‘Girl From Mars’ is a great song! The leader singer went to the other high school in the town I live!

I remember buying their debut album on the week of release and there is a fair bit of filler but this song is great!

Girl from Mars is Ash at their very best, amazing track and well deserved first hit for them

27. Shed 7 – Going For Gold

 

 

Release: 1996 Chart Peak: 8

 

 

Shed 7 were formed in 1990, but it took the Britpop era for them to get going and score their most successful year in 1996 - five top 40 singles and the third single from album A Maximum High, Going For Gold was the biggest charting at number 8. Going For Gold is of course a naff 90s gameshow hosted by Matthew Kelly, with representatives from all over Europe. Not related to the music, but the 90s really were more innocent times (could you even imagine a TV quiz show promoting European integration and friendship now?!).

 

I digress. Going For Gold is a great indie song and it really exemplifies an optimism that was felt at the time. Shed 7 had better singles, one of which will follow later.

 

I also love the nod to Goldfinger in the single artwork!

 

 

 

Another track I’ve heard before but wouldn’t have been able to tell you the bands, nice to put a sound to the name!!

Oh if we're talking Shed Seven I'm hoping we get a bit of either "On Standby" or "Where Have You Been Tonight" :D

Oh if we're talking Shed Seven I'm hoping we get a bit of either "On Standby" or "Where Have You Been Tonight" :D

 

 

:heart:

 

They're great. I'm not really a fan of Going for Gold.

Not the biggest Shed Seven fan, I remember Chasing Rainbows being a great single but can't recall any other single

Ash were OK, not amongst my fave bands of the time, but Going For Gold is fab, and Shed 7 always good...

Going For Gold is one of those that I never managed to get in to really, I think they were a bit overrated really. Girl From Mars is fab though, definitely deserving of a place

26. Menswear – Being Brave

 

 

http://images.genius.com/9e0289a9a89905933facc3b93d9ce50d.293x300x1.jpg

Release: 1996 Chart Peak: 10

 

 

Menswear were seemingly famous before they were barely fully formed, signed or released any music! The band was formed in 1994, influenced by a mod revival and taking inspiration from both Blur and Elastica. They are known for their debut single Daydreamer and Being Brave, their best song imo, was their sole top 10 single and the 5th single from their debut album Nuisance. The band were also known as Menswe@r in an early use of the at symbol.

 

They didn't quite make the bug time after their debut and the band fizzled out by 1998. Fun fact: they were the first band I ever saw live in 1995.

 

 

 

A controversial inclusion methinks! I quite liked them at the time but in retrospect they do feel a bit contrived, the first 3 singles were all passable though

I'd have plumped for Daydreamer as Menswear's best but then I'm a sucker for Wire so maybe I'm biased

I just found this old Britpop compilation that I really liked back in the day

but so many songs are not britpop... it has James-Sit Down, Brimful of Asha, Skunk Anansie, Radiohead...

track 1 is actually Creep :D

 

INTERLUDE

The off centre side of Britpop

Some songs are a bit left-field for the countdown. Are they crap? Are they even Britpop? Did none of my friends like them at the time and considered me weird for doing so, but has time proved me right?! YOU DECIDE!


Shampoo - Trouble


Release: 1994 Chart Peak: 11

Is this Britpop? Some say it is. Others say it's a bit of bubblegum pop. Others say it's crap. I say its crap! Uh oh! Something something trouble, something something bubble!

Its even been used in a the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie. How 90s.




=========================================

Me Me Me -Hanging Around


Release: 1996 Chart Peak: 19

Me Me Me were a one-off English Britpop supergroup formed in 1996, consisting of Alex James of Blur (vocals, bass), Stephen Duffy (vocals, guitar) previously of Duran Duran/The Lilac Time and Justin Welch of Elastica (drums), and James' friend Charlie Bloor (credited as "musician"). The band's first and only single, "Hanging Around" was released on 5 August 1996 and reached Number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.

Now, is this utter crap? I always liked it, but lets be honest its Country House on speed and a Parklife ripoff and couldn't be more contrived and cringy if it tried.

Why do I like it?! WHY!!?!





=========================================

My Life Story - Strumpet


Release: 1997 Chart Peak: 39

The glorious My Life Story are on the cusp of being Britpop imo and narrowly missed out on the countdown. If Britpop were a musical theatre production, My Life Story would be the star. The wonderful Golden Mile helped get me through my uni finals in 1997 but literally all my friends thought they were awful and I had gone mad by loving them so much.

Well, boo to them, they are still fab!

See also the lovey Sparkle and the epic 12 Reasons Why for more!

love Shampoo Trouble but it's zero britpop imho

All five Shampoo singles were # 1 in my chart and "Trouble" is SOTY of 1994 year.

love Shampoo Trouble but it's zero britpop imho

I don’t love and it’s not Britpop. But, it has been described as such on several occasions so….!

Strumpet is glorious.

 

 

I can't remember anyone ever saying Shampoo were Britpop, they were much more part of the London punk scene of the early '90s. They were big Manics fans in the beginning (and very funny to talk to).

 

 

The Me Me Me track was very irritating to my ears

25. Suede - Beautiful Ones

 

 

Release: 1996 Chart Peak: 8

 

Beautiful Ones is the second top 10 single for Suede from their hugely popular album Coming Up. The song was orally called Dead Leg and has a rather nifty guitar riff from Richard Oakes (he was threatened with a dead leg if he didn't write a top 10 single!). Beautiful Ones is one of Suede's more enduring classic songs from the 90s, and was featured in the seminal Channel 4 show Queer As Folk.

 

Quite the Britpop gem!