I should explain to non-UK folks and millennials that TFI Friday was a weekly UK tv show in the mid 90s. Probably every Britpop played on the show at some point, which was really popular at the time.
It was a wacky, funny and slightly obnoxious kind of show but you always had to watch...I must have never missed an episode ❗
...I gave this a listen earlier today. In my estimation Sleeper weren't much more than a catchy pop singles band but on this evidence they did it well. Maybe the best UK singles band of 96? Probably could be.
Some of the albums tracks are a bit so-so and there is some singing I find a bit annoying. Overall, I think they hit the mark enough times though, particularly for a very pure pop band. I see the album as half full not half empty.
Do let me know if you think their debut is better. I've not heard that one. Picked this one as I recognised more songs on the tracklist.
This is the album that I had by Sleeper. Never heard the debut or anything else by them. I think the reason is that all of the albums by britpop bands weren't released in the US. Only some of them. I think this is why I had the impression that a lot of them we're just one album wonders. It's because I didn't even know they had more albums. So to Americans it might have looked like these bands just came and went. When they actually had longer careers.
Yeah that gong at the end was really funny.
Except for garbage, all the videos you posted were of people who I never saw perform before, even in a video. It was a real surprise seeing them for the first time because it didn't match what I had in my head. I may have seen edwyn Collins video on MTV though. Can't quite remember.
It's funny you should say that Spacehog had a bigger sound than most Britpop, because yesterday I listened to Spacehog, and then right after it I listened to Supergrass In It For the Money, which I love. It was shocking how flat and un-dynamic Supergrass' album sounded. It was the way it was recorded. The Spacehog album was so VIBRANT and the guitars were so dynamic, whereas the way supergrass were recorded it sounded like the guitars were recorded from underneath a mattress or something. The difference was amazing. The Spacehog album jumps right out of the speakers at you. That could be why I like it so much. The way it was recorded just grabs you by the throat and Surrounds you. Even the lesser songs you want to keep listening to simply because they SOUND so good. And then I listened to Supergrass Life on Other Planets, and that one had a really great sound to it. And the songs weren't bad either. I liked it better than when I first heard it years ago.
I'm gonna listen to these albums next, which are albums by people who I heard their first album only but never heard anything else by them. Except for the supergrass, where I've heard the first four but not this one.
...I gave this a listen earlier today. In my estimation Sleeper weren't much more than a catchy pop singles band but on this evidence they did it well. Maybe the best UK singles band of 96? Probably could be.
Some of the albums tracks are a bit so-so and there is some singing I find a bit annoying. Overall, I think they hit the mark enough times though, particularly for a very pure pop band. I see the album as half full not half empty.
Do let me know if you think their debut is better. I've not heard that one. Picked this one as I recognised more songs on the tracklist.
This is the album that I had by Sleeper. Never heard the debut or anything else by them. I think the reason is that all of the albums by britpop bands weren't released in the US. Only some of them. I think this is why I had the impression that a lot of them we're just one album wonders. It's because I didn't even know they had more albums. So to Americans it might have looked like these bands just came and went. When they actually had longer careers.
Yeah I suspect a few record companies weren't prepared to release/ promote albums in the US until they were convinced there would be a market. I remember some amused reports in the UK press about how badly bands like Oasis and Blur were being received in the US.
I think most britpop bands with names I can remember had at least a couple of albums out that I can remember being released-and then maybe a third album that bombed after the bubble burst-leading to the demise of the band. This all seemed happened in the span of 3-5 years for a lot of so their careers were pretty short. There wasn't much musical evolution going on with most of these guys.
I checked out this album as I liked the singles. It didn't really interest me but I thought it was solid. Most Travis albums sound the same to me. The one I remember liking the most is the debut. Most people know their second album "The Man who" but I remember the debut being less slick but more fun.
I know their first two albums. I like the first one but then I thought they were just getting a bot too self-serious and pretentious on the second one. I thought they had some good tunes though so might be alright.
I've been listening to their first two albums lately as I didn't know them before. I think Suede were very good. I guess I'll wait till I've fully digested the first two before I try a later one though.
Yeah that gong at the end was really funny.
Except for garbage, all the videos you posted were of people who I never saw perform before, even in a video. It was a real surprise seeing them for the first time because it didn't match what I had in my head. I may have seen edwyn Collins video on MTV though. Can't quite remember.
It's funny you should say that Spacehog had a bigger sound than most Britpop, because yesterday I listened to Spacehog, and then right after it I listened to Supergrass In It For the Money, which I love. It was shocking how flat and un-dynamic Supergrass' album sounded. It was the way it was recorded. The Spacehog album was so VIBRANT and the guitars were so dynamic, whereas the way supergrass were recorded it sounded like the guitars were recorded from underneath a mattress or something. The difference was amazing. The Spacehog album jumps right out of the speakers at you. That could be why I like it so much. The way it was recorded just grabs you by the throat and Surrounds you. Even the lesser songs you want to keep listening to simply because they SOUND so good. And then I listened to Supergrass Life on Other Planets, and that one had a really great sound to it. And the songs weren't bad either. I liked it better than when I first heard it years ago.
That's a good little review 😄 Your passion for Spacehog may just catch on with me. I hadn't thought about Supergrass' production like that before. That's an interesting point. Now you mention it-I do really like Life on other Planets. I think you might be right about it having a better production. Grace is a cool song too-maybe their best one.
Thanks for your contributions-it's cool to get a US perspective on Britpop 😄
I'm the same as you-just heard the first four. Let me know what you think.
All 6 Supergrass albums are good. They know how to write a song, and they have that lovely 70's feel. Listen to "Run" from Life on Other Planets, especially the second part of the song, the long ending. Pure bliss.
Road to Rouen is atmospheric. Still very good, but lacking focus a bit;
the last album is a return to the style of I should Coco. Not as good, but still very underrated
Don't know it. Just heard its disappointing after the first one. Maybe its waiting to be rediscovered 😕
Completely disappointing indeed. Not a single tune on it. No wonder: Damon Albarn was no longer there to help on the songwriting. Like many of us, i love Justine. She was part of the greatness of the first LP. But as for songwriting, it really was her and Damon, the drummer admitted it in an interview. That lovely couple was behind that flawless LP
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