‘It was the first festival [Monterey, California] of its kind, the first pop festival … there really hadn’t been a rock festival.’ The Jimi Hendrix Experience: American Landing, Sky Arts 2017
1966 London: ‘Chas came in with this guy … we were just totally enamoured.’ ibid. Chris Stamp
‘What were they doing when they had time off? They were tracking Jimi Hendrix.’ ibid. Andrew Oldham
‘I was shocked. I had never seen anything like this in my life.’ ibid. witness
I’ve always wanted to smash a guitar over someone’s head. You just can’t do that with a piano. Elton John
You either have the magic or you don’t. There’s no way you can work up to it. Freddie Mercury, re Jimi Hendrix
Robert Johnson is considered one of the greatest blues artists of all time. Devil at the Crossroads, Netflix 2019, fan
There’s something almost supernatural about Robert. ibid.
A template for what became rock-n-roll. ibid.
He came with mystery attached. ibid.
The legend is he went to the crossroads; he met the devil there; he sold his soul and then he became the greatest guitar player in the world. ibid.
Very little known about the life of Robert Johnson. ibid.
He died so young at the age of twenty-seven. ibid.
Next thing you’ll know you’ll be convinced you can play the guitar. Red Dwarf, Psirens VI s6e1, Kryten to Lister at breakfast table, BBC 1993
In the mid-1990s a music revolution swept the UK. An exciting new wave of guitar bands from all corners of the country was storming into the charts. Driven by swaggering confidence and bitter rivalries it became the biggest moment in British pop in the last 30 years. Britpop: The Music that Changed Britain I, 2023
Blur: It was May 1991 when the bands whose roots were in Colchester entered the Top 10. ibid.
The sound emerging out of Manchester at the time from bands like the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets. ibid.
Son of a Haywood’s Heath cab driver, Brett Anderson had originally formed Suede in London in the late ’80s with schoolmate Mat Osman. ibid.
Britpop would get its superstars … In Manchester a hurricane was brewing as Oasis were about to take Britpop to the masses … The inexorable rise of the Gallagher brothers had begun. ibid.
‘Elastica were very important in that emerging Britpop movement.’ ibid. journalist
A creatively invigorated Blur had been recording their third album. ibid.
By the summer of ’94 Britpop was in full swing. ibid.
Oasis: An expletive-heavy single release featuring an explosive recording of the brothers arguing reached Number 52 in the charts. ibid.
1994 had seen a musical revolution hit the UK as a handful of Britpop pioneers rejected American grunge and gained millions of new fans. Britpop: The Music that Changed Britain II
1995: The Year Britpop exploded and a wave of new bands transformed the music scene. ibid.
Homegrown guitar music was in demand. ibid.
Paul Weller’s new stripped down approach chimed with the times … his third album Stanley Road in May 1995. ibid.
‘Me and Kermit got together and we started writing for the Black Grape stuff.’ ibid. Shaun Ryder
Another quintessentially British band … Pulp. ibid.
Supergrass: Five singles taken from I Should Coco. ibid.
The feud between Blur and Oasis was about to boil over. ibid.
In the background was the corporate might of the music industry. ibid.
Menswear: The hedonistic atmosphere around the band grew ever wilder. ibid.
1995: An increasing number of female stars came to the fore sharing their perspective on aspects of British life. ibid.
Blur: The Great Escape album: great reviews and topped the charts. ibid.
Oasis: What’s the Story, Morning Glory: Global sales of over 22 million … Oasis had blown the competition out of the water. ibid.
A spellbound UK captivated by a new music scene: Britpop. Britpop: The Music that Changed Britain III
1996: Britain’s biggest band were riding high … A year of Oasis dominance. ibid.
Oasis: Wonderwall … sold 23 million copies. ibid.
Even comedy cover versions could become hits. ibid.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger. ibid.
‘Manchester and Liverpool combined have probably created the best music in the world.’ ibid. Noel
Britpop would join forces with football … New Order: World in Motion … ibid.
Oasis: And then it was Nebworth: 250,000 people: Even the critics were being carried along with the wave of enthusiasm … Was this the moment Britpop peaked? ibid.
In 1996 Britpop seemed like an unstoppable force. The soundtrack to national events and the breeding ground for superstars. Britpop: The Music That Changed Us IV
Non-stop hedonism and excess … and ever-heavier drug use … the party was almost over. ibid.
Nebworth: The biggest concerts in British music history … The problem for Oasis was how to follow that …
Oasis made a fateful decision: to go to America … This time it was Liam headed for the exit. ibid.
The gravity-defying vocals came from David McAlmont. ibid.
Manic Street Preachers: 5 consecutive top-ten singles. ibid.
A movement that had once been defined by innocence and fun was evolving into something altogether darker. ibid.