Ahh, the 90s. When Jarvis Cocker didn't "need" black-rimmed glasses...

Common People: The Britpop Story
Various Artists

It is now fifteen years since the music that came to be known as Britpop gained prominence, in response to the fall of acid house and Madchester and the rise of the all-conquering American grunge scene. What begun as a few promising young musicians on a self-declared mission to shake Britain out of a stale period for popular culture ultimately imploded into an arrogant political branding tool for everything produced by Britain, from football and Benny Hill to TFI Friday and Tony Blair.

Sadly, the genre’s inconsistencies are well laid-bare in this celebratory compilation. Each of the three discs loosely represents what are, broadly, Britpop’s three stages of existence. The promising beginning years of 1993-94 are marked by disc one’s stonking opener, The Auteurs’ ‘Lenny Valentino’. Disc two covers the jubilant middle years of 1995-96, with defining singles like Pulp’s ‘Common People’ and Supergrass’ ‘Alright’, while the final disc, featuring contributions from Hurricane #1, Embrace and the Stereophonics, might as well be labelled “a cat in a bag waiting to drown�(with apologies to The Verve: one of many conspicuous absences, and to Peter Hook’s side-project Monaco: one of disc three’s redeemers).

When the music is this patchy, the seemingly haphazard arrangement of tracks doesn’t help the compilation flow well. Perhaps such sequencing is trying to evoke the sensation of passing out on the floor of The Good Mixer after some chemical indulgence with Cool Britannia’s beautiful set, but in any other state of mind it grates. Despite the expected good offerings (Echobelly, Elastica, Suede), and a few pleasant surprises (Marion, The Longpigs), too much of the remaining space has been padded out by forgettable also-rans. Tellingly, Oasis, Blur and Radiohead don’t feature at all. With Powder, Northern Uproar, Menswear and, most bafflingly, non-British emo forefathers Placebo all present, while three of the 90s’ most iconic British groups are left off, it’s hard to escape the suspicion that this is not so much the Britpop-era best-of as a collection of Britpop-era songs the compilers were able to use.

From there, you might conclude that most of the artists that defined Britpop at its best quickly grew fed-up with its hype and didn’t want to be associated with it. For this, it’s hard to blame them. You are only reminded of the brilliance of Wake Up Boo by the Boo Radleys (disc one) once you’ve scrubbed its connotations of morning TV and radio jingles out of your mind.

As a metaphor for the Britpop era – a promising scene whose hangers-on and opportunists made it a victim of its own success – this compilation succeeds. As a selection of the best music the era had to offer, it sadly falls short.

Tracklisting:

DISC 1

1. The Auteurs – Lenny Valentino
2. Elastica – Stutter
3. Gene – Be My Light Be My Guide
4. Stone Roses – Love Spreads
5. James – Laid
6. Dodgy – Staying Out For the Summer
7. Saint Etienne – You’re In A Bad Way
8. Dubstar – Stars
9. Blake Grape – In The Name Of The Father
10. Duffy – London Girls
11. Marion – Sleep
12. These Animal Men – Speeed King
13. S*M*A*S*H – Shame
14. Cast – Alright
15. Bluetones – Slight Return
16. Perfume – Lover
17. Boo Radleys – Wake Up Boo
18. Menswear – Daydreamer

DISC 2

1. Pulp – Common People
2. Supergrass – Alright
3. Sleeper – Inbetweener
4. Echobelly – Great Things
5. Powder – Afrodisiac
6. Northern Uproar – Rollercoaster
7. Paul Weller – Thechangingman
8. Divine Comedy – Something For The Weekend
9. Baby Bird – You’re Gorgeous
10. My Life Story – 12 Reasons Why
11. Denim – It Fell Off The Back Of A Van
12. Kula Shaker – Tattva
13. Mansun – Wide Open Space
14. Salad – Drink The Elixir
15. Placebo – Nancy Boy
16. Longpigs – She Said
17. Ocean Colour Scene – Riverboat Song
18. Shed Seven – Chasing Rainbows

DISC 3

1. Super Furry Animals – God! Show Me Magic
2. Suede – Trash
3. Kenickie – In Your Car
4. theaudience – A  Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
5. Catatonia – Mulder & Scully
6. Space – Female Of The Species
7. Embrace – All You Good Good People
8. Gomez – Whippin’ Piccadilly
9. Geneva – Into the Blue
10. Rialto – Monday Morning 5:19
11. Seahorses – Love Is the Law
12. Hurricane no.1 – Step Into My World
13. Monaco – What Do You Want From me
14. Spearmint – Sweeping The Nation
15. Lodger – Always Round Here
16. Earl Brutus – SAS And The Glam That Goes With     It
17. Stereophonics – Bartender & The Thief
18. Gay Dad – Oh Jim

Common People: The Britpop Story is out on 8^th June

By Maxine Frances Roper