Blur vs. Oasis.

The BBC has an article up that looks at the britpop rivalry of Blur vs. Oasis. It’s not the most interesting, but it got me thinking about my britpop phase back in college.

I listened to a lot of britpop during college (95-99) which was the heyday of britpop back then with bands like Blur, Oasis, Pulp, The Charlatans UK, London Suede, I’m sure I’m forgetting some. I was always more into Blur, but I think Oasis clearly was the more popular band, at least here in the states. But one thing that always made me laugh was how Oasis always used the Beatles to help gain notoriety. They absolutely adored the Beatles and even compared themselves to them.

I’ve always felt that Oasis was the less talented band. While the Gallagher brothers continue to live larger than life public lives, squabble with one another, and band members come and go, their music hasn’t really changed all that much. Meanwhile, Blur has undergone a true evolution from Leisure, their first album, all the way through their most recent release, Think Tank, which represents a much more mature and different sound. And mixing in innovative side projects like the Gorillaz. In many ways they are more Beatle-like for this evolution than Oasis ever will be.

Update: I was sure I’d forgotten at least one prominent band from the britpop era but how could I have forgetten my favorite of all? The Stone Roses were, in my opinion the creme de la creme.