I grew up with a lot of the Madchester and Britpop stuff, like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Suede, Blur, Elastica, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, Primal Scream et al. I was wondering if there were any fans of it on here?

 

I noticed some of the Madchester bands were heavily influenced by Northern Soul and Funk, right down to the drumming and wah-wah guitars (Fools Gold and anything by the Happy Mondays).  

JAMC were good. To this day I still have the Swervedriver albums and 'Whirlpool' by Chapterhouse on my iPod. Ride were my favourite shoegazers (but their last album was awful!)

Chris Henniker said:

Never got into the shoegaze stuff, but JAMC and Chapterhouse were awesome.

Preacherman said:

Man, takes me back - at college in the late 80's and listened to hardcore punk and garage revival stuff mainly but with a fair smattering of british indie (or just indie as we called it in the UK) - Pop Will Eat Itself always a fave, plus the aformentioned Inspiral Carpets (Mad As Fuck), Stone Roses and loads of 'shoegaze' and 'dreampop' stuff (Cocteau Twins, Loop, Swervedriver). Don't really indulge too often now, but an important part of my musical history.

Never got into the shoegaze stuff, but JAMC and Chapterhouse were awesome.

Preacherman said:

Man, takes me back - at college in the late 80's and listened to hardcore punk and garage revival stuff mainly but with a fair smattering of british indie (or just indie as we called it in the UK) - Pop Will Eat Itself always a fave, plus the aformentioned Inspiral Carpets (Mad As Fuck), Stone Roses and loads of 'shoegaze' and 'dreampop' stuff (Cocteau Twins, Loop, Swervedriver). Don't really indulge too often now, but an important part of my musical history.

Man, takes me back - at college in the late 80's and listened to hardcore punk and garage revival stuff mainly but with a fair smattering of british indie (or just indie as we called it in the UK) - Pop Will Eat Itself always a fave, plus the aformentioned Inspiral Carpets (Mad As Fuck), Stone Roses and loads of 'shoegaze' and 'dreampop' stuff (Cocteau Twins, Loop, Swervedriver). Don't really indulge too often now, but an important part of my musical history.

Elastica ripped of The Stranglers too, albeit to great effect on "Waking Up".  I love The Inspiral Carpets too, especially their early stuff and Clint Boon's Farfisa organ. I'd love to see them live.

Matt H said:

Ha! A blast from the past! I lived in Manchester from 1988 to 1992 and can remember the Madchester scene well. Fond memories.

I shared a house with 4 other blokes and was the only one NOT to go to the legendary Stone Roses' Spike Island gig because I was a musical snob/dickhead - to busy with my mod/garage/psych stuff. Bitterly regret it now. I did see the Inspiral Carpets in the very first week I moved up there - their early stuff had a definite garage feel to it. The keyboardist Clint Boon had a cool 60s bowl haircut and used to wear the Paisley shirts.

Eastern Bloc Record Shop was where I bought all of my vinyl Pebbles comps and I managed to get a near mint copy of The Seeds 'Future' album, complete with inserts, in a second hand shop on the Oldham Road. Think it might have been called the Vinyl Exchange. That album cost me a months rent.

Ocean Colour Scene are still going - they had a strong 60s feel. I still love Supergrass - the first 2 albums are punk/pop classics. Anybody remember Shed 7? They knocked out a couple of classic mod-punk tracks. And Elastica blatantly ripping off Wire!

I've only got two rock 'n' roll claims to fame. They're both very sad and pathetic, but both revolve around the Madchester thing. I once literally crashed into Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays as he careered across the street whilst having a barney with someone outside Manchester Central Police Station. Also, if there's anyone out there who's old enough to remember the infamous 'Madchester' TV documentary, there's a section where the TV crew are outside Eastern Bloc Records and for a tiny fraction of a second, if you freeze-frame and look very closely, you can see my Converse All-Stars walking into the shop.

Sad I know, but fine times.

MattH

Missed V Fest, wish they'd played at the Stone Roses Manchester gigs...

Ha! A blast from the past! I lived in Manchester from 1988 to 1992 and can remember the Madchester scene well. Fond memories.

I shared a house with 4 other blokes and was the only one NOT to go to the legendary Stone Roses' Spike Island gig because I was a musical snob/dickhead - to busy with my mod/garage/psych stuff. Bitterly regret it now. I did see the Inspiral Carpets in the very first week I moved up there - their early stuff had a definite garage feel to it. The keyboardist Clint Boon had a cool 60s bowl haircut and used to wear the Paisley shirts.

Eastern Bloc Record Shop was where I bought all of my vinyl Pebbles comps and I managed to get a near mint copy of The Seeds 'Future' album, complete with inserts, in a second hand shop on the Oldham Road. Think it might have been called the Vinyl Exchange. That album cost me a months rent.

Ocean Colour Scene are still going - they had a strong 60s feel. I still love Supergrass - the first 2 albums are punk/pop classics. Anybody remember Shed 7? They knocked out a couple of classic mod-punk tracks. And Elastica blatantly ripping off Wire!

I've only got two rock 'n' roll claims to fame. They're both very sad and pathetic, but both revolve around the Madchester thing. I once literally crashed into Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays as he careered across the street whilst having a barney with someone outside Manchester Central Police Station. Also, if there's anyone out there who's old enough to remember the infamous 'Madchester' TV documentary, there's a section where the TV crew are outside Eastern Bloc Records and for a tiny fraction of a second, if you freeze-frame and look very closely, you can see my Converse All-Stars walking into the shop.

Sad I know, but fine times.

MattH

Oh I still love this stuff from Britain .... especially Oasis and Suede. Also Travis ....

I love Jarvis Cocker, especially when he upstaged Michael Jackson. Waggling his arse was a great pop moment!

Talking of the Hacienda, were you into Factory Records? Sadly, it became a victim of organised crime and drug dealers used it as a battleground for turf wars. The police & council forced it to close.

Alison said:

I love New Order and The Stone Roses and as a teenager in the early 90s, I often wished I was partying at the Hacienda instead of languishing in an Atlanta suburb.  I dismissed Oasis as bubblegum singalong. Blur seemed to be the next in line after The Kinks and The Jam to document pure "Britishness" in pop music; however, some of my favorite albums of the time period were: Primal Scream "Screamadelica", Pulp  "Different Class," and Supergrass  "I Should Coco."  The Brit Box is a fun compliation of that era, though inconsistent.   Nowadays I get my Brit fix from the band British Sea Power...

I love New Order and The Stone Roses and as a teenager in the early 90s, I often wished I was partying at the Hacienda instead of languishing in an Atlanta suburb.  I dismissed Oasis as bubblegum singalong. Blur seemed to be the next in line after The Kinks and The Jam to document pure "Britishness" in pop music; however, some of my favorite albums of the time period were: Primal Scream "Screamadelica", Pulp  "Different Class," and Supergrass  "I Should Coco."  The Brit Box is a fun compliation of that era, though inconsistent.   Nowadays I get my Brit fix from the band British Sea Power...

Behold, the definitive Madchester band. Oldham's finest, The Inspiral Carpets:

 

http://youtu.be/DPTpBoYVD8Q

 

 

 

 

The Wedding Present had a Spin off project called Beachbuggy, which was very surf and garage influenced, inspired by Darren Belk's love of American cars and drag racing.

 

Anyone like anything from Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation label?

astralbating said:

Don't care for a lot of the radio stuff but there are some notable groups from around that time/place that I am absolutely in love with:

The Wedding Present

House of Love

Boo Radleys

(already mentioned) Swervedriver

Venus Beads

The Auteurs

 

Here is a nice cover of Love by the Boo Radleys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3u4dxx-pI

Not much. Elastica's debut , yeah. Saw them when it came out. Did'nt bother when they came back , 5 years later. I did'nt hate 'em  , by then , but the momentum was past. When I did hear their 2nd CD , years later , still , I did'nt get it. I still play the first album once in a while.

Don't care for a lot of the radio stuff but there are some notable groups from around that time/place that I am absolutely in love with:

The Wedding Present

House of Love

Boo Radleys

(already mentioned) Swervedriver

Venus Beads

The Auteurs

 

Here is a nice cover of Love by the Boo Radleys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc3u4dxx-pI

Mambo Taxi and the Inspiral Carpets were influenced a lot by 60's garage.  

Swervedriver, Slowdive, The WonderStuff... all good.

The Madchester stuff was at times Northern Soul and funk influenced, especially the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses "Fool's Gold". The beat's just The Funky Drummer.

I always imagined it to be a revived version of the Kinks and Beetles and 60s stuff so the whole northern soul and funk is a new idea I'll have to have a look at. To be honest though in 1993 I was only 7 so I pretty much missed the significant stuff and got the arse end of it. I remember it in 1997 particularly with the 'cool Britania' thing New Labour were spouting off. And about then Blur and Oasis were staples, Wonderwall and Parklife and all that. I still have Tender as a single which is a bit dull but the French Song (B side) is actually rather cool. I was quite big on the Sterophonics, but some cunt stole my CD. They went majorly downhill though with Just Enough Education to Perform in the same way that Oasis managed to make the worst record ever with Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.

 

I also heard that Brit Pop was in some ways a reaction to grunge, trying to make a British scene, which kind of makes sense in the same way how the Kinks and British Invasion bands were trying to do a British version of what was going on in America at the time. It's one reason why British music usually works better than some other countries because it just sounds embarrassing when you try to outright copy what's started in the USA.

 

I never really did the Happy Mondays but I really should buy a few records, any suggestions?

pills thrills n bellyaches!

    brilliant album!

I always imagined it to be a revived version of the Kinks and Beetles and 60s stuff so the whole northern soul and funk is a new idea I'll have to have a look at. To be honest though in 1993 I was only 7 so I pretty much missed the significant stuff and got the arse end of it. I remember it in 1997 particularly with the 'cool Britania' thing New Labour were spouting off. And about then Blur and Oasis were staples, Wonderwall and Parklife and all that. I still have Tender as a single which is a bit dull but the French Song (B side) is actually rather cool. I was quite big on the Sterophonics, but some cunt stole my CD. They went majorly downhill though with Just Enough Education to Perform in the same way that Oasis managed to make the worst record ever with Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.

 

I also heard that Brit Pop was in some ways a reaction to grunge, trying to make a British scene, which kind of makes sense in the same way how the Kinks and British Invasion bands were trying to do a British version of what was going on in America at the time. It's one reason why British music usually works better than some other countries because it just sounds embarrassing when you try to outright copy what's started in the USA.

 

I never really did the Happy Mondays but I really should buy a few records, any suggestions?

Anything spring to mind?

Mike Humsgreen said:

Yeah I like some of that. I was a little un in the 1990s and so it was on the radio all the time.

Yeah I like some of that. I was a little un in the 1990s and so it was on the radio all the time.