http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//title/tt0358569/trailers-screenplay-E19666-310Y/LINK//title/tt0358569/trailers-screenplay-E19666-310
Summary 
The term “Britpop” had first been used in the late 1980s, by TV pundit John Robb, to refer to bands such as The La’s and Stone Roses. It essentially described British alternative rock music in the 1990s and the movement that subsequently followed it. The scene had ancestors in the indie music of the late 80s, with bands such as the Smiths inspiring a number of Britpop artists, but was perhaps greater influenced by the British guitar based pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. The catalyst for the movements’ success was its opposing musical ideology to that of the grunge phenomenon. Britpop bands unanimously denounced grunge as irrelevant and having nothing to say about their lives. Although, there was some level of consensus on this the Britpop bands did not have a common sound. The most prominent acts of the Britpop notion are Oasis, Blur and Pulp. Other lesser renowned acts include Sleeper, Elastica, Kula Shaker, Suede, Denim and Menswear. All of which had a profound effect on the nation as a whole and cumulatively formed the drive behind a brief cultural celebration and movement later dubbed “Cool Britania”.
Influenced By
Britpop was blatantly rooted in a predictable set of influences from the British Invasi
ons in the 60s and 80s. The movement is considered a clear continuation of this; although the critics believe it to be less significant than the work of the acts they drew their inspiration from such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks, glam rockers like Bowie and T-Rex and mod-punk bands such as The Jam and the Buzzcocks. It is nevertheless the third rock’n’roll musical phenomena, and was able to match their predecessors popularity and momentum. Followers were wrong to exclaim that they had recaptured the excitement of the mid 60s, as Britpop had no desire to compete with the black dominated blues and soul that had defined their alleged influences. Notwithstanding, it is apparent that some bands were influenced by this era more than others. Oasis for instance, admitted to stealing the riff of T-Rex’s 1972 release “Get it On” to form the bases of “Cigarettes and Alcohol”. Moreover, “Supersonic” has a guitar solo notably similar to that of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord”.
The influence of the 1980s indie scene was also apparent. The inspiration of the Smiths was common to most Britpop artists. The emphasis of fun and catchy hooks derived from the Madchester scene cites stimulus from Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays.
Influence On
Many contemporary artists acknowledge the front runners of Britpop as a large inspiration. At the turn of the century Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head” borrows heavily from the Britpop sound. In 2003 and 2004 bands with a strong Britpop overtone surfaced such as Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Hard-Fi. This can be seen as a continuation of the Britpop movement. The Gallagher brothers recently commented on their legacy in a derogatory sense exclaiming “It’s indie shit, is what it is”. Current musical icon and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty, who is consistently in the headlines on account of his lewd behaviour is being hailed as the new Liam Gallagher. While new acts are not as widely received they mainly borrow from the musical roots of Britpop and end up staying on the scene for the long run.
Image/Fashion
Britpop endorses and thus reinforces ‘popular’ ideas about what it means to be British. The Austin Powers-esque/Mod image supplied by the influence of The Beatles and the Kinks was not the only style nineties Britain retained. The lad culture endorsed by Oasis and exemplified by the sales of Loaded magazine are also prominent. Furthermore, the Union Flag became a notable symbol covering Noel Gallagher’s guitar and Geri Halliwell’s dress. The image and fashion of the 90’s is ostensibly best exhibited in Blur’s Parklife video.
Cultural Significance
Margaret Thatcher had been replaced by John Major in 1990. The Conservatives in this decade were effectively a dying party that mirrored an ailing culture and way of life. Major’s Ministry was characterised by economic incompetence and consistent sleaze amongst MPs, so much so it is often referred to as the lost eras of post-war British politics. The soundtrack to the frustrating final years of Conservative rule was Britpop.
There was an atmosphere of change in wider society as the Conservative reign came to an end. The sense of possibility and expectation grew further as the young Tony Blair, who described himself as “a child of the modern world, the Beatles and colour TV” took over as Labour Party leader. 
British culture, and consequently Britpop seemed to align itself with this excitement. The movement exercising a brief period of cultural hegemony saw success with films such as Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Exponents of Britart such as Damien Hirst also helped to supply the concept of “Cool Britania”, a phrased popularised by the March 1997 Vanity Fair issue with Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit on the cover titled: ‘London Swings! Again!’. Realistically, Cool Britannia was no more than a short-lived media hyped to promote the UK to a world audience. Many believe it was engineered by Labour spin doctors. Few Britpop icons held on to any long term endorsement of the Labour Party.
Significant Artists/Albums
Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish
Blur are an English alternative rock band formed in Colchester in 1989. The band popularised the Britpop genre and became one of the most important bands in the UK, aided by a famous chart battle with rivals Oasis. During a tour to promote first album Leisure, the band began to formulate the idea of an album against American culture and it’s infiltration into what it is to be British portrayed through a clear lyrical narrative. The album Modern Life is Rubbish, originally named “England vs. America” is cited by some critics as the first Britpop album.
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/blur/modern_life_is_rubbish/
Pulp – Different Class
Pulp’s fame peaked in 1995 with the release of their No. 2 UK Hit single “Common People”, their adored Glastonbury festival appearance and their Mercury award winning album Different class. This album had a disco-infused pop-rock element yet held the dry wit regarding working class life that the Sheffield act was much loved for. Follow-up single “Sorted for E’s and Wizz” peaked at number 2 in the UK.
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pulp/different_class/
Suede – Dog Man Star
Suede was the first of the Britpop bands to be embraced by the UK. Suede’s eponymous first album became the fastest selling debut album since Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s. The album was influenced most by the British Glam scene headed by David Bowie. Despite their successes singer Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler argued bitterly over their follow up album Dog Man Star, which ended in Butler’s departure. When Dog Man Star appeared it was met with critical acclaim for pursuing a darker sound, whilst contemporaries Blur and Oasis battled it out for pop supremacy.
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/suede/dog_man_star/
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
If Blur represented the middle-class, intellectual South, Oasis stood for the working-class North. They merely wanted to pick up where the Stone Roses left off and be as big as the Beatles. John Harris, a music pundit, described them as “a no-nonsense rock’n’roll band who wanted to around on a bed of £50 notes”. Their second album Morning Glory went onto sell 19 million copies worldwide and supplied two hit singles in the shape of “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”.
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/oasis/_whats_the_story__morning_glory_/
Bibliography
www.chrispettittms.com/keynote.htm
blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/05/what_happe...
bestuff.com/stuff/britpop
Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop (Dvd 2003)
The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock John Harris
Evaluation
I decided to opt for the genre of Britpop because I felt most comfortable to write an excess of 1000 words on it.
This is largely because I felt aligned with the movement more than any other genre. My first album was (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, although I quickly switched allegiance to Blur, as a result of the purchase of the Live Forever DVD I received as a gift, which also came in great use for this project.
Moreover, I feel the cultural significance of the Britpop movement to be quite personal to me. My father is soon to be a Labour MP, and I have fond memories of canvassing the streets of Easington with him in ’97. As explained the Britpop phenomenon sided almost completely with Labour and subsequently I associate it with an optimistic stage of my life.
Furthermore, some of my earliest memories are of the Britpop era. I remember the iconic image of Gazza crying at Euro ’96, Oasis playing Come Feel the Noise on TOTP and of course the first time I saw Jarvis Cocker sitting in a shopping trolley.
"It really, really, really could happen"
Damon Albarn
"You know those conservations; what if? If happened in the 90s"
Loaded Magazine Editor
No comments:
Post a Comment