The World Of BritPop Music

Many of the major players in the BritPop scene would claim many of the same influences... mainly the major British guitar bands that they had grown up listening to. These common influences included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Small Faces, The Jam, and the Smiths.

KEY TRACKS:
1) The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
2) The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
3) T. Rex - Bang A Gong
4) The Who - My Generation
5) The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
6) The Jam - That's Entertainment
7) The Smiths - Ask

Madchester was an alternative rock genre that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed indie rock and dance music. Artists associated with the scene included The Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, the Inspiral Carpets, 808 State, James, The Charlatans and A Guy Called Gerald. At that time, The Haçienda nightclub was a major catalyst for the distinctive musical ethos in the city that was called the Second Summer of Love.

In particular, several key elements of BritPop would be foraged out of the Madchester scene: The Stone Roses would revive British guitar music with their 1989 self-titled album and 1990 Spike Island gig; Oasis guitarist, singer, and lead songwriter would work as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets; and The Happy Monday's Shaun Ryder would emerge as one of the most unlikely music stars, and would break away from his band to create a number one BritPop album. However, the of the most important elements to emerge the Madchester scene was not necessarily musical, but was an influence of character. Heavy emphasis was placed on having a good time (often by means of illegal substances).

Key Tracks:

1) The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
2) Happy Mondays - Step On
3) James - Sit Down
4) Inspirial Carpets - Two Worlds Collide
5) Primal Scream - Movin' On Up

In the spring of 1992, Blur, then known as a shoegazing band, toured the United States. During the tour, frontman Damon Albarn began to resent American culture and found the need to comment on that culture's influence seeping into Britain. Albarn's girlfriend Justine Frischmann (formerly of Suede and leader of Elastica) explained, "Damon and I felt like we were in the thick of it at that point... it occurred to us that Nirvana were out there, and people were very interested in American music, and there should be some sort of manifesto for the return of Britishness." Albarn would make such a statement in 1993 with Blur's release of "The Modern Life Is Rubbish". John Harris wrote in an NME article just prior to the release of Modern Life is Rubbish, "[Blur's] timing has been fortuitously perfect. Why? Because, as with baggies and shoegazers, loud, long-haired Americans have just found themselves condemned to the ignominious corner labeled 'yesterday's thing'".

1994 would turn out to be a defining period. Blur would release "Parklife", which would further perfect their sound and go on to be the most popular album of the year and Oasis would release their debut "Definitely Maybe". With "Definitely Maybe" becoming the fastest-selling debut, a rivalry between the two bands would emerge and last for the next several years.

Also in 1994, Stone Roses would release their second album, "Second Coming", a full five years after the release of their debut. This period of inactivity, due to legal wrangling with their record company, would prove to be fatal. The response to "Second Coming" would be generally negative as the band failed to show the innovation and sound that had propelled them to stardom earlier. While there were bright moments in the album, the guard had clearly changed.

While not every band had a Number 1 album, these singles were BritPop hits:

1) The Charlatans - The Only One I Know
2) Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha
3) Black Grape - Kelly's Heroes
4) Cast - Alright
5) Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape
6) The Seahorses - Love Is The Law
7) Kula Shaker - Hush
8) Spacehog - In The Meantime
9) Longpigs - On & On
10) The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be (Feat. N. Gallagher)