The 1996 Britpop Mixtape.

Radio One are broadcasting a special series of shows at the moment, celebrating 20 years of Britpop. No-one can deny that twenty years ago was when the scene really hit its stride. Blur, Oasis, Suede all coming to prominence, Pulp slowly breaking the glass ceiling after several albums of toil, Elastica representing the girls. These are the bands the public remember and the bands that shaped the charts for the next two years until The Spice Girls Wannabe appeared in June '96, signalling Britpop's end.

As a massive music fan, however, it wasn't the Britpop of '94 that helped shaped my musical taste for years to come. I appreciate it all, but it's rare now I'll choose to listen to Oasis, Blur or the others from that era. Given two years to grow, the Britpop of 1996 was a much more interesting place, a much more varied sound, and a much more enjoyable thing.  Here's ten songs and events that made 1996, for me, the vintage year of Britpop...

1. THREE LIONS



Oasis may have been the flag waving, balls-out Union Jack guitar playing representation of Britpop, but in terms of musicians capturing a moment, and uniting a country, nothing did it better than this. OK, it may only represent a part of Britain, but it's still wheeled out every few years as we hope and prey that the 30 (now 48) years of hurt may come to an end. The Lightning Seeds may have enjoyed a medium amount of success, but they deserved more. Gimmicky and tied to an event it may be, but it gave them their moment in the spotlight, and their place amongst Britpop's greats.

2. THE TRAINSPOTTING SOUNDTRACK

Scotland's place in 1996's cultural lore was secured by a group of actors and a director at that time not amongst the elite. How times have changed, as Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor and Johnny Lee Miller and co win oscars, step into the shoes of legendary Star Wars actors, and do the best Sherlock Holmes ever respectively. The soundtrack had many gems old and new, but none better than Pulp's Mile End. From the first notes, recalling the Clockwork Orange soundtrack, Jarvis brought to life an East London that may have smelt of piss, but was proud of it's heritage.

3. THREE NORTHERN IRISH TEENAGERS GAVE BRITPOP A KICK UP THE ARSE


Ash were mere kids when they recorded and released their debut record, '1977' in May 1996. It was heavier than most Britpop, but also brought with it a childlike innocence missing from the scene since the Blur Vs Oasis wars of the previous year. Still going today, with no hiatus in the middle, no acrimony, and still a vital part of the United Kingdom music scene. It's difficult to imagine a lot of classic British rock albums of the last 20 years existing without Ash,  Hundred Reason's 'Ideas About Our Station'  for example.

4. SLEEPER HIT THEIR STRIDE


Louise Wener's Sleeper were the butt of many jokes, the term Sleeperbloke inparticular becoming a well known derogatory term for invisible guys backing a female indie singer. So when their second record 'The It Girl' was released on the same day as Ash's debut it became unfairly maligned, and has been for nearly twenty years. The first, 'Smart' was a fun pop record, but Louise's songwriting and skill as a lyricist came of age in '96. Single What Do I Do Now? the story of a couple falling apart reaches a peak in the last pleading verse as it weaves its narrative with an honest fervour


5. THE BAND LUMPED IN WITH BRITPOP THAT HAVE GONE ON TO BE SO MUCH MORE


Bis, famously, were the first unsigned band to appear on Top Of The Pops. Their lively, infectious Kandy Pop from the 'Secret Vampire Soundtrack' EP pushed into the top 30 on the back of the appearance. Many didn't enjoy it, writing it off as daft bubblegum pop, but over the course of their recently resurrected career, they proved adept at disco, electronica and everything else they turned their hand to.


6. THE FORGOTTEN CLASSIC


If you remember Good Intentions by Livingstone, well done. One of the gems of Britpop, I couldn't tell you if they did anything else, or achieved anything more. All I remember is a CD single with a rocket on the front. Where I've got it from I've no idea, and to be honest I'm amazed I found it on Youtube, although not in great quality and with lots of irrelevant pictures of vampires and skeletons.


7. THE BOO RADLEYS GO ROCK


Wake Up Boo quickly became very annoying, so it's not a surprise most people ignored the following album, C'Mon Kids. The title track itself is heavy, exciting, and full of attitude. This is what we really wanted Oasis to sound like, not the pansy-Beatles aping shite they released later in their career, isn't it?

8. BRITPOP EMBRACED OTHER INFLUENCES


Kula Shaker appeared with their debut record 'K' late in the year, and it went straight to number 1. The bands psychedelic sound and hippy look were different from anything else Britpop had thrown up so far, and they stood a mile above a lot of the other new Britpop bands of the era because of it.


9. THE LAST GREAT BRITPOP BAND WAS BORN


It was at the tail end of '96 that Mansun unleashed their greatest single, Wide Open Space, the album it appeared on 'Attack Of The Grey Lantern' following the next year. Out of everything here, Paul Draper and co sound the least of their time. This track could've released in '96, '99, 2002, today and it would still sound fresh and exciting. They were, and remain, the buffer between Britpop and the British indie bands of ten years later, the Kaiser Chiefs for example.


10. THE (FIRST) DEATH OF THE STONE ROSES

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There was always something hanging over British music in the early 90s. The influence of the Stone Roses. When they imploded at Reading 1996, Mani and Ian Brown the only remaining original members, what they'd do next, what they'd unleash on the world became less important. The last remaining great of the 80's may have underwhelmed with 'The Second Coming' but the fact they'd released that first record meant everyone was always on watch for their next move. Following this god awful performance, the fear of comparison to them didn't matter to anyone except The Seahorses. Ash even stole their pyro, using it at the end of their own set, or so the legend goes. The next generation took over now.