Blur's debut album, this CD features none of the quirky songwriting and social observation of British life that would earn singer Damon Albarn rave reviews, comparing him to the Kinks' Ray Davies and the Who's Pete Townshend. However, as a debut Leisure has plenty of spunk and appealing naiveté. This is a very Manchester-inspired affair, motivated by the dance-hall shuffle and lysergic shimmering of the Happy Mondays. Lyrics exist merely as something to hang the pretty harmonies on. First-rate pop hooks drive songs such as "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way," while waves of wah-wah guitar and solid organ represent the trippier aspects of the band's sound for "I Know" and "Bad Day," among others. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Asin: B000008TWS
Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Britpop    4. Indie Pop    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Rock   

Call it the great transitional album, spanning the gap between Pulp's self-consciously arty past and the commercial acceptance of 'Different Class.' 'His 'N' Hers' wasn't quite sure what it wanted to be, but spawned some good songs, most notably "Do You Remember the First Time?" Finally, it seemed, the band was coming into its own, even if the 'own' on this record did appear to be appropriated from '80s Brit band Furniture. Still, there was already no doubt that Jarvis was a star, with his unique style, and that bigger things were on the horizon. A Polaroid of a band on the road to success. Chris Nickson ... Read more

Asin: B000001E7C
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Though The Verve has finally taken its rightful place in the Brit Rock cannon, it languished for years behind such English luminaries as Oasis and Radiohead. During that time, The Verve release several albums that got less attention than they deserved. Mark A Northern Soul as one of them. The 1995 release was perhaps the first album on which the band reeled in its trademark guitar epics and fashioned bona fide pop songs. "On Your Own" is one of the lushest and loveliest tracks never to find a minute of commercial airplay in the U.S. or abroad. No self-respecting fan of modern rock should be without this one. --Nick Heil ... Read more

Asin: B000000W8C
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. England    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Post-Grunge    8. Rock    9. Shoegaze    10. Space Rock   

While Radiohead saw its stock rising in 1994, it wasn't until 1995's The Bends that it really became a blue chip band. And for good reason. The quintet honed its talent for bombastic Brit Rock, yet still preserved an edge of unpredictability. Even singles like the title track didn't give in to the kind of swooning guitar clichés usually embraced by commercial radio. If the CD proved anything, it was that Radiohead could find solid ground between pop experimentation and the tradition of born-in-the-bone, balls-out rock. --Nick Heil ... Read more

Asin: B000002TQV
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. England    4. Pop    5. Rock   

It all began with the perfect pop moment of "Stutter," and then everyone wondered if Elastica had it in them to produce more sublime songs. Elastica showed that they did. Never quite as much Britpop as Birdpop, Justine Frischmann parlayed a Bryan Ferry hairstyle into an individual take on the world with material like "Car Song" and "2:1," while the rest of the band showed that they were along for more than just the ride. And if they owed a debt to Wire, well, it was all paid in the end (out of the royalties). The question was, could they ever follow it up? Chris Nickson ... Read more

Asin: B000003TBB
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

With The Man Who, Scottish quartet Travis captured the very essence of their homeland, and unassumingly blew us away. The moderately paced, longing melodies, and lead singer Fran Healy's quietly desperate vocals, provide a haunting mask on what is actually a rugged, enduring, and entirely beautiful slice of Brit-rock. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Asin: B00004SBGD
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Music doesn't come more touching than this. With their debut single alone, the emotion-fortified "Shiver," Coldplay prove they can shift between elated and crushed in a breath, as singer Chris Martin pours out music's oldest chestnut (unconditional yet unrequited love) with the shakiest of voices and a backdrop of epic guitars. For 10 tracks on Parachutes, he adds newfound meaning to the most tired and overused rock sentiments--love found, love lost, love unrequited--over acoustic guitars and emotionally fraught rock. And for once, all the clichés ring true because Chris Martin genuinely sounds like a man picking over the bones of his life, coming up with just as many reasons to be cheerful as seriously depressed. Not that Parachutes is a depressing album--there's too much conviction to the guitars and hope in Martin's words for that. Instead it's a beautifully tender balance that comes as close to perfection as anything that's come before it. --Dan Gennoe ... Read more

Asin: B0000508U6
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

The Gorillaz claim to have found their motley crew of cartoon characters sleeping in Leicester Square, but Blur's Damon Albarn (a.k.a. 2-D) and cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc) aren't fooling anyone. As the ultimate experiment in manufactured image, the Gorillaz are a virtual cartoon-character-based hip-hop band who bring together witty, silly lyrics and talented musicians. Infectious old-school hip-hop rhythms, rhymes, and effects courtesy of Deltron 3030's Kid Koala and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (Russel) are combined with Albarn's passion for chugging lo-fi and edgy melodies to create a seemingly raw but ultimately slick blend of styles. This is nowhere more evident than on the hit single "Clint Eastwood," which is carried along by the sound of 2-D's slurred voice and a bluesy harmonica melody interrupted by Russel's punching rhymes. But the surprises don't stop there: Ibrahim Ferrer's appearance on "Latin Simone" could have come straight from Buena Vista Social Club but for the obvious Blur-influenced piano style, while the spooky intro to "M1 A1" wouldn't sound out of place on Michael Jackson's Thriller. Backed by Jamie Hewlett's death-wish character on bass, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori (Noodle) on guitar and occasional hyperactive vocals, and produced by Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, it's hardly surprising that Gorillaz is marked both by a sense of playfulness and a passion for experimentation. --Caroline Butler ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Explicit Lyrics

Asin: B00005LMBK
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Rap    3. Hip-Hop    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Underground Rap   

The mightiest of late-'80s Manchester ensembles had the world at its feet before entering the long, dark tunnel of litigation. This tidy compilation begins with a few archival indie singles then strides into the glorious but fleeting period that produced gems like "I Wanna Be Adored," "Waterfall," and "Fools Gold." --Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Asin: B00000052M
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

England's Charlatans U.K. have grown considerably since they surfacedin 1990 as part of the Manchester dance scene. The band members have becomesolid songwriters and soulful, bluesy musicians who hint at what the RollingStones might sound like today if they hadn't become such pathetic geezers.Unfortunately, the band's self-titled album hasn't generated much excitement athome, and the group hasn't made an impact in the U.S. since its debut single,"The Only One I Know." It's a strong effort nonetheless, and a lotmore satisfying than contemporaneous outings by kindred spirits the Stone Rosesand Primal Scream. --Jim DeRogatis ... Read more

Asin: B0000018BG
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. British Trad Rock    3. Britpop    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Sporting sideburns almost as big as himself, Gaz Coombes more or less led Supergrass as the trio charged through a very goofy selection of pop-punk; think of them as the Who influenced by 1977 punk, or a British version of Green Day and you're getting somewhere close to the sound. The kids were more than alright, however, having more fun than was probably legal, with choruses that velcroed themselves to the brain ("Alright," "She's So Loose") while still being decidedly off-the-wall. The album included their first two singles, "Caught by the Fuzz" and "Mansize Rooster," just to add to its top pop quotient. --Chris Nickson ... Read more

Asin: B000002TXE
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

With the swaggering chords of the opening "Rock'N'Roll Star," Oasis announced that big, brash Brit rock was here to stay--at least for a few years. They wore their rock & roll with an angry young sneer, a Mancunian petulance wedded to a vision of cathartic release. Their supersonic two-guitar attack took them "Up in the Sky," where they would "Live Forever" or burn out in a blaze of alcoholic glory. Noel Gallagher's songs weren't subtle--or shy of overt plagiarism--but, spat out in the Lennonesque snarl of little brother Liam, they took on a venomous power that had millions of young Brits taking them at their own arrogant word. In the U.S., meanwhile, the response was more Maybe than Definitely.--Barney Hoskyns ... Read more

Asin: B000002AS3
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. British Trad Rock    3. Britpop    4. England    5. Hard Rock    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll