Be Excellent To Each Other

Whilst they were ace, they weren't Britpop, sadly missing out on the first half of the qualification requirements.

See: The Cardigans.

Heh.

I was exactly the right age when this stuff came out, which is almost certainly the only reason I've actually even heard most of these bands. I actually had to play a couple of Oasis songs in the band I was in at the time, which certainly wouldn't happen now.

I definitely agree with Blucey that the previous generation of middle class cunts brit rock was much mure interesting with it's dancey influences.

Brit Pop is like an alternate reality where the (inaccurate) critisism of the Beatles encouraging banality was correct because in that reality Oasis really do sound like the Beatles.

My opinions (aka definitive FACTS):

- Oasis did have some good songwriting on their first 2 (or 1.5) albums, although in every other way they are awful. The production is diabolical, and this is coming from someone who likes listening to audience bootlegs. From memory, the second album is half a semitone sharp. This is clearly not deliberate because it sounds so utterly sludgy and muddy, like they dropped the tapes in a ditch, that it's clearly incompetence. They also play songs like they are acoustic songs on noisy overdriven guitars. You don't play an electric guitar the same way as an acoustic, idiots. You also don't need two guitarists if that's all you're doing. Also, Noel Gallagher is one of the most souless, half-arsed guitarists ever.

- The Bluetones were pretty good, although purely because they just nicked Led Zeppelin chords and played them very slowly.

- I remember that I hated the girl from Sleeper, but can't remember why. I heard one of their songs about a year ago and it's funny how bad stuff sounds without the rose-tinted effect of trendiness.

- Conversely, I quite liked Catatonia, but entirely because I quite fancied her at the time (don't now though). Can't remember the music, and frankly, don't really care.

- Echo Belly were another band that people only liked because of the fit singer.

- To me, Blur went from being utterly hateful toffee-nosed wankers to being pretty fantastic on their later 'post brit pop' albums. I suppose they just grew up. Actually there was an intermediate period in between where they went all easy listening, which I hated even more.

- The first half of the first Supergrass album is truely special and timeless.

- What I've heard from Pulp (Different Class, basically) is excellent. Notably, the non-single tracks are really good.

- Are the Cardigans brit pop? Wait - no, they aren't because they aren't British.

- Also remember that band who had one number one single and disappeared into obscurity? I think they had a jeans ad, and then their moronic singer announced that they were going to change the face of music. I thought it was Space, but reading this thread, that's the wrong band.

There's loads of bands that are really terrible, but as with any genre there's no point in using them to discredit it if there's good bands too. On the other hand, you could argue that the genre's success led to even more banality in the form of Coldplay and the Verve etc. Music to sleep to!

EDIT - due to my inability to write a coherent sentence.

Was that Stiltskin?

Inside was fucking awesome. Not even a little bit britpop though.

No, I remember them, though. Everyone loved that song but I just couldn't get into it. I think they blew it by releasing a dodgy album. they must've had something going for them as the singer ended up in Genesis, which is good going when you think about it regardless of the fact that Genesis were also making awful albums at the time.

The band I'm thinking of had a song called 'Space Man', I think. They had a (weak) follow up single called Animal Nation? or something that might've got to number 18ish. They were funny and not really very good.

Babylon Zoo - Bloody awful.

Babylon Zoo?

True, but was it at least from a jeans ad initially?

Babylon Zoo! Yes! Cheers! Even the band's name was crap.

Yeah, Inside was a Jeans ad.

Doubt it. A bit heavy for a jeans ad.

The only reason that song got popular it seems was that the opening was a bit of the song largely sped up, then it decended into a boring dirge.

Very much

Are we talking about Inside or Spaceman now?

I was talking about this spanner:

Ah, right, yes.

I remember at the time him appearing on telly and proclaiming his own genius. Looking back I can't decide if he was really that deluded or if he was blatantly taking the piss.

Was that on a Chris Morris show? I think it might have been Brass Eye.

He has the look of the horribly, horribly over self important.

I think he did but I'm pretty sure that was only after he'd established himself as a massive bell-end.

Were Babylon Zoo the ones who released Space Man? I remember seeing him on TV wearing a silver dress.

edit: oh yeah, here we go:



Paul Carr.

I bet he's an Emo now his Spacetwerp phase is over.

Well, he can GTFF if he thinks he's moving into my corner.

It was the fastest selling debut single ever at the time (before X Factor and the like came along and ruined that), getting to number 1 in 23 countries. The 'emo' there sang and wrote it, making him a very rich man very quickly.
If I had to dress up when I went on TV to do that, best believe I would.

His name is Jas Mann.

Dude. You are looking at yourself in 10 years time.

Oh. Then I, for one, welcome our new bellend silverlords.

"To say Jas Mann is to say THE man who's totally Babylon Zoo. He's the chung wit, the biff boff and the puff pastry hangman."



One of my favourite interviews ever.

Proto-Nickelback, though I liked it at the time.


This is the Britpop thread, you know. Par for the course.

Britpop was never (Radiohead aside) as dirge-y as what it turned into - Coldplay/Travis/Snow Patrol.

That's true actually. In fact, it was the retro-fetishising, jingoist, Mockney, cheeky chappy stuff that I hated about that scene. That and the unsexiness of it all.

The more dirgey elements (the early 90s Creation stuff, later (and earlier) Blur, Mogwai et al) was much better.

Having written that, I do apologise. I didn't mean to neg up a celebratory thread. This is what happens when one of my one-liners is corrected!

"Chris Evans and Shed Seven will save the UK music scene."

Oh so very very much this.

Also: sweet baby Jesus but Lush were awesome.

What always bothered me about them was that she doesn't even sound Welsh. A Welsh stroke victim, maybe. Who's chewing a cat. In a fire.

That song was years ahead of its time, though. Not saying it was great - at the time I fucking loathed it (1995/6, wasn't it? I remember all the dickheads at school banging on about it), but it was pretty different.

Well yeah. I'd do far worse for far less probably, if the cash was upfront.

The first Catatonia album, Way Beyond Blue, was brilliant, you loons. The later stuff when she went all weird was not, however, any good at all. Notable issues being that fucking terrible duet with Tommy from Space. Space being, for the avoidance of doubt, the worst band ever.


Pete - regretfully you have lost many, many points by not reco'nizing the awesomeness of the Bluetones.

I was feeling all nostalgic yesterday, so shoved on a bit of Sleeper. 'What Do I Do Now', 'Sale Of The Century' and 'Nice Guy Eddie' are still fantastic tunes alright, but my God, Louise Wener couldn't sing for shit, could she?

"You've Got a Lot to Answer For" and "Sweet Catatonia" are still great tracks.

Her terrible voice kind of suited their early, rawer stuff (Delicious, for example), but the later, better produced, more tuneful stuff is just crying out for a better singer.

After reading through this thread and reminiscing, I don't think Britpop was that bad, when you consider it was pop music rather than 'alternative' music, if that makes sense. Certainly one of the least bad pop music eras I've lived through, admittedly that's damning with faint praise.

Still, I do kinda agree with Blucey that the early '90s had more innovative, better for music than the Britpop era, once you've sorted the metaphorical from the chaff.

Bah, you've clearly forgotten these fellow britpop pan-flashers. I used to like that song too, fuck me.

The whole Britpop thing came around just as I was really starting to get into music, so for better or worse left a heavy impression on me. I'm quite pleased that my favourite album of the era still sounds as great as ever ('Elastica', natch), and that other faves Lush and Blur still hold up well. I didn't like Echobelly at the time for some reason, though in hindsight they're clearly fantastic. Other crushes were Sleeper (some good songs still), Salad (hmm) and Fluffy (dies). Not a bad time for gals with guitars, which always gets a major thumbs up from me.

Armando Iannucci agrees with me.

Though I did like the Blood Bubble track that featured on Spaced. If you were to change my mind, what album would you fling at my head? They're my mate Fenton's favest band ever, he's always nipping off to Bristol to watch them.

When was Belle & Seb's 'Lazy Line Painter Jane'? If the 90's then it was the bestest song of the 90's.

Oh Christ. I forgot about them. My fave indie night in Cardiff has a DJ who's pretty damn good, but can be highly influenced by those he wants to impress, a certain friend of mine whom he has the hots for is one of them. Me and friend were laughing about the crapness of Menswear, and for a joke he put it down on his request sheet.

The DJ plays it all the time now.

We haven't the heart to tell him.

Is it just me or do fads like Britpop become more popular because a lot of the music is quite easy to play for wannabe bands. Here is my evidence:

Punk: This was basically about finding an aggressive pattern that repeated itself rather swiftly. Lyrics were about how much you hated stuff.

Grunge: About finding a loop of chords that felt slightly introverted and a little uncormfortable. Lyrics were about how much you wanted to be in a band but felt upset about being rich and famous when it actually happened.

Britpop: Pick out a catchy twang that is the main emphasis of your entire song. Slight pauses followed by a slightly firmer rendition of the chorus are the order of the day here. Lyrics can be about the tension between a shy boy speaking to a girl he likes or other British pursuits such as meeting on the tube.

Each of these persuasions of pop are very simple for people who want to learn an instrument and have a bit of patience to play within a week of starting. I dunno it is just a theory.

I was gonna mention this set of bastards, but... the song isn't as appalling as I remember. It's like slo-mo So-Cal punk. Sort of.

Anyway, Space were worse than either Northern Uproar or Menswear, on account of they were actually successful. Them and Cast.

Oooh! Oooh! ooooh! Marion! Molly Half Head! Spitfire!* DODGY!

Pete - The Expecting to Fly album is properly classic, and if you don't like it you're officially Dead Inside. Sozzleberries, old chap, but that's just the way The Almighty has decreed the world to be - I don't make the rules, I just help people smack down other people who DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES.

Brtpop was aces


*I mean the pre-elastica spitfire from what their drummer was from.

I disliked the Britpop.
OK, there's a few good tunes in there, especially with the nostalgic setting on, but it's not for me.

Did like Space a bit though.

You're broken.

I bet you don't even like the Proclaimers.


Not Britpop, but same era - Natalie Imbrugligugliauglia. Aces.

I'm getting more and more disturbed by the amount of Space-love in this thread.