"Cool Britannia"

[The_Rev]

http://www.pulpwiki.net/Pulp/CocaineSocialism

[CrackpotForeigner]

 

it really was Cool Britannia in the mid-90's, the UK was on a major buzz (credit binge in hindsight), and things were happening everywhere.

 

That era was the best period of my life.

 

Agreed.

 

Mid 90's... Oasis, Blur, Pulp, numerous other bands... leaving School, Euro 96, first car, clubbing every week, plethora of sexual escapades... good times, as they say! 

 

 

Me 3. Spent a lot of time in the UK in the second half of 90's, practically lived there, and it seemed pretty damn cool to me then. Being in your 20's helps a lot too.

[Kingfisher]

My measure of cool is the music scene. Britain produced excellent *real music, often accompanied by vibrant 'scenes', where young people could get together and get high, and be cool, through the 1960's right up to the early nineties, when the quality really tailed off. This century has been devoid of any quality or youth movements, and I think it's down to the cowellisation of music. Kids today are being spoon fed shite by the x factor et all. In all the previous decades there was manufactured pop, but it wasn't as all pervasive as it is now, *real music is sick. The scene now it seems IS the manufactured scene, it is now cool, and it's shallow and plastic and corporate, and that worries me. *not just guitar music, all music produced with heart and soul.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Kingfisher

[CrackpotForeigner]

My measure of cool is the music scene. Britain produced excellent *real music, often accompanied by vibrant 'scenes', where young people could get together and get high, and be cool, through the 1960's right up to the early nineties, when the quality really tailed off. This century has been devoid of any quality or youth movements, and I think it's down to the cowellisation of music. Kids today are being spoon fed shite by the x factor et all. In all the previous decades there was manufactured pop, but it wasn't as all pervasive as it is now, *real music is sick. The scene now it seems IS the manufactured scene, it is now cool, and it's shallow and plastic and corporate, and that worries me. *not just guitar music, all music produced with heart and soul.

 

That's how it seems to me. Trouble is it's hard to be completely objective when you're no longer part of the kids' music generation. I think you're right, but I'm always suspicious of what follows when people say "the young people today...".

[Dodgyknees]

it really was Cool Britannia in the mid-90's, the UK was on a major buzz (credit binge in hindsight), and things were happening everywhere.

That era was the best period of my life.

Agreed.

Mid 90's... Oasis, Blur, Pulp, numerous other bands... leaving School, Euro 96, first car, clubbing every week, plethora of sexual escapades... good times, as they say!

I was a teenager in the mid 90s, it was **** awesome.

[Ginko]

Mid 90's... Oasis, Blur, Pulp, numerous other bands... leaving School, Euro 96, first car, clubbing every week, plethora of sexual escapades...

 

 

Isn't it?

Edited November 23, 2013 by Ginko

[islingtonclaret]

Missed it, which I am gutted about. Just need to be 6-7 or so years older, so I could experience all of the acid house/techno explosion, the mid-nineties hiphop scene starting in the UK and some quality indie bands. Then move on to the lovely credit freebies being handed out, university being dirt-cheap and a degree being helpful when applying for a job and owning my own place.

 

Instead I got The Killers and renting.

[The_Rev]

I was 15 when Oasis released Definitely Maybe so I was definitely the the prime age for the "Cool Britannia" stuff and all that happened is that I wished I was 6-7 years older so I could have caught The Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays instead.  If I'd been old enough to have caught them I'd have probably pined for New Order and The Smiths.  

[LondonLax]

 

My measure of cool is the music scene. Britain produced excellent *real music, often accompanied by vibrant 'scenes', where young people could get together and get high, and be cool, through the 1960's right up to the early nineties, when the quality really tailed off. This century has been devoid of any quality or youth movements, and I think it's down to the cowellisation of music. Kids today are being spoon fed shite by the x factor et all. In all the previous decades there was manufactured pop, but it wasn't as all pervasive as it is now, *real music is sick. The scene now it seems IS the manufactured scene, it is now cool, and it's shallow and plastic and corporate, and that worries me. *not just guitar music, all music produced with heart and soul.

 

That's how it seems to me. Trouble is it's hard to be completely objective when you're no longer part of the kids' music generation. I think you're right, but I'm always suspicious of what follows when people say "the young people today...".

 

 

Yeah, if anything it's the opposite I recon. 

 

There are so many 'scenes' out there outside of the mainstream and it is much easier for people to find those different niches to follow with things like podcasts and youtube and social media etc. 

 

I think it's not that 'music is sick' it's that kingfisher no longer has his finger on the pulse anymore

[Kingfisher]

Hey, I tried to be objective! Maybe at the grand old age of 34 I'm out of step, outside the circle, I hope I am. But I'm waiting for the daily mail or the BBC to be outraged by the behaviour of a movement that (at 34) I won't understand, but respect. I don't want a generation of young robots to follow mine, but free thinking, fun loving young people.

[LondonLax]

Yeah, it is harder these days to have some sort of movement that a majority of people get behind, I think the internet makes it a lot more fragmented. People who are interested in music don't listen to what the local radio or TV plays but seek it out from all across the world via the net.  

[Risso]

I was 15 when Oasis released Definitely Maybe so I was definitely the the prime age for the "Cool Britannia" stuff and all that happened is that I wished I was 6-7 years older so I could have caught The Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays instead.  If I'd been old enough to have caught them I'd have probably pined for New Order and The Smiths.  

 

I was 14-15 when The Smiths and New Order were at the height of their powers, then was finishing A Levels/at university around the time of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.  Was early/mid 20s living and working in Greater Manchester for the Britpop years, although wasn't a big fan of the whole Blur/Oasis thing.  Was more of a Pulp/Boo Radleys/Supergrass/The Verve fan from that era.

[Wainy316]

Missed it, which I am gutted about. Just need to be 6-7 or so years older, so I could experience all of the acid house/techno explosion, the mid-nineties hiphop scene starting in the UK and some quality indie bands. Then move on to the lovely credit freebies being handed out, university being dirt-cheap and a degree being helpful when applying for a job and owning my own place. Instead I got The Killers and renting.

Going to put you round about my age. Rather than dwelling on the Killers, we did get The Libertines. Edited November 24, 2013 by Wainy316

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Missed it, which I am gutted about. Just need to be 6-7 or so years older, so I could experience all of the acid house/techno explosion, the mid-nineties hiphop scene starting in the UK and some quality indie bands. Then move on to the lovely credit freebies being handed out, university being dirt-cheap and a degree being helpful when applying for a job and owning my own place.

Instead I got The Killers and renting.

Going to put you round about my age. Rather than dwelling on the Killers, we did get The Libertines.

As well as The Strokes, Kings Of Leon. Neither of which are British of course (but then neither are The Killers).

Tons of vibrant and original music out there today, you just need to know where to look.

[Wainy316]

Missed it, which I am gutted about. Just need to be 6-7 or so years older, so I could experience all of the acid house/techno explosion, the mid-nineties hiphop scene starting in the UK and some quality indie bands. Then move on to the lovely credit freebies being handed out, university being dirt-cheap and a degree being helpful when applying for a job and owning my own place.

Instead I got The Killers and renting.

Going to put you round about my age. Rather than dwelling on the Killers, we did get The Libertines.

As well as The Strokes, Kings Of Leon. Neither of which are British of course (but then neither are The Killers).

Tons of vibrant and original music out there today, you just need to know where to look.

Agreed. I'd say 2002/03 was the last time there was any kind of movement/scene. Just as I was starting uni incidentally.

[CrackpotForeigner]

I didn't realise the Killers had become unfashionable. Only one really good album, but a blinder (or so I thought!?)

[troon_villan]

I didn't realise the Killers had become unfashionable. Only one really good album, but a blinder (or so I thought!?)

 

Massive after that first album which was to be fair a blinder.  Don't think it's aged that well though has it?

 

Maybe one great song after that and extremely boring since.

[CrackpotForeigner]

 

I didn't realise the Killers had become unfashionable. Only one really good album, but a blinder (or so I thought!?)

 

Massive after that first album which was to be fair a blinder.  Don't think it's aged that well though has it?

 

Maybe one great song after that and extremely boring since.

 

 

Well I still like nearly all the songs on it, but maybe because I've avoided playing it to death.

 

Any better albums produced by "Cool Britannia" since? I hope so, but can't think of any.

[islingtonclaret]

 

 

 

Missed it, which I am gutted about. Just need to be 6-7 or so years older, so I could experience all of the acid house/techno explosion, the mid-nineties hiphop scene starting in the UK and some quality indie bands. Then move on to the lovely credit freebies being handed out, university being dirt-cheap and a degree being helpful when applying for a job and owning my own place.

Instead I got The Killers and renting.

Going to put you round about my age. Rather than dwelling on the Killers, we did get The Libertines.

 

As well as The Strokes, Kings Of Leon. Neither of which are British of course (but then neither are The Killers).

Tons of vibrant and original music out there today, you just need to know where to look.

 

Agreed. I'd say 2002/03 was the last time there was any kind of movement/scene. Just as I was starting uni incidentally.

 

That puts you at exactly the same age as me in fact.

 

It's personal taste, but Kings of Leon would certainly not fall into 'good' for me as I found them dull and samey.

But yes, the early explosions of The Strokes (just the first one for me, thanks), The Libertines and a lot of new emerging scenes in dance such as new school breaks (i.e. Stanton Warriors / Plump DJs) and UK hiphop finding it's identity through Big Dada Records and Roots Manuva did excite me.

 

Only thing I'm finding interesting at the moment is this new psyche stuff with people like TOY, Wolf People, The Horrors etc.

[Xann]

The 90's were fun. The free festival scene burned really brightly, before being stomped politically and swamped with heroin.

 

Tons of vibrant and original music out there today, you just need to know where to look.

 

Now's a good time for music, if not for the industry behind it.

 

Cheap, high quality audio recording and restoration technology coupled with the means to get the material out there has changed everything.

 

That and the social aspect of the internet, bringing similar minded people together.

 

People's interests have widened and diversified. There's lots of thriving little scenes now.

 

It makes Cowell & Co seem bigger still, but there's always been that Saturday night crap.

 

Only thing I'm finding interesting at the moment is this new psyche stuff

 

There's a

of

now, than there was in the 90s.