Discussion:
Britpop Top 50
(too old to reply)
Mark Goodge
2020-09-02 08:48:42 UTC
Permalink
This has already been mentioned in passing, so I thought I'd string
together a playlist for it. I've also reformatted the list so that it
works better in a text-only medium.

It is a very Oasis-heavy chart (13 of the tracks are by them), and Blur
(with 7) and Oasis together account for 20 of the 50. Other than those
two, there are only seven acts that have more than a single entry -
Catatonia and Ocean Colour Scene with two each, and Pulp, the Manics,
Kula Shaker and The Verve with three each.

Videos are mainly from the bands' (or their record labels') own YouTube
channels, so it's mostly official videos all the way down. But there are
a couple of more obscure bands towards the bottom that don't seem to
have an official presence on YouTube, so I've had to resort to fan
uploads, which aren't quite as good quality. And there's one well-known
song which doesn't seem to have an official video at all, so I've had to
use the TotP appearance. Which is notable for a rather bizarre
introduction by the presenters.

There's no Spotify playlist as I don't have a Spotify account, but if
you want an audio-only version (and you can put up with Jo Whiley) you
can listen to the Radio 2 countdown online, at least until it disappears
from the archives (get_iplayer FTW). The Radio 2 show also includes a
selection of tracks that, if the record-buying public had had more
taste, would have been in the top fifty!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m447
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZNlfRZgt1h4fAH3YWppvmDhe0E7BV0yG

Pos. Peak Year Artist - Title
1. (2) 1995 Oasis - Wonderwall
2. (1) 1996 Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
3. (2) 1997 Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
4. (1) 1997 Oasis - D'you Know What I Mean
5. (1) 1998 Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha
6. (1) 1997 Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
7. (3) 1994 Oasis - Whatever
8. (1) 1995 Blur - Country House
9. (2) 1995 Oasis - Roll With It
10. (1) 1995 Oasis - Some Might Say
11. (2) 1999 Blur - Tender
12. (1) 1998 Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your
Children Will Be Next
13. (2) 1997 Oasis - Stand By Me
14. (10) 1995 Oasis - Live Forever
15. (2) 1997 Blur - Song 2
16. (7) 1997 Verve - Lucky Man
17. (2) 1996 Pulp - Common People
18. (7) 1994 Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol
19. (2) 1996 Manic Street Preachers - A Design For Life
20. (4) 1996 Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train
21. (2) 1995 Supergrass - Alright
22. (N/A) 1996 Oasis - Champagne Supernova
23. (31) 1994 Oasis - Supersonic
24. (1) 1998 Oasis - All Around The World
25. (4) 1999 Stereophonics - Just Looking
26. (2) 1995 Bluetones - Slight Return
27. (3) 1998 Catatonia - Mulder And Scully
28. (10) 1994 Blur - Parklife
29. (1) 1997 Blur - Beetlebum
30. (7) 1995 Pulp - Disco 2000
31. (5) 1998 Catatonia - Road Rage
32. (11) 1994 Oasis - Shakermaker
33. (10) 1999 Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me
34. (5) 1995 Blur - The Universal
35. (3) 1998 Stereophonics - The Bartender And The Thief
36. (4) 1996 Dodgy - Good Enough
37. (4) 1999 Stereophonics - Pick A Part That's New
38. (2) 1997 Kula Shaker - Hush
39. (2) 1996 Kula Shaker - Hey Dude
40. (5) 1996 Blur - Girls And Boys
41. (11) 1994 Shampoo - Trouble
42. (3) 1996 Charlatans - One To Another
43. (5) 1999 Manic Street Preachers - You Stole The Sun From My Heart
44. (2) 1995 Pulp - Sorted For E's & Wizz/Mis-Shapes
45. (9) 1996 Cast - Walkaway
46. (4) 1997 Ocean Colour Scene - Hundred Mile High City
47. (3) 1997 Seahorses - Love Is The Law
48. (3) 1996 Suede - Trash
49. (7) 1996 Kula Shaker - Govinda
50. (9) 1995 Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo
Chris Brown
2020-09-10 21:20:23 UTC
Permalink
Post by Mark Goodge
This has already been mentioned in passing, so I thought I'd string
together a playlist for it. I've also reformatted the list so that it
works better in a text-only medium.
Ta.
Post by Mark Goodge
It is a very Oasis-heavy chart (13 of the tracks are by them), and Blur
(with 7) and Oasis together account for 20 of the 50.
Yes, I did think this was a potential disadvantage of this format (and
one they obviously tried to work around in the radio show) that the top
end would inevitably be very Oasis-heavy. Those 13 tracks are literally
all their 90s hits - unless you count 'Wibbling Rivalry' - plus one that
was never a UK single.
Post by Mark Goodge
Other than those
two, there are only seven acts that have more than a single entry -
Catatonia and Ocean Colour Scene with two each, and Pulp, the Manics,
Kula Shaker and The Verve with three each.
Three Stereophonics tracks as well.
Post by Mark Goodge
Videos are mainly from the bands' (or their record labels') own YouTube
channels, so it's mostly official videos all the way down. But there are
a couple of more obscure bands towards the bottom that don't seem to
have an official presence on YouTube, so I've had to resort to fan
uploads, which aren't quite as good quality.
I can't believe that any of these acts are really that obscure, but then
it often seems a bit random which videos aren't available on official
channels; I'm sure it reflects all kinds of contractual stuff behind the
scenes, but it's very opaque. For that matter some videos on official
channels aren't the versions you might expect - and whilst it doesn't
apply in this case, a surprising number of official channels are clearly
uploading old VHS copies.
Post by Mark Goodge
And there's one well-known
song which doesn't seem to have an official video at all, so I've had to
use the TotP appearance. Which is notable for a rather bizarre
introduction by the presenters.
I'm going to have have to watch it now because I'm sure I've seen videos
for all 51 of these songs (but see above).
Post by Mark Goodge
There's no Spotify playlist as I don't have a Spotify account,
I have.
Post by Mark Goodge
but if
you want an audio-only version (and you can put up with Jo Whiley) you
can listen to the Radio 2 countdown online, at least until it disappears
from the archives (get_iplayer FTW).
I finished listening to it yesterday - which is why I was avoiding this
post for fear of spoilers even though I had a pretty good idea what was
going to be in there.
Post by Mark Goodge
The Radio 2 show also includes a
selection of tracks that, if the record-buying public had had more
taste, would have been in the top fifty!
Or, a cynic might suggest, tracks that relate to star interviews they'd
recorded before the chart was delivered. In order to accommodate that,
they dropped several tracks from the Top 50 itself, mostly by acts with
multiple entries.
For the record, the "bonus" tracks were:
Elastica - Connection
Sleeper - Inbetweener [plus interview with Louise Wener]
McAlmont & Butler - Yes [introduced by Johnny Marr]
Echobelly - Great Things [introduced by Sonia Madan]

Yes, I was tempted to make a Spotify playlist to reinstate the missing
tracks. Even though I think the four extras were an improvement.
Post by Mark Goodge
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m447
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZNlfRZgt1h4fAH3YWppvmDhe0E7BV0yG
This chart apparently is based on sales to the present day (or
presumably a few weeks ago), which has probably made a small difference
from sales at the time.
Post by Mark Goodge
Pos. Peak Year Artist - Title
1. (2) 1995 Oasis - Wonderwall
Never any doubt that this was going to be the winner. And it's not
unreasonable to say it's the biggest song to come out of Britpop, even
if it's not the most popular among fans of the genre/subgenre.
Post by Mark Goodge
2. (1) 1996 Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
Seems a bit churlish to say I don't actually like this song now.
Post by Mark Goodge
3. (2) 1997 Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Here is, I guess, the point at which the "were they Britpop" questions
start. Before this single I don't think anyone would have counted them
as such, and even at the time I don't recall that many people did but
with hindsight it does seem to make sense.
The highest-placed track I actually bought as a single (I bought the
Oasis album, of course).
Post by Mark Goodge
4. (1) 1997 Oasis - D'you Know What I Mean
Not *this* Oasis album though.
Highest track not played on the Radio 2 show, understandably given its
length and that nobody admits to liking it.
Post by Mark Goodge
5. (1) 1998 Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha
Another track that some people might not count as Britpop, but
personally I'm all for it.
I bought this (on 7" in fact).
Post by Mark Goodge
6. (1) 1997 Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
I didn't buy this, I was waiting for the album. Radio 2 didn't play it
either.
Post by Mark Goodge
7. (3) 1994 Oasis - Whatever
The only Oasis single I still own. I gave the rest to my Mum.
Another one not played by R2 (another long track).
Post by Mark Goodge
8. (1) 1995 Blur - Country House
9. (2) 1995 Oasis - Roll With It
Radio 2 played both of these. I suppose if you're going to play one
you'd have to play both.
At the time, I bought one of the Blur CD singles. The other Blur single
and the Oasis one were later bargain bin purchases and to be fair the
Oasis B-sides were better.
Post by Mark Goodge
10. (1) 1995 Oasis - Some Might Say
Not heard on Radio 2, which is a pity as it's one of their better singles.
Another I bought after its (top 40) chart run.
Post by Mark Goodge
11. (2) 1999 Blur - Tender
I bought this, although I wasn't really that keen on it at the time.
As an aside to what I was saying about YouTube earlier - the video on
the official channel is the promo video that was released at the time
but of course it doesn't feature the performance that's on the record
people could buy.
Post by Mark Goodge
12. (1) 1998 Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your
Children Will Be Next
As I mentioned elsewhere, another bargain-bin purchase for me.
Post by Mark Goodge
13. (2) 1997 Oasis - Stand By Me
Also not played, I did like this at the time but not enough to buy it.
Post by Mark Goodge
14. (10) 1995 Oasis - Live Forever
1994, surely?
I bought this in a 3 for £10 offer circa 1996 but it wasn't really worth
keeping beyond the A-side.
Post by Mark Goodge
15. (2) 1997 Blur - Song 2
Evidently sold significantly less than 'Tender'. Which makes sense at
the time because it was a post-album single (and indeed I didn't buy it)
but evidently sales in the digital era haven't closed the gap.
Post by Mark Goodge
16. (7) 1997 Verve - Lucky Man
I didn't buy this single because I already had the album and I wasn't
that keen on the song anyway.
Post by Mark Goodge
17. (2) 1996 Pulp - Common People
I wouldn't have guessed this had sold less than 'Lucky Man'.
Post by Mark Goodge
18. (7) 1994 Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol
I bought this in the same 3 for 10. The B-sides here were better. but
the A-side wasn't.
Post by Mark Goodge
19. (2) 1996 Manic Street Preachers - A Design For Life
This I did buy in the week of release. Four really good tracks for £1:99
and nice packaging too.
Post by Mark Goodge
20. (4) 1996 Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train
A song I did like at the time, but I thought they had better.
Post by Mark Goodge
21. (2) 1995 Supergrass - Alright
I'm not sure why this hasn't been listed as a double-A-side.
In a confusing attempt to make it relevant Radio 2 had it introduced by
one of The Libertines.
Post by Mark Goodge
22. (N/A) 1996 Oasis - Champagne Supernova
The only non-single in the list so it must be here on 21st-century sales
unless a lot of people bought the Australian import.
Post by Mark Goodge
23. (31) 1994 Oasis - Supersonic
This obviously does have substantial physical sales so slightly
surprising it's behind an Oasis song with none.
Post by Mark Goodge
24. (1) 1998 Oasis - All Around The World
Another one Radio 2 didn't fancy playing, and who can blame them.
Notably outsold by several of their lower-charting singles (I'd guess
'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' would have sold more too and has been excluded)
Post by Mark Goodge
25. (4) 1999 Stereophonics - Just Looking
Not one I was ever keen on.
Post by Mark Goodge
26. (2) 1995 Bluetones - Slight Return
Actually released in January 1996 - I remember listening in Our Price,
trying to decide whether to buy this or a Marion single. I bought this one.
It's a pity nobody seems to remember that the Bluetones made other
records though.
Post by Mark Goodge
27. (3) 1998 Catatonia - Mulder And Scully
I got the impression this was their last chance at a hit before the
label would have ditched them. At least that would explain why the video
is so cheap.
Post by Mark Goodge
28. (10) 1994 Blur - Parklife
This video may not have been that expensive either but they made the
most of the budget they did have. I suppose they also had the advantage
of shooting in daylight.
Post by Mark Goodge
29. (1) 1997 Blur - Beetlebum
I bought this on 7" and CD. Great song.
Post by Mark Goodge
30. (7) 1995 Pulp - Disco 2000
I'm not sure why I didn't buy this at the time. Maybe it was too expensive.
I did buy it a couple of years later when it was belatedly released on
7", though annoyingly not the '7" version'.
Post by Mark Goodge
31. (5) 1998 Catatonia - Road Rage
You can see how much more budget they had for this video. I think Cerys
Matthews claimed at the time that her wardrobe budget for this was
bigger than the entire cost of the 'Mulder & Scully' video, and I'm not
sure she was joking.
Better song too.
Post by Mark Goodge
32. (11) 1994 Oasis - Shakermaker
Their lowest placing in this chart, I presume some of their 2000s
singles sold less. In fact I'm just presuming that anything released in
2000 or later was excluded, I don't think that was explicitly stated.
Post by Mark Goodge
33. (10) 1999 Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me
Somehow this is the track that seems most out of place to me, even more
so than the Stereophonics tracks from 1999.
Post by Mark Goodge
34. (5) 1995 Blur - The Universal
Sadly not played on Radio 2, even though it would have added a bit more
variety.
Post by Mark Goodge
35. (3) 1998 Stereophonics - The Bartender And The Thief
They did play this, although pedantically speaking it was the album
version (without the intro from the original single).
I didn't realise it had been outsold by 'Just Lookin'.
Post by Mark Goodge
36. (4) 1996 Dodgy - Good Enough
I can see it's a third-party upload, but that isn't the official video,
which can be glimpsed in this Chart show clip:


I always liked this song but I heard it first on the album so I never
felt like buying the single.
Post by Mark Goodge
37. (4) 1999 Stereophonics - Pick A Part That's New
That video is clearly *an* official video but not the video that was
shown at the time. Perhaps it was aimed at overseas markets where the
Italian Job parody wouldn't be as recognisable?
I do think laying the crowd noise over the studio single version for the
video is a bit naff.
Post by Mark Goodge
38. (2) 1997 Kula Shaker - Hush
39. (2) 1996 Kula Shaker - Hey Dude
Similar sales for two songs with similar chart performance.
It's strange to think how big Kula Shaker were, compared to some of the
bands who seem much more remembered now.
Post by Mark Goodge
40. (5) 1996 Blur - Girls And Boys
Another video that looks extremely cheap in retrospect, although I saw
one commenter suggesting they invented Zoom backgrounds.
Surprisingly far behind 'Parklife' here.
Post by Mark Goodge
41. (11) 1994 Shampoo - Trouble
Another act that not everyone would acknowledge as Britpop but I'm happy
to include it as long as I don't have to pretend to like the song.
Most confusing YouTube comment "How do they keep their British accents
while they're singing?"
Post by Mark Goodge
42. (3) 1996 Charlatans - One To Another
Even Jo Whiley pointed out that the Charlatans are as much associated
with Madchester as Britpop, but here they are having their biggest hit
in 1996.
A brilliant track of course.
Post by Mark Goodge
43. (5) 1999 Manic Street Preachers - You Stole The Sun From My Heart
Skipped on the radio and I must say not a big favourite of mine.
Post by Mark Goodge
44. (2) 1995 Pulp - Sorted For E's & Wizz/Mis-Shapes
BRB, just getting some emergency surgery on my sides after that Hale &
Pace intro.

A pedant writes: there is in fact a video for 'Sorted', I have it on
DVD. I suspect it's not on YouTube because of licensing issues around
the Glastonbury footage.
Post by Mark Goodge
45. (9) 1996 Cast - Walkaway
Slightly unusual for their biggest seller to be the fourth single from
the album. Perhaps it's because this one seems to cross over onto a lot
of compilations.
Post by Mark Goodge
46. (4) 1997 Ocean Colour Scene - Hundred Mile High City
I thought this was their most popular one among people who otherwise
don't like them.
I did like them but this was the only actual single of their I bought.
Post by Mark Goodge
47. (3) 1997 Seahorses - Love Is The Law
I've never really been sure whether this counts as Britpop.
Post by Mark Goodge
48. (3) 1996 Suede - Trash
It could be argued that this is a surprisingly low appearance for them
considering their prominence in the scene. But it could also be argued
that Suede weren't all that great in retrospect and are mainly notable
for getting their first.
Post by Mark Goodge
49. (7) 1996 Kula Shaker - Govinda
I was a little surprised this outsold 'Tattva', which charted higher and
seems more familiar now.
Post by Mark Goodge
50. (9) 1995 Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo
I like this. Apparently Alan McGee doesn't, which shows you what a tit
he is.

Chris
James Heaton
2020-09-11 12:00:12 UTC
Permalink
Post by Mark Goodge
This has already been mentioned in passing, so I thought I'd string
together a playlist for it. I've also reformatted the list so that it
works better in a text-only medium.
Ta.
Post by Mark Goodge
It is a very Oasis-heavy chart (13 of the tracks are by them), and Blur
(with 7) and Oasis together account for 20 of the 50.
Yes, I did think this was a potential disadvantage of this format (and one
they obviously tried to work around in the radio show) that the top end
would inevitably be very Oasis-heavy. Those 13 tracks are literally all
their 90s hits - unless you count 'Wibbling Rivalry' - plus one that was
never a UK single.
Post by Mark Goodge
Other than those
two, there are only seven acts that have more than a single entry -
Catatonia and Ocean Colour Scene with two each, and Pulp, the Manics,
Kula Shaker and The Verve with three each.
Three Stereophonics tracks as well.
Post by Mark Goodge
Videos are mainly from the bands' (or their record labels') own YouTube
channels, so it's mostly official videos all the way down. But there are
a couple of more obscure bands towards the bottom that don't seem to
have an official presence on YouTube, so I've had to resort to fan
uploads, which aren't quite as good quality.
I can't believe that any of these acts are really that obscure, but then
it often seems a bit random which videos aren't available on official
channels; I'm sure it reflects all kinds of contractual stuff behind the
scenes, but it's very opaque. For that matter some videos on official
channels aren't the versions you might expect - and whilst it doesn't
apply in this case, a surprising number of official channels are clearly
uploading old VHS copies.
Post by Mark Goodge
And there's one well-known
song which doesn't seem to have an official video at all, so I've had to
use the TotP appearance. Which is notable for a rather bizarre
introduction by the presenters.
I'm going to have have to watch it now because I'm sure I've seen videos
for all 51 of these songs (but see above).
Post by Mark Goodge
There's no Spotify playlist as I don't have a Spotify account,
I have.
Post by Mark Goodge
but if
you want an audio-only version (and you can put up with Jo Whiley) you
can listen to the Radio 2 countdown online, at least until it disappears
from the archives (get_iplayer FTW).
I finished listening to it yesterday - which is why I was avoiding this
post for fear of spoilers even though I had a pretty good idea what was
going to be in there.
Post by Mark Goodge
The Radio 2 show also includes a
selection of tracks that, if the record-buying public had had more
taste, would have been in the top fifty!
Or, a cynic might suggest, tracks that relate to star interviews they'd
recorded before the chart was delivered. In order to accommodate that,
they dropped several tracks from the Top 50 itself, mostly by acts with
multiple entries.
Elastica - Connection
Sleeper - Inbetweener [plus interview with Louise Wener]
McAlmont & Butler - Yes [introduced by Johnny Marr]
Echobelly - Great Things [introduced by Sonia Madan]
Given how white and male Britpop was, these 4 also upped the diversity -
first 2 female fronted. 3rd fronted by BAME LGBT. 4th fronted by female
BAME.

For the avoidance of doubt, I state this as observation not criticism.
Particularly as I loved 3rd and 4th at the time (although loved Natural
Animal even more).

James
Chris Brown
2020-09-11 22:53:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by James Heaton
Post by Chris Brown
Post by Mark Goodge
This has already been mentioned in passing, so I thought I'd string
together a playlist for it. I've also reformatted the list so that it
works better in a text-only medium.
Ta.
Post by Mark Goodge
It is a very Oasis-heavy chart (13 of the tracks are by them), and Blur
(with 7) and Oasis together account for 20 of the 50.
Yes, I did think this was a potential disadvantage of this format (and
one they obviously tried to work around in the radio show) that the
top end would inevitably be very Oasis-heavy. Those 13 tracks are
literally all their 90s hits - unless you count 'Wibbling Rivalry' -
plus one that was never a UK single.
Post by Mark Goodge
Other than those
two, there are only seven acts that have more than a single entry -
Catatonia and Ocean Colour Scene with two each, and Pulp, the Manics,
Kula Shaker and The Verve with three each.
Three Stereophonics tracks as well.
Post by Mark Goodge
Videos are mainly from the bands' (or their record labels') own YouTube
channels, so it's mostly official videos all the way down. But there are
a couple of more obscure bands towards the bottom that don't seem to
have an official presence on YouTube, so I've had to resort to fan
uploads, which aren't quite as good quality.
I can't believe that any of these acts are really that obscure, but
then it often seems a bit random which videos aren't available on
official channels; I'm sure it reflects all kinds of contractual stuff
behind the scenes, but it's very opaque. For that matter some videos
on official channels aren't the versions you might expect - and whilst
it doesn't apply in this case, a surprising number of official
channels are clearly uploading old VHS copies.
Post by Mark Goodge
And there's one well-known
song which doesn't seem to have an official video at all, so I've had to
use the TotP appearance. Which is notable for a rather bizarre
introduction by the presenters.
I'm going to have have to watch it now because I'm sure I've seen
videos for all 51 of these songs (but see above).
Post by Mark Goodge
There's no Spotify playlist as I don't have a Spotify account,
I have.
Post by Mark Goodge
but if
you want an audio-only version (and you can put up with Jo Whiley) you
can listen to the Radio 2 countdown online, at least until it disappears
from the archives (get_iplayer FTW).
I finished listening to it yesterday - which is why I was avoiding
this post for fear of spoilers even though I had a pretty good idea
what was going to be in there.
Post by Mark Goodge
The Radio 2 show also includes a
selection of tracks that, if the record-buying public had had more
taste, would have been in the top fifty!
Or, a cynic might suggest, tracks that relate to star interviews
they'd recorded before the chart was delivered. In order to
accommodate that, they dropped several tracks from the Top 50 itself,
mostly by acts with multiple entries.
Elastica - Connection
Sleeper - Inbetweener [plus interview with Louise Wener]
McAlmont & Butler - Yes [introduced by Johnny Marr]
Johnny Marr's favourite Britpop record he said. Good of him not to pick
one of the Marion records he produced.
Post by James Heaton
Post by Chris Brown
Echobelly - Great Things [introduced by Sonia Madan]
Given how white and male Britpop was, these 4 also upped the diversity -
first 2 female fronted.  3rd fronted by BAME LGBT.  4th fronted by
female BAME.
That had crossed my mind, although in fairness Britpop generally was a
bit more diverse than it's sometimes given credit for, it's more that
the biggest sellers weren't.
Post by James Heaton
For the avoidance of doubt, I state this as observation not criticism.
Particularly as I loved 3rd and 4th at the time (although loved Natural
Animal even more).
You're not the only person who's said that recently. I've been listening
to a lot of Echobelly lately and their music has aged pretty well. I've
especially got into the Lustra album, which is probably their
best-produced.

Chris

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