Britpop
| Britpop | |
|---|---|
| File:40682146 select 203300.jpg | |
| Stylistic origins | British Invasion, Glam rock, Indie rock, Madchester, Mod revival, New Wave, Punk rock |
| Cultural origins | early 1990s, United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | Guitar - Bass - Drums - Keyboards |
| Subgenres | |
| New wave of new wave, Lion Pop (complete list) | |
| Regional scenes | |
| England - Scotland - Wales - Northern Ireland | |
| Other topics | |
| Timeline of alternative rock | |
Britpop was a British alternative rock and cultural movement which gained popularity in Great Britain in the mid 1990s, characterised by the prominence of bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. Although these bands did not on the whole have a single unifying sound they were grouped together by the media first as a 'scene' and later as a national cultural movement. Blur, Oasis and Pulp are generally considered the scene's most prominent acts;[1][2] other major bands associated with Britpop at various stages included Suede, Elastica, Ocean Colour Scene, Supergrass, and The Verve.
The movement developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Acid house and the rise of hip hop had led to a renewed interest in groove and rhythm-led songs in British indie music, leading to the Madchester sound. Meanwhile, the shoegazing movement of the late 1980s/early 1990s, exemplified by bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, also went against the trend by producing long, psychedelic, repetitive songs. Both of these sounds had little in common with more "traditional" guitar pop.
However, the key "anti-influence" on Britpop was grunge. In the wake of the American invasion led by bands like Nirvana, many bands such as Blur incorporated a patriotic rhetoric into their music, writing about uniquely British topics and concerns.
Roots and Influences
Britpop groups were strongly influenced by the British guitar music of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the two Rock and Roll trends of the British Invasion: the "rocker" cornerstones like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and their Mod contemporaries like The Who, The Kinks, and The Small Faces. Also influential were 1970s and 1980s glam artists such as David Bowie and T. Rex and punk rock artists like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, and the Buzzcocks.
Indie acts from the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly lyrically-based bands such as The Smiths and James, were the direct ancestors of the Britpop movement. The Madchester scene was another large influence. The movement was fronted by The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, and Inspiral Carpets (for whom Oasis' Noel Gallagher had worked as a roadie during the Madchester years). Perhaps an indirect influence were the C86 bands, who largely played poppy indie guitar music. Many bands that would later be grouped under the Britpop umbrella, such as Primal Scream, originally started off as C86 bands.
In spite of the professed disdain for both shoegazing and grunge among many at the time, some elements of both crept into the more enduring facets of Britpop. Noel Gallagher has since championed Ride (to the point of including Andy Bell in Oasis) while Martin Carr of the Boo Radleys has pointed out Dinosaur Jr's influence on their work.
Though Britpop came to the fore around 1994, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where and when the movement actually began. Due to its influence on the later acts, The Stone Roses, released in 1989, is sometimes regarded as the first Britpop album. Noel Gallagher has put forward his belief the it was The La's self-titled debut The La's, released in 1990. Others claim Gallagher's own debut, Definitely Maybe (1994), Suede's debut album Suede (1993), or Blur's breakthrough, Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), deserve this distinction for helping to kick-start the movement.
Journalist John Harris has suggested that Britpop began when Blur's single "Popscene" and Suede's "The Drowners" were released around the same time in the spring of 1992. He stated "...if Britpop started anywhere, it was the deluge of acclaim that greeted Suede's first records: all of them audacious, successful and very, very British".[3]
(1990s) History
The origins of Britpop lie primarily in the indie scene of the early 1990s, and in particular around a group of bands feted by the music press and involved in a vibrant social scene focused in the Camden area of London. Some of the most notable members of this scene (Blur, Lush, Suede) would go on to play a leading part in Britpop. Others such as Kingmaker, Slowdive, Spitfire (UK band) and Ride would not.
It could be argued that the transition from the indie scene of the early nineties to Britpop was so gradual that it is difficult or even meaningless to attempt to identify a crossover point. An upturn in commercial ambition and success is probably the main ingredient that distinguished Britpop from what had gone before.
However, some bands also showed a discernible shift to adopting an overtly British and primarily working-class aesthetic. Whereas punk and US influences (eg Pixies, The Velvet Underground) had dominated in the early 1990s, the two highest-profile indie bands just prior to Britpop (Blur and Suede) took pointedly British influences (The Kinks for Blur, David Bowie for Suede, and The Smiths for both).
The imagery associated with both bands was equally British and working class. Suede's lyrics and videos dealt with the seedier side of suburban and sink estate life. Blur (at the time of the Modern Life Is Rubbish LP) introduced perhaps the most critical element of the Britpop movement - a Mod-influenced 1960s view of English life, portrayed through a clear lyrical narrative, in stark contrast to the shoegazing and Madchester scenes that had gone before. Blur's promotion of Modern Life Is Rubbish also prefigured the rise in male working class values within the media, with the band in press photos straining to control a pitbull terrier, and the words "British image no 1" graffittied on a wall behind them. This rise of unabashed maleness, exemplified by Loaded magazine and lad culture in general, would be very much part of the Britpop era.
The term "Britpop" had been used in the late 1980s (in Sounds magazine by journalist, Goldblade frontman and TV pundit John Robb referring to bands such as The La's, Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets and The Bridewell Taxis). "Britpop" arose around the same time as the term "Britart" (which referred to the work of British modern artists such as Damien Hirst). However, it would not be until 1994 when the term entered the popular consciousness, being used extensively by NME, Melody Maker, Select, and Q magazine. The word subsequently entered the mainstream media. Its influence was recognised by an article in The Guardian in which the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary declared "Britpop" as the new word which best exemplified 1995[citation needed]. "Britpop" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1997.[4]
In April 1993, Select magazine helped spark the upswing in British pride by featuring Suede's lead singer Brett Anderson on the cover with a Union Jack in the background and the phrase "Yanks go home!" on the cover. The issue included features on Suede, The Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne and Pulp. In the following three years (1993 – 1995) other Britpop acts dominated the music weeklies - Mansun, Elastica, Echobelly, Sleeper, Supergrass, Primal Scream, The Auteurs, The Boo Radleys, Pulp, Cast (a band formed by John Power, former bassist for The La's), The Bluetones, Black Grape, Space and The Divine Comedy. Some of them were new, others such as the Boo Radleys and Dodgy already established acts who benefited from association with the movement.
After this, the first stirrings of recognition by the music press came in the form of what the NME had dubbed the New Wave of New Wave (or 'NWONW'), though this was initially applied to the more punk-derivative acts such as Elastica, S*M*A*S*H and These Animal Men. Though the latter two bands quickly disappeared from the limelight altogether, the music press was initially hesitant to recognise what it regarded as lesser acts - in the first instance Oasis, Shed Seven and Whiteout - and continued to champion the more brash and punky groups. However, the release of new material by both The Charlatans and Inspiral Carpets that year (both following poorly-received "post-baggy" records) saw the more melodic acts gain prominence. Other baggy acts to slip back into mainstream acceptance during this period included Ocean Colour Scene and Shaun Ryder's post-Happy Mondays outfit Black Grape.
Fans of Britpop are divided over which album truly kick-started the movement. The release of Oasis' breakthrough debut Definitely Maybe (1994), Blur's bombastic third album Parklife (1994) and Suede's self-titled debut Suede (1993) are all cited as critical moments. These albums defined the movement and paved the way for many other acts. Pulp's His 'n' Hers (1994) also coincided with this trio of landmark albums, but they would not achieve true mainstream success until 1995's Different Class. Britpop hysteria then rapidly gained media and fan attention in Britain, Western Europe and some parts of the North America.
The movement was as much about British pride, media hype and imagery as it was about the particular style of music. Suede (known in America as "The London Suede" due to a trademark with a country group called "Suede") was the first of the new crop of guitar-oriented bands to be completely embraced by the UK music media as Britain's answer to Seattle's grunge sound. Their self-titled first album became the fastest-selling debut album in the history of the UK. This title was later claimed by Oasis with Definitely Maybe.
In 1995 the Britpop movement reached its zenith. The famous "The Battle of Britpop" found Blur and Oasis as prime contenders for the title "Kings of Britpop". Spurred on by the media, the battle pitted the two bands against each other, with the conflict as much about British class and regional divisions as much as it was about music. Oasis (particularly Noel and Liam Gallagher) were taken as representing the North of England, while Blur (especially Damon Albarn and Alex James) represented the South.[5]
This "Battle" came to a head when Oasis' Single "Roll with It" and Blur's "Country House" were released the same day. The event caught the public's imagination and gained mass media attention, even featuring on the BBC News.
In the end, Blur won the battle of the bands, selling 274,000 copies to Oasis' 216,000 - the songs charting at number one and number two respectively. However, in the long-run, Oasis' album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? won the popular vote over Blur’s The Great Escape, outselling it by a factor of 4 or more. In the UK, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? spent a total of three years on the charts, selling over eighteen million copies and becoming the second best selling British album of all time. Oasis' second album is considered by many to be the definitive Britpop album.
During this time the new electioneering saw the emergence of the young leader of the Labour Party - Tony Blair. Blair represented the new face of the dreams and wishes of the British counterculture and many acts like Oasis and Blur admired him. Noel Gallagher also appeared on several official meetings - even being invited to Downing Street on one occasion, along with Alan McGee from Creation Records - and expressed his support for Blair.
Along with Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede, 1995 saw critically and commercially acclaimed singles and albums released by other Britpop bands which, collectively, captured the essence of the attitude and the Cool Britannia movement. Such bands included Supergrass (I Should Coco), Cast (All Change), and Radiohead (The Bends). The "Cool Britannia" movement was also symbolised in by the outwardly happy, poppy sing-along summer anthems of such bands as Dodgy's "Staying Out for the Summer", Supergrass' "Alright", Sleeper's "Inbetweener", The Boo Radleys' "Wake Up Boo" and Echobelly's "Great Things". 1995 also saw The Verve, who would go on to enjoy great success with 1997's Urban Hymns, release their second album, A Northern Soul. The album failed to make a commercial impact, despite strong critical acclaim and the band split, though Richard Ashcroft reformed it a few weeks later.
The British media went so far as the brand the movement the "Third British Invasion", because of its massive popularity at the time and because acts represented particular musical influence or movement in their music, which led to more or less media-generated conflicts between the bands, as was the case with previous bands and movements.
The optimisim of 1995 continued well into the summer of 1996, thanks in part to new releases from the likes of Ocean Colour Scene (Moseley Shoals), Suede (Coming Up) and Dodgy (Free Peace Sweet), as well as a legendary, record breaking two-night show at Knebworth Park from Oasis. The 1996 Brit Awards were a celebration of Britpop, with many of the nominees acknowledged as "britpop bands".
The ceremony was also fuelled by the rivalry between Blur and Oasis. When Oasis defeated Blur to win the "Best British Album" Award, the Gallagher brothers taunted Blur by singing a drunken rendition of Blur's biggest hit "Parklife", with Liam Gallagher changing the lyrics to "Shite-Life". Oasis also won the "Best British Album" award for (What's the Story) Morning Glory and the "Best Video Award" for "Wonderwall". All three awards had been won by Blur the previous year. Meanwhile, Paul Weller won the "Best Male Artist" award (for the second year running) and Supergrass were acknowledged the "Best Breakthrough Act", an award that Oasis had won the year before. The ceremony was packed with Britpop artists, but it was Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker who stole the show by invading the stage during a performance by Michael Jackson and flashing his rear. Cocker was arrested but released without charge.
Although the majority of the bands associated with Britpop (willingly or otherwise) were English, there were exceptions: Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers and Stereophonics were Welsh; The Gyres, The Supernaturals, Travis and Belle and Sebastian were Scottish and Ash were Northern Irish. This even led native media to call the rise of Welsh Bands "Cool Cymru" and "Cool Caledonia" - a pun to "Cool Britannia". In spite of accusations of Southeast bias (typified by Blur, Supergrass and Menswe@r), the movement and Britpop hysteria engulfed not just one province or city; it encompassed the entire region and established itself as a hegemonic and definitive British movement, both musically and spiritually.
The movement also exercised a brief period of cultural hegemony, with the 1996 film Trainspotting and its Britpop-centric soundtrack (featuring Blur, Elastica, Pulp and Sleeper), through to Ocean Colour Scene's music being used on Chris Evans' TFI Friday and the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Some considered Chris Evans' Friday night variety show TFI Friday to be part of the televisual arm of Britpop - other examples are Shooting Stars (which utilised large "Mod" logos as part of the set and featured many prominent Britpop musicians as guests), The Girly Show, The Word, The Fast Show and Father Ted.
By late 1996, the hysteria around Britpop started to subside, due perhaps to both high expectations not being met and artistic burnout, caused in part by the drug-fuelled lifestyles of some of the bands. Bands like Blur, Oasis and Suede gained much media attention for their use of alcohol and/or drugs. In 1997, many releases were considered disappointing, lacking the overall spirit and sound of earlier records.
The 1997 releases of core initiators and leaders Oasis and Blur were key factors in the downturn in Britpop's fortunes. Oasis' third album Be Here Now, despite attracting much hype and selling strongly, soon attracted strong criticism from critics, record-buyers and Noel Gallagher himself for its overproduced and bloated sound.[5] Conversely, while Blur's self-titled fifth album was well-received by critics - partly because it showcased a stylistic evolution for the band - their new sound was not immediately appreciated by fans. The band moved away from their Parklife-era sound, and their music began to assimilate American lo-fi influences, particularly that of Pavement, with frontman Damon Albarn telling the NME that the album was "English slacker". It would take the release of Blur's second single, "Song 2", to win the record true commercial success.
As the movement began to slow down, many acts began to falter. Though some acts found success with more challenging records - such as Pulp's This Is Hardcore, Supergrass' In It for the Money and Cornershop's When I Was Born for the 7th Time - many acts found the pressure too great and split, or simply faded from the limelight. Elastica fell victim to drug abuse and did not follow up 1995's self titled debut until 1999. Menswear also failed to follow up their debut, Nuisance, and split. Other bands such as Cast, Ocean Colour Scene and Shed Seven continued to release records well into the new millennium, but with rapidly diminishing commercial success. Similarly, many of the newer acts the record industry rushed to sign during the heyday of Britpop sank without trace.
While established acts struggled, attention began to turn to the likes of Radiohead and The Verve, who had been previously overlooked by the British media. These two bands - in particular Radiohead - showed considerably more esoteric influences from the 1960s and 1970s, influences that were uncommon among earlier Britpop acts. While Radiohead had found commercial success their 1993 single "Creep" and commercial and critical success with 1995s The Bends, they had attracted little positive attention from the likes of the NME. Conversely, the Verve had enjoyed positive reviews, but little success. In 1997, Radiohead and The Verve released their respective efforts OK Computer and Urban Hymns, both of which were and remain widely acclaimed.
As a whole, though, the Britpop movement fell apart as the decade drew to a close. Blur continued to move away from the movement with their subsequent releases, parting company first with long-time producer Stephen Street and eventually with guitarist Graham Coxon, Coxon later reuniting with Street to record his most successful solo albums. Oasis remained popular, but entered a period of inactivity following Be Here Now. While recording the follow-up in 1999, they suffered the loss of founding members Bonehead and Guigsy. In 2004 longtime drummer and member Alan White left, leaving only the Gallagher brothers as original members from the Britpop era. Suede released two more albums in 1999 and 2002, before eventually breaking up in 2003. Pulp failed to follow up 1998's This Is Hardcore until 2001 with We Love Life after which they entered an extended hiatus from which they have yet to emerge. Radiohead, never the band most strongly associated with the movement, changed their sound radically with subsequent records, none of which have approached the commercial success and critical acclaim enjoyed by OK Computer. The Verve also split once more after losing key guitarist Nick McCabe - singer Richard Ashcroft has subsequently forged a successful solo career.
The period was adequately summed up by the demise of Creation Records, arguably the driving force for much of the hype and hyperbole of the era, in 1999. Following the bubble created by Oasis which kept the label afloat, it entered a period which saw the commercially and critically unsuccessful signings of white Rastafarian Mishka and an aging Kevin Rowland to the label. Founder Alan McGee eventually wound up the label, and has since established a new label entitled Poptones.
(2000s) Legacy
Aside from the movement's contribution to culture in general during and after the period, early line-ups of current bands in the ascendant such as The Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs (as Parva) and HARD-Fi (as Contempo), all formed during the late 1990s and early 2000s. This can be seen as a continuation of the evolution of new bands and scenes from old, and the rapid turnover of 'genres', in the British music scene, as the Third Wave Of Britpop. Other acts like Coldplay, Travis, Athlete, Muse and Kasabian have shown Britpop influences in their work.
Of the many bands who helped propel Britpop to the center stage of British culture in the mid-90s, only Oasis and Supergrass continue to release records on any regular basis. Both bands released critically and commercially succesful albums in 2005 with Oasis' Don't Believe the Truth reaching #1 and Supergrass' Road to Rouen peaking at #9 in the UK charts. Radiohead also continue to release records though they are quick to distance themselves from the idea that they were ever a "Britpop band".
Timeline of Britpop bands
Note: Bands in green are defunct. Bands in orange are still active as of 2006 (with grey representing likely future continuation). The bands selected below are the main Britpop groups and bands closely associated with the movement.
See also
References
- Cavanagh, David. The Creation Records Story: My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry for the Prize, 2001
- Harris, John. Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock, 2004
- Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop. Passion Pictures, 2004
- Britpop on the Ongoing History of New Music by Alan Cross
Footnotes
- ^ Oasis, Blur and Pulp were the main subjects of John Dower's 2003 documentary Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop
- ^ Review of Different Class recalls the "holy Britpop triumvirate" of Oasis, Blur and Pulp; Garry Mulholland; Q magazine, September 2006; p116
- ^ The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock; John Harris; Harper Perennial; 2003
- ^ http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/collinslist.htm
- ^ a b Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop. Passion Pictures, 2004.
External links
- All Music Guide entry for Britpop
- BBC News article on Britpop's 10th anniversary
- Article on Trainspotting
