Listen to my epic compilation 'The Sound Of 1998' by scrolling down the page and clicking on the Mixcloud players. For Spotify users there is an edited version of the compilation, along with a selection of extra tracks from 1998....One night in 1998, and i had picked up the latest copy of the NME: "British music going up in flames" read the front page of an issue addressing the UK's hangover after the massive Britpop binge we had been enjoying. This was an exaggeration. But in many ways 1998 was the end of an era. Well part of an era anyway.
There was a notable shift towards a darker, and sometimes rather sombre sound, as the post-Britpop era had begun. This was the year i began religiously listening to The Evening Session, enabling a transformation from Britpop kid to Indie teenager. And although a lot of great new bands tipped for big things never really took off commercially, there was planty of great music to be found. Some wanted to attempt to rejuvenate Britpop, others decided to move on from it and not let it limit their musical horizons, and others went exploring new sounds.
But unlike 1997, 1998 only had a few classic albums to speak of, in the shape of Mansun's bewildering 'Six' (which sounded mental back in 1998, and now sounds insanely great) and the sorely underrated 'Kingsize' from the Boo Radleys, an album i regard as their finest and possibly the last great Britpop album. And while that particular album flopped commercially and broke the band up, at least the charts still had plenty of proper music to speak of, since the decline of the mainstream had only just slowly begun, and although a lot of singles and albums should have got higher, at least we still lived in an age where you would hear good new music on an average radio station, unlike the appalling state of affairs in 2010.
Anyway here it is, 1998: a year that is and has remained musically close to my heart
CD 1
1. PULP - THE FEAR
2. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - IF YOU TOLERATE THIS YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT
3. THE BOO RADLEYS - BLUE ROOM IN ARCHWAY
4. MANSUN - SIX
5. GOMEZ - 78 STONE WOBBLE
6. SPEARMINT - A TRIP INTO SPACE
7. BABYBIRD - BAD OLD MAN
8. EMBRACE - COME BACK TO WHAT YOU KNOW
9. THE BLUETONES - SOLOMON BITES THE WORM
10. SHED SEVEN - THE HEROES
11. PLACEBO - PURE MORNING
12. THE SUPERNATURALS - I WASN'T BUILT TO GET UP
13. EELS - 3 SPEED
14. IAN BROWN - MY STAR
15. MASSIVE ATTACK - TEARDROP
16. MERCURY REV - GODDESS ON A HIWAY
CD2
1. IDLEWILD - A FILM FOR THE FUTURE
2. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - THE EVERLASTING
3. THEAUDIENCE - A PESSIMIST IS NEVER DISAPPOINTED
4. UNKLE ft RICHARD ASHCROFT - LONELY SOUL
5. THE BOO RADLEYS - FREE HUEY
6. GARBAGE - PUSH IT
7. PULP - THIS IS HARDCORE
8. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - CRACKIN' UP
9. DARK STAR - GRACEDELICA
10. DANDY WARHOLS - NOT IF YOU WERE THE LAST JUNKIE ON EARTH
11. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - A SUMMER WASTING
12. BERNARD BUTLER - STAY
13. IAN BROWN - CAN'T SEE ME
14. THE SUPERNATURALS - MOTORCYCLE PARTS
15. IDLEWILD - EVERYONE SAYS YOU'RE SO FRAGILE
CD3
1. SPACE - AVENGING ANGELS
2. UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH - SOLVED
3. I KNOW ENOUGH (I DON'T GET ENOUGH)
4. JAMES - RUNAGROUND
5. DRUGSTORE ft THOM YORKE - EL PRESIDENT
6. BABYBIRD - BACK TOGETHER
7. PAUL WELLER - BRAND NEW START
8. DELAKOTA - 555
9. THE BOO RADLEYS - KINGSIZE
10. PURESSENCE - THIS FEELING
11. ASH - JESUS SAYS
12. RIALTO - MONDAY MORNING 5:19
13. BERNARD BUTLER - NOT ALONE
14. GOMEZ - GET MYSELF ARRESTED
15. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - READY FOR DROWNING
16. MANSUN - LEGACY
17. SYMPOSIUM - BURY YOU
18. EELS - CLIMBING TO THE MOON
19. GARBAGE - I THINK I'M PARANOID
CD4
1. JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - I LOVE ROCK N ROLL
2. ASTRID - DISTANCE
3. ASTRAL - COME AND GO
4. ELLIOT SMITH - WALTZ #2
5. SEMISONIC - SECRET SMILE
6. BECK - TROPICALIA
7. CATATONIA - DON'T NEED THE SUNSHINE
8. CARRIE - CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN'
9. PURESSENCE - IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE
10. THE DANDY WARHOLS - EVERY DAY SHOULD BE A HOLIDAY
11. RIALTO - UNTOUCHABLE
12. UNKLE AND THOM YORKE - RABBIT IN YOUR HEADLIGHTS
13. SHED SEVEN - SHE LEFT ME ON FRIDAY
14. BABYBIRD - ALL MEN ARE EVIL
15. ASH - WILD SURF
16. GOMEZ - WHIPPIN' PICCADILLY
17. HURRICANE #1 - ONLY THE STRONGEST WILL SURVIVE
18. THE BLUETONES - 4 DAY WEEKEND
19. PLACEBO - YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT US
CD5
1. CLINIC - MONKEY ON YOUR BACK
2. EMBRACE - THAT'S ALL CHANGED FOREVER
3. PULP - I'M A MAN
4. THE CARDIGANS - MY FAVORITE GAME
5. SHED SEVEN - DEVIL IN YOUR SHOES
6. IDLEWILD - I'M A MESSAGE
7. THE BOO RADLEYS - COMB YOUR HAIR
8. DELAKOTA - THE ROCK
9. BABYBIRD - IF YOU'LL BE MINE
10. THE DELGADOS - PULL THE WIRES FROM THE WALL
11. SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - ICE HOCKEY HAIR
12. ULTRASOUND - STAY YOUNG
13. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP
14. PULP - SYLVIA
15. SYMPOSIUM - IMPOSSIBLE
16. ASH - I'M GONNA FALL
CD6
1. DODGY - EVERY SINGLE DAY
2. HURRICANE #1 - RISING SIGN
3. HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT - TURN A BLIND EYE
4. THE BLUETONES - IF...
5. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - BLACK DOG ON MY SHOULDER
6. MANSUN - BEING A GIRL
7. LO FIDELITY ALLSTARS - VISION INCISION
8. EMBRACE - THE GOOD WILL OUT
9. MERCURY REV - DELTA SUN BOTTLENECK STOMP
10. THE BOO RADLEYS - SONG FROM THE BLUEROOM
11. WHISTLER - IF I GAVE YOU A SMILE
12. EELS - P.S. YOU ROCK MY WORLD
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