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7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'
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Colegiul Naional Dimitrie Cantemir Oneti
Lucrare de atestat
la Limba Englezsesiunea mai 2012
Coordonator, Candidat,
Prof. Filip Felicia Panru Andreea
7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'
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A brief history ofBritish Indie Rock
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Contents
Foreword . i
Chapter 1 (Origins: 1980s) ................ 1
College rock and noise rock Development: 1990s Mainstream success: 2000spresent
Chapter 2 (The Smiths) . 3
Formation and early singles (1982 -1984) Discography (19841987)
Chapter 3 (Oasis) ............... 5
Formation and early years (19911994) Discography (1995-2009)
Chapter 4 (Arctic Monkeys) . ....8
Early years and record deal (20022005) Discography (2006-present) Turners affair - The Last Shadow Puppets
Conclusion . ii
Appendices iii
Appendix 1The Smiths on the cover of NME in 2011 Appendix 2Noel Gallagher on the cover of Q magazine in 1996 Appendix 3Arctic Monkeys on the cover of Hot Press in 2009
Bibliography . vi
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Foreword
Indie is a genre of alternative rock which for the past 10-12 years has been slowly but
surely taking shape and emerging from musical underground into becoming the broadly beloved
outlaw of mainstream, defying the charts and gathering followers like a new unconventional
religion.
With roots spread across the United Kingdom, United States and Canada since the early
1980s, the British indie movement will remain the most significant and ardent, through the
eagerness and ambition of both its veterans and rookies.
As far as a definition is concerned, indie rock is generally associated with a number ofstyles that are: "too sensitive and melancholy; too soft and delicate; too dreamy and hypnotic; too
personal and intimately revealing in its lyrics; too low-fidelity and low-budget in its production;
too angular in its melodies and riffs; too raw, abrasive, too oblique and fractured in its song
structures; too influenced by experimental or otherwise unpopular musical styles."
(clashmusic.com)
The purpose of this paper is to offer an overall view on the evolution of the British indie
scene as well as the succinct story of several significant musicians throughout its different stages,
from The Smiths, standing out as a defining band back when indie rock was not yet a clearly
distinct genre, to Oasis, who have brought a revolution not only in their area, but in the entire
British music scene with visible effects until this day, and Arctic Monkeys, the representatives of
todays indie rock culture, carrying on their legacy and assuring that this genre is yet to have
proven its full potential.
i
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1. Origins: 1980s
College rock and noise rock
In the mid-1980s, the term "indie" began to be used to describe the music producedon post-punklabels rather than the labels themselves. The indie rock scene in the US was
prefigured by the college rockthat dominated college radioplaylists, which included key bands
like R.E.M. from the US andThe Smithsfrom the UK. These bands rejected the
dominant synthpop of the early 1980s, and helped inspire guitar-based jangle pop; other
important bands in the genre included 10,000 Maniacs and the dB's from the US, and The
Housemartins and The La's from the UK.
The most abrasive and discordant outgrowth of punk was noise rock, which emphasized
loud distorted electric guitars bands and powerful drums, and was pioneered by bands
including Sonic Youth, Swans, Big Blackand Butthole Surfers. A number of prominent indie
rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. These include Washington DC's DischordRecords in 1980, Seattle's Sub Pop Records in 1986 and New York City's Matador
Records and Durham, North Carolina's Merge Records in 1989. Chicago's Touch and Go
Records was founded as a fanzine in 1979 and began to release records during the 1980s.
Development: 1990sThe 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grungebands such
as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chainsbroke into the mainstream, achieving
commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Punk revivalbands like Green Day and TheOffspring also became popular and were grouped under the "alternative" umbrella. Similarly, in
the United Kingdom Britpop saw bands like Blur and Oasis emerge into the mainstream,
abandoning the regional, small-scale and political elements of the 1980s indie scene.
As a result of these changes the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural
meaning and began to refer to the new, commercially lighter form of music that was now
achieving mainstream success. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and
genres that remained dedicated to their independent status.
Ryan Moore has argued that in the wake of the appropriation of alternative rock by the
corporate music industry that what became known as indie rock increasingly turned to the past to
produce forms of "retro" rock that drew on garage rock, rockabilly, blues, country and swing.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_radiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangle_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_Maniacshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dB%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Youthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butthole_Surfershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_DChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_Pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grungehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgardenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Chainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_revivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabillyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabillyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_revivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Chainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgardenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grungehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_Pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_DChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butthole_Surfershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Youthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dB%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_Maniacshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangle_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_radiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'
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Mainstream success: 2000spresentIn the 2000s, the changing music industry, the decline in record sales, the growth of new
digital technology and increased use of the Internet as a tool for music promotion allowed a new
wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success. This new commercial breakthrough and
the widespread use of the term "indie" to other forms of popular culture, led a number of
commentators to suggest that indie rock had ceased to be a meaningful term.During the decade, the term which previously in the United States had very limited usage
"became the label of choice for Americans and an even greater worldwide audience to talk
about modern rock and pop music". Wendy Fonarow, an anthropology professor and author of
the bookEmpire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Culture, asserts that this
change occurred because at the turn of the century American bands began to be influenced by
British indie music and the Internet, which made British music publications and online music
websites such as Pitchfork Media immediately available to readers.
In the early 2000s, a new group of bands that played a stripped-down and back-to-basics
version of guitar rock emerged into the mainstream. They were variously characterized as part of
a garage rock, New Wave orpost-punkrevival. Because the bands came from across the globe,
cited diverse influences (from traditional blues, through New Wave to grunge), and adopteddiffering styles of dress, their unity as a genre has been disputed. There had been attempts to
revive garage rock and elements of punk in the 1980s and 1990s and by 2000 scenes had grown
up in several countries.
The commercial breakthrough from these scenes was led by four bands: The Strokes,
who emerged from the New York club scene with their dbut album Is This It (2001), The
White Stripes, from Detroit, with their third album White Blood Cells (2001), The Hives from
Sweden, after their compilation album Your New Favourite Band (2001), and The Vines from
Australia with Highly Evolved (2002). They were christened the "The" bands by the media,
and dubbed "The saviours of rock 'n' roll", leading to accusations of hype.
A second wave of bands that managed to gain international recognition as a result of the
movement included The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Modest Mouse, The
Killers, Interpol and Kings of Leon from the US. From the UK were The Libertines, Franz
Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Editors, The Fratellis, Placebo, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs and The
Kooks, but without a doubt,Arctic Monkeys were the most prominent indie rock act to emerge
from the UK scene at the time, owing their initial commercial success to the use of Internet
social networking.
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2. The Smiths Formation and early singles (1982 -1984)
The Smiths were an English alternative rockband, formed in Manchesterin 1982. Based
on the song writing partnership ofMorrissey (vocals) and Johnny Marr(guitar), the band alsoincluded Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Critics have called them the most
important alternative rockband to emerge from the British independent music scene of the
1980s.
The Smiths were formed by Steven Patrick Morrissey, a writer who was a big fan of
the New York Dolls and briefly fronted punk rockband The Nosebleeds, and John Maher, a
guitarist and songwriter. Maher changed his name to Johnny Marr to avoid confusion
with Buzzcocks drummerJohn Maher, and Morrissey performed under his surname alone. After
recording several demo tapes with Simon Wolstencroft (later ofThe Fall) on drums, Morrissey
and Marr recruited drummer Mike Joyce in the autumn of 1982.
The band picked their name in part as a reaction against those used by synthpopbands of
the early 1980s, such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Darkand Spandau Ballet, which they
considered pretentious. In a 1984 interview Morrissey said that he chose The Smiths "because it
was the most ordinary name" and because he thought that it was "time that the ordinary folk of
the world showed their faces". Signing to indie label Rough Trade Records, they released their
first single, "Hand in Glove", in May 1983. The record was championed by DJ John Peel, as
were all of their later singles, but failed to chart. The follow-up singles "This Charming Man"
and "What Difference Does It Make?" fared better when they reached numbers 25 and 12
respectively on the UK Singles Chart.
Discography (19841987)In February 1984, the group released their debut album The Smiths, which reached
number two on the UK Albums Chart.
Early in 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder. This album was
more strident and political than its predecessor, including the pro-vegetarian title track
(Morrissey forbade the rest of the group from being photographed eating meat), the light-hearted
republicanism of "Nowhere Fast", and the anti-corporal punishment "The Headmaster Ritual"
and "Barbarism Begins at Home". The band had also grown more diverse musically, with Marr
adding rockabilly riffs to "Rusholme Ruffians" and Rourke playing a funk bass solo on
"Barbarism Begins at Home". Morrissey brought a political stance to many of his interviews,
courting further controversy.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rourkehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Joyce_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Dollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nosebleedshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzcockshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maher_(Buzzcocks_drummer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestral_Manoeuvres_in_the_Darkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandau_Ballethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Trade_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_in_Glovehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Charming_Manhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Difference_Does_It_Make%3Fhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Is_Murderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Is_Murderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Is_Murderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal_punishmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusholmehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusholmehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal_punishmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Is_Murderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Difference_Does_It_Make%3Fhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Charming_Manhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_in_Glovehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Trade_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandau_Ballethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestral_Manoeuvres_in_the_Darkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maher_(Buzzcocks_drummer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzcockshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nosebleedshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Dollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Joyce_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rourkehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'
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Among his targets were the Thatcher government, the monarchy, and the famine relief
project Band Aid. Morrissey famously quipped of the last, "One can have great concern for the
people ofEthiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England"
("torture" being a reference to the music that resulted from the project). The subsequent single-
only release "Shakespeare's Sister" reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, although the
only single taken from the album, "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", was less successful, barely
making the top 50.
During 1985 the band completed lengthy tours of the UK and the US while recording
their next studio record, The Queen Is Dead. The album was released in June 1986, shortly
after the single "Bigmouth Strikes Again". The single again featured Marr's strident acoustic
guitar rhythms and lead melody guitar lines with wide leaps. The Queen Is Dead reached
number two in the UK charts, and consisted of a mixture of mordant bleakness (e.g. "Never Had
No One Ever", which seemed to play up to stereotypes of the band), dry humour (e.g. "Frankly,
Mr. Shankly", allegedly a message to Rough Trade boss Geoff Travis disguised as a letter of
resignation from a worker to his superior), and synthesis of both, such as in the now legendary
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out".
The album which preceded the break-up, Strangeways, Here We Come, peaked at
number two in the UK and was their most successful album in the US, reaching number 55 on
the Billboard 200. It received a lukewarm reception from critics, but both Morrissey and Marr
name it as their favourite Smiths album.
Since the band broke up, Morrisey and Marr have attracted criticism over the division of
royalties with Joyce and Rourke; recurring speculation about a reunion, often fuelled by the pair
themselves; and their apparent efforts to maximise returns on the band's modest back-catalogue
by continually repackaging the same material.
The Smiths have influenced a number of alternative rock bands. As early as 1985, "the
Smiths had spawned a rash of sound-alike bands, including James, who opened for the group ontheir spring 1985 tour". Marr's guitar playing was a huge building block for more Manchester
legends that followed The Smiths, including The Stone Roses, whose guitarist John Squire has
said Marr was an influence. Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagheralso cites The Smiths as an influence,
especially Marr: "when The Jam split, The Smiths started, and I totally went for them."
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3. Oasis Formation and early years (19911994)
Oasis were an English rockband formed in Manchesterin 1991. Originally known as The
Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher(vocals and tambourine), Paul "Bonehead"Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums,
percussion), who were soon joined by Liam's older brotherNoel Gallagher(lead guitar and
vocals).
They have had eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, and won
fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards, fourMTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards,
including one in 2007 for outstanding contribution to music and one for the best album of the last
30 years as voted by the BBC Radio 2 listeners. They have been nominated for three Grammy
Awards. As of 2009, the band have sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. Also the
band was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for Longest Top 10 UK Chart
Run By A Group after an unprecedented run of 22 top 10 hits in the UK. The band also holds
the Guinness World Record for being the most successful act in the UK between the years 1995
and 2005, spending 765 weeks in the Top 75 singles and albums charts.
After over a year of live shows, rehearsals and a recording of a proper demo (known as
the Live Demonstration tape), the band's big break came in May 1993 when they were spotted
by Creation Records co-ownerAlan McGee. Oasis were invited to play a gig at King Tut's Wah
Wah Hut club in Glasgow, Scotland, by a band called Sister Lovers, who shared their rehearsal
rooms. Oasis, along with a group of friends, found the money to hire a van and make the journey
to Glasgow. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that
night's set list, which reportedly caused the band to bully their way in (although both the band
and McGee have given contradicting statements about how they actually managed to get into the
club on that night). They were given the opening slot and impressed McGee, who was there tosee 18 Wheeler, one of his own bands. McGee was so impressed by what he saw he signed the
band to Creation four days later. Due to problems securing an American contract, Oasis ended up
signing a worldwide contract with Sony, which in turn licensed Oasis to Creation in the UK.
Discography (1995-2009)Following a limited white label release of the demo of their song "Columbia", their first
single, "Supersonic", was released in April 1994, reaching number 31 in the charts. Oasis had
their first UK number one single in April 1995 with "Some Might Say". During this period, the
British press seized upon a supposed rivalry between Oasis and Britpop band Blur. Previously,Oasis did not associate themselves with the Britpop movement and were not invited to perform
on the BBC's "Britpop Now" programme introduced by Blur singer Damon Albarn. On 14
August 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day, setting up "The Battle of
Britpop" that dominated the national news. Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' "Roll with It"
274,000 copies to 216,000 during the week.
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Definitely Maybe, their first studio album went straight to number one in the UK
Albums Charts on initial release. It was the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK
when it was released and went on to be certified 7x Platinum (2.1 million+ sales) by the BPI. It
marked the beginning of Oasis' success in America, selling over one million copies there, despite
only peaking at 58 on the Billboard 200. The album went on to sell over eight million copies
worldwide and brought widespread critical acclaim.
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is the second studio album by theEnglish rockband Oasis, released in October 1995 through Creation Records. The album is the
band's most enduring commercial success, staying at number one in the UK charts for 10 weeks,
and reaching number four in the U.S. It propelled Oasis from being a crossover indie act to a
worldwide rock phenomenon. It has been pinpointed by music critics as a significant record in
the timeline of British indie music, demonstrating just how far into the mainstream independent
music had ventured, and is followed by Be here now (1997) and Standing on the shoulder of
giants (2000).
Throughout 2001, Oasis split time between sessions for their fifth studio album and live
shows around the world. Some gigs included the month-long Tour of Brotherly Love with The
Black Crowes and Spacehog and a show in Paris supporting Neil Young. The album, Heathen
Chemistry, Oasis' first album with new members Andy Bell and Gem Archer, was released inJuly 2002. The album reached number 1 in the UK and number 23 in US, although critics gave it
mixed reviews.
After much turbulence, the band's sixth album was recorded in Los Angeles-based
Capitol Studios when producerDave Sardy took over the lead producing role from Noel, who
decided to step back from these duties after a decade of producing leadership over the band. In
May 2005, after three years and as many scrapped recording sessions, the band released their
sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth, fulfilling their contract with Sony BMG. The
record was generally hailed as the band's best effort since Morning Glory by fans and critics
alike, spawning two UK number one singles: "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle", whilst
"Let There Be Love" entered at number 2. Oasis picked up two awards at the Q Awards: one a
special People's Choice Award and the second forDon't Believe the Truth as BestAlbum. Following in the footsteps of Oasis' previous five albums, Don't Believe the Truth also
entered the UK album charts at number one.
In June 2008, the band re-signed with Sony BMG for a three-album deal. Oasis recorded
for a couple of months in 2007 between July and Septembercompleting work on two new
songs and demoing the rest. Dig Out Your Soul, the band's seventh studio album, was released
on 6 October and went to number one in the UK and number five on the Billboard 200. The
band's again-new lineup started touring for a projected 18-month long tour, with support
from Kasabian, The Enemy and Twisted Wheel.
Noel Gallagher gave conflicting information about what he planned for the group's future
following the tour. In one interview, he stated that he wanted the band members "to go off and
do [their] own projects", and added "it would be interesting to see what comes out. See how the
four parts make up the whole." On August 28, 2009, following a fight between the Gallaghers in
a backstage area, which reportedly resulted in Liam breaking Noel's guitar, the group's manager
announced the cancellation of their concert at the Rock en Seine festival near Paris just minutes
before it was about to begin, along with the cancellation of the European tour and a statement
that the group "does not exist anymore".
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Two hours later a statement from Noel appeared on the band's website writing that "with
some sadness and great relief...I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but
I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".
On 5 September 2009, it was reported in News of the World that Liam Gallagher was
planning to continue with Oasis despite Noel's absence.
Many bands and artists have cited Oasis as an influence or inspiration, including The
Killers, Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, Lily Allen, Maroon 5, Coldplay, The Strokes, The Coral,Ryan Adams, The Kooks, The Rifles, The Pigeon Detectives, and Kasabian.
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4. Arctic Monkeys
Early years and record deal (20022005)Theyre an amazing band and theyre northerners, like us. I look at these and I know
theyre not going to ruin it, because theyre solid, they love each other those four. I stood out in
the front in Brixton with all the sweaty people and theres only two bands Ive done that for. I
saw The Libertines at The Forum and they had something for a while, but they lost it. But
watching that, theyre the only two things that Ive seen since Oasis that had what we had and
The Libertines lost it. They [Arctic Monkeys] have proved to me that youth culture is alive. If
thats the music that the kids are making then Im happy for the kids. And Im happier because I
didnt feel old at their gig. (Noel Gallagher)
Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb ofSheffield, UK, the band currently consists
ofAlex Turner(lead vocals, lead/rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook(rhythm/lead guitar), Nick
O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders (drums, percussion, backing vocals).They began rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend, and played their first gig on
13 June 2003 at The Grapes in Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances in 2003 the band
began to record demos at 2fly studios in Sheffield. Seventeen songs were demoed in all and the
collection, now known as Beneath the Boardwalk, were burned on to CDs to give away at
gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. Slowly as more demos were spread, they
were all classified under this name. This has led to many people falsely believing that Beneath
the Boardwalk was an early album, or that the early demos were all released under this heading.
The group did not mind the distribution, saying "we never made those demos to make money or
anything. We were giving them away free anyway that was a better way for people to hear
them", admitting that they did not even know how to get their songs onto the Internet. Whenasked about the popularity of the band's MySpace site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the
band said that they were unaware what it was, and that the site had originally been created by
their fans.
They began to grow in popularity across the north of England, receiving attention
from BBC Radio and the British tabloid press. A local amateur photographer, Mark Bull, filmed
the band's performances and made the music video to "Fake Tales of San Francisco", releasing it
on his website, alongside the contents ofBeneath the Boardwalk. In May 2005, Arctic
Monkeys released their first single, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys on their own Bang
Bang label, featuring the songs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the
Rubble". This release was limited to 500 CDs and 1000 records, but was also available to
download from the iTunes Music Store. Soon after, the band played at the Carling Stage of
the Reading and Leeds Festivals, reserved for less known or unsigned bands. Their appearance
was hyped by much of the music press and the band was watched by an unusually large crowd.
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Eventually, they signed to Domino in June 2005. The band said they were attracted to the
"DIY ethic" of Domino owner Laurence Bell, who ran the label from his flat and only signed
bands that he liked personally. Their first single with Domino, "I bet you look good on the
dancefloor", was released on 17 October 2005 and went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart.
The success preceding I bet you look good on the dancefloordidnt intimidate the Monkeys,
but caused Turner to protest against overnight success he felt they had not earned yet. The video
a live performance of the tunebegins with a piece of advice for the crowd: Dont believe the
hype, quote which is representative for Arctic Monkeys attitude until this day for their
reluctance towards praises such being declared as the band with the potential to become bigger
than The Beatles by NY Times, only managing to further irritate Turner who found the
statement insulting towards his favourite band and felt they had not even musically made their
point yet. Their second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" released on 16 January 2006, also
went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 38,922 copies.
The band's success with little marketing or advertising led some to suggest that it could
signal a change in how new bands achieve recognition.
Discography (2006-present)The band finished recording their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What
I'm Not, at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire in September 2005. It became the fastest selling
debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week. This smashed the
previous record of 306,631 copies, and sold more copies on its first day alone118,501than
the rest of the Top 20 albums combined. The cover sleeve ofWhatever People Say I Am, That's
What I'm Not, showing Chris McClure, a friend of the band smoking a cigarette, was criticized
by the head of the NHS in Scotland for "reinforcing the idea that smoking is OK". The image onthe CD itself is a shot of an ashtray full of cigarettes. The band's product manager denied the
accusation, and suggested the opposite"You can see from the image smoking is not doing him
the world of good."
The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, was released on 23 April 2007,
a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm". Like its predecessor, "Favourite
Worst Nightmare" also went straight to #1 in the album charts. Early reviews of the release were
positive, and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud."
Meanwhile, the band continued to pick up awards from around the world, namely the
Best New Artist in the United States at the PLUG Independent Music Awards, the Album of the
Year awards in Japan, Ireland and the US, awards for Best Album and Best Music DVD at the2007 NME Awards. They ended the year by clinching the Best British Band and Best British
Album at the 2008 BRIT Awards.
For the second year in a row, the band were nominated for the annual Mercury Prize,
although they failed to match their feat of 2006 after the award went to Klaxons'Myths of the
Near Future.
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On 29 April 2007, the day Favourite Worst Nightmare charted at #1 in the UK Albums
Chart, all 12 tracks from the album charted in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. On 27 April
2007 they had a total of 18 tracks in the Top 200.
In a preview article on ClashMusic.com, writer Simon Harper claimed that the band had
"completely defied any expectations or presumptions to explore the depths they can reach when
stepping foot outside their accepted styles", and that "Turner is his usual eloquent self, but has
definitely graduated into an incomparable writer whose themes twist and turn through stories and
allegories so potent and profound it actually leaves one breathless". On the same site, Alex
Turner revealed that the band had listened to Nick Cave, Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing
the new album, the title of which would be Humbug. Like both of its predecessors, the album
went straight to #1.
Q magazine reported that the fourth Arctic Monkeys album will be of a "more accessible
vintage" than Humbug. Q printed edition 299 states It's the sound of a band drawing back the
curtains and letting the sunshine in. On 10 March 2011 the band revealed the album is to be
called Suck It and See and was released on 6 June 2011. The band allowed fans to listen to the
entire album on their website before deciding about whether to purchase it or not. "Suck It and
See" was then released on 6 June 2011, and went straight to #1 in the album charts. In doing so,
Arctic Monkeys became only the second band in history to debut four albums in a row at the top
of the charts.
Turners affair - The Last Shadow PuppetsFront man Alex Turner has been regarded by many as a talented and varied lyricist, who
has successfully written music in a range of different styles, including film score for the British
movie Submarine, and also the most poetic song writer of his generation. Many try to sing
about lifes mudanity, but what makes Alex Turner stand out as a genius is that he makes gettingchucked out of the queue of a nightclub sound exhilarating, a life-affirming right of passage.
Yet his co-writing with The Last Shadow Puppets, the so-called Turners affair due to a
his statement quoted on the cover of NME regarding the side-project - I was worried the
Monkeys would think Id had an affair - allowed Turner to explore a more cinematic view of
storytelling. Its that combination of emotional mystique and sharp observation that have
coloured the Monkeys best work.
In August 2007, NME magazine reported that he and lead singer of newly formed The
Rascals, Miles Kane, would be recording an album with James Ford, old friend of Turner and
producer of all four Arctic Monkeys albums, producing and playing drums. Turner and Kane had
become friends when Kane's previous band, The Little Flames, played support for Arctic
Monkeys on their 2005 UK tour. The Little Flames also supported Arctic Monkeys on their April2007 UK tour, when Turner and Kane wrote songs together for a collaborative project which
would satisfy their desire to revive a type a music that their generation had forgotten about. Their
collaboration initially extended into Arctic Monkeys material.
The initial recording of the songs that would eventually form their debut album took
place in France in late August 2007 with additional material added between August and
December of that year.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Kanehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ford_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ford_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Kanehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Chart7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'
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Owen Pallett was appointed to arrange the strings, brass and percussion for the album
with the 22-piece London Metropolitan Orchestra.
Their first and so far only record, The age of the understatement, boils over with the
sheer fun of its own making: galloping violins sweep and swoon as if they are auditioning for the
Las Vegas production of Phantom Of The Opera, producer James Ford hammers out
stampeding lounge beats on the drums and Alex and Miles swap harmonies like Eurovision
lovebirds from 1972. The duo's almost indistinguishable voices occasionally chafe against thelush backing, but there's still a fervour to their harmonies at odds with Turner's usual laconic
approach. Their pastiches feature such an abundance of loving detail that The age of the
understatement frequently seems as much about the overwhelming effect Scott Walker's
greatest hits can have on the listener as the mysterious femme fatale who inhabits almost every
lyric. It's an album that bounds out of the speakers, grabs you by the arm and starts yelling about
the fantastic records it's been listening to recently. Even if you heard those same records years
ago, it's hard not to find that kind of enthusiasm infectious. NME writes Turners affair is a
remarkable achievementa modern reinvigoration of an archaic, dead musical language.
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Conclusion
With newly acquired knowledge on the journey towards the worldwide success of these
acts, as well as a general perspective over the international indie scene, at least two conclusions
are easily drawn.
Firstly, independent rock was the result of the desire for the common working class
mans chance at recognition and his need for music which he could easily relate to . It came as a
response to the music industrys tendency to revolve around financial gain, promoting means of
pursuing dreams at reasonable costs, thus, representing the opposing camp in this battle for
establishing what should rightfully be placed at the foundations of every musical act.
Secondly, it is interesting that the heroes of this movement, regardless of their age and
era, fall into a pattern of the initially anonymous misfit, setting out to change the world with no
weapon beside an idea and the power of their own will, becoming a glorified genius and
controversial maverick - a type of character the common man can aspire to be, but is unlikely to
ever succeed.
Seemingly, it is enough to know that it is possible, not necessarily probable, for anyone
who has something valuable to show the world to stand out, and that there are still artists out
there who make music for your soul, not only for your wallet.
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Appendices
Appendix 1 -TheSmiths on the cover of NME in 2011
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Appendix 2Noel Gallagher of Oasis on the cover of
Q magazine in 1996
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Appendix 3Arctic Monkeys on the cover of Hot Press in 2009
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Bibliography
1. Reference books: Fonarow, Wendy, 2006, Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie
Culture, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, USA;
Goddard, Simon, 2006, The Smiths: Songs that saved your life, Reynolds & Hearn,USA
Mathur, Paul, 1996, Take me there: Oasis story, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, UK Craic, Seamus, 2010, Arctic Monkeys, Artnik Publishing, London, UK
2. Internet sources: Wikipedia.org NME.com Guardian.co.uk ClashMusic.com
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