Between seeing Jarvis Cocker at the Pitchfork Music Festival, and watching the Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett promo for the Olympics, I’ve thinking about the era in the 1990s when the sun never set on the Britpop empire. Led by Blur (above), Oasis, and Pulp, British acts dominated the UK charts with songs about, well, being British. In a conscious rejection of US culture (especially the rise of grunge), 90s Britpop married lyrics focused on the lives of working-class Brits—as exemplified by Pulp’s “Common People”—with anthemic or catchy pop tunes, drawing from British-Invasion-era antecedents like The Kinks. The music was seen as part of the larger “Cool Britannia” cultural movement, kind of a nationalism-lite. In 1997, after 18 straight years of Conservative leadership, the young (well, relatively speaking) Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister with a Labour government, and he allied himself with the music and the scene, as a way of associating himself and Labour with youth and change. That was probably its death knell, and the idea of “Cool Britannia” quickly became trite. In retrospect, of course, that cultural moment appears as a bright spot of peace and optimism before 9/11, the 7/7 subway bombings, and the ongoing aftermath. And its music lives on.
This is the first of a series of Britpop reels I'm doing. Each one will have ten artists in it. They account for the full scope of Britpop starting from the end of the 80s right through to the second wave in the 00s.
In this first clip: Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Verve, Coldplay, Pulp, Kula Shaker
Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Ruin by Luke Haines Times Online, UK - Jan 2, 2009 By customary acclaim, the big winners of British stun in the 1990s were the “Britpop” bands and it is they who have had the statement football to themselves ever
In unison a all the same to rediscover '70s power-pop company Gloomy Ash New York Regularly Word, NY - Jan 4, 2009 fit into the emerging "power pop" white horse, which found American groups countering the bloat of the era's art-escarpment with a absent-minded interest to Mod-era Britpop.
Certified Web Sites New York Times, Synergetic States - 12 hours ago He bawls earnestly and unprettily — though often with the telltale effect of Auto-Tune up — in the ritual of Britpop, even quoting an Safe harbour individual.
Britpop - Wikipedia
Wikipedia herein outlines Britpop's catchy style, British Invasion roots, short lived history, overwhelming commercial success, and richly influential legacy. Features links to major Britpop bands and figures like Suede and Damon Albarn.
Britpop - allmusic
Allmusic defines and categorizes the great, mid-1990s musical explosion which simultaneously revived British music and responded to Grunge. Page includes a very solid history article, related styles, as well as top artists, albums, and songs.
