Ah, britpop. It’s a label that some bands that fell under it didn’t particularly like. It’s not quite an alternative culture, nor is it something based on British patriotism. Rather, britpop was a post-punk phenomenon that hit the world of music hard in the 1990s. Some incredible albums came out of that period of music, even if the word itself didn’t suit the tastes of most. Let’s look at just four of the best britpop albums from the 1990s!
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1. ‘Different Class’ by Pulp
This 1995 record is one that defined the whole genre. Pulp’s Different Class is comedic in a way; it starts out with some social commentary that could evoke a sensible chuckle from most listeners. However, the album quickly gives way to uncontrolled rage and well-written psychodrama. A lot of songs had to be edited for radio. We recommend listening to the uncut version.
2. ‘Parklife’ by Blur
Parklife is one of Blur’s very best albums. It’s a glittering pop album that had some disco elements to it. And it wasn’t just the musicality of it that made the album so good. It was a frank and deep album that simply explored what it was like to be British at that time. A few underrated tracks include “Badhead” and “Clover Over Dover”.
3. ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ by Oasis
If you even slightly leaned towards britpop back in the 1990s, this is probably one of the best albums you listened to. This 1995 record from Oasis was nostalgic at the time, and it wasn’t particularly groundbreaking in terms of lyrical content. The Gallaghers simply put together a rock album that was undeniably British and introspective. It shows off just how good of a songwriter Noel could be when he wanted to be.
4. ‘Elastica’ by Elastica
Elastica was a very fierce band, and their self-titled album tackled everything from having sex in a car to the woes of erectile dysfunction. They notably stole guitar riffs to use as their own for the album, which would be an unforgivable offense if they didn’t do something so good with them. The album launched them into fame across the pond, and they were also quite popular in the US as well. Unfortunately, their sophomore album just didn’t hit the same way.
Photo by Theo Wargo
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