Entertainment For Lively Minds
British indie movement missed
Posted by Curtis from Ohio on 28 October 2010 - 8:29pm.
Apparently the Atlantic Ocean is wider than I thought. I'm always reading about bands I've never heard music by on this site. Never heard a single song by Blur, Suede, Pulp, or Manic Street Preachers. They weren't played on the radio here, and weren't on MTV here(back when MTV played music videos).
I've got one CD by Oasis, because I liked Ryan Adams' version of Wonderwall. I've heard William Shatner's version of Common People. Except for that I appear to have missed the entire British indie movement. Is it worth going back and exploring? And if so who and what should I try listening to? Advice welcome.
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I think time has been kind to Blur...
as they developed a great deal musically over the course of their career and didn't straigtjacket themselves into playing in just one style, as many bands from that era undoubtedly did . And in Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn they had a guitarist of uncommon ability and a talented songwriter with plenty of pop nous.
I wouldn't say everything they did was great, but their finest moments (Girls and Boys, This is a Low, Strange News from Another Star, to name but three) are really special.
Thanks
I appreciate the advice Patrick, I'll give Blur a listen. Muse appears to be another band that went under my radar. Worth hearing?
I'm not a fan of Muse...
but they're massively popular, so what do I know?
Muse
I like them a lot. HUGE riffs, wild vocals and guitar solos, and Romantic-era piano-isms (particularly Chopin/Rachmaninov), whilst still remaining catchy enough to trouble the pop charts.
They don't have a best-of yet (though 5 albums in surely one can't be that far off), so I'd go for either Origin Of Symmetry or Absolution to get the measure of them.
If you want to understand early 90s Sheffield
then His n Hers by Pulp captured it perfectly. And even if you don't, it's still a great record.
You won't go far wrong if
You won't go far wrong if you follow the suggestions in the "3 song introduction" thread.
If there was a British movement these were some of the essential LPs IMHO.
The Stone Roses
Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Suede - Sci-Fi Lullabies
Pulp - His n Hers or Different Class.
Blur - Parklife
The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps
Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
You may want to approach those last two carefully. If you liked the Oasis album a better place to start might be Teenage Fanclub's "Grand Prix".
And I would be intrigued to know what an American who has never heard anything by Blur would make of "Parklife".
Totally agree, STD
But why do I always experience a burning sensation after reading your posts?
Parklife
Thanks STD ( first time those words have been used in combination?). A lot of good information there. If I get to hear Parklife I will definitely let you know my impression.
Sci-Fi Lullabies?
I appreciate it's far better than any b-sides collection has any right to be*, but surely Dog Man Star is THE Suede album to start with?
*(although that's only for the first disc, the quality plummets on the second).
As for the Manics, I love The Holy Bible but it's extremely caustic, nihilistic and occasionally disturbing to listen to. If you want something a little easier to begin with I'd suggest Everything Must Go.
Seconded
Dog Man Star is one of my personal favourite albums. It is a fantastic piece of work. Aside from My Insatiable One and To The Birds, the B sides were patchy with Anderson/Butler and the quality control slid for the Oakes/Anderson songs.
Still some stuff on Everything Must Go that is pretty bleak (Small Black Flowers, Elvis Impersonator etc) - This Is My Truth is a decent entry point for the Manics
Thirded, with caveat
"Dog Man Star" is an amazing, sprawling, glorious mess of an album, but I'd say the best 'entry level' Suede album is "Coming Up", the watertight 10-track all-killer, no-filler pop masterpiece. No arguments from me over disk 1 of "Sci-Fi Lullabies" either, though...
I knew being near the top I
I knew being near the top I was setting myself up for a kicking. When it comes to picking a Suede album who am I to argue with someone called Metal Mickey?
"Hence the name"
MM was the track playing when I was selecting my internet pseudonym, so yes, I'm a fan ;)
Sheffield
Thanks Prestonia. Was Sheffield the hotbed for indie music then? From what I've read on here, many people seem to think very highly of Pulp, I'll give them a try.
Pulp:
His and Hers is highly recommended by me too - as is the Longpigs album (also from Sheffield) - often over-looked, but a great little record. Richard Hawley was their guitarist, if you didn't know.
The album to get...
...is "The Sun Is Often Out". They did make two, but "Mobile Home" didn't even trouble Mrs Hunt's or Mrs Hawley's wallet, I don't think.
But badartdog's right about the first record - it's a belter, with more hits on it that are strictly feasible.
Sheffield
has its day a few years earlier with Cabaret Voltaire, The Human League, Heaven 17 and, ahem, Def Leppard, but His n Hers is well worth investigation. Enjoy!
Supergrass
were like a British Monkees and none the worse for it. Find "The Best Of" and go from there.
I Should Coco
is the perfect introduction, if you'd prefer a "proper" album to a compilation.
Both...
...I Should Coco and In It For The Money are almost flawless. How Supergrass slid! I can't really stand much beyond their third (very patchy) album.
I'd say
The La's by The La's is pretty much essential.
I stood
next to John Power at a zebra crossing in Liverpool this afternoon. I was tempted to ask him if he'd seen Lee Mavers recently but cried off.
That would have been OK
Him and Lee have made-up apparently. I interviewed him for the Daily Post about two years ago and he was very fulsome in his reminiscence of Lee and The La's. They'd just been out in Japan playing Fuji I think.
overwhelmed
Overwhelmed by your helpfulness and the choices recommended. Think I'll start with Pulp and Blur albums suggested and see what they sound like. Appreciate all the help!
Essential unheralded Brit Poppers
Inspired by badartdog's shout for Longpigs, I'd also recommend The Supernaturals' very underrated first album It Doesn't Matter Anymore
I also think Andy Bell, once of Ride and up to recently of Oasis, made some tremendous music with Hurricane #1, their eponymous first LP is great.
Not exactly Britpop
but James were a pretty consistent band...Gold Mother is a great album, or The Best of has many a fine tune...Sometimes is a great pop record.
agree about the Best of James
I also like the Ash greatest hits album (Intergalactic Sonic 7s) more than their 'proper' albums.
A Great British Pop Album Of The Era
is Waterpistol by Shack a truly great album
Non of this was possible
without Earl Brutus.
and Flowered Up's Weekender.
FU - WUploaded by rediffusion. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.
As usual the answer is
Lush.
"Split" is probably their finest collection from the days when the music press would talk of "ethereal sonic cathedrals of sound", but don't let that put you off.
"Gala" was a collection of their brilliant early EPs, "Lovelife" was their last hurrah and a a bit more pop orientated. Any of those is always worth investing in - "Spooky" has its moments, their first proper album, but it's a bit more patchy as an introduction.
The Auteurs:
After Murder Park. The best British pop album of the 90s. According to Luke Haines, their frontman. And he's right.
From the same era but not really 'Britpop'
Auteurs - New Wave. Time has been very kind to this.
Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide/Jehovahkill - for m money the best 'alternative' albums of the period.
Tindersticks - First two albums.
Divine Comedy - Promenade/Casanova
Arnold - Hillside Album. For me the great lost indie album of the 90s.
Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain is even better than Grand Prix.
Then why not try the previous decade:
House of Love - first album
Jesus & Mary Chain - 21 singles is a good way in.
Smiths obviously
Talk Talk
Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
Teardrope Explodes
Echo & the Bunnymen - any of the first four albums.
Just for starters.
pre-Britpop music
Some of the music suggested here I owned and liked. I quite enjoyed Heaven 17, Human League, The Smiths, and Echo & the Bunnymen (there's a diverse grouping). I think they were long ago enough that MTV played their videos. The later stuff I was just never exposed to. Thanks to all for the tips.
Compiled
if you want a one-stop shop of the best (and worst) of the Britpop era, the 3CD 'Common People' compilation is a good starting point.
It's available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brit-Pop-Box-Various-Artists/dp/B0027WJEDS/ref=sr_....
It doesn't feature Oasis, but alongside the other big-hitters (Blur, Pulp, Elastica), it's got some great stuff by the lesser lights - Kenickie, Earl Brutus, Duffy, Perfume, Gene, Denim, Longpigs, etc.
It also features some of the utter dross of the era - Gay Dad! Hurricane #1! Stereophonics! Northern Uproar! All shit!
I would just like to expand...
...on Andrew's post by recommending "At The Club" by Kenickie without reservation or hesitation. I just love this record - it sounds like being a teenager in 90s Britain. And given that I was a teenager in 90s Britain (I'm 3 months older than the implausibly wonderful Lauren Laverne), this record will always have a deep-seated place in my heart. It helps that the songs are *great* too.
There is something to be said
for the slightly earlier stuff.
Before Britpop became an interminable genre there was British pop made by guitar bands that didn't make the national press.
Quite right some might say, but not me. These records were the making of me.
In no particular order:
Sebastapol Rd by Mega City 4
Eat Yourself Whole by Kingmaker
Going Blank Again by Ride
Never Loved Elvis by The Wonder Stuff
Bed by Five Thirty
Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub
Dos Dedos Mes Amigos by Pop Will Eat Itself
Bizarro by Wedding Present
then go with Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish and off you go into Britpop.