10. Olympian, Gene
London’s Gene spent their entire career being compared to the Smiths. Arguably the most emotive band in Britpop, Gene had a knack for writing heartbreaking lyrics and melodies, and Olympian contains their biggest pop hits, including “Haunted By You,” “Left-Handed,” and “London Can You Wait?”
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9. Urban Hymns, The Verve
Thanks to the hit single “Bittersweet Symphony,” Urban Hymns was massive. The whole album stands the test of time with tracks like “Space and Time,” “Weeping Willow,” and “The Drugs Don’t Work” being especially memorable.
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8. New Wave, The Auteurs
Buzzfeed included After Murder Park on their list. While I also love After Murder Park, New Wave was arguably the first Britpop record released only a month before Suede’s debut. New Wave planted the seeds of the Britpop ideology, whether Luke Haines wanted to or not (see his darkly humorous autobiography Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part In Its Downfall for more on this). “Showgirl” and “How Could I Be Wrong” are solid singles while “American Guitars” jabs at grunge.
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7. Dog Man Star, Suede
From the anthemic rock of “We Are the Pigs” to the epic “Asphalt World,” 1994’s Dog Man Star is truly an orchestral masterpiece. Though he left the band before Dog Man Star’s completion, Bernard Butler made sure that this wasn’t simply a Britpop record. The music is intelligent and Brett Anderson’s signature lyrics assure us that we’re still in a council flat gazing at the nuclear night.
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6. Elastica, Elastica
Poor Elastica: always in the shadow of Suede and Blur, frontwoman Justine Frischmann declared her independence on 1995’s Elastica. With a post-punk sound and attitude in spades, the band enjoyed commercial and critical success. But the album was wrought with controversy: both Wire and the Stranglers sued Elastica for the familiar-sounding “Connection” and “Waking Up,” respectively. Still a lethal record that holds up two decades later.
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5. Attack Of The Grey Lantern, Mansun
Mansun emerged towards Britpop’s end with a sound all their own. Influenced by ’60s guitar pop, prog rock, and glam, Mansun wore nail varnish and glitter distancing themselves from the trackpants lads who liked Oasis. Their lyrics were smart and their music intense. Attack of the Grey Lantern opens with the sweeping strings of “The Chad Who Loved Me” before giving us pop tunes like “Stripper Vicar” and “She Makes My Nose Bleed.”
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4. Parklife, Blur
Parklife is a shining example of Britpop: catchy pop tunes, lyrics that act as love notes to England, and the total rejection of American pop culture. Parklife features hits like “Girls & Boys” and the cheeky-but-celebratory title track, in addition to “London Loves” and “Clover Over Dover.”
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3. Definitely Maybe, Oasis
Definitely Maybe laid the groundwork for Oasis’ world domination. Its tracks are slightly dirtier than those found on follow-up Morning Glory. “Cigarettes and Alcohol” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” were rallying cries for a generation while tracks like “Live Forever” and “Slide Away” proved that at his core, Noel Gallagher is a damn good songwriter.
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2. Suede, Suede
The Auteurs’ New Wave technically came out first, but Suede took the new British sound to the top when their self-titled debut earned them the 1993 Mercury Music Prize. Glam racket singles like “Metal Mickey” and “Animal Nitrate” kicked the shoegaze and grunge bands from the charts, paving the way for a new crop of indie guitar pop acts.
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1. Different Class, Pulp
I have to agree with Perpetua on one thing — as much as I adore Suede and Mansun, Different Class truly is the defining album of the Britpop era. Released in 1995 at the height of the scene, Different Class was the outsiders’ pop record. Cocker sang about everything from sordid love affairs to class warfare. Somewhere along the line, he got millions of people the world over singing along with the common people, and Britpop reached its apex.