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.

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over

 

Trust me #102
Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over by The Charlatans

Released on August 7th 1995, just as the country was getting fixated with the Blur v Oasis Battle of Britpop, The Charlatans released the infinitely cooler and superior Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over , showcasing a loose, groove-infused sound reminiscent of Exile On Main Street-era Rolling Stones. 

For me, this was the sound of summer sun. At T in the Park the previous month, the band had kicked up a dust storm as they played in baking hot sunshine, with this song sounding particularly sweet and soulful.

Check the TV footage that someone has thankfully uploaded to YouTube. Burgess and co are playing a blinder, finding a real dirty groove to ride at the end. My brother and I were right down the front and it was immense.

Official video

T in the Park 1995

Tim Burgess, main stage, T in the Park 1995

The Charlatans were in a deeply rich period of creativity during the mid-90's that saw them release 3 incredible albums and 10 singles within 4-years. 

1994 – Up To Our Hips

Can’t Get Out of Bed – January 1994 / I Never Want an Easy Life If Me and He Were Ever to Get There – April 1994 / Jesus Hairdo – August 1994

1995 – The Charlatans

Crashin’ In – Boxing Day 1994 / Just Lookin’ / Bullet Comes” (double A-side) – May 1995 / Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over – August 1995

1997 – Tellin’ Stories

One to Another – August 1996 / North Country Boy – March 1997 / How High – May 1997 / Tellin’ Stories – September 1997

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over begins in the groove. Acoustic guitar and piano sounding like they were made for each other. Burgess comes in with an infectious top line melody, instantly recognisable, immediately memorable. By 40-seconds he's into the chorus that includes the beautiful line you look good when your heart is on fire.

I'm coming home

You look good when your heart is on fire

It's a matter of taste yeah!

Mark Collins introduces a piercing guitar solo after the second chorus and at 2-minutes 30 the song bursts further into life with Burgess singing to an old friend/flame?

Right now, where do you come from

Kick up, yeah go find your love

I ain't knocking on your door

Things slow down to the acoustic groove, before piano and beats come back in and it all sounds beautifully simple, easy and natural.

and all your friends seem disappointed

'cause they're not your friends now

Tim and the band are in full flight as they fly to the end, finding the kind of groove they could ride for hours. I wonder if there is an old demo of them just playing on and on. 

What a song, what a band ... I can't wait to see them again in The Barrowland Ballroom this December.

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE. Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve

94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

95. Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub

96. Common People by Pulp

97. Let Our Love Grow Higher by Eula Cooper

98. Regret by New Order

99. Keep On Keepin' On by Nolan Porter

100. Sit Down (Live at G-Mex) by James

101. Never Lose Your Sense Of Wonder by Yeti

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

Albums of the year 2023

2023 was a very good year for music!

As always, I'm sure other end of year lists will lead me to discovering music released in 2023 that passed me by at the time. However, at the time of writing, here are my 10 favourite albums from 2023 with 15 more bubbling under.

Three of my favourite albums find artists in their 50's pouring their hearts out about love, loss and moving  forward, while others by David Holmes and Eyes of Others set controls for the heart of the sun to burn as brightly and vividly as they possibly can, 

Melodies, hooks, storytelling and invention are spread throughout. Whether through pure euphoric pop, or dreamy melancholia. There are glorious grooves, gorgeous guitars, sublime synths and brilliant beats.

Enjoy. 

2023 Albums of the year

The Ballad of Darren by Blur

What is it like to suffer a major break-up in your 50's? Damon Albarn makes it sound heartbreaking, yet beautiful as he pours his heart our across the album. There is reflection, memories, realisation, thoughts of good times, confession (the frank I fucked up starts St. Charles Square ...) and pure heartfelt honesty.

The singles The Narcissist and Barbaric are fantastic, then album cuts like Russian Strings and Goodbye Albert are utterly gorgeous. Albarn is an exceptional talent, in the enviable position of doing whatever he likes with Blur, Gorillaz, solo and in collobaration.

Review

Barbaric - official visualiser

Nothing Lasts Forever by Teenage Fanclub

Nothing Lasts Forever, the 12th Teenage Fanclub album, is a beautiful album containing 10 songs of love, life, loss, hope and light. If Everything Arcade was reflective, then this new album is looking forward, with Norman heading Back to the Light.

Have your tissues ready for Raymond's beautiful I Will Love You that closes the album. The slow burning, near 2-minute, intro is beautifully dreamy, leading to McGinley singing about how his love will last through all that is wrong in the world. Until the end of time. Norman's harmonies on the chorus are gorgeous.

This is Teenage Fanclub at their best - heartfelt emotion, love and hope in the face of racisim, bigotry, pollution, capitalism ... the grim reality of modern day life. Love can help. Love can win

Review 

I Will Love You

Blind on a Galloping Horse by David Holmes featuring Raven Violet

David Holmes takes us on a beautiful journey on his latest album. Over 14 songs, Holmes creates wonderful sounds; dreamy, dubby, clubby, psychedelic, electro with gorgeous melodic riffs and layers. Raven Violet adds super cool vocals. Love In the Upside Down immediately became one of my favourite songs of the year. 

Love In The Upside Down

It's Over If We Run Out Of Love

Sugar Honey by Carla J Easton

My sister has written and released 7 albums since the 2016 release of her debut album Homemade Lemonade. Sugar Honey is her 4th solo album and Carla has also released 2 albums with TeenCanteen and last years Poster Paints LP.

That's pretty prolific by any artist's standards, particularly one who is DIY. Sugar Honey was funded by a fanclub crowdfunder and I'm positive that everyone who generously signed up will be super happy with the results on display.

Self-produced, there is a lovely feel to the whole album with layers of melodic vocals and heartfelt lyrics delivered with bite, humour and soul. The title track talks of feeling scared while walking home at night, You Made Us is a beautiful love letter to Glasgow, One Week is a song about how love can quickly go wrong and Sleepyhead is a gorgeous dreamy lullaby

You Made Us

Sleepyhead

Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers

Young Fathers Heavy Heavy explodes into action with the opening track Rice. The bass is heavy ... heavy, the beats are tribal, the melodies flow and there is a gospel choir.

I Saw has a powerful urgency, the bass is reminiscent of Massive Attack, the groove allowing so much to go on over the top of it. There is a lot going on and it's f**king magical. The layers, the production, the hooks and harmonies. 

Heavy Heavy is 10 songs in under 33-minutes. It delivers so much but leaves you wanting more.

Review

I Saw (live at Glastonbury)

Eyes of Others by Eyes of Others

'Post pub, couldn't get in the club music' is how John Bryden describes his Eyes of Others project and on this evidence I wouldn't mind going back to his place!

Eyes of Others debut album is a joyful, refreshing, delightful and playful melting pot of electronica, dreamy psychedelic melodies, grooves, riffs, humour, synth sounds, effects, beats, lyrics and melodies.

Review

New Hair, New Me 

Brothers and Sisters by Steve Mason

Steve Mason keeps on keepin' on, creating psychedelic and political grooves to move you - on your feet and in your soul. Mason has a natural sing-song voice that comes out on songs like I'm On My Way and he also has an uncanny ability to find a melody and groove, often creating dreamy mantra like chants in the process.
Mason and his band veer from Stones-y, Gospel vibes (check the London Gospel Choir on All Over Again) to the modern day blues title track where Mason pines for nights out, dancing, dealers and DJ's, urging brothers and sisters to pump up the volume.

The People Say

Brothers and Sisters

Council Skies by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

After 3 High Flying Birds albums in 6-years, Noel Gallagher took 6-years to release his 4th. Recorded in his own Lone Star Studio, there is a lovely relaxed and dreamy vibe spread throughout the album. Interviews around release had Noel in typically great form, highlighting how he didn't have to clock watch. 

Like Albarn and Blake, Gallagher has also recently gone through a break up in his mid-50's and Noel talked of Council Skies as being like 'Going back to the beginning. Daydreaming, looking up at the sky and wondering about what life could be ...'

Noel, from the very early days of Oasis, has talked of his love for Burt Bacharach and I think that shines on this album. It's his strongest post-Oasis collection of songs. Noel's voice still has that aching, soulful and melodic quality. But on these songs, backed by sublime string arrangements and melancholic horns, it really comes out.

Gallagher can still write a sky scraping chorus, like he does on Open The Door, See What You Find, but also beautiful daydream songs like Trying To Find A World That's Been And Gone.

Open The Door, See What You Find (Live on Later)

We're Gonna Get Their In The End

Guts by Olivia Rodrigo

My daughters got me into Olivia Rodrigo this year through sensational modern pop songs like Get Him Back and Vampire. Rodrigo is only 20-years old and is clearly a precocious talent with a delightful and exceptional ability to use swear words!

Rodrigo can fly from talking through verses to huge pop choruses with enough hooks to floor Rocky in seconds. Her lyrics are clever, observational and confessional like diary entries with hints of a Taylor Swift influence, but Rodrigo is an absolute star in her own right. 

Get Him Back

Vampire (Live Lounge)

Salvage Enterprise by The Polyphonic Spree

Released in mid-November, this album caught me at just the right time. I'd had a particularly full on day at work and set out for an evening walk with my headphones on, ready to be transported into the world of Tim DeLaughter and his incredible band. The music in my head was like a warm hug. The lyrics were full of warmth and empathy. There is hope out there, through all the despair. 

DeLaughter wears his heart and soul on his sleeve. You can see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. He feels it, he means it. 

Galloping Seas

Shadows On The Hillside

Bubbling under

The Record by Boygenius

Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs

Parallel Lights by Andrew Wasylyk

Javelin by Sufjan Stevens

I Don't Know by bdrmm

Happy Ending by Hifi Sean & David McAlmont

Consciousology by Dot Allison

Hit Parade by Roisin Murphy

For That Beautiful Feeling by The Chemical Brothers

Sea Of Mirrors - The Coral

Tear The Place Up by The Allergies

LaVette! by Betty LaVette

Come Around and Love Me by Jalen Ngonda

Late Developers by Belle and Sebastian

Turn The Car Around by Gaz Coombes