mmmender
Nov-20-07, 2:58 AM
The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium
Not all British pop is Britpop, nor is all U.K. indie necessarily pop music -- nor does British indie of the '80s sound like British indie of the '90s, for that matter. There are certain similarities and shared traits, along with a clear progression from post-punk to Britpop, but the notoriously mercurial British music world of the '80s and '90s had too many niches and scenes -- and was documented by a music press obsessed with bestowing new names to even minor ripples in pop music -- to be tidily boxed up, as Rhino's well-intentioned and hopelessly muddled four-disc set The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium attempts to do. That subtitle suggests that the box digs into the specific subgenres of British alternative rock, when it does nothing of the sort. Instead, it throws together 78 tracks recorded by U.K. acts of the '80s and '90s, assuming that if the artist resides in the United Kingdom and isn't Bros (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:g9fyxqq5ld0e), Take That (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:dxfyxql5ldfe), Wet Wet Wet (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hpfyxqw5ldhe), or the Spice Girls (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gjfexq8gldfe), they're fair game. Ground zero is the Smiths (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:kifyxqr5ld0e)' 1984 anthem "How Soon Is Now?" -- a widely acknowledged classic single that could very well be argued as the foundation of the classicist guitar pop that ran throughout British '90s rock. Fair starting point, but instead of pursuing a logical path through the next 15 years, The Brit Box careens all over the place, following a well-worn path for a while before suddenly taking a detour -- sometimes picturesque, sometimes quite rocky -- that leads back to familiar territory before it all stops suddenly, arbitrarily with Gay Dad (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jvfwxqrjldte)'s 1999 Britpop afterbirth, "Oh Jim." If that's what all this music was leading to, then what was the point of it all?
Of course, Gay Dad (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jvfwxqrjldte) was hardly the destination for Britpop, even if they almost certainly were the end of the line for British indie in more ways than one. The very fact that such an ambitious, far-reaching set like this ends on such a sour note highlights how unfocused The Brit Box is. Although it's assembled in chronological order, there is no narrative thrust to the four discs, as certain threads are dropped entirely -- the dance-rock innovations of Primal Scream (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:a9fixqw5ldte) and Happy Mondays (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jifexqe5ld0e) are forgotten by the time the set gets to the mid-'90s, even though electronica was so pervasive at this time, Noel Gallagher (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfrxqrgldke) was singing with the Chemical Brothers (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:avfqxqrgldke), a cross-pollination this set never comes close to acknowledging -- while musical logic is sacrificed in favor of cutesy sequencing, with Gene (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fxfwxqlgldse)'s "Sleep Well Tonight" followed by Menswear (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wvfqxqugldje)'s "Sleeping In," Cast (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gvfpxqugldje)'s "Alright" piggybacking Supergrass (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfqxqqgld0e)' "Alright," and Super Furry Animals (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:anfrxqqgldhe)' "Something 4 the Weekend" leading to the Divine Comedy (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wifwxq9hldje)'s "Something For the Weekend." Such shenanigans are good for a chuckle when scanning a track listing, but they don't make for great listening, nor does the odd mix of selections from the titans of Britpop, where Blur (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:j9fpxqq5ld0e) is represented by the deep album track "Tracy Jacks" instead of the era-defining "Parklife" and "Girls & Boys" (or, if you want to get obscure, either of the influential singles "Popscene" or "For Tomorrow," for that matter) while their arch-rivals Oasis (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:axfixqe5ldfe) get the too-familiar "Live Forever" when they would be better served by something livelier and unexpected; and for as indelible as Suede (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:0pfqxq8gldae)'s "Metal Mickey" is, "The Drowners" kick-started the Britpop phenomenon. This is a problem with second-tier bands as well -- Sleeper (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:axfoxqe5ldde) gets "Sale of the Century" instead of their fantastic one-shot "Inbetweener," Menswear (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wvfqxqugldje)'s Elastica (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfexqe5ldfe)-aping "Daydreamer" is their great moment in the sun (which points out that for as wonderful as "Stutter" is, Elastica (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfexqe5ldfe) is indeed a band that could have also been represented by their biggest hit, "Connection") -- and these off-kilter selections don't quite balance out with the set's sharp inclusions, of which there are many, whether it's the obvious ("She Bangs the Drums," "Loaded," "There She Goes," "Here's Where the Story Ends," "Vapour Trail," "Only Shallow," "Common People") or cult favorites (Eugenius (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hpfuxqw5ld6e)' "Breakfast," Babybird (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hnfrxqwsldfe)'s "You're Gorgeous," Manson (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=1:MANSON)'s "Wide Open Space").
Then again, each British scene from the '80s and '90s was so full of great singles that it'd be easy to pick songs at random and come up with something that is reasonably enjoyable, which The Brit Box is. The problem is, the box seems like it was assembled at random, as it has all those odd song selections, omissions both major and minor -- never mind that Radiohead (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fxfoxql5ld6e) is missing, where are the Auteurs (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gzfyxqy5ldhe), one-time rivals with Suede (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:0pfqxq8gldae), where are one-hit wonders like Space (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:kifrxqlhldke)'s "Female of the Species" or Shampoo (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfyxqegldhe)'s ridiculous "Trouble," where are Orlando (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fifwxqwhldke) or any other Romo bands? -- and questionable inclusions (all these great bands were overlooked in favor of Superstar (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wxfwxqwgldae), Rialto (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gjfoxqwhldje), and Nick Heyward (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:3ifixqe5ld0e)'s lovely but tangential "Kite"?). Worst of all, it drifts from place to place, never making the connection between the C-86 aftershocks of the beginning of the set and the dream pop the pops up on the second disc, never setting up a context for how different the bright guitars of Britpop sounded in comparison to those soft, swirling harmonies, or making a case for the explosion of great pure pop tunes in the mid-'90s, for that matter. Instead, The Brit Box just throws a bunch of songs -- some great, some good, some notable only as a memory -- in a box, hoping that it will pass as an introduction to kids who know the name Misshapes as a club, not a song, or evoke some nostalgia, which it does, but anybody who lived through a time when these songs were on college radio or 120 Minutes will only think, "I remember how it was back then and it wasn't like this."
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR MORE DETAILS (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB78A7E0 2CA45A089FCEE453F5D666392DED93&sql=10:knfexzugld0e)
TRACKLISTING:
1 How Soon Is Now? Smiths 6:44
2 Lorelei Cocteau Twins 3:42
3 Primitive Painters Felt 6:00
4 Somewhere in China Shop Assistants 3:03
5 My Biggest Thrill Mighty Lemon Drops 2:57
6 Just Like Heaven 3:30
7 Lips Like Sugar Echo & The Bunnymen 4:51
8 April Skies Jesus And Mary Chain 4:00
9 Walkin' with Jesus (Sound of Confusion) Spacemen Three 5:52
10 Crash Primitives 2:32
11 Unbearable Wonder Stuff 2:28
12 She Bangs the Drums Stone Roses 3:43
13 The Only One I Know Charlatans UK 3:58
14 Step On Happy Mondays 5:16
15 Loaded [Single Version] Primal Scream 4:10
16 This Is How It Feels Inspiral Carpets 3:12
17 Obscurity Knocks Trash Can Sinatras 4:08
18 There She Goes La's 2:42
19 Here's Where the Story Ends Sundays 3:52
20 Vapour Trail Ride 4:17
21 Sight of You Pale Saints 5:37
22 Only Shallow My Bloody Valentine 4:18
23 For Love Lush 3:29
24 Flying Telescopes 2:53
25 Pearl Chapterhouse 4:53
26 I Want to Touch You Catherine Wheel 4:40
27 Trip & Slide Bleach 5:10
28 Coast Is Clear Curve 4:01
29 You Five Thirty 4:27
30 This River Will Never Run Dry Moose 6:24
31 (Thought I'd Died) And Gone to Heaven Family Cat 4:54
32 (Don't Cut Me Down) Mary Quant in Blue Dylans 3:17
33 0-0 A.E.T. (No Score After Extra Time) Thousand Yard Stare 3:43
34 Grey Cell Green Ned's Atomic Dustbin 3:44
35 Shoot You Down Birdland 3:12
36 Stay Beautiful Manic Street Preachers 3:10
37 Star Sign Teenage Fanclub 4:53
38 Metal Mickey Suede 3:24
39 Duel [Radio Edit] Swervedriver 4:39
40 Breakfast Eugenius 3:48
41 Barfly Superstar 2:35
42 Regret New Order 4:08
43 Laid James 2:39
44 Kite Nick Heyward 3:06
45 Lazarus Boo Radleys 4:40
46 You're in a Bad Way Saint Etienne 3:02
47 Wow & Flutter Stereolab 3:08
48 Tracy Jacks Blur 4:18
49 Live Forever Oasis 4:37
50 Common People Pulp 5:50
51 Speeed King These Animal Men 3:00
52 Wallflower Mega City Four 3:41
53 Insomniac Echobelly 4:14
54 Sleep Well Tonight Gene 4:31
55 Sleeping In Menswear 4:41
56 Alright Supergrass 3:01
57 Alright Cast 3:35
58 Stutter Elastica 2:22
59 In a Room Dodgy 4:16
60 Girl from Mars Ash 3:25
61 Sale of the Century Sleeper 4:28
62 Sleep Marion 3:04
63 Tattva Kula Shaker 3:47
64 The Riverboat Song Ocean Colour Scene 4:53
65 You're Gorgeous Babybird 3:41
66 Slight Return Bluetones 3:19
67 Something 4 the Weekend Super Furry Animals 2:50
68 Something for the Weekend Divine Comedy 4:19
69 Brimful of Asha Cornershop 5:17
70 Service Silver Sun 3:01
71 Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space Spiritualized 3:41
72 Wide Open Space Mansun 4:32
73 Step into My World Hurricane #1 4:59
74 Lucky Man Verve 4:53
75 Untouchable Rialto 4:14
76 Mulder and Scully Catatonia 4:10
77 You Don't Care About Us Placebo 3:56
78 Oh Jim Gay Dad 2:46
Not all British pop is Britpop, nor is all U.K. indie necessarily pop music -- nor does British indie of the '80s sound like British indie of the '90s, for that matter. There are certain similarities and shared traits, along with a clear progression from post-punk to Britpop, but the notoriously mercurial British music world of the '80s and '90s had too many niches and scenes -- and was documented by a music press obsessed with bestowing new names to even minor ripples in pop music -- to be tidily boxed up, as Rhino's well-intentioned and hopelessly muddled four-disc set The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium attempts to do. That subtitle suggests that the box digs into the specific subgenres of British alternative rock, when it does nothing of the sort. Instead, it throws together 78 tracks recorded by U.K. acts of the '80s and '90s, assuming that if the artist resides in the United Kingdom and isn't Bros (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:g9fyxqq5ld0e), Take That (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:dxfyxql5ldfe), Wet Wet Wet (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hpfyxqw5ldhe), or the Spice Girls (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gjfexq8gldfe), they're fair game. Ground zero is the Smiths (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:kifyxqr5ld0e)' 1984 anthem "How Soon Is Now?" -- a widely acknowledged classic single that could very well be argued as the foundation of the classicist guitar pop that ran throughout British '90s rock. Fair starting point, but instead of pursuing a logical path through the next 15 years, The Brit Box careens all over the place, following a well-worn path for a while before suddenly taking a detour -- sometimes picturesque, sometimes quite rocky -- that leads back to familiar territory before it all stops suddenly, arbitrarily with Gay Dad (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jvfwxqrjldte)'s 1999 Britpop afterbirth, "Oh Jim." If that's what all this music was leading to, then what was the point of it all?
Of course, Gay Dad (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jvfwxqrjldte) was hardly the destination for Britpop, even if they almost certainly were the end of the line for British indie in more ways than one. The very fact that such an ambitious, far-reaching set like this ends on such a sour note highlights how unfocused The Brit Box is. Although it's assembled in chronological order, there is no narrative thrust to the four discs, as certain threads are dropped entirely -- the dance-rock innovations of Primal Scream (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:a9fixqw5ldte) and Happy Mondays (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jifexqe5ld0e) are forgotten by the time the set gets to the mid-'90s, even though electronica was so pervasive at this time, Noel Gallagher (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfrxqrgldke) was singing with the Chemical Brothers (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:avfqxqrgldke), a cross-pollination this set never comes close to acknowledging -- while musical logic is sacrificed in favor of cutesy sequencing, with Gene (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fxfwxqlgldse)'s "Sleep Well Tonight" followed by Menswear (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wvfqxqugldje)'s "Sleeping In," Cast (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gvfpxqugldje)'s "Alright" piggybacking Supergrass (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfqxqqgld0e)' "Alright," and Super Furry Animals (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:anfrxqqgldhe)' "Something 4 the Weekend" leading to the Divine Comedy (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wifwxq9hldje)'s "Something For the Weekend." Such shenanigans are good for a chuckle when scanning a track listing, but they don't make for great listening, nor does the odd mix of selections from the titans of Britpop, where Blur (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:j9fpxqq5ld0e) is represented by the deep album track "Tracy Jacks" instead of the era-defining "Parklife" and "Girls & Boys" (or, if you want to get obscure, either of the influential singles "Popscene" or "For Tomorrow," for that matter) while their arch-rivals Oasis (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:axfixqe5ldfe) get the too-familiar "Live Forever" when they would be better served by something livelier and unexpected; and for as indelible as Suede (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:0pfqxq8gldae)'s "Metal Mickey" is, "The Drowners" kick-started the Britpop phenomenon. This is a problem with second-tier bands as well -- Sleeper (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:axfoxqe5ldde) gets "Sale of the Century" instead of their fantastic one-shot "Inbetweener," Menswear (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wvfqxqugldje)'s Elastica (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfexqe5ldfe)-aping "Daydreamer" is their great moment in the sun (which points out that for as wonderful as "Stutter" is, Elastica (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfexqe5ldfe) is indeed a band that could have also been represented by their biggest hit, "Connection") -- and these off-kilter selections don't quite balance out with the set's sharp inclusions, of which there are many, whether it's the obvious ("She Bangs the Drums," "Loaded," "There She Goes," "Here's Where the Story Ends," "Vapour Trail," "Only Shallow," "Common People") or cult favorites (Eugenius (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hpfuxqw5ld6e)' "Breakfast," Babybird (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:hnfrxqwsldfe)'s "You're Gorgeous," Manson (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=1:MANSON)'s "Wide Open Space").
Then again, each British scene from the '80s and '90s was so full of great singles that it'd be easy to pick songs at random and come up with something that is reasonably enjoyable, which The Brit Box is. The problem is, the box seems like it was assembled at random, as it has all those odd song selections, omissions both major and minor -- never mind that Radiohead (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fxfoxql5ld6e) is missing, where are the Auteurs (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gzfyxqy5ldhe), one-time rivals with Suede (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:0pfqxq8gldae), where are one-hit wonders like Space (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:kifrxqlhldke)'s "Female of the Species" or Shampoo (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:jxfyxqegldhe)'s ridiculous "Trouble," where are Orlando (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:fifwxqwhldke) or any other Romo bands? -- and questionable inclusions (all these great bands were overlooked in favor of Superstar (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:wxfwxqwgldae), Rialto (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:gjfoxqwhldje), and Nick Heyward (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB7BAFE0 2CA45A089FC8E453FAD6653F2DFC93&sql=11:3ifixqe5ld0e)'s lovely but tangential "Kite"?). Worst of all, it drifts from place to place, never making the connection between the C-86 aftershocks of the beginning of the set and the dream pop the pops up on the second disc, never setting up a context for how different the bright guitars of Britpop sounded in comparison to those soft, swirling harmonies, or making a case for the explosion of great pure pop tunes in the mid-'90s, for that matter. Instead, The Brit Box just throws a bunch of songs -- some great, some good, some notable only as a memory -- in a box, hoping that it will pass as an introduction to kids who know the name Misshapes as a club, not a song, or evoke some nostalgia, which it does, but anybody who lived through a time when these songs were on college radio or 120 Minutes will only think, "I remember how it was back then and it wasn't like this."
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR MORE DETAILS (http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE57319D24CA87120D7863048C8A67AE704FE4B F59A1321435992B63E45913979F44EF48A95FDFB74AB78A7E0 2CA45A089FCEE453F5D666392DED93&sql=10:knfexzugld0e)
TRACKLISTING:
1 How Soon Is Now? Smiths 6:44
2 Lorelei Cocteau Twins 3:42
3 Primitive Painters Felt 6:00
4 Somewhere in China Shop Assistants 3:03
5 My Biggest Thrill Mighty Lemon Drops 2:57
6 Just Like Heaven 3:30
7 Lips Like Sugar Echo & The Bunnymen 4:51
8 April Skies Jesus And Mary Chain 4:00
9 Walkin' with Jesus (Sound of Confusion) Spacemen Three 5:52
10 Crash Primitives 2:32
11 Unbearable Wonder Stuff 2:28
12 She Bangs the Drums Stone Roses 3:43
13 The Only One I Know Charlatans UK 3:58
14 Step On Happy Mondays 5:16
15 Loaded [Single Version] Primal Scream 4:10
16 This Is How It Feels Inspiral Carpets 3:12
17 Obscurity Knocks Trash Can Sinatras 4:08
18 There She Goes La's 2:42
19 Here's Where the Story Ends Sundays 3:52
20 Vapour Trail Ride 4:17
21 Sight of You Pale Saints 5:37
22 Only Shallow My Bloody Valentine 4:18
23 For Love Lush 3:29
24 Flying Telescopes 2:53
25 Pearl Chapterhouse 4:53
26 I Want to Touch You Catherine Wheel 4:40
27 Trip & Slide Bleach 5:10
28 Coast Is Clear Curve 4:01
29 You Five Thirty 4:27
30 This River Will Never Run Dry Moose 6:24
31 (Thought I'd Died) And Gone to Heaven Family Cat 4:54
32 (Don't Cut Me Down) Mary Quant in Blue Dylans 3:17
33 0-0 A.E.T. (No Score After Extra Time) Thousand Yard Stare 3:43
34 Grey Cell Green Ned's Atomic Dustbin 3:44
35 Shoot You Down Birdland 3:12
36 Stay Beautiful Manic Street Preachers 3:10
37 Star Sign Teenage Fanclub 4:53
38 Metal Mickey Suede 3:24
39 Duel [Radio Edit] Swervedriver 4:39
40 Breakfast Eugenius 3:48
41 Barfly Superstar 2:35
42 Regret New Order 4:08
43 Laid James 2:39
44 Kite Nick Heyward 3:06
45 Lazarus Boo Radleys 4:40
46 You're in a Bad Way Saint Etienne 3:02
47 Wow & Flutter Stereolab 3:08
48 Tracy Jacks Blur 4:18
49 Live Forever Oasis 4:37
50 Common People Pulp 5:50
51 Speeed King These Animal Men 3:00
52 Wallflower Mega City Four 3:41
53 Insomniac Echobelly 4:14
54 Sleep Well Tonight Gene 4:31
55 Sleeping In Menswear 4:41
56 Alright Supergrass 3:01
57 Alright Cast 3:35
58 Stutter Elastica 2:22
59 In a Room Dodgy 4:16
60 Girl from Mars Ash 3:25
61 Sale of the Century Sleeper 4:28
62 Sleep Marion 3:04
63 Tattva Kula Shaker 3:47
64 The Riverboat Song Ocean Colour Scene 4:53
65 You're Gorgeous Babybird 3:41
66 Slight Return Bluetones 3:19
67 Something 4 the Weekend Super Furry Animals 2:50
68 Something for the Weekend Divine Comedy 4:19
69 Brimful of Asha Cornershop 5:17
70 Service Silver Sun 3:01
71 Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space Spiritualized 3:41
72 Wide Open Space Mansun 4:32
73 Step into My World Hurricane #1 4:59
74 Lucky Man Verve 4:53
75 Untouchable Rialto 4:14
76 Mulder and Scully Catatonia 4:10
77 You Don't Care About Us Placebo 3:56
78 Oh Jim Gay Dad 2:46