I’m too sexy for these funnel cakes, so sexy it aches!
They would totally need to have a ‘catwalk’ set up during the performance of this song, in which various petting zoo goats and ex-con “amusements operators” (guys who pull the levers to start and stop the rides) could compete for the title of most fabulous creature in the fair.
I might suggest “Gay Dad” as one British group that was pushed / hyped constantly by NME and Melody Maker, and faded into nothingness after getting a few early murmurs of approval from Brit-o-philes here.
Thoe wankers disappeared overnight in the UK too. NME and Melody Maker are fucking rags anyway. They blow people up so they can knock them down a couple of months later because they’re no longer sufficiently “hip”.
Thoe wankers disappeared overnight in the UK too. NME and Melody Maker are fucking rags anyway. They blow people up so they can knock them down a couple of months later because they’re no longer sufficiently “hip”.
Solemn head nod of agreement with everything said there.
Kind of sad that even the go-to ‘highbrow’ music rag from London (The Wire) is staffed by people who “graduated” from the NME and were exhibiting the same sort of behavior in the 1980s.
You’re all forgetting Sponge. Can’t a cracker get no love up in this joint?
Around the late 90s, the U.S. was under the sway of the stupid ‘Cool Brittania’ fad. Scads of faceless or utterly predictable ‘Brit-pop’ bands were marketed here with the logic that, having bought into Oasis, those gullible Yanks would probably go for some other unremarkable crap too.
Given, a lot of those bands did generate some sales here, but practically no one gave them the same attention and veneration that the weekly music rags in the U.K. were giving them. And the bands that did pick up some steam early on, like Supergrass, are now super-absent from playlists.
This. Times 1000.
Remember Elastica?! Another “Cool Britannia” band (all female) that were “going to be HUGE” (?!?!) when they released their debut in 1995. Five years later nobody remembered them. “Cool Britannia” bands were HEAVILY marketed in Australia in the mid 90’s. I remember going to see Blur at one time in 1997 - one of the few Brit bands at the time that actually had some substance. It was seen to be the logical successor to grunge. But we all know how that turned out.
At one point in the 90’s, if you weren’t “Brit-ish” and didn’t have an expensive haircut and wear “mod” clothes, you weren’t hip.
I remember Gay Dad and they were awful. Same goes for the likes of other mid 90’s up and comers like Cornershop, Kula Shaker, The Bluetones, The Charlatans, The La’s, Cast, Dodgy, Menswear (uuuggghhh!!), Marion, The Divine Comedy…
Makes my head spin just thinking about it.
There was a lot of that crap around that time. I think they were referring to it as the Manchester sound . . . EMF and Jesus Jones and The Farm and . . . . yeah, I’m not missing any of it.
JESUS JONES!!!
[laugh]
Aaah, how could I forget?!?!
“Manchester Sound”? Oh…in Australia, we called it “baggy” (due to the long baggy striped tops and baggy flared jeans).
Oh…how about…wait for it…NED’S ATOMIC DUSTBIN?!?
Oh wait, how about…SHEEP ON DRUGS!!!
And what ever happened to Alien Sex Fiend? Anyone know about those guys??
Remember Elastica?! Another “Cool Britannia” band (all female) that were “going to be HUGE” (?!?!) when they released their debut in 1995. Five years later nobody remembered them. “Cool Britannia” bands were HEAVILY marketed in Australia in the mid 90’s. I remember going to see Blur at one time in 1997 - one of the few Brit bands at the time that actually had some substance. It was seen to be the logical successor to grunge. But we all know how that turned out.
At one point in the 90’s, if you weren’t “Brit-ish” and didn’t have an expensive haircut and wear “mod” clothes, you weren’t hip.
One of my co-workers around this period reminded me of the character in the Spike Lee movie “Summer of Sam,” who returns to New York from London after witnessing the first punk wave, and starts speaking with a bad Cockney accent. She was EXACTLY like that, except like a bizarre hybrid of Geri Halliwell and the lady from ‘Republica’ (ah yes another one buried by time and dust) instead of a stereotypical Class of '77 punk.
Elastica get the obscurity they deserve for ripping off Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba.”
And I wish I still had the NME or Melody Maker issue from around the time that had Tony Blair jamming out on the cover with a Union Jack-painted Les Paul, barf. Nothing seems to encapsulate the mortality of the fad quite as well as that.
I always got Elastica and Republica confused. One of them wanted to shout it out from rooftops. Don’t remember which one.
I always got Elastica and Republica confused. One of them wanted to shout it out from rooftops. Don’t remember which one.
Oh that was Republica - and I just now remembered “Saffron” is / was the name of the singer.
Elastica was the one that had a member romantically involved with some other leading Brit-pop personality, ho hum.
Neither of them can hold a candle to Miki of Lush, my dream alt-rock frontwoman from that era. And Chris Connelly gets to hang out with her! AND Shirley Manson! I would have plied him for stories eventually had he not been mercilessly heckled off of the board.
How 'bout the Spin Doctors? They’re still big, right?
Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
You know what the best part of that song was?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGsdduAsq2w
I didn’t even think Spin Doctors were a band.
I thought they were advertising some product…!
The Fugees anyone???
The Fugees anyone???
Miss Lauryn Hill is a fucking cunt.
How about Babes In Toyland?
I didn’t even think Spin Doctors were a band.
I thought they were advertising some product…!
That’s how I felt about Barenaked Ladies. That song sounded so much like an ad agency trying to write “alt rock.” I heard bits of it on the radio for months before I realized it was a real band.
On a different note, I like Elastica.
So far I can play “six degree of Martin Atkins” with at least two of the bands mentioned here.
Babes in Toyland - were managed by Martin’s first wife, Leila (a really nice person, though, I don’t think she had anything to do with their eventual disappearance from the scene)
and
Sheep on Drugs - I don’t think ever rebounded from their association with Invisible, either because of Martin’s progressively lowering stock with the public or because of the other stories I heard. Their main man Lee was allegedly lured over to the U.S. with Martin’s usual promises of “come to Chicago, be a star, money isn’t an object, you can stay for free in the loft etc. etc.” He was then allegedly left in a very sad limbo after his new boss “forgot” to get a work permit for his new wife, who I’m told eventually left him out of frustration.
So far I can play “six degree of Martin Atkins” with at least two of the bands mentioned here.
You have enough Martin Atkins stories to write a rather impressive sized book. You…do realize that, right?
Sheep On Drugs.
LOL
[reply]The Fugees anyone???
Miss Lauryn Hill is a fucking cunt.
How about Babes In Toyland?[/reply]
BiT are reuniting with the original line-up to record a new album and tour. Sigh…
Elastica was the one that had a member romantically involved with some other leading Brit-pop personality, ho hum.
One of them was also romantically involved with Sascha Konietzko, which is why she’s featured on the $%^#& album.
I saw Elastica live once. They were pretty good.
As a 30 something Brit I feel I should chip in here…
Elastica were just fantastic. So what if they ripped off Wire, or anyone else… their first album is top notch from start to finish. They had internal conflicts or whatever and it took ages for them to produce a follow up… it was okay, but just not as good. Saw them live around that time and it was a storming show. Justine (singer) was seeing Brett from Suede and then moved on to Damon from Blur. I don’t know anything about a KMFDM connection though. Weird. But yes, Justine also went on to work with M.I.A. - that’s pretty cool, right?
Someone mentioned Neds here… they were pretty good. I’m terminally frustrated that bands like them, Carter USM, Pop Will Eat Itself and The Wonder Stuff never got the respect they deserved. It was a weird time in between ‘Baggy’ and ‘Brit-Pop’, just to the side of the shoegazing bunch. Proper punky weirdness that just about hit the mainstream, before being strangely forgotten.
Sheep On Drugs were a bit of a sad loss too. They had a pretty limited ‘shtick’ I guess, but they were full of spunk and made great dark acid tunes. Going to the States definitely finished 'em off, if they weren’t finished already by then.
In stark contrast, I must ask… how the hell are Manic Street Preachers still popular? It puzzles me, it really does.
I miss the 90s.