In the wake of the collapse of grunge in the early 90′s, British rock experienced a short-lived renaissance. Shirking the dominant influence American music had had, English bands drew inspiration from their rich musical legacy. Characterized by hooky, catchy progressions and an unmistakably British delivery that included thick accents and British slang, the movement that came to be known as Britpop yielded a wealth of fantastic albums. Here are five albums that capture the scope of the movement in broad strokes:
The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (5/2/89)
Along with the self-titled La’s album, this represents the first spark of the Britpop fire. Although it predates the movement by a few years, most of the essential qualities are present. The album’s influence would be great and immediate. Opening with the sublime “I Wanna Be Adored”, the quality never dips. John Squire’s guitar work is superlative, reverb-drenched beauty. Ian Brown spits, mumbles, snarls and occasionally sings. He’s fantastic. (Liam Gallagher would appropriate his delivery, streamlining to great success.) This is the beginning, friends.
Blur - Parklife (4/25/94)
Blur is one of the two most successful Britpop acts, a band that is virtually synonymous with the movement. Although they lost the Britpop battle to their rivals, Oasis (more on them shortly), history has been kinder to Blur, as evidenced by the reception of their recent reunion. Parklife covers a lot of musical ground, from the disco groove of “Boys and Girls” to the punky aggression of “Bank Holiday”. The lyrical heir to Ray Davies’ subversive wit, Parklife offers a fragmented view of British culture through the eyes of an unimpressed Damon Albarn. Truly a great, great album.
Oasis – Definitely Maybe (8/30/94)
The other biggest Britpop act, Oasis was the only one to make any significant impact on the American market. (That was thanks to “Wonderwall”, an excruciating ballad on an otherwise great album, but I digress.) Released almost exactly four months after Parklife, Definitely Maybe is more stylistically consistent. Oasis wanted to be The Beatles, but they sounded more like Slade. Despite the fact that they can still fill large venues across the globe, Oasis alienated many serious music fans with their arrogance and penchant for borrowing musical ideas from their influences. It’s a shame because Definitely Maybe is fantastic. Pure Rock n Roll.
Suede – Coming Up (9/2/96)
In 1996 Britpop was going strong. The rapture and devil-may-care attitude of the era is beautifully captured on Suede’s Coming Up. Suede didn’t reach the heights of success of the other bands on this list, but they were on the ground floor of the movement. With Coming Up, they aspired to make an album that sounded like a “best of” collection and succeeded. Glammy, trashy and wonderfully over-the-top, Coming Up crystallizes the immediacy and vigor of Brit Pop at its most accessible.
Pulp – This is Hardcore (3/30/98)
As George Harrison once sang, “all things must pass”. By 1998, they Britpop bubble had burst. Oasis had released a shitty album. Blur had begun to experiment with other genres. The dream could no longer sustain and cold hard reality crashed through the gates. Thank god Pulp gave us closure with This is Hardcore, a stark, reflective album that acknowledges the eruption of anxiety and ennui that had been percolating throughout the movement. Pulp’s previous album, Different Class, was a better album, but this album is the perfect book-end to the movement. It’s a little bleak, sure, but you can always follow it up with The Stone Roses.
