Britpop at the BBC
CD Review by Chris Smith
THEY say music defines a generation.
Well, forget about the swinging Sixties, the punk rock of the 70s and the electric 80s. The 90s was when we went all Cool Britannia.
And if you loved the decade that led us into the new millennium, chances are it was because of Britpop. And if you loved Britpop you will love this album.
Complied by the modern day musos Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq, it could well be the album of the year….for me at least.
Released this month on the back of BBC Radio’s recent Britpop Season, the 58 tracks over three CDs include everything you would expect of a compilation of songs from what was a wonderful era with Oasis winning this particular battle with Blur who are honoured with track one and two respectively.
Suede, the Manics, Dodgy, Shed Seven, Pulp, Radiohead, Ash, the Verve and The Charlatans also feature although not necessarily the songs I would have liked..
But Jo and Steve have also dusted off some lesser remembered songs or bands that did not quite reach the mainstream heights of the Gallagher brothers and Damon Albarn and co, but still played their part – including the likes of Echbelly, My Life Story The Wannadies, Mansun, Babybird and Longpigs. Even Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci feature on the bonus live evening session disc.
Britpop made real music cool again among the masses. We even danced to this guitar-led sound in our nightclubs as homegrown talent reclaimed the British music scene.
And although its move into commercial territories was not welcomed by die hard indie fans, the rest of us loved every minute of it. For anyone who like me is approaching their 40s and even some who are well into theirs, Britpop, without any doubt, defined our generation – and now seems as good a time as any to sit back and relive those glory years.
– Britpop at the BBC is released on Warner Music.
