I've seen (stupid, drunk) friends get into near-fisticuffs about these guys, and I still don't understand why they elicit such polarising reactions. They're neither the Coldplay of the 90s nor the second coming of the Beatles imo. Just a decent band who were operating far beyond their base level for their first two records. Perhaps I'm lucky in that I managed to avoid the media-saturation surrounding their ascendance and pomp - my first memories of them coincide with their slow decline, although I remember their being the fave band of like, everyone's older sibling even during that extended hangover period. I might have more of an emotional response if I'd witnessed it all firsthand. As it stands, I can appreciate those early songs without any fuss, but they strike me as by far the least interesting out of the Britpop giants (Blur, Suede, Pulp in that order for me). Credit where it's due, though - the big hitters have mostly stood the test of time, and I often feel that 'Don't Look Back in Anger' is the
de facto national anthem. Play that song in any pub anywhere in the world and watch all the basic Brits (myself included) forgive them everything post-95 and temporarily unite in some sort of Union Jack-waving euphoric catharsis. I've seen this happen/instigated such antics in the Okavango bloody Delta amongst other places so I will not accept that I'm wrong!
Actually, I'd say their classic 'sound' is evocative of happier, more innocent times in general - take me back to the 90s plz! There's some residual affection for that as well. And if I can come up with ten songs I like for any major artist (cos I can't for most) then they can't be
that bad:
1. Acquiesce
2. Live Forever
3. The Masterplan
4. Half the World Away
5. Don't Look Back in Anger
6. Slide Away
7. Some Might Say
8. Cigarettes & Alcohol
9. Wonderwall
10. She's Electric
Also LOVE the number of Americans I've encountered in life who try to convince me that they're conversant in the UK indie scene of the 90s by declaring their undying adoration for 'Wonderwall'!
