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ON THIS DAY
EDITORS' BLOG
Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 09:16 GMT 10:16 UK
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Britpop 10 years on: Your memories
Blur's Damon Albarn and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker
Britpop stars: Blur's Damon Albarn and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker
This week, the BBC News website is marking 10 years since the summer of 1995, when Britpop bands such as Blur, Oasis and Pulp took over the UK singles charts.
There was a flurry of interest in the bands in August 1995, with the much-hyped battle between Blur and Oasis to top the charts with their singles Country House and Roll With It.
The two bands' success propelled contemporaries such as Pulp and Sleeper into the spotlight - and spawned a whole generation of new acts.
What are your memories of the summer of 1995? Which did you prefer - Blur or Oasis? Does the music stand the test of time? And how do today's British acts shape up?
This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.
Britpop will always hold a very special place for me! I was 15/16 and I remember discovering guitars, indie music alcohol and boys all at the same time! It was the time when I discovered parties and they all kinda of go hand in hand together! I had 1977 by Ash on last week and Girl from Mars always takes me back! It gives me goose bumps. Yes Keane might be all this and that and Coldplay the rest, but give me Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Suede and Ash any day of the week! And these albums still sound great. In my car since I was 17 has always been Parklife! If I'm still listening to Keane going on in 10 years time, I will be most surprised! I can't really see Chris Martin battling out with the Gallagher brothers... he struggles with the crazy frog!
Bex, Bristol
For me Saint Etienne were the best band of this period, producing a string of superb albums.
Tony Evans, Southport
1994/1995 was for a great time for British music, seeing the emergence of some the best albums of the decade. Oasis debut album,Blur's Parklife, and Pulp's Different Class, still sound fresh today. Although the likes of Space, and Mansun have perhaps not really stood the test of time
Danno Evans, Southport
Britpop was just another marketing term that unfortunately piled together some of the best and worst bands of the decade. Oasis were and still are very poor, Blur were great in places (if you could stomach the fake cockney accent) whereas early Pulp and Suede were absolutely blinding. The new wave of British bands are similary over/under-endowed in the talent stakes too. Watch out for Maximo Park though - top notch.
TB, Spain
I was probably the right age during the time Britpop was around, as I was at university from 1994-98. Still, I found the music dull, boring, depressing, and performed by mediocre bands wishing they were living in 1960s London. In my mind, the main reason the music became so successful was that people were sick of seeing the beginnings of manufactured acts such as Take That and East 17 and wanted to see "real" bands... unfortunately, to me, the "real" bands weren't much better...
Graeme, Dundee, Scotland
I can remember feeling that I could relate to some of what they were saying.
Jess, Epsom
I do feel sorry for the bands who got pigeon-holed as Britpop, eg Pulp and Blur, who were around way before the likes of Suede, Menswear, Space, Marion, Echobelly, Gene etc. I guess that was just bad-timing. Perhaps the greatest injustice has to be labelling of Mansun as Britpop. They were the best band of the '90s and could wipe the floor with any Britpop band.
Martin, Barrow, Cumbria
It was great to see so many bands that I'd been listening to making it big and more airtime given to decent music rather than the pop tosh that controlled the airwaves at the time. But the gigs, as they always have been in Wales, were few and far between. Even the Welsh explosion in the late '90s didn't change that. Out of a lack of decent gigs came the dawn of a strong, thriving, and talented, rock scene in South Wales which has it roots in music and in hype like Britpop. And thankfully its still going strong!
Danny Coyle, Cardiff, Wales
Britpop was just a press name for guitar based bands in the 90's - best of that era for me were - Ocean Colour Scene, Supergrass, Paul Weller, Oasis & The Bluetones, Reef and Dodgy!! lots of brilliant summer tunes
Dean Parkinson, Chorley, England
Reading the NME in the early 90's the first time I came across the term Britpop was in relation to the decidedly not British band The Cranberries making it big in America. This was long before Oasis and Blur at their heights. I knew then that the media was desperate to create a new British music scene, give it a name and flog it to the kids and decided to kick start it all with an Irish band. For me the last truely original scene was grunge. Everything since has just been recycling old sounds.
Dermot, Dublin, Ireland
Everyone goes on about Blur and Oasis, but for me Ocean Colour Scene were the top Britpop band. I remember spending the summer of '97 laying by a pool in Turkey drinking cheap lager with "the day we caught the train" blasting out. Happy Days.
Darren, Barnsley
I'm a bit older than many of the contributors here, but about the same age as some of the bands, I think. I can remember at the time of the Britpop thing, in my mid twenties, feeling that I could relate to some (not all!) of what they were saying. As a teenager and in my early 20s I'd felt alienated by the Tory-led society I lived in and the clearly money-driven plastic pop emanating from my radio speakers. I'd turned to classical music. But Britpop felt optimistic at the time. I loved Suede's sound, Jarvis Cocker, and some of Blur's inventive songs, especially the amazing one which incorporates the shipping forecast (can't remember its title)!
Jess, Epsom
Whatever happened to Thurman?
Neil, Fleet, England
Being mid-20s in London in summer of '95 was as cool as life gets (for me anyway)! Saw Oasis support REM that summer in Ireland and they were simply awesome. Looking back, a lot of the music was crap (some of the derided "shoegazer" stuff from Ride and Slowdive has actually stood the test of time better) but that's not really the point and Definitely Maybe, Parklife and Different Class will be forever an integral part of my record collection. Thanks guys.
James, London
The 1995 to 1997 period was one of the freshest and best periods in British music. Sure it was insular and probably overhyped by the media but it gave a sense of belonging that wasn't there with grunge or the soulless dance music of the later 1990s. The music and the time mark out a significant period in my own life - having the freedom of being away from home, starting my first "real" job, having music and an aesthetic that I could identify with. The summer of 1996 was the peak of this with Euro 96 on the TV and Oasis at Knebworth. A fantastic time of my life that I know I'll never have back.
Jon Rosling, Rotherham, South Yorks UK
I was picked on at youth club for liking Blur. I didn't much like Oasis because they seemed mean and angry. Blur had the polite tunes. Charmless Man was the single that got me hooked. I am still very much into blur and taking Gorillaz, Film Soundtracks, Graham Coxon's solo career and the post 1995 albums blur made, I think it's undeniable who are the more interesting artists. I still listen to a lot of 'Britpop' because it serves as coat-hangers for great memories. I think it's also great that Coldplay, Embrace, Bloc Party, Longview and others are keeping the tradition of great British guitar music, and Supergrass, Radiohead, Oasis and Blur still making good tunes. It's not completely over!
Dave, Bournemouth, UK
Good music, good times, good memories
Stu, Birmingham
The time of my life! After years of sensitive shoegazing and political correctness, I got to pick up a guitar, drink beer and openly love football and the opposite sex. Good music, good times, good memories for us 30 somethings. Britpop lifted the music up and New Lad emancipated not just the men from the sterile '90s. Tonight, I (was a) rock n roll star!
Stu, Birmingham
Memories? A load of middle-class white kids who discovered Gazelles and floppy hair.
Matt, Sheffield, England
Supergrass - cheeky little monkeys on choppers, hurrah! Caught by the Fuzz remains one of my all time favourite tracks.
Stephen, Edinburgh
Britpop moved me away from naff boy bands and into decent music - and I actually liked Blur and Oasis! However, my favourites were Gene, Echobelly, Menswear and Sleeper. Still listen to Britpop now and the stuff still sounds as good today as it did during that long hot summer!
Nicola, Luton, UK
I was only 10 during the summer of 1995, but I was enthralled in the battle between Blur and Oasis. Whenever I hear Country House I think of that summer, spending pretty much the whole time round my mate's house trying to search for old Blur CDs and not being allowed to utter the word "Oasis" in front of his cousin. There will always be a little bit of my heart devoted to it.
James, Surrey, UK
The Bluetones are still going strong with a strong fan base, an upcoming tour and new album out this autumn. They still play the old stuff at gigs and they're amazing to see live.
Julie Wall, Wolverhampton
I think that the 'Britpop Movement' was one of the greatest things to happen to the nation for a long time! It was an extremely positive time when Britain was receiving the global praise it deserves. The music was good, there was a definite air of optimism and at the time you couldn't imagine life being any better! Sadly, it all became too big, music and politics got married and as usual it was us, the kids, that suffered! The drugs took over and it was all over far too soon! Like many people I will always feel like I was a part of it! I was a Britpop kid and it was a great time for my musical tastes to mature! It's an amazing statement that the '90s gave us Britpop, the '00s have given us Pop Idol!
Andy, Norwich
I enjoyed BBC Four's Britpop Night, partly because I'd bought every single song they played, but I thought that they missed a couple of interesting aspects. The 'Brit' bit ignored the fact that it was a purely English appropriation, and even the provincial bands seemed a bit out of place (often making them better, such as Pulp) or desperate to get in: hence the sight of Oasis and Bernard Butler (like the Smiths) embracing the Union Jack when their parents were Irish immigrants. Meanwhile in Wales and Scotland, more interesting things were going on - Gorky's, SFA. Mogwai, the Delgados, Spare Snare etc. etc. I thought that shoegazing was given a bit of a rough ride too - Slowdive and Ride were clearly superior to Heavy Stereo, Powder, Dodgy and Oasis.
Aidan Byrne, Wolverhampton UK
At the time, I was in a funk metal band. We dreamed of being Faith No More. I was going out with a Charlatans fan and i just didn't get it. I thought that the whole genre sounded the same. I now admit to having a smattering of Britpop in my CD collection, and even bought an Oasis album the other day. But to me they (Oasis) still sound completely banal. Its sad to think that the record buying masses fall for their pseudo-Beatles efforts. As for the more 'arty' bands Suede, Blur, Pulp, they at least have stood the test of time with their integrity intact. Even saw Blur a couple of years ago, and they weren't too bad. Now where's that Extreme CD?
Slash1 of triple slash, Brighton
I would hardly say Radiohead were trying to be the next U2. Their songs are far more melancholy for a start. Also far far more similar to prog rock - a genre with which they are constantly associated with (and U2 are certainly not).
Barney Large, Chichester
Northern Uproar, anyone? Anyone?
Andrew Stevens, London, England
A celebration of British insularity. Music with a global vision replaced by a championing of mediocrity. Working class louts surviving on a diet of cocaine and stolen guitar chords vs middle class mockneys bemoaning the harshness of life on their council estate. What a wonderful thing are rose tinted spectacles
AJR, London
Was then and still will be an Oasis supporter, they write songs that make you feel good to be alive. Definitely maybe was great for me as a budding young drummer in a band. The songs were so easy to play
Mossy, 25, Leeds
It all seems a bit cute now. I remember being harangued by work colleagues - grown men- for being into Blur and not Oasis. I can't imagine a similar argument today over whether you're into Keane or Coldplay! But then the bands seemed so big, somehow it counted.
Parklife was refreshing -I'd just left university when it came out and by then I'd had heard enough grunge to last me a lifetime, not to mention the numerous, tuneless 'shoegazer' bands..
Looking back, it was a great movement that sadly imploded too quickly (born out of and died through hype) but for a while gave British mainstream pop a strong identity that hadn't been seen for a decade or so. And people started dressing better again and lost those green army shirts !!
Chris Friday, UK
I was working in a record shop in August 1995, which meant I was forced to listen to album after album of Britpop. With the exception of Pulp, who thoroughly deserved the recognition they finally got, Britpop, for me, signalled the death of original guitar music. After enforced repeated listens of albums by the likes of Kula Shaker, Space, Cast, Sleeper and Elastica, my memories of Britpop are not great ones. There was some brilliant music being created at the same time by British artists such as Massive Attack, Leftfield, Orbital, Tricky, Tindersticks and Aphex Twin, to name a few. But all these great acts who continued to make original music, were overshadowed by a load of Beatles/Kinks soundalikes that often had bigger mouths than talent.
Shane, London, UK
I remember taping songs off the Evening Session, Steve and Jo ruled the airwaves and seemed that any band with guitars could get signed, even Northern Uproar! What happened to them?
Rob Hughes, London UK
I was 14 at the time, and living in a working class area destroyed by the Tories I was wondering how I was going to live my life. Then Oasis came on the scene and delivered songs that meant so much as they were singing what I was thinking - (is it worth the aggravation, to find yourself a job, when there's nothing worth working for). I was never into music until Oasis came along, and listening to them I got into many many other bands ? The Jam, The Who, The Beatles etc...
Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory meant so much to so many and I doubt another band in this country, maybe even the world, will ever be able to match them albums for what it means to so many people. 1995 was a fine year for me as listening to the Britpop music, especially Oasis, it made me realise that there was a life out there for me to live - and it was capped off with Everton winning the FA Cup!
Adam Bennett, Liverpool
It was the tabloids who started it the Britpop 'war' and it resulted in two or three glorious years of music.
Oasis, Blur, Ocean Colour Scene, The Bluetones, etc. made 1995, 1996 and 1997 glorious years to get into music, before the widespread shift to dance music.
Neil, Edinburgh
Britpop was such an important turning point in music. I remember being into all the USA 'grunge' scene and then British music suddenly took over and became interesting! I actually liked both Blur AND Oasis. I'd have to say Blur are my favourites now, as each album has taken a different turn - they're much more innovative then Oasis. Maybe the Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand can eventually match up to the 90s Britpop era but it's hard to tell right now with only their debut albums to go by.
Kirsty Telford, Maidstone, Kent
For me, those summer months of 1995 were a brief gap between the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood - I remember it with great affection, and associate "Parklife, Definitely Maybe, Different Class etc with happy memories of long hot days, chasing girls, drinking in the park and so on. Unfortunately, though, very little of the music stands up today - take away the memories and all you're left with is a lot of very mediocre music - even the top bands of the period went downhill fast after '95. The current crop of bands are much better, and far more interesting and varied - I'm mildly jealous I'm not a teenager right now. Actually, no I'm not.
Tom Fowler, Leeds
Oasis were the band that got me into music. I'm sure its the same for thousands of other people in their mid-twenties. Until the day I die, no albums will mean as much to me and have the same impact on my life Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory.
Ben, Liverpool
For me Jarvis Cocker represented Britpop. Here was a man who was an underdog in all aspects of life. eg no oil painting and working class. Yet he lived his dream and even though it sounds cheesy for me that it was Britpop was all about!
Andy Pryke, Dronfield in the day (now east sheen - London)
What a fantastic year! The droning, pounding club music was replaced by intelligent music from great British bands. I still have my collection of Britpop CDs - blur, pulp, et al and listen to them regularly. The only band I didn't really get into was Oasis - vastly overhyped with minimal material. And what a pair of idiots the Gallagher's are!
Gemma Harris, UK
Teenage Fanclub's Sparky's Dream and Do You Remember the First Time? by Pulp still stir memories of finishing my GCSE's and the long summer between real school and sixth form. Why can't popular music be this good again? And for all the people hyping up Kaiser Chiefs? Just pretenders to a throne they'll never see.
Martin , Scarborough
5th November 1995 Oasis Earls Court. Morning Glory was being played everywhere leading up to the gig. There was a massive buzz around Oasis and we all knew they were a special band. The concert was probably one of the best Oasis concerts I've ever been to. Funny moment on the night was this guy going round telling everyone that Robson and Jerome's Unchained Melody had beaten Wonderwall to number one. Classic times.
Tony Charlton, Grimsby
Blur won the battle but Oasis won the war!
Vicky, Bucks, England
For me, Britpop will always be synonymous with Parklife, Blur's fantastic 3rd album, released in 1994. Who can forget Phil Daniels "rapping" on the title track, Hammond organ instrumentals throughout, angry tracks about middle-class apathy, laments for gauche teens and spiralling clubbers, wistful numbers such as To the End and Far Out (Alex James' bizarrely beautiful list of astronomical terms set to music)? It was the ultimate London album, complete with Walthamstow dog track on the cover. How did Blur ever lose the 1994 Mercury Music Prize to M-People?!
Paul Tyrrell, London, UK
Britpop reminds me of being 15-years-old when the only thing that mattered were music and your friends... I was obsessed with Damon Albarn and my bedroom was wallpapered with his face!! I still listen to albums from that era now and then and reminisce about being young, free and full of "angst"...
Lucy, Tokyo, Japan (grew up in Manchester)
Where did the years go? I can't believe I am 26, my childhood is well and truly over. I look back at the 90s as punks look back at the 70s. It was something new and something revolutionary. Music was evolving and young people wanted more. I was one of those people.
The music summed up everything about the 90s, neon, day-glo and cheery. Of course there was the other side, concrete, grey and miserable. You had the choice of music depending on what mood you were in.
I will always remember buying my first CD.... Common People, what a tune! And I will always remember listening to Suede, Ash, Manics (ok technically Welsh), Blur and Pulp on my discman when I travelled to college.
Whenever I hear those songs fond memories flood back. It's sad to think that it was such a long time ago now, I wish I could go back and live it all again but life goes on.
It is true... Modern Life is Rubbish.
Steven Winslow, Welling
I feel so old! Can't believe it's ten years since I was drunk in Mile End listening to For Tomorrow in my damp, tiny Adidas jacket, corduroy trousers and a dirty pair of Gazelles. That and seeing Pulp belt out Common People are two of the beautiful moments from my teenage years. 1995 was wicked!
Angela Phillips, London, UK.
As much as I hate the label Britpop it was the music of my generation and I had a bloody wicked time during it too!
Sophie Bowering, Brighton
All I remember is how Oasis kept banging on about how working class they were, as if Blur didn't deserve musical success because they were from middle-class backgrounds. Now, of course, it's clear that Blur, and particularly Damon Albarn, will leave a much more significant creative legacy than Oasis, in spite of Noel and Liam's stupendous arrogance.
Paul Tyrrell, London, UK
Britpop was great for so many reasons. It tied in with Euro 96 the following summer and it seemed that Oasis and Blur were the new Beatles and Stones. Although that hasn't been the case it really annoys me that all these people who loved Oasis and the other Britpop bands at the time are now slagging them off saying they were not that good anyway. I defy anyone to listen to Don't Look Back in Anger and not sing along. I also defy anyone to listen to Coldplay and not feel depressed. That's what made Britpop great. Unlike depressing American bands, who just wanted to moan and ultimately destroy, Britpop was about the desire to Live Forever.
Terry, Bishop's Stortford
It's a testimony to Blur's excellence that they have managed, so well, to evolve and remain interesting whilst Oasis has settled for banging out the same old stuff. I think the mid-nineties was a real highlight for music in Britain and it's been, overall, pretty dire since.
Ben , Taunton
Britpop - it got me through my teenage years with an excellent taste in music and a hunger to continually find something new to listen to. Without Britpop I would have been sucked into the vortex of boy bands and girl power! Thanks for the memories!
Hannah Smith, Newcastle, Staffordshire
It was my University years when Britpop kicked off, the music complemented life there brilliantly. I will always remember the many club nights blasting out Blur's Parklife, and Pulp's Common People! I still strive to go to those clubs that play this music today!!
Darren Jarman, Manchester, UK
I remember seeing Blur, Pulp and Supergrass at Ally Pally. Everybody in the audience knew that something special was happening to British music.
Scott Dogg, Manchester
In 1995, I was just finishing off my GCSEs and in a bit of a transitional period music wise. In January, a mate lent me Suede's first album, and they became my new favourite band. A couple of months later I started getting into Pulp after hearing the album His n' Hers. They soon usurped Suede after I saw Jarvis Cocker interviewed on This Morning and realising how lovely he was. Pulp were on TV lots during that summer and I remember hearing almost all of what was to be A Different Class on their various appearance. The highlight was Glastonbury, of course and I wish to this day that I'd been there. Blur and Oasis were OK, I probably preferred Blur over Oasis. I remember listening to the Top 40 on the way back from a holiday in the Lake District where I heard the result of their single dual. I am lucky have seen all three of the big Britpop bands at one time or another - except Supergrass and Radiohead. The first time was Pulp's performance at Newcastle Uni in 1995. I'm still a Pulp fan, despite their current 'dormant' status - but whatever the Britpop bands do in future, I doubt that it will top 1995.
Rosie, London
Highlights of the summer of '95 were the Blur/Ned's Atomic Dustbin/Elastica show in Toronto (last Ned's show ever) and Noel and Bonehead at CFNY studios at Bloor and Bathurst when someone called in and asked Noel "If he's always been a *****, or just since he became famous." Best concerts of the year, The Charlatans and Suede, both at the Warehouse.
Christopher Dunn, Toronto, Canada
A legacy? - Oasis bequeathed Robbie Williams and had to give a credit to Neil Innes for ripping off a Rutles song!
Jason Parkes, Worcester
It strikes me that most of the best records that could be tagged Britpop are relatively ignored - the first two Suede albums and the first two Auteurs records. Even more interesting is the anti-Britpop trilogy from Luke Haines: 'After Murder Park' by The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof & 'England Made Me' by Black Box Recorder. I liked it more a few years later when everyone, even Blur & Pulp were depressed. Apart from Kaiser Chiefs and The Rakes- who nod to Blur and Pulp nodding to XTC, Bowie et al, most hip new bands these days (Interpol, Bloc Party, Editors, Bravery)nod to the post-punk era and acts like Joy Division, The Cure and Gang of Four. Britpop hardly registers compared to that movement and could be seen as just an example of post-modern intertextual reference...
Jason Parkes, Worcester, UK
None of the bands or sounds of Britpop have or will ever stand the test of time. Apart from some dance music, the 90s was a terrible decade for music - even worse than the early 70s. Britpop was a parochial phenomenon - it never did anything beyond these shores and was only liked by people who knew no better.
JL, London
I'll watch the programme, as I enjoyed John Harris's book 'The Last Party.' Saying that, the majority of the bands were poor and haven't stood the test of time. The exceptions being the work of Luke Haines (The Auteurs/Baader Meinhof), Pulp, and the first two Suede records. Maybe 'Modern Life is Rubbish' and 'Elastica' too. I find it a bit sad that Kaiser Chiefs seem to be resurrecting Britpop- which was a 90s movement that was clearly retro, borrowing from XTC, Elvis Costello, Madness, The Kinks, The Fall, The Jam & other bands who should be mentioned in context to Britpop. I could live without the cocaine-bonhomie, the self-celebration and the Cool Britannia bandwagon Tony Blair jumped on. Most of these bands made better records after the movement fell - 'This is Hardcore' and 'Blur' were much finer albums than anything at the peak of Britpop. As for a legacy? - Oasis bequeathed Robbie Williams and had to give a credit to Neil Innes for ripping off a Rutles-song!!!
! Jason Parkes, Worcester, UK
For me, the Britpop experience was encapsulated in 10 glorious days in the summer of '96. 3 mates and I had tickets for England's group games at Wembley, the sun was out, and we lived the Life of Riley for 2 weeks. Great music championed by the new Radio 1 DJ's - we woke every morning to Chris Evans and the Boo Radleys. Ash, Supergrass, Blur, Pulp, Suede Oasis et al were the backdrop to a hot summer of birds, footy and pizza. What a difference to the world I inhabit today...
Scott Craig, Portsmouth
I liked both bands (and still do) and didn't see the point of the media inflated battle between the bands. If forced to make a choice then Blur, but probably only because I saw them live in that summer supporting R.E.M and loved Damon's energy and the way he was trying to give out water to some very hot fans as the performance was during a heatwave. I remember the summer well as it was just after I finished university was my last long summer holiday before I had to start working hard and have responsibilities.
Kathy, Cambridge UK
Despite being firmly in the Blur camp, I actually owned albums by both bands... I kept quiet about that
Patrick, Anglesey
I was only 15 sitting in my bedroom in Mexico watching MTV when Pulp came on, the Common People video, I was static, it changed my life! Britpop reminds me the best time of my life, it inspired me, it changed the way I saw the world. Now years later I'm still the biggest Pulp fan and Britpop still sounds as fresh as it did 10 years ago.
Paola Williamson, Mexico/UK
Wow, this means I've been an indie kid (with a brief flirtation with goth around age 16) for over 10 years! Britpop (in particular Parklife) came along just as i was getting old enough to get fed up with Take That, and I remember issues of Smash Hits with both them and groups like Blur, Menswear and Ash in! As I gradually moved on to Select and Melody Maker, my interest in the genre reached obsessive levels, listening to the Evening Session every evening, notebook in hand, and seeking out rare singles every Saturday. Although my interest has waned somewhat (a job and life taking up too much time to still be completely obsessed with music!) I still listen to Xfm and go to indie clubs, and have formed a number of friendships online based on our shared music taste and age. Blur's music certainly has stood the test of time (I was always a Blur girl, still convinced I'll marry Alex James one day!) and Damon's work with both Gorillaz and world music proves a talent far outweighing Liam and Noel's MOR pap.
Vickie Cherington, Cambridge, UK
I remember sometime in 95, where every band on TOTP was a guitar/Britpop band, where every song in the top 5 was what would now be called "Alternative". For me, Britpop simply allowed great alternative music to cruise onto the mainstream. How times change. It really highlights what a depressing age we live in, in terms of music, politics and indeed culture.
Stuart, Ipswich, UK
My biggest recollection was the polarity of it all, Blur fans and Oasis fans actually refusing to talk to one another during the "Battle". Despite being firmly in the Blur camp, I actually owned albums by both bands... I kept quiet about that.
Patrick, Anglesey, North Wales, UK
My recollection is of the curious version of Wonderwall put out by the wonderful but bizarre Mike Flowers Pops which somehow overshadowed Oasis' version. I also remember Pulp's Common People which struck a cord as my boyfriend at the time was the sort of middle class person who liked to hang out with 'real' people. this included playing pool and smoking dope. Fine times!
Helen Exeter,
The summer of 1995 was the last summer I was at home in the UK, and what incredible memories it brings back. Being 17, and living near enough to London to be in the city whenever I wanted to be meant that I can't hear any "Britpop" without remembering that wherever I live, I'll always be a 17 year old Britpop kid at heart. Whenever I'm homesick, it's still the music I listen to in order to remember who I am, not who I've become.
Anna, Baltimore, USA (originally Kingston Upon Thames)
1995....I don't think at the time we realised what was going on, but we still remember the year as being the best for music. I went to my first gigs that year - REM, Radiohead, The Cranberries, Blur... I've been decorating the last couple of weeks to a soundtrack of Blur's back catalogue... and it's been fantastic!
Jane, Manchester
I was 17, Chelsea had just signed Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes and Blur followed Parklife with the even better Great Escape
Chris, London
The Radio 1 Evening Session played a huge role in creating/promoting Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley had a real passion for the music. I was an avid listener and read Select magazine cover-to-cover. I was lucky enough to be 18 at the time and, for me, the Britpop explosion had the same energy experienced by our parents' generation in the 60s when the Beatles emerged. Think the likes of Keane, Kaiser Chiefs etc are doing a fine job of keeping this tradition up. My fave track: Pulp - Do you remember the first time?
Dan, Derby, UK
1995 was the year I finished school. I bought the NME each week and remember seeing the huge in-store display promoting the Oasis vs Blur chart battle. Still, the best album of the year was released by an American band - Tomorrow the Green Grass by the Jayhawks!
Nigel Smith, London
I have great memories from 1995. There was a real buzz around the scene; and I attended many great gigs with the most amazing and celebratory carnival-like atmospheres. As for albums released during 1995, I personally don't think any other year has come close to matching the depth of top quality releases. Too many to mention but Teenage Fanclub's 'Grand Prix' and Supergrass' debut 'I should Coco' really stood out.
Matt, Birmingham, UK
First hearing Oasis on the Evening Session. Dance music was then long forgotten
Steve, Manchester
The summer of 1995 still remains one of those golden moments. I was 17, Chelsea had just signed Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes and Blur followed 'Parklife' with the even better 'Great Escape'. I can still remember where I was when I listened to the chart count down during on the Sunday afternoon when Blur beat Oasis to the number 1 spot. Just for a few short months, British music was leading the way in the field and everyone wanted to be associated with Britpop (not sadly Pop Idol now!) And still Chelsea managed to finish 11th that year - how things change.....
Chris, London, UK
..from what I remember (I was about 10) it was all pretty much created by the media, a big lie. This is nothing new when it comes to music, but I really can't see that very much good came out of this period short of 'lad' culture and the willingness to accept average music. Music, which gave way for the tat which we like to call rock music today - I'm not about to reel of a lot of band names, turn on the radio and you'll hear for yourself (excluding evil 'R&B' and the remains of what has always been awful European pop) For me 'Britpop' is a term for a period which an embarrassing time in British music history when people were fooled into thinking that their music actually mattered, when in fact it was a media fronted selling scam, which made a lot of people who couldn't even tap their foot along to the music very rich.
Alex Delarge, Oxfordshire
I remember music being so important to me back then, dressing in Fred Perry and Adidas retro jackets and enjoying my youth!
Emily, UK
I was 17 in 1995 living in Northern Ireland. My friends and I were into Britpop after grunge ended. The music was fun and original, something unique the UK could be proud of. 'I Should Coco' by Supergrass and 'A Different Class' from Pulp were a perfect soundtrack to my teenage years. My friends and I are having a 10 year reunion and I am sure that pulling out some of these tunes will go down well.
Brian Scott, London
I remember Britpop with such fondness and nostalgia. I was studying for my A levels in 1995 and the classic Britpop songs made my Summer holidays. When I hear them now, I am filled with memories of happy days, not to mention the fact that they were really good songs. They were songs that I was proud of, unlike some of today's very poor British acts, of which there are too many to name. I am glad, however, to see the return of the 'bands', who play and write their own music. But nothing will replace hearing the start of 'Country House' or 'She's Electric' for me though, to name just two of the great songs produced...I get goose pimples just thinking about it!!
Beth, Cardiff
Oh the golden days of Britpop, the music of my formative years. I remember music being so important to me back then, dressing in Fred Perry and Adidas retro jackets and enjoying my youth!
Emily, UK
Both Oasis and Blur now show that they deserved the hype and credit they got when they were at their height. Both bands have developed and Oasis' new album is as good as Be Here Now. Which I personally think is very underrated.
Adam Camm, Maidenhead
Oasis were the one band you came through the "Brit Pop" scene and went from strength to strength. Playing Knebworth whilst all these Brit Pop bands supported them, they were the yard stick and still are.
Matt O'Brien, York, UK
I totally disagree with all the people who continually say Oasis did not crack the USA. The first three albums had combined sales of 6 million in the USA. Whats the story Morning Glory has sold more than any of the Coldplay Albums, it shifted 18 million. The new Oasis album landed in at 12, not to bad is it?
kaz, West Midlands, UK
Britpop doesn't sum up the era enough...too many important bands were ignored in this period, Oasis and Blur were always important, but the Indie scene which surrounded bands like Elastica, Shed Seven and Ocean Colour Scene were far more important. Except for the 1960's it was the most exciting period in british music to date, who needs Razorlight when you have SHED SEVEN!!!
Bobby, Croydon, London
In this genre of indie/rock the past couple of years have been almost as phenomenal as my great memories of 94/95. I've seen Franz Ferdinand grow in stature during 2004; I could not even get in to see them at a New York gig, not even the scalpers had tickets! Their stagecraft has improved to the point where in 2006 they will be playing arenas and stadia.
Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, London, UK
It is very clear that all the names from the 95 era are pretty much done, with a few obvious exceptions that still have a lot to offer. British music has not sounded better until now when you have a great mix of new indie bands. This started some 18mths ago and suddenly the media is starting to sit up and listen to what most people already knew was happening. Sadily 10 years on the bouncing around for hours hurts that little more the next day!
Mischa Pakhomoff, London
Having watched "Britpop Now!" during Britpop night (for the first time since year 9 at school),I was amazed how good some of it still sounds-even Menswear who I remember as completely talentless chumps, they sounded very contemporary. Can't help feeling this must be depressing for today's bands to find they sound less revolutionary than the chancer's of last decade's scene. I'm writing this whilst listening to "Young & Lovely" by Blur and thinking what a cool time it was to be young. Sorted!
Ian, Shropshire,UK
For me, Britpop was a jingoistic and fatuous media construct which merely stopped bands like Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers getting the attention they deserved. Blur's best work was actually produced before and after Britpop, and Oasis were and still are a one-trick pony.
Chris, Leeds, UK
Blur may have won the battle. Oasis may have won the war. Pulp out-lived and out-played them all.
Ray Thomas, Solva, Pembrokeshire (now Columbus, Ohio)
I was 9 at the time. I loved Parklife and What's the Story, as well as Urban Hymns. I knew all the words to Don't Look Back in Anger, even then -they just meant nothing. But now? I have All Change by Cast, Parklife by Blur, What's the Story and Definitely Maybe by Oasis, Hits by Blur, Urban Hymns, Liquid Skin and OK Computer. All of which I listen to regularly. For me, even for those bands that still chart, or whose members still do (ie, Damon Albarn and Gorillaz), the mid 90s will always see the best they've produced. Many still produce great music, but as good as then? I don't think so. I was pleasantly suprised recently when "The Importance of Being Idle" ranked as one of the very few post 1996 hits from Oasis that actually bares listening to. Don't you just wish they'd all gone gracefully??
Simon, Chester
Looking back.......PULP were excellent.....Blur......good...OASIS....apalling......things have gone from bad to worse since then. Coldplay are whingers and all their music sounds the same!!!
Glenn, Primrose Hill, London
Magalluf summer of '95 will always hold fond memories for me. Blur, Oasis, Dodgy, Pulp, Supergrass, Elastica. Lads riding round on Mopeds proudly displaying their Oasis t-shirts. Kopping off with girls to the sounds of Parklife and Live Forever. I was in my early 20's and getting fed up with manufactured pop bands. I had some of the best nights out with these bands playing their part. So what the press 'manufactured' the name Britpop. The feelgood factor was what counted and people just connected with the great music and personality of the bands involved. Thanks for the ride guys.
Kev, Liverpool, England
Bands like Coldplay produce music of much more universal appeal than Britpop artists.
Brian Sloan, Cambridge, UK
I wish I could have lived in the UK at that time. It was a real big thing that was going on. It was fresh! About Oasis and Blur's battle, I prefer Oasis. Blur was, of course, a very good band. They represent the britpop era very well. But Oasis were (and I think they still are) the Kings. Oasis were more simple, but, er, better! They had the power, and that was it. Nowadays you have great indie bands in the UK, and Noel Gallagher can tell you about some of the good bands. On the other side, you have Gorillaz. Sells a lot, but it's just not good. I prefer Blur. Well, I prefer Oasis. 1995 Oasis! cheers!
Pedro, Porto Alegre, Brazil
To me, Britpop is looked at with a bit too much nostalgia. The two best bands at the time, in my opinion, were Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers, both I felt making a better kind of class of music than Oasis or Blur. And as for Oasis' legacy, I still feel Robbie Williams will go down in musical history far more than they will.
Mike, Harlow
While the Britpop era saw some pretty good tunes, the real music pioneers were those working at and releasing on MoWax & Warp. There were other smaller labels, but these two consistently put out some immense material and encourage fans to delve a little deeper into the past for their heroes, Silver Apples, Sun Ra, Can, David Axelrod etc...... A British movement to be genuinely proud of and revered in Japan, US, World Wide not just hyped at home!
Stu, Warks
Britpop was a tag invented by the press to help stir up interest in the stories the Oasis lads generated which the papers so loved to print in 1995. Great British music had been there before in the years leading up to 1995 with acts like The Stone Roses, Charlatans, The Cure and The Smiths to name a few. Britpop label or not I really enjoyed the likes of Oasis, Pulp, Radiohead, Suede, Manics etc in a world where dance music and PWL pop was really starting to take over.
Oasis really were the real thing. No stage school training, natural talent and attitude by the shed load.A songwriter with knowledge and respect of good music from the past which he blatantly drew from to good effect added to the mix. A healthy music scene also inspires people to form bands, back in the early 90s pubs and clubs were heaving with great unsigned bands before the turntable took hold absolutely everywhere. The current new wave of bands is also really refreshing. Now in my early 30s I'm back to buying as many new albums as I did ten years ago.
Jason, Lincs
No one seems to have mentioned The Stone Roses' comeback, they released 'Second Coming' in 1995 and followed with a tour of the UK. As a fan the first time around but far too young to watch them in their Spike Island days, I tagged on with my older brother to see them at Bridlington Spa aged 13!! So 1995 is quite special for me too.
AL, South Yorkshire
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BRITPOP 10 YEARS ON
Blur singer Damon Albarn (left) with Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker Britpop's birth
How UK music found its voice again
Liam Gallagher Blur v Oasis
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Louise Wener Where are they?
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Martin Carr of The Boo Radleys 'I survived Britpop'
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EVENTS OF 1995
Britpop year's highlights
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Battle for supremacy
Blur/Oasis chart result
HAVE YOUR SAY
Your memories of Britpop
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