Five essential Britpop albums everyone should own
A few years ago, I was interviewing a record shop owner in Sheffield for Record Store Day, and he said something which resonated with me and inspired this list.
I don’t have the actual interview anymore, so I’ll need to paraphrase, but essentially, this man told me how much it baffles him that Pulp are one of his best-selling bands. This wasn’t a dig at the band but his perplexity at the fact that people live in Sheffield who don’t own Pulp records. He was incredulous wondering where these people had been and why they were only just buying these albums.
In recent years, following the resurgence of bands such as Blur, Pulp and Oasis igniting a discussion about musical movements and big periods in music, a lot of music lovers have been turning their attention back to Britpop. It’s a great style to dabble, but I wonder if those wanting to commemorate the movement within their record collection know where to start.
If you want a section which reflects a specific movement in music, it’s important that the albums are definitive. This isn’t a list of deep cuts or unheard pieces; these are classics that make up the Britpop movement and celebrate it, and hence need to form the fan collection at all times.
Five must-own Britpop albums for fans:
Pulp – ‘Different Class’
When Jarvis Cocker fell out of a Sheffield window, the time he spent helpless on the pavement and subsequently in hospital acted as a period of reflection, one that allowed him to better understand the topics he should be writing about: real people. This led to one of the greatest Britpop albums with a humanistic core, and you can argue with me all you want, but this is the way the list rumbles.
The result of such spontaneous pouring of the heart is songs that feel deeply personal but that you also feel comfortable blurting out in a field with 20,000 people. It seems as though Jarvis Cocker reached into your music-loving brain and picked out all the memories you want laid out to melody and breathed life into them on one of the most masterful LPs ever made to define a genre.
Blur – ‘Parklife’
It’s easy to understand why Blur needs to be celebrated when we talk about the movement, but with such a rich discography, it can be hard choosing the album that best represents them.
Well, in this instance, I’ve taken the easy way out and opted for the record which contains the most classics. Blur is one of those bands where if you want to dive into their deep cuts, you’ll find a lot of hidden gems in there; however, alternatively, if you just want the hits, you can also have a lot of fun with them. As such, Parklife feels like the best recommendation, as it comes packed with both hits and shrouded classics from start to finish; this album is 50 minutes of Britpop glory that cannot be undermined.
Oasis – ‘Definitely Maybe’
You don’t need me to tell you how timeless the music of Oasis is as they’ve proven it themselves this year. There was plenty of speculation before their reunion shows about whether or not the Gallagher brothers would be able to stand hanging out with each other and whether they still had what it takes to be a great rock ‘n’ roll band, and they showed us all of that and more.
Much of the success of their reunion comes down to the band’s excellent songs, which they brandish so gleefully, and a lot of them are contained on the debut, Definitely Maybe. The moment that this record came out, everyone within earshot understood that there was a new world-dominating rock band on the rise, and these songs remain evergreen because of their monumental impact.
The Verve – ‘Urban Hymns’
During the Oasis reunions, a video went viral of someone Shazaming the song ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. The clip turned out to be a stunt from a social media company, but the response from the public spoke for itself: ‘How do you not know this song?’ people cried, shocked that a track which was embrolied in royalties controvery with one of the biggest rock bands in the world, and is one of the greatest needle drops in movie history, may have passed idle ears.
However, more than the one song, Urban Hymns is packed with great songwriting, catchy choruses and a big sound, and it remains one of the greatest Britpop albums out there for people to wrap their lugholes around, so look no further to bolster your collection.
Suede – ‘Dog Man Star’
Dog Man Star gets a fair bit of criticism, and unfairly so, in my humble opinion. Sure, it might be quite grandiose at times, but I don’t think that means you can’t take the record seriously; quite the opposite, as I think it adds to the blend of isolation and glamour which oversees the entire album.
The album came from Brett Anderson’s troubled mind, as he found himself battling addiction, heartache and loneliness. It’s a blend of minimalism and maximalism, as his confusion seems to resonate throughout every second sung or played through. For a movement which is laced with big catchy hits, Suede’s Dog Man Star offers listeners something a bit more murky and complex to really sink your teeth into.
