BRITPOP The New GCSE Topic from September 2006 Britpop

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BRITPOP

• The New GCSE Topic from
• September 2006

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Britpop Celebrated British 1960s and 1970s Music

• Britpop started in the 1990s
• Influenced by the great bands of the 1960s
• The Beatles The Rolling Stones Pink Floyd
• The Kinks The Who Lou Reed
• The Small Faces Led Zepellin T Rex

Noel Gallagher (from Oasis) said in an interview
that if youre not in it to be bigger than the
Beatles, its just a hobby.

• The intro of Dont look back in Anger is very
  similar to the opening of Imagine by John
  Lennon
• The title Wonderwall was also the title of an
  Album by George Harrison, also of the Beatles
• The ending of Shes Electric is just like the
  end of With a Little Help From My Friends, by
  the Beatles

Oasis have references to John Lennon and the
Beatles music all over the place
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Britpop Also built on Recent British Music

• Britpop bands tried to build on British pop
  History
• Influenced by 1970s British Artists such as
• David Bowie The Jam The Smiths
• 3) The Madchester music scene that came out of
  Manchester are in the late 1980s and early 1990s
  was another influence. These bands also borrowed
  from the 1960s moving away from the 1980s
  electro-pop sound
• Inspiral Carpets James The Stone
  Roses Happy Mondays

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Indie Music

• Indie short for alternative distribution of
  records through independent labels.
• Factory Records was one of these record labels
• Rebellion against the dominance of the large
  record industries
• Political idealism and music came together to
  form indie Music
• Artists shared profits 50/50

Joy Division first band signed by indie label
in 1979 The Smiths fronted by Morrissey formed
in 1982 Anti - Margaret Thatcher (conservative
leader of the time) Supported the coal miners
strikes Proud of being English
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Madchester

• Late 80s - Rave culture hits the UK with the
  advent of Acid House
• Hacienda Club most important club in the north
• Happy Mondays and Stone Roses frequent this club
  soaking up elements of the culture
• Incorporated elements of dance music into the
  indie style
• Both proud of their Mancunion accents

We could play whatever we wanted to play. It was
Manchester's first scally night. It encompassed
all the scenes, so there were almost indie-type
scenes, Perry boys, Motown, Northern Soul. It was
a really good night, but it was really Mancunian.
I think that had a lot to do with it" - Mike
Pickering
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Britpop was a Reaction Against Other Styles
The most popular pop music styles in the early
1990s were dance, hip-hop and Grunge 1) Grunge
bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam came from the
West Coast of America 2) Hip-Hop had emerged
from New York and Chicago in the 1980s with
Artists such as Kool Herc Grandmaster
Flash The Sugarhill Gang 3) Britpop
deliberately rejected the electronic sounds of
Hip-Hop, Dance Music and the Heavy
Aggressive Grunge scene sound
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The Most Famous Britpop Bands Were
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Blur

• Signed to Food records
• Inspired by British bands of the 80s
• Enjoyed experimentation and added unexpected
  twists in their music
• Songs written about everyday life
• Sung in a cockney accent
• Intense rivalry with the band Suede
• Later rivalry transferred to the band Oasis
• Chart battles raised profiles of both bands

Leisure (1991) Modern Life is Rubbish
(1993) Park Life (1994) The Great Escape
(1995)
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Supergrass Blur
The Small Faces Lazy Sunday Afternoon
(Music Hall Tradition) Robbie Williams Rod Stewart
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Pulp

• Jarvis Cocker from Sheffield honed his
  song-writing skills with many incarnations of the
  band Pulp through the 1980s
• Recognition is achieved in 1990 with a hit single
  promoted on John Peels Radio show
• Signed to Gift Records in 1992
• Different Class hits the big time in 1995
• Disco driven sound
• Lyrics about frustrated love, everyday life
• Vocals often turn into semi-spoken lyrics

His n Hers (1994)
Different Class (1995) This is
Hardcore (1998)
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Influences

• Blur Pulp

The Kinks (grew out of rhythm blues You
Really Got me of the 60s ) Waterloo
Sunset Lola Dedicated
Follower of Fashion Queen 69 Seaside
Rendevous (Music Hall tradition) Ian Drury and
the Blockheads Paul Weller (The Jam) Led
Zepellin (Metal)
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Oasis

• Noel Gallagher started life as a roadie for
  the
• Inspiral Carpets
• Becomes lead guitarist and songwriter for
  Liams Band
• Signed to Creation Records run by colourful
• character Alan McGee in 1993
• Beatles major influence
• 1960s guitar-based bands also important
  influence

Definitely Maybe 1994 (What's the
Story) Morning Glory? 1995 Be Here Now 1997
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants 2000
Heathen Chemistry 2002
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Oasis
The Beatles 32 Bar Song Structure John
Lennon Imagine Coldplay
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Suede

• Rivalry with Blur was over a girl (Justine
  Frishmann later went on to form Elastica)
• Left Brett Anderson (lead singer) to go out with
  Daman Albarn (Blur)
• Personal trauma lent Suede a darker view of life
  and built a bond with guitarist Bernard Butler
• 1992 signed to Nude Records
• Lyrics risque or dark reflecting Andersons
  state of mind

Suede(1993)
Dog Man Star(1994)
Coming Up (1996)
Sci-Fi Lullabies (1997)
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Suede
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon Pantomime Horse
(Progressive Rock) (Nude Album) Lou Reed
(Velvet Underground) David Bowie T Rex
70s Glam Rock Tradition
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Elastica

• Justine Frischmann leaves the band Suede in 1991
• Recruited the rest of the band members Justin
  Welch (drums), Annie Holland (bass) and Donna
  Matthews (guitar).
• Their first single was 1993's "Stutter", which
  was a word-of-mouth hit largely due to the
  promotional efforts of Radio 1 DJ and Deceptive
  Records label boss Steve Lamacq.
• Elastica's fame grew throughout 1994 as
  Frischmann's relationship with Damon Albarn made
  tabloid headlines.
• Elastica's first LP, Elastica, released in 1995

Elastica(1995)
The Menace(2000)
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Elastica
Suzi Quattro Tina Turner Siouxsie and the
Banshees Blondie Madonna
Spice Girls
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Britpop as a genre

• Born out of different social conditions Birth
  of New Labour Government, rekindling of a
  National Identity, backlash against American
  Music
• Britpop does not have any definitive musical
  elements that are common to all the bands
• Celebration of being British, lyrically or in the
  music itself
• Simple poetry
• Avoidance of the 12 bar blues chord sequence
• Simple chord sequences with added unexpected
  chords, and/or
• Rock Breakdown (where a band will usually play in
  half time, giving the feeling of a slower tempo
  creates a contrast ) - sometimes replaces the
  middle eight
• Guitar solos less important
• Driving rhythm and the lyrics more important
• Influence of The Smiths very important

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Useful Websites
http//www.jamestheband.com/ http//www.blur.co.uk
/site.html http//www.oasisinet.com/site.php http
//www.elasticated.org/ http//www.pulponline.com/
http//www.essentialsuede.com/ http//www.digitald
reamdoor.com/pages/best_artists-britpop.html http
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpop