The Stone Roses were at the forefront of the 'Madchester' scene which involved parties called 'raves', designer drugs and guitar-driven dance music. It is therefore pretty surprising that their debut album contains hardly any dance music, instead focussing on catchy neo-psychedelic guitar runs and soothing harmonies. An exceptional record.
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Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches Happy Mondays 1990 [Factory]
One of two recognised classics to come out of the Madchester scene, this album took hallucinogenic tripping to a whole new level. Frontman Shaun Ryder delivers a mindbender with more conviction than almost any vocalist before or since. Lead guitarist Mark Day ('Moose' or 'Cowhead') is the other star with more sleazy funk than humanly fair.
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Some Friendly The Charlatans 1990 [Beggars Banquet]
Riding the Madchester coattails of the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays found the Charlatans some commercial success, including a UK top ten single in 'The Only One I Know'. Vocalist Tim Burgess proved to have some star attraction, but keyboardist Rob Collins provided most of the real funk. As the title suggests, it's all good harmless fun.
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Screamadelica Primal Scream 1991 [Creation]
Sixties retro band that discovered the acid house scene and decided to make a danceable album spiced with techno-rave. It was, of course, a huge hit and now established as one of the all time greats. As producer of eight tracks, insiders often credit DJ Andrew Weatherall with the artistic inspiration. It still took a topnotch band to pull it all off.
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Urban Hymns The Verve 1997 [Virgin]
With vocalist Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe at each others throats it looked like curtains for the Verve. Fortunately they managed to patch things up enough to make this fabulous pop record. Opening with the hit 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' the album rolls through an extended set of dream pop soundscapes that are pure magic.
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Radiator Super Furry Animals 1997 [Creation]
Although a host of bands like to use vintage synths, on Radiator SFA takes the concept to a whole new level. The prog-punk feel of their debut Fuzzy Logic is still evident, with hooks worthy of the Buzzcocks setting off a string of eminently catchy melodies. The in-your-face politics of frontman Gruff Rhys tops things off nicely.
After some significant success in the UK, seminal Britpop outfit Blur finally let their freak flag fly with this tripped-out sonic sensation. Combining elements of indie lo-fi with flourishes of white noise and psychedelic electronica proved a winner, with the catchy 'Song 2' earning them some long overdue notoriety in the US.
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When I Was Born for the 7th Time Cornershop 1997 [Wiiija/Luaka Bop]
British indie band that inventively combines elements of the Singh brothers' Indian cultural heritage into a pleasing hip-hop/electronica concoction. Once past pop gems 'Sleep on the Left Side' and 'Brimful of Asha', much of the album consists of lo-fi vocal musings embedded in an hypnotic sonic drone. An album that really grows on you.
