1995 - Peak Britpop

1995, 30-years ago. Almost 31! Time flies.

This was the year when - at least for me - Britpop peaked in glorious technicolour and sunshine.

Independent music (or, indie bands now signed to major labels!) exploded into the mainstream with characters like Liam and Noel, Damon, Jarvis, Shaun and Bez and the Supergrass boys leading the way. The songs, the albums, the characters—it was all perfectly chaotic, brilliantly creative and endlessly fun.

We were young, we were free, we kept our teeth nice and clean and the sun seemed to be shining all the time. A weekly trip to HMV on Sauchiehall Street on Monday lunchtime meant rich pickings with 7-inch singles at 99p on the week of release and CD singles at £1.99.

30-years on, many of the bands from the heady days of the mid-90's reformed to play lucrative tours and/or revisit classic/favourite albums.

30-years on, 1995 holds a special place in my heart. I was 19! This was Britpop at its absolute peak, a time when guitar bands ruled the charts, the press, and the pubs, and when it felt like Britain was the centre of the musical universe. Bands, singers, singles, songs and albums ... everything aligned to make this the defining year of the movement. 

The parties were legendary. Camden was the place to be! Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Elastica, Supergrass, Sleeper ... Menswear! everyone seemed to be drinking, fighting and sleeping with each other.

Adidas and Fred Perry tops were in, Jarvis brought charity shop chic to the masses and sales of cagoules or duffel coats rocketed thanks to Oasis.

It felt like a movement with real cultural power. Even if it was all about to get messy.

By 1996, Britpop was splintering; Oasis went stratospheric with era defining shows at Maine Road and Knebworth, while Blur retreated into lo-fi indie, and the party started to slow down. The scene had gone from exciting and unpredictable to overexposed and corporate. The drugs changed. Ecstasy and Cocaine had fueled the first half of the nineties, now bands were reportedly turning to heroin. By 1997, everything was slowing down.

As time went on, bands were becoming much more ambitious in terms of the soundscapes they could produce. Sonic boundaries were being pushed, broken and obliterated. 1997 was all about Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualized, OK Computer by Radiohead, Vanishing Point by Primal Scream, Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers and Urban Hymns by The Verve. Blur's stripped back eponymous album was in stark contrast to the monstrous Be Here Now by Oasis. Noel Gallagher has practically disowned this album.

Pulp sat things out until 1998, when, if Britpop didn't need it, they put one last nail in the coffin with their This Is Hardcore album. Elastica were so burnt out and frazzled that they didn't release their second album until 2000. When, by their own admission, they shouldn't have bothered.

But in 1995, British music, widely classified as Britpop, burned intensely.

What is/what was Britpop?

For me it was a time when British independent/alternative music exploded into the charts. 

I don't think many, if any, of the bands listed below would describe themselves as Britpop. Blur certainly played up to it, with Damon Albarn presenting a show entitled Britpop Now BBC2 (see below). While his introduction about rallying against grunge music made sense, he then followed this up with a performance of Country House in a cringeworthy outfit complete with deerstalker hat. What was Graham Coxon thinking?!

Pulp, were possibly, without realising it, the definitive Britpop band. Colourful, camp, council house humour, art, dreams and storytelling. They were in the right place at the right time, to the extent they ended up headlining Glastonbury when the Stone Roses pulled out. See my blog on Common People.

In the years to come, pale imitations of bands like Blur and Pulp would try to jump on the Britpop bandwagon, but they were either too late, or simply not good enough.

The 1995 Peak Britpop playlist

CLICK HERE for my 1995 playlist

Read on for the bands and singles that defined 1995 and make up this playlist. In terms of order, I've started with bands that released one or two singles that year and progressed to those that released four.

NOTE - Artistic license has allowed me to include some singles from late 94/early 96.

Whiteout - Jackie's Racing

• Released - Debut album Bite It and the above single
• Of note - Whiteout toured with Oasis in the spring of 1994. The Burnage boys went Supersonic, while Whiteout never really caught fire and kind of burned out. Neither their album or singles troubled the top 40. A shame as 1994's debut single No Time was a belter.

The Stone Roses - Ten Storey Love Song / Begging You

• Released - The above singles hot on the heels of Love Spreads and The Second Coming in December 1994.
• Of note - Reni left the band in March 1995 shortly before a Scandonavian tour. He was replaced by Robbie Maddix / Pulp headlined Glastonbury in place of the Roses due to John Squire breaking his collar bone / Finally played their first UK shows since Glasgow Green in 1990 in November and December

The Chemical Brothers - Leave Home / Life Is Sweet

• Released - The above singles and debut album Exit Planet Dust.
• Of note - The Chemical Brothers started off under the name The Dust Brothers, but they had to change their name to avoid confusion with the American producers who worked with The Beastie Boys among others.

McAlmont & Butler - You Do / Yes

• Released - The above singles plus the album The Sound Of ... McAlmont & Butler
• Of note - Yes has got better with age. This is timeless pop music, grand in scale and ambition, born from hurt and frustration, exploding with Butler's guitar, soaring strings and McAlmont's incredible voice.

Elastica - Waking Up / Car Song

• Released - The above singles and their eponymous debut album
• Of note - Their album became the fastest selling debut since Oasis with Definitely Maybe. Justine Frischmann was dating Blur's Damon Albarn. Rumours were abound that he was heavily involved in writing a number of songs. 

Cast - Finetime / Alright

• Released - Debut album All Change and the above singles.
• Of note - John Power had previously been in The La's and got fed up waiting for Lee Mavers to do something.

Sleeper -  Inbetweener / Vegas / What Do I Do Now 

• Released - Debut album Smart and the above singles.
• Of note - Ummm .... was there anything of note with Sleeper? Other than producing some cracking singles?

Ash - Kung Fu / Girl From Mars / Angel Interceptor

• Released - The above singles.
• Of note - Ash were still teenagers and were building towards debut album 1977 which came out in May 1996. 

The Bluetones - Slight Return / Bluetonic / Are Your Blue, Are You Blind? 

• Released - The above singles
• Of note - Slight Return reached number 2 in the charts upon re-release in 1996. 

Supergrass - Lose It / Lenny / Alright 

• Released - The above singles plus debut album I Should Coco.
• Of note - Alright hit number 2 and stayed top 3 for 1-month. The band, although still teenagers, had done the rounds and cut their teeth (that they keep nice and clean) a few years earlier as The Jennifers.

Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You / If You Could Love Me / Make Me Feel Again 

• Released - The above singles (all from 1994's Gorgeous George album)
• Of note - A Girl Like You was actually released in 1994 but was rated by many music magazines (incluing NME and Spin) in their top singles of 1995 lists. The song was being played regularly through the summer of 95. It was (and is) soul pop perfection.

Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape / Kelly's Heroes / In The Name Of The Father

• Released - The above singles and their sensational and crazy debut album It's Great When You're Straight ... Yeah!
• Of note - Shaun Ryder wasn't quite back from the dead ... but not far off. The Mondays had disintegrated, Ryder was on The Word off his head dancing with the Rainbow puppets to a rave version of their theme tune and declared himself bankrupt in the music weeklies. Their T in the Park appearance that summer was utterly sensational. Summertime party music. Black Grape got the party started.

The Verve - This Is Music / On Your Own / History

• Released - Their stunning A Northern Soul album (blogged on here) and the above singles.
• Of note - Photographer Michael Spencer Jones captured some amazing photos of the band around this period. He got lucky with the History sleeve, released as the band broke up.

Gene - Haunted By You / Be My Light, Be My Guide / Olympian 

• Released - The above singles and debut album 
• Of note - Championed by the music weeklies and compared to The Smiths, Gene never broke through into the top 10, despite releasing some stunning singles. 

Blur - Country House / The Universal / Stereotypes 

• Released - The above singles (Stereotypes was early 96) and album The Great Escape.
• Of note - The Great Escape (95) was Blur's 3rd album in 3 years after Modern Life Is Rubbish (93) and Parklife (94). A remarkable run.

Paul Weller - The Changingman/ You Do Something To Me / Broken Stones

• Released - The album Stanley Road plus the above singles.
• Of note - Weller's performance with Noel Gallagher on The White Room (on Talk Tonight) in 1995 was seen by many as the passing of the flame. However Weller's flame still burns fiercely bright. Damon Albarn also appeared with Ray Davies from The Kinks. 

Menswear - I'll Manage Somehow / Daydreamer / Stardust / Sleeping In

• Released - The above singles plus debut album Nuisance. 
• Of note - Menswear were on the covers of the music weeklies before they had released anything. A buzz band/ultimate Britpop chancers from the Camden scene, they secured a £500,000 publishing deal with just 7 songs. Menswear were slagged off by the music press almost as quickly as they had given them front covers. They did release some cracking guitar pop singles for the times. My brother and I caught them at King Tuts and still marvel at what an incredibly exciting show it was. Britpop-mania! Menswear disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived, dropped in 1997 after their label were unimpressed by their second album, which, as a result, was only released in Japan.

The Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo! / Find The Answer Within / It's Lulu / From the Bench at Belvidere

• Released - The above singles plus the album Wake Up!
• Of note - Alan McGee urged Martin Carr to 'use every trick in the book' to get a hit and he did. The Boo's and Wake Up Boo! were everywhere from kids TV shows to prime time TV and radio. Chris Evans pilfered the song for a radio jingle to advertise his show.

Teenage Fanclub - Mellow Doubt / Sparky's Dream / Neil Jung / About You

• Released - The above singles and one of their best albums - Grand Prix.
• Of note - The band closed 1995 with the release of their Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It EP, determined to distance themselves from the Britpop noise and crowd. Check my blog on that gorgeous EP.

The Charlatans - Crashin' In / Just Lookin' & Bullet Comes (double a-side) / Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over / 

• Released - The above singles and their eponymous album. Crashin' In was released on Boxing Day in December 94.
• Of note - Tim Burgess also recorded with The Chemical Brothers on their single Life Is Sweet.

Radiohead - High and Dry & Planet Telex (double a-side)/ Fake Plastic Trees / Just 

• Released - The above singles (Street Spirit (Fade Out) also came out in January 96) plus breakthrough album The Bends.
• Of note - My brother and I caught Radiohead headlining The Garage the week The Bends came out. I don't recall it being mobbed/sold out!

Pulp - Common People / Sorted for E's and Whizz & Mis-Shapes (double a-side)/ Disco 2000

• Released - The above singles plus Britpop and career defining album, Different Class.
• Of note - Pulp headlined Glastonbury at short notice, just a month on from releasing Common People. (see blog) They absolutely smashed it out the park.

Oasis - Some Might Say / Roll With It / Wonderwall / Don't Look Back In Anger

• Released - The above singles, that included era defining songs like Acquiesce and The Masterplan as b-sides and their second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? NOTE - Don't Look Back In Anger wasn't actually released until February 1996 but it was already an anthem.
• Of note - Ummmm, pretty much everything Oasis did was of note. Number 1 singles and albums, classic shows at Earls Court and the classic Blur v Oasis battle for the top of the charts.

Blur v Oasis - the battle of Britpop 30-years on

 

Thirty years ago, Britpop went into overdrive as Blur and Oasis released the singles Country House and Roll With It on the same day. 

It was a chart clash that played out like a playground scrap - threats, name calling, bringing girlfriends into it, slaggings... only the playground was the entire UK, and the fight was front-page news and headline news on TV! 

On one side, four council estate lads from Burnage, snarling, sneering and swaggering their way through music history, lifting riffs and melodies from the best and making them their own.

On the other, four former art school students from Colchester by way of Goldsmiths, doused in irony, retro stylings and cheeky Southern charm.

The context matters. The context mattered. 

By mid-1995, Britpop was no longer just a scene, it was a phenomenon. You didn't have to tune into the Evening Session to get your fix of independent/alternative music. Radio 1 was soundtracking mornings with Elastica, Supergrass and Pulp. Anything was possible, the summer was super sunny, Tony Blair was rebranding Labour and Things Could Only Get Better. Maybe it's rose tinted glasses, maybe it's because I was 19 in 1995, but it was a time when bands really mattered, you could fall for them, believe in them and follow them.

Blur had already won the race to Britpop fame. They kicked things off with Modern Life Is Rubbish in 1993 and swiftly followed it with Parklife in April 1994. Damon Albarn was on telly more than some soap stars, promoting single after single, with his band set to release The Great Escape, their third album in three years. 

But the Gallagher brothers were coming fast. Definitely Maybe was a declaration of intent and Some Might Say had given Oasis their first No.1 in April '95. The stage was set.

But here's where the fun starts. Originally, Oasis were set to release Roll With It on 14 August 1995. Blur’s new single Country House was planned for two weeks later. But whether it was competitiveness, cockiness, or marketing genius (probably all three), Blur moved their release forward to go head-to-head.

It was an act of provocation. And Oasis, never ones to back down, embraced it.

Suddenly, it was war - North v South / working class v middle class / cigarettes & alcohol v tea and irony. There were public wind ups and bickering - Noel calling Blur Chas n Dave, Damon singing Status Quo's Rocking All Over The World over the top of Roll With It on the radio, Liam saying he fancied Damon's girlfriend Justine. See the video below.

Blur had the marketing might of Food/EMI behind them, fancy CD packaging (and crucially 2 CD singles with different b-sides), a glossy video directed by Damien Hirst with Loaded girl Jo Guest and Alex James Groucho Club mate Keith Allen. 

Country House was colourful, bouncy and bonkers, a music hall knees-up about a man who escapes the city for a nervous breakdown in the countryside. The jaunty song does contain a beautiful melancholic breakdown that is often overlooked when discussing the song; Blow, blow me out, I am so sad I don't know why. 

Meanwhile, Roll With It was Oasis doing what Oasis did best - an arms aloft anthem. Straight up guitar music with attitude - you gotta say what you say, don't let anybody get in your way ...

The intensity of the battle increased; Blur moved a date to play Bournemouth the same night as Oasis. Noel was affronted and worried that their own chart and media battle would spill into kids fighting on the streets.

Things got ugly. Noel's comment about hoping that Albarn and Alex James would catch aids and die was utterly horrific, one that he would swiftly apologise for. 

Then came the chart result, revealed on Sunday 20 August 1995. Blur won. Country House went straight to No.1 with 274,000 copies sold. Oasis sold 216,000. The media declared Blur the victors - they were Top of the Pops.

Speaking of which, Oasis had played the prior week, (17th August episode), with Noel on (mimed) lead vocals and Liam playing guitar. The following week, (24th August episode), Jarvis Cocker introduced a perky Blur, complete with bassist Alex James wearing an Oasis t-shirt.

One month later, Oasis dropped (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and the real war was over. It sold by the millions. Wonderwall became the anthem for the nation. The band played two epic nights at Earls Court that cemented their reputation as the best live band out. Within a year, they were selling out two-nights at Knebworth and playing to 250,000 people, this after squeezing in two-nights at Maine Road. They were everywhere. Oasis connected with people in a way that Blur never could.

What next

Blur retreated and reinvented themselves with a darker, more introspective sound. Their eponymous 1997 album opened with lead single Beetlebum - a song about Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin. It was beautifully dreamy, edgy and closer to The Beatles (was the title a dig at Oasis?) than anything Noel Gallagher every produced with Oasis. Although credit to Noel for his Setting Sun single with The Chemical Brothers in 1996.

By contrast, Oasis released the lumpen, cocaine fuelled Be Here Now in the same year. It sold well, contains a couple of gems, like Don't Go Away and Stand By Me, but the production is dire and there is nothing interesting in the layering of sounds, no experimentation from any of the musicians. Just Noel layering guitar upon guitar, no grooves. By this point, no-one questioned Noel or his band. His label knew his records would sell in their millions, any magazine with a Noel/Liam interview sold bucketloads and everyone wanted to be around them. They were so big that no-one dared to criticise them.

That still seems to the case in 2025. Liam's instantly forgettable solo albums received lots of 4/5 star reviews! Heaven forbid that the Gallagher's receive any constructive criticism. They sell papers and magazines, generate views and clicks in the hundreds of thousands.

Albarn has gone on to prove his creative skills in numerous guises, including his magnificent work with Gorillaz. He is a pure artist, always creating, taking in influences, taking chances. Damon's animated band guise have now released 8 exciting and eclectic studio albums with an incredible array of guests. Albarn has also released 2 solo albums and numerous collaborations. He cannot sit still for long.

Noel has also continued to write a prolific rate. By his own admission, Be Here Now and the truly appalling follow up Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (which should have been an EP) were not up to scratch. However by 2002 he was back writing sky scraping anthems like Little By Little and Stop Crying Your Heart Out. Even Liam was producing the lovely and under-rated Songbird as Oasis, lifted by the arrivals of Andy Bell and Gem Archer into the band, hit another run of form.

Over time, Albarn would find himself returning to Blur. Producing the stunning Under the Westway single in 2012 and then surprising everyone with the magnificent The Ballad of Darren album in 2023. Albarn, as an artist and writer, is getting better with every year that passes. 

Of course, 2025 is all about the return of Oasis. Liam's post Oasis career has delivered nothing of note. Beady Eye never took flight, and while his solo career saw him play to huge crowds, that was largely down to him playing Oasis songs. The more Oasis songs he played, the bigger the crowds. His own material with an army of writers was like dot to dot songwriting for him - exceptionally bland. 

Noel has produced some good stuff. His eponymous High Flying Birds debut album in 2011 had some gems that would have been amazing for Oasis - Everybody's On The Run, If I Had A Gun and the stunning AKA...What A Life.  I'm a big fan of Noel's 2017 Who Built The Moon? album with David Holmes on production duties, while Dead In The Water is as good as anything he wrote with Oasis. 

Thankfully, water has passed under the bridge since August 1995. Noel and Damon have long since made up, performing live together for the Teenage Cancer Trust in 2013 (see video below) and generally being increasingly positive about each others music and talent in interviews.

In the end, it wasn’t Blur or Oasis. It was Blur and Oasis. It was about the energy, the ego(s), the arrogance and the music. And like all good battles, the fallout was just as interesting as the fight.

My own conclusion - Oasis set out to be bigger rather than better. For a couple of years they were bigger and better, but the Knebworth comedown hit them hard. 

Very arguably, over time, Damon Albarn has proved to be the most talented British artist of the last 30-years. His body of work is beautifully eclectic and his ability to find a melancholic melody is impeccable.

That said, there are not many songwriters that bring people together like Noel Gallagher. The elder Gallagher brother has written an incredible collection of songs that can be sung on terraces, at weddings, funerals and when people (and cities) are at their lowest and need a lift.

Thirty years on, lets just enjoy the fact that both have produced such fantastic bodies of work and that they continue to create and play live.

Girls & Boys

30-years ago 
Girls & Boys by Blur

Release date - 7th March 1994

Britpop exploded in the spring of 1994 and went technicolour with the release of Blur's Girls & Boys. This single well and truly put the POP in Britpop, reaching number 5 in the charts and catapulting Blur to new heights.

Never mind song titles like Metal Mickey or Animal Nitrate, this was pop in its purest form. Girls who want boys, who want girls ... that's been the case since the dawn of time and even The Beatles hadn't captured this in such a bold way. 

Girls & Boys is almost ridiculously catchy. The synth riff, disco beat, funky (Duran Duran - according to Alex James) bass and Damon Albarn singing about love in the nineties, is paranoid (I always thought it was it's paradise).

Albarn wrote the song after holidaying in Magaluf with his girlfriend Justine Frishmann from Elastica. He couldn't believe the way girls and boys would just meet up in pubs & clubs to get off with each other.

On sunny beaches

Take your chances 

Looking for ...

It's easy to look back at the nineties through rose-tinted glasses (and believe me ... I do!) but it's easy to forget that Labour didn't come to power until May 1997, in the dying embers of Britpop. Albarn beautifully captures some of the challenges faced by the youth of the day in a line that is almost thrown away at the start of the second verse;

Avoiding all work

Cause there's none available

The song is just two verses and that incredibly catchy chorus that is repeated joyfully again and again and again. But just to give you something else to sing to, Albarn throws in an extra little hook while Graham Coxon pushes a phaser effect on his guitar and cranks it up. 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Girls & Boys is energetic, contagious pop music, this was the Britpop klaxon sounding loud and clear. If Suede kicked down the door then Blur were the first to steam through.

Official video

Live on The Word

Pet Shop Boys remix

The Ballad Of Darren

The Ballad Of Darren by Blur is an astonishing album that I've revisited many times since its release back in July. The cover is a photo of someone swimming in Gourock's outdoor swimming pool.

Darren, in case you were wondering, is Darren Evans, Blur's longtime bodyguard. Evans had been nagging at singer Damon Albarn to finish a 2003 demo that has now become The Ballad, the opening song on the album.

But the more you listen to the album, the more you realise that Darren is really Damon. Recently split from his long term partner, Albarn pours his heart out on this album; there is reflection, memories, realisation, thoughts of good times, admission (the frank I fucked up starts St. Charles Square ...) and pure heartfelt honesty.

What a year for Blur. A new album, small intimate gigs and huge nights at Wembley, shows they had long dreamed of playing. Damon Albarn is the most prolific high profile artist of my generation. He is in the incredible position where he can do whatever the hell he wants. Gorillaz, a solo album on the piano, some small solo shows, a Blur album, some tiny shows, a huge stadium show .... The number of albums he has released in the last 30-years is pretty mind blowing, he is constantly creating, full of energy, intelligence and talent. 

Back to The Ballad Of Darren. The opening lyrics to The Ballad set the tone, we're immediately into Albarn's heartache. 

I just looked into my life

And all I saw was that you're not coming back

It's the soundtrack to a breakup. And it sounds f**king beautiful. The lyrics, Damon's beautiful melancholic voice, the melodies, the band playing as one ... it tugs on my heart strings.

Well I know, I can't change the time

I know I'm already breaking when I look into your eyes

The aforementioned St. Charles Square ups the pace, Albarn pleading don't leave me, don't leave me completely. It's probably my least favourite song on the album, a little brash and out of place among so many beautiful ballads and melancholic grooves.

Barbaric is absolutely subime, Coxon's jangling guitar riff cuts to big reverb chords, before cutting back again. Albarn sounds angelic. Is he singing to his lost love, or his therapist, or all of us? He is singing for all of us who have suffered heartbreak at some time or another.

And I'd like if you've got the time

To talk to you about

What this breakup has done to me

The chorus is a beauty and I love the way it changes through the course of the song. Beginning with I have lost, then you have lost (his therapist talking?) and then we have lost. 

I have lost

The feeling that I thought I'd never lose

At what cost?

The feeling that I thought I'd never lose

It is barbaric

Barbaric - the dictionary definition is savagely cruel. As in, he carried out barbaric acts of war.

Albarn's loss is savagely cruel.

Still, he has written a fucking beautiful album as a result!

Russian Strings will tug on your heart strings. Damon, heartbroken, calling out ... going on to say that the only thing left for him to do is turn is music up, put his headphones on and hit the hard stuff.

Where are you now?

Where are you now?

Are you coming back to us?

Are you online?

Are you contactable, again?

Blur and Albarn strip things right back for The Everglades (For Leonard) with Damon seeking trees and calmer days.

The Narcissist is an absolutely incredible song; gorgeous guitar, Coxon providing delightful backing vocals, Albarn sounding all forlorn and then lifting things for the chorus. 

I'm a shine a light in your eyes

You'll probably shine it back on me

But I won't fall, this time

With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs

This album could be as emotional as Blur and Albarn might ever sound on record. Goodbye Albert has Coxon playing with some gorgeous psychedelic effects on guitar and Damon reflecting.

I stayed away

I gave you time

Why don't you talk to me anymore?

Don't punish me forever

Albarn is always reflecting on this album. Far Away Island has him singing over keyboards, his classic mix of melodic and melancholic at its best; I'm cut to pieces, I'm dancing alone

Closing with The Heights again has Albarn reflecting on where he is and where he and his love have been. It was love, but it's gone.

Suppose I'm on my own tonight

Suppose I've got to find the heights

I gave a lot of heart, so did you

For Tomorrow

30-years ago #3
For Tomorrow by Blur

For Tomorrow was released in April 30-years ago - 19th April 1993 to be precise. It's safe to say, on reflection, that it was a game changing single for Blur. All of a sudden it felt like Blur had found their sound and look. In that sense, I'd argue that it's one of the most important singles of the Britpop era.

Photo by Kevin Cummins

Damon Albarn was photographed by Kevin Cummins spraypainting the title of his bands forthcoming album (released the following month in May 1993) for the NME. Cummins series of photos really should have been used for the cover and inside sleeve of Modern Life Is Rubbish. Quite why a computer graphic of a steam locomotive was used is beyond me. 

Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree in front of their fresh graffti in second hand suit jackets, turned up jeans and Doc Marten boots would surely have been more appropriate. As I said, they had the look. Too bad the records would have already been pressed with the locomotive sleeve.

Photo by Kevin Cummins

Modern Life Is Rubbish was inspired by Albarn listening to The Kinks and dreaming of England while trapped in the grip of a mammoth 44-date tour of America that the band hated.

Disillusioned by the grunge scene and the meteoric rise of Suede, Blur drank heavily to the extent where they were close to being dropped by their label. 

Speaking of Suede, Brett Anderson and co had smashed into the top 10 in February 93 with Metal Mickey, only their third single, and were now on the front cover of Select Magazine - Anderson in front of a Union Jack with the title Yanks Go Home - Suede, St Etienne, Denim, Pulp, The Auteurs and the Battle for Britain.

Pulp would fully embrace Britpop with their 1995 album Different Class, featuring era defining singles Common People, Sorted for E's & Whizz and Disco 2000. Although they'd got a taste by breaking into the top 40 for the first time in 1994 with their brilliant Do You Remember The First Time?

Suede went the other way with the release of Dog Man Star in 1994, distancing themselves from Britpop, before coming back with their stunning pure glam pop rush of a single Trash in 1996. 

Back to Blur though. For me, For Tomorrow was their first step into Britpop, before they dived in headfirst in 1994 with Girls & Boys and Parklife (single and album).

Recording of Modern Life Is Rubbish didn't go smoothly, it was only when they got together with Stephen Street (who had previously produced their hit There's No Other Way) that the album gathered momentum. Considering Street's success with the quintessentially English-ness of The Smiths, it is a wonder why they didn't go with him in the first place.

When you read back through Britpop memoirs and online articles, it's not over stating the mark to say that the future of the band was really at stake. It was make or break. Dave Balfe from Food Records told Blur that their album was commercial suicide and asked for a single.

On Christmas Day 1992 Albarn wrote For Tomorrow, which would become the opening track and lead single for Modern Life Is Rubbish. It's one of my favourite Blur songs and I also think it's one of their very best.

Albarn and the band refused to re-record the album for the American market. They were done with America for the time being. 

For Tomorrow has a beautiful feel to it; strings, la la la's, a very southern English vocal by Albarn and solid beats. The video further stamps Blur's new identity; Albarn hanging off the back of a London double decker bus, floating in The Thames, the band playing football in Trafalgur Square and hanging around on Primrose Hill. All wearing the aforementioned new Blur uniform of suit jacket and jeans. The melody changes for the final two verses, flowing superbly as Albarn sings modern life is rubbish

Dave Balfe didn't really get the hit single he wanted, For Tomorrow reached number 28 in the charts. But the was documented evidence that Blur had changed as a band. One year later they did have the hit (and a massive one at that!) with the glorious pop riot Girls & Boys.

Blur - For Tomorrow official video

Blur - For Tomorrow live at Wembley Arena 1999

Previous blogs in the series

1. Loser by Beck

2. Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) by Sub Sub

David Bowie Never Had To

One of the most pleasing things I have noticed in the Scottish music scene over the last few weeks has been a little bit of recognition for Pii 2, the second album by Stephen Solo, an artist I am incredibly fond of.

Readers of Is This Music? (another blog with a nod to Teenage Fanclub) voted Pii 2 second best album of 2017, The Herald highlighted Internet Song in their top 100 (17) songs of 2017, while Jock Rock also found Pii 2 to be second best album of the year.

Nothing crazy, but I know that it means a lot to Solo, an artist who recorded his debut album simply because he had found out how to use his iPhone and didn't need to limit himself to acoustic demos.

Solo hasn't even played two handfuls of shows in that time, so word of mouth is the way that his music gets known.

I've blogged about Solo a few times over the last couple of years;

Introduction and interview
The Pii 2 album launch at La Chunky
Pii 2 album review

Stephen is unique, using easily accessible and relatively cheap modern technology (his iPhone) to capture the songs, melodies and ideas that pour out of him on a regular basis.

The songs range from the gorgeous fragile Crying Because, to cinematic Soundtrack to Unfilmed, to Albarn-esque moments of beauty mixed with craziness, plenty of Beatles-y moments of homemade psychedelic wonder like Think Strange and LocoCoco and nods to Bowie, the harmonies of The Beach Boys, electronica via Kraftwerk to Hot Chip and even Scots comedian Limmy.

His 2 albums to date contain genuinely jaw dropping moments of sheer raw talent and imagination. No Pill For What I've Got and Secrets You Keep are spine tingling. And it is worth remembering that Solo no only wrote and played everything on these 2 albums, he recorded, mixed and produced it all as well - sometimes in his car, sometimes under the stairs and sometimes in the bathroom - even in the bath! Internet Song is so funny, captivating and catchy that is has recently prompted one fan to make a video for it.

There is one song on Pii2 that I listened to about half a dozen times in a row on first listen to the album. The talent, humour, cheek, imagination, stark reality and heartfelt plea to the artist who inspired it, the twist at the end, the little riffs.... David Bowie Never Had To is a quite incredible song, in fact it is more of a work of art.

As Glasgow celebrates the life of Bowie this weekend ahead of his birthday and anniversary of his passing, I thought I'd highlight this song that the great artist inspired. Stephen is a real Bowie fan and introduced me to Bowie's 80's classics Modern Love and Lets Dance.

Back to the song, that you can stream below. Pulsing electro synth and beats back Stephen Solo as he lists things that David Bowie Never Had To do;

Change kitty litter at 5am

Take out the bona after a gig still wearing his gig clothes

Switch to store brand breakfast serial for financial reasons

Carry a washing machine up 4 flights of stairs

Downgrade his home entertainment package because he is on a zero hours contract

Consider using his house keys as a makeshift weapon at a dodgy bus stop

Provide evidence of job searching for a job he doesn't want

Solo breaks off between verses for a glorious melodic and melancholic snapshot of his mind;

Don't want my own universe

But I'd be happy in my own little world

There is a lovely twist at the end as Solo finds himself having a conversation with Bowie from beyond his grave. I'll leave you to check that out yourself. Please do so and please check Solo's albums. He plays the Hug and Pint supporting The Gracious Losers at their single launch and I'm led to believe some friends will be joining him on stage to help recreate his incredible songs.

Never Ending Mixtape Part 12

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another jam packed blog where I add songs to the Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify.

Dig in to one of Damon Albarn's  most heartbreaking songs, marvel at Handsome Boy Modelling School stunning Them Truth, the garage rock pop punk delight of The Strokes, euphoric electronic dance courtesy of Ultraworld that I discovered via an Optimo tweet, a song I checked cause it has a cool title, the glorious One Dove, the truly beautiful Night Nurse, two early gems by Primal Scream, funk, soul, acid jazz,  4 stormers from early Beatles, 3 choice cuts from Rodriguez and throw in The Box Tops, The McCoys and much, much more, ending with the dreamy beauty Junk from Paul McCartney.

The Never Ending Mixtape is now sitting at 238 songs! Open Spotify and search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape or just CLICK HERE.

Scroll down to start with the latest additions, play from the start, on shuffle or however you want. Let me know what you think.

No Distance Left To Run - Blur

The Truth - Handsome Boy Modelling School featuring Roisin Murphy

Someday - The Strokes
Last Nite

Wait - The Kills

House Of The Jealous Lovers - The Rapture

Northern Piano (hardcore piano mix) -Ultraworld

Strings Of Life (Danny Krivit re-edit) - Soul Central

Where Love Lives (Come On In) - Alison Limerick

Perfume (Loved Up) - Paris Angels

White Love (Radio Mix) - One Dove

The High Road - Broken Bells

Johny Stays Cool - The Babe Rainbow

Night Nurse - Dean and Britta

Love You - Primal Scream

Velocity Girl - Primal Scream

Son Of A Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield

Love and Happiness - Al Green

Get Up Offa That Thing - James Brown

I Want To Take You Higher - Sly and the Family Stone

Hang On Sloopy - The McCoys

Goody Goody Gumdrops - 1910 Fruitgum Company

The Letter - The Box Tops

Twist and Shout - The Beatles
I'm Down 
Bad Boy 
Long Tall Sally 

Sugar Man - Rodriguez
I Think Of You
Cause

I Got My Baby Back - Lorraine Ellison

Man With The Golden Touch - Charles Thomas

You Forgot How To Love - Patti LaBelle

Afternoon of the Rhino - Mike Post Coalition

Something's Burnin' - The Marvellos

Got Myself A Good Man - Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers

Nuther'n Like Nuther'n - Willis Jackson

O'Baby (I Believe I'm Losing You) - Billy Hawks

Brand New Girl - Billy Garner

Soul Brother's Testify Part 1 - Chester Rendle's Soul Sender's
Soul Brother's Testify Part 2

I'm Just  A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin') - Candi Staton

The Young Mod's Forgotten Story - The Impressions

Junk - Paul McCartney

Pii 2

2016 was a good year for albums, I had a number of contenders vying for the 'accolade' of my favourite album of the year - in the end it was Pii by Stephen Solo that won through. An eclectic eccentric album recorded on an iPhone 6 taking in sublime Albarn-esque melodies, Boards of Canada soundscapes, a song that was like a Limmy sketch, imagination and experiments.

Pii 2 has also been recorded completely on an iPhone and it is a psychedelic, melodic, imaginative, crazy, melancholic beauty.

Check it out for yourself on Spotify.

The freedom of being able to record on the hop, not having to book or finance a recording studio and having a supportive label that has a ready made audience and is as interested in the people they work with as the music they release, allows experimentation and creativity - something sadly lacking from a lot of music these days.

Songs were recorded in the work car park, the living room, the laundry cupboard and one - the stunning No Pill For What I've Got in the bath.

Other standouts for me include LocoCoco, the sublime Think Strange, the fragile Secrets You Keep and the glorious flowing Slipstream. Then the closing quartet of David Bowie Never Had To (more on this later), iPhone psychedelia on Can't Wait, the aforementioned No Pill For What I've Got and the beautiful touching Bye Bye Song featuring Stephen's son.

Pii was written around the birth of Stephen's first son, Pii 2 around the birth of his second. This isn't a pattern he sees continuing, but he did take a unique approach to recording the 'difficult' second album - recording that, ditching it and then writing and recording the joyous 3rd 'comeback' album.

The debut album was released on a USB credit card, the follow up is out today on a USB cassette tape! You can also download from iTunes or stream on Spotify. If you like it, then buy a super cool USB cassette via www.lastnightfromglasgow.com

Internet Song starts off with a mood of clever insanity before verging off into dreamy gorgeousness. Solo (real name Farrell) can seemingly pluck a melody from thin air and when the chorus comes in it can take you somewhere special.

Feel like I'm glowing

When you're downloading

Feel like I'm floating

When I'm uploading

How does he do it? LocoCoco captures attention immediately, the melody, the voice, the backing vocals, the hooks - it does all seem effortless. Check the switch into this section of the song - sensational!!!!!

I'm tired

From feeling that I got nobody to talk to

I'm wired

From punching the clock cause it never stops

It never stops at all

A psychedelic guitar riff picked out over lush warm synth ushers in Think Strange. It is a gem. All of Stephen Solo's material is interesting and imaginative, but when it all really comes together it is incredibly special.

For a fleeting second I think of the bands selling their souls without a hope in hell of producing anything as gorgeous at this....and I laugh.... cause this guy is producing something as good as this on his iPhone 6! I've just listened to it 4 times in a row.

It's hard to admit when you're wrong about somebody

A dreamer in love with the dark

Hoping it will never come back

Farrell's love of being able to freely experiment when he has a moment to himself with his phone is joyfully expressed throughout the album. Mini Metal Girl is one of those moments where you think what goes on in this guys head? But in a good way.

I mentioned that Secrets You Keep is a highlight; Stephen singing over an acoustic guitar with just the odd little synth bubbling in the background is just gorgeous. And when he harmonises with himself it is pure Beatles.

I love you more with every secret you keep

I love you more with every cut that goes deep

David Bowie Never Had To is madcap genius. Farrell takes us into his world by comparing it to David Bowie's. I laughed out loud on first listen and then promptly listened a further 6 times to appreciate the humour, imagination, reality, songwriting and melodies.

David Bowie never had to carry a washing machine up 3 flights of stairs

David Bowie never had to downgrade his home entertainment package because he's on a zero hours contract

David Bowie never had to consider using his keys as a weapon at a dodgy bus stop

Don't want my own universe

But I'd be happy in my own little world

The song has a great twist at the end where Bowie joins in the conversation from the other side. Just listen to this - please. It is genius.

Can't Wait is home made psychedelia and then Farrell introduces another one of those magical moments from 2-minutes onwards. Flowing melodies and harmonies - sheer beauty.

I have friends who I always trust when it comes to music. So when my friend Craig asked me if I had heard Stephen's song No Pill For What I've Got then I knew it was going to be special. And it is. Recorded from the bath (which you can hear at the start). It has a sleep, dreamy, melancholy vibe with a beautiful melody and soulful reflective lyrics.

The album closes with Solo playing ukulele and singing to his eldest son about the colours of the planets of the solar system. It is a captivating insight into how music plays such a part of his life and evidence of how he can just come up with ideas and melodies with ease.

Order the incredibly cool cassette USB album from the online store (click just the album) or head to iTunes to download or Spotify to stream. Enjoy.