centuries, this is the time and place.

I can't remember what Hooton 3 Car sounded like

Kinda like a poppier Leatherface iirc.

I'd also go and watch the Terrys. Brandon Block made me lol, while I was at university some guy in my hall of residence had booked him to DJ somewhere and he didn't turn up, so the guy who booked him started a rumour he'd died and there was some minor controversy around it.

The amount of drugs he used to take, I'm amazed he's made it to 2018 tbh

there's a thought

In 1996 his lifestyle began to catch up with him and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis after visiting India the year before. He was also addicted to cocaine and was forced to withdraw from DJing for six months. There were even rumours of his death after hoax postings on the Internet.

That'll be it

didn't he go to ibiza one year as a fat man and finish the summer as a very thin man, having basically eaten nothing but drugs for months?

you have to take your hat off to the greats

Thank god he didn't go there a thin man

yes, what a tragedy that would have been

ITT: ILM whines about Britpop also-rans. Again.

Ballad of a fat man

fuck turrican has us bang to rights

fuckfuckfuck

he's got our number alright

One of these acts is responsible for two of the greatest British singles of the last thirty years - though I’m sure there are more enjoyable scenarios for seeing N-Trance available.

I saw K-Klass live once, literally can't remember anything about the experience to comment. oh..

Yeah I mean for all I know they blast out the occasional decent tune at edl marches but

they were supporting 808 State and MC Tunes!

N-Trance are supporting Natalie Imburglia on her UK tour next month!

stopping in the dance tents would be the only viable option here obv but there's a more viable option

y'know, i thought long and hard before i posted. "not another Britpop thread," i thought. "Just K pushing the same old buttons, no need for the umpteenth pile-on," i thought. "Let people enjoy what they like," I thought. "I'm sure this doesn't represent the sum total of what Britpop gave to the culture," i thought. "it's just tedious whining about these also-rans who are totally different to all the great things that Britpop brought into the world," i thought.

then i had a couple of rums and a morning bopping around in the shower to Iron Maiden and fuck it, here i am.

ITT: ILM whines about EDL marches. Again

these are EDL also-rans tho

the Brandon Block story alone made it a pretty great thread revive tbh

i used to have this thing about Gaz Coombes
i used to play him every blue moons
god bless blue moons
god bless Gaz Coombes

The South; supposedly ex members of The Beautiful South but.. anyone?

Alison Wheeler (Vocals), Gaz Birtles (Vocals), Phil Barton (Guitars), Steve Nutter (Bass), Dave Anderson (Drums), Karl Brown (Percussion), Gareth John (Trumpet), Su Robinson (Sax) and Andy Price (Keys).

When The Beautiful South split in 2007, some members of the band didn’t feel ready to hang up their microphones or instruments just yet…
The South feature former members of The Beautiful South including singer Alison Wheeler and lifelong sax player Gaz Birtles.
Since original singer Dave Hemingway left the group earlier this year, Gaz has now moved across to vocal duties. They play the songs made famous by The Beautiful South and bring back the full flavour and excitement with the nine piece live band.

Come on! Let’s Carry On… Regardless!

i know that Gaz too, he's a good bloke

I skipped Turrican B's Groove, it's a bit of a dud.

scratch that, i think he just looks like a lad i know

Some great music was made
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Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
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Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made
Some great music was made

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEtWdI9FByA

There isn't a single original member of The Beautiful South in that band!

(several x-posts)

then i had a couple of rums and a morning bopping around in the shower to Iron Maiden and fuck it, here i am

this is a v irresponsible use of water fyi

I FELT GUILTY AS I WAS DOING IT

bring your water to the slaughter

i love you man

even a terrible thread can be turned to beauty

http://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/resources/images/1991784/?type=responsive-gallery-fullscreen

bring your water to the slaughter

nobody can grudge me this revival after that post!!

vg+

I just had a delayed lol about this, after my third lager.

lager lager shouting shouting on the third stage Sunday.

Off the back of the Guardian article I am staring at another one of these festivals. I must be maturing, calming down, because it fills me with questions rather than horror. Would I enjoy the Primitives and Darling Buds less when they're sandwiched between Back to the Planet and Bentley Rhythm Ace? In fact, wouldn't it have been better to get Senser and Back to the Planet on the same day? Would a Cud fan be offended that they're further down the listing than Kingmaker (for a day)? Is it contractual that eg Chris Helme isn't Chris Helme (The Seahorses) but Miles Hunt is Miles Hunt (of the Wonder Stuff)? Why are The Beat there? idk, I have no answers.

MILF EMF POOL PARTY

In fact, wouldn't it have been better to get Senser and Back to the Planet on the same day?

this is most likely because someone or everyone in Senser works Monday to Friday, c'mon

(xp) Unbelievable *gets coat*

read the article, then one of the comments made me listen to the campag velocet 'comeback' album.
result.

https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/qjbdzx/lads-gak-and-union-jacks-the-oral-history-of-cool-britannia

Lads, Gak and Union Jacks: The Oral History of 'Cool Britannia'
"The thing is, so much of it was about bullshit."

Eurgh.

I laughed a bit @:

Luke Haines: At the time I thought most of it was garbage. Now I think some of it was quite groovy. Menswe@r were good and they made a disastrous second album – a country album – that was only released in Japan. I rate them highly for this.

Otherwise, we’ve seen it all.