It was 20 years ago today, as some Liverpool band once said.
Yes, incredible as it may seem a number of classic Britpop albums are now reaching their 20th anniversary; Parklife, Definitely Maybe, Dog Man Star and His 'n' Hers to name but a few.
But which of those albums have stood the test of time?
We've put together this little poll of albums from 1994, which ones would be in your top 5 of the year?
What are your top 5 albums of 1994?
Pulp - His 'n' Hers0%
Blur - Parklife0%
Oasis - Definitely Maybe0%
Suede - Dog Man Star0%
Shed Seven - Change Giver0%
The Stone Roses - Second Coming0%
Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible0%
The Charlatans - Up To Our Hips0%
Echobelly - Everyone's Got One0%
Dodgy - Homegrown0%
The Auteurs - Now I'm A Cowboy0%
Inspiral Carpets - Devil Hopping0%
Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up0%
Ride - Carnival of Light0%
These Animal Men - (Come On Join) The High Society0%
I know that on our shows we play a lot of old music but we've always got one ear open to new releases. This year has seen encouraging signs that guitar music is starting to come to the fore once again and as well as some exciting new artists we've also seen some great new material from more established bands.
Hell even David Bowie came back in 2013, and it was good! Not quite good enough to make our top 5 releases of the year though. So here are our, highly subjective, top 5 albums of the year. We limited it to British artists, seeing as how our shows are all about British music. And yes, perhaps there is something of a bias towards older bands but I'd like to think that through our new band of the week feature we give at least a little bit of exposure to bands who are coming through.
So our top 5 albums are:
Suede - Bloodsports
Arctic Monkeys - AM
Sulk - Graceless
Primal Scream - More Light
Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart
And whilst there may have been much debate over here at Britpop HQ about what albums should make the top 5, the number 1 spot was never in much doubt. It is fair to say that Bloodsports was much anticipated here coming as it did after an 11 year recording hiatus and following on from 2002's disappointing A New Morning. It did not disappoint. From the free download teaser of Barriers and throughout the album there is not a duff track. An album that sounds contemporary and yet sparkles with the Suede swagger and grandeur of old. Truly a compelling return to form and a worthy choice for our album of the year.
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