The Boy Hairdressers

Blake, McGinley, Lambie, McDonald and McAlinden

The Boy Hairdressers were a short lived band from Glasgow who counted Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Francis McDonald (all Teenage Fanclub), Joe McAlinden (Superstar/Linden) and Jim Lambie (contemporary artist) as their members. Paul Quinn (Teenage Fanclub) also played some shows.

Blake, McDonald, McAlinden 

The band released their only recordings via Stephen Pastel's seminal 53rd and 3rd label in January 1988. The 3-track 12-inch consisted of A; Golden Shower, B; Tidalwave, B2; The Assumption As An Elevator.

The Boy Hairdressers and their sole release have taken on something as a cult status - given what the members went on to achieve. The recordings (rough and raw, but made with love) are a glimpse of a band developing - not really quite there with their sound/style.

Golden Shower is easily the best song on the record and was shown some love and appreciation when Teenage Fanclub covered/revisited the song when they played The Barrowland in 2022. High pitched harmonies over sparse acoustic guitar start the song. Then, after a brief pause, bass, drums and keys/vibrophone/flute bring things to life. I'm pretty sure Raymond used some of his guitar work in other songs. 

Tidal Wave is like a mock English folk song. I imagine it might sound better as an Irish folk song. Although under two-minutes long, I'm pretty glad when it's finished. I'm not a fan of this one.

On the final song, The Assumption As An Elevator, I find myself asking who is singing. Is it Norman? I like the outro, with some nice guitar noodling from Raymond, while Jim Lambie creates Velvets-y effects.

When you read some quotes from interviews Norman gave following the break up of The Boy Hairdressers, it's no surprise to find him highlighting his relief that his new band (Teenage Fanclub) is just me ... being me. 

Teenage Fanclub cover an 80's band at the Barrowland

Given that The Boy Hairdressers brief existence was in a pre-internet, pre-mobiles and pre (easily available/affordable) video camera era, there is extremely limited information about the band online.

However ... I did some digging and uncovered interviews, fanzines, photos, (hazy) fan memories and stories from band members, those around the band and fans who caught The Boy Hairdressers and very early Teenage Fanclub.

Photos by Andrew Turner

Horse & Groom pub, Bedford, 17th October 1987

Norman and Raymond were interviewed in a Pastelism fanzine just after they started Teenage Fanclub. Perhaps this section of the Q&A between Stephen and Norman speaks volumes about why Blake broke away with Raymond to form Teenage Fanclub

Patelism: It seems The Boy Hairdressers were just getting a fair amount of interest and then you split up. So what happened?

Norman: The thing about The Boy Hairdressers was that no-one was really motivated to do anything. We were very badly organised ... it ended up that only me and Raymond were putting any effort in. ...

Pastelism (on the song Golden Shower): Do you think it was all a bit naive, all that sex and smutty innuendo stuff? 

Norman: Aye, I'm a bit embarrassed by it now. It was a bit stupid.

Later in the interview;

Norman: ... the new stuff (TFC) reflects more of what we are really about. We feel much more comfortable with Teenage Fanclub ... it's just (me) being me.

In 2021, Raymond and Norman spoke with Ed Nash for a brilliant interview, in The Line Of Best Fit reflecting back on pivotal moments in Teenage Fanclub.

Here is what they had to say about The Boy Hairdressers;

Norman: The Boy Hairdressers had fizzled out and Raymond and myself were the two people left standing. We'd put out a 12 inch on Stephen Pastel's label (53rd & 3rd), so we'd had a taste of what that was like. We wanted to move on and put an album out as soon as we could.

Raymond: People knew who the band were, but it wasn't like we did a lot. We put out one single and played a handful of shows. We were really frustrated by that and once the Boy Hairdressers finished we had this idea that we wanted to make a record before we started talking about what the band was.

Norman: We had a number of songs we planned to work on and that we'd played at the latter end of the Boy Hairdressers. We wanted to do stuff rather than talk about it, so we thought 'Let's put an album out, let's just go for it,' but we couldn't afford to do that. Now you've got Pro Tools on a computer, but a Portastudio was state of the art then. The embryonic part of A Catholic Education was us sat in Raymond's flat recording these very basic demos on a Portastudio. That's where it all started for Teenage Fanclub.

Both of these interviews, although short, probably tell you all you need to know about The Boy Hairdressers. They had fun and a bit of a laugh, played a few gigs, got some attention, put out a record but didn't quite gel and different members of the band perhaps had other priorities/options. 

Raymond and Norman took a few songs into Teenage Fanclub, including Don't Need A Drum and Too Involved, with Raymond funding the recording of debut album A Catholic Education after being left some kitchen appliances (including a fridge) by a neighbour. Check a previous blog on the Fanclub debut HERE

You can listen to The Boy Hairdressers 4-track demo of Don't Need A Drum below. You can instantly hear the move away from the sound of the debut EP - this is cooler and more assured - even as a 4-track recording. This, as highlighted in Norman's interview above, is really a Teenage Fanclub demo. 

Other demos that fans have mentioned (but are currently unavailable online) include Saliva (that went on to become Too Involved) a song called either Flying Helmet or Magic Helmet and a Norman song that BMX Bandits recorded - Let Mother Nature Be Your Guide - LISTEN

I asked a few people in, involved with or around The Boy Hairdressers for some information and (hazy) memories. 

Photo by Kaori Laird

Paul Quinn: It wasn't until I turned up to do the first gig I played with them that I realised Joe McAlinden and Jim Lambie were also in the band! That show was at The Volcano at the bottom of Byres Road where the club scene was filmed for Trainspotting. The 2nd show was at Fury Murry's. After the show, I was asked by Raymond and Norman about what I was planning to do and I stupidly said I was going to continue playing with the guys from Bellshill I was in a band with. I had my reasons for that decision. However, it was a stupid decision as The Boy Hairdressers didn't last long after that. They both went on to form Teenage Fanclub. 

Andrew Turner: It was my brother Nigel who promoted the Bedford (photos from the Horse & Groom above) gig way back in 1987. Norman still remembers the occasion with a certain amount of fondness - he even held up a photo of said gig during the recent (August 2025) Teenage Fanclub show in Bedford.

Duncan Birrell

Pretty sure I caught them live, I think one time may have been on a two-night charity gig for Shelter in Glasgow around 1987 at the old Volcano, at the end of Byres Road. I think the Groovy Little Numbers and The Bandits played one of those nights too - using a lager can as a guitar slide. Heady days!

Joe McAlinden

A review from our first gig. Raymond hadn't joined but was watching in the audience.

Photos from Joe's personal collection

Kevin Francis

Saw them at ULU bottom of the bill below Dinosaur Jr and Primal Scream. All I remember is that someone was sitting down, possibly Norman and there was one song that started with A Capella Beach Boys style harmonies. I loved it!

Brendan O'Hare

They were all from another planet.

Kaori Laird: The voice saying Boy Hairdresser in Japanese at the beginning of the Teenage Fanclub song Speeder - is my voice! It was recorded at Norman's Granny's house. 

After Boy Hairdressers there were rumours circulating that Norman was already working on a new band - who would become Teenage Fanclub. I asked Norman what they would be called and he said Black Watch or Old Grandfather Clock. I knew he was not serious, but it was so Norman (isn't it?).

Fraser Gillespie

The Boy Hairdresser was a terrible novel by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. I saw them at least twice in Glasgow and also Norman's previous band The Faith Healers. Their keyboard player, Jim Lambie, did posters and filmed for Splash 1. He went on to become a very successful artist. I have a demo of Saliva which became the TFC song Too Involved - was that The Boy Hairdressers? I saw the very first TFC London gig at the Camden Falcon. It was obvious that they were going to be successful.

Graeme Williams

I saw them live supporting The Pastels at The Boardwalk in Manchester - was a great night, quite the shambolic gig to use a well worn trope, but you could tell they had something special. I have the ticket stub still somewhere.

Steph Wood

I put them on once and they slept on my floor - I still occasionally find one of those round blue Golden Showers stickers when I pull a random record out of it's sleeve ...

Antonio Navarro Ros

In Pastelism fanzine appears the first Teenage Fanclub interview ever and Norman and Raymond talk about the disband of The Boy Hairdressers. Here is the link (also see above)

Teenage Fanclub at the Old Fire Station

My friend Lorna and I decided to travel down the M8 to Carlisle to catch our favourite band on Sunday night. We have very similar taste in music! After meeting back in 2001, I really have no idea of how many times we must have seen Teenage Fanclub together over the years! Including solo or side projects, it must be over 50. Maybe even more. Seeing them play always brings a smile to our faces.

We were both thoroughly impressed by the venue - The Old Fire Station - easily accessible, situated just on the outskirts of the lovely Carlisle town centre, handy car park directly across the road, good lay out, well staffed bar (alcohol free for me) and a fantastic sound.

When Teenage Fanclub's Autumn tour dates came out, I was determined to get to one of them. Sadly, their Devils Arse (show in a cave) clashed with a work event. Carlisle was a little easier to get to.

With a standing capacity of 420, this was an excellent chance to see the Fanclub in an intimate venue before they venture to South America where they play 3 dates in Brazil and then head to Buenos Aires in Argentina - an incredible city that I was fortunate to spend 1-month in back in 2008 at the end of a year travelling around the world. I'd love to go back sometime!

Support act was Selma French who played as a duo with her cousin Anna. Their harmonies were absolutely exquisite, I'd highly recommend checking them out. 

On to the Fannies! Lorna and I managed to get a great place near the front on Raymond's side. We were immediately blown away by the sound - the Old Fire Station sound system is superb. Just three rows from the front, Raymond's guitar was on fire - what a handy venue to be in!

Opening with Tired Of Being Alone, McGinley's guitar was soon flowing and fizzing. About You quickly got the crowd bouncing and singing-a-long. There was a great group of girls near the front who danced throughout and a crowd of people in the centre of the venue who bounced and sang their hearts out.

Norman joked about the stage having a clock that included the temperature which he informed us was currently 25 degrees and asked if we could turn it up a notch.

Alcoholiday threatened to do that and when Norman checked to see if it worked he told us it was now 31.8 degrees. Then apologised as he noted 31/08 was the date!

All songs received a warm response, but Fanclub favourites, like the aforementioned About You and What You Do To Me, Neil Jung, I Don't Want Control Of You and the pre-encore The Concept were greeted like long lost friends. It was pretty euphoric and there were lots of smiles on stage to acknowledge appreciation.

Rare outings for The Cabbage and Mellow Doubt were a welcome treat. While songs from across the bands extensive discography highlighted the strength of their back catalogue. 

The opportunity to watch Raymond playing his guitars up close felt like a privilege. Playful sonic sounds - inventive chords and solos, excellent use of pedals. I'd love the band to extend the outro to Everything Is Falling Apart, with Euros keys coming to the fore to jam with McGinley and Francis.

The flowing The World'll Be OK was soothing, Norman's It's All In My Mind made me wonder if Raymond might bring out his beautiful Only With You from the same album - maybe next time.

As always, the band zipped through I'm In Love and a positive sign of the band enjoying themselves on stage is when Norman spins round to his left to smile at Dave, or further round to see Francis, Euros, or right round to see Raymond. There were several spins and countless smiles. 

Ending with the band thanking everyone for coming out for their first ever show in Carlisle followed by an epic Everything Flows - based on the audience reaction and the smiles on stage - I think they will be back.

Life Is Sweet

 

Trust me #103
Life Is Sweet by The Chemical Brothers

Stumble out into the dawn streets with a still-buzzing Tim Burgess on the glorious Life Is Sweet, his choirboy voice royally f***ed up and slumped across a mere slip of melody. Stephen Dalton, NME

What a beautiful piece of writing by Stephen Dalton for the NME! What more could I add?

The Chemical Brothers were a force of nature in the 1990's and along with the likes of The Prodigy, Underworld and Fatboy Slim, they helped create a huge melting pot of music. Alternative British music was thriving; Radiohead, Spiritualized, Massive Attack, Portishead and Primal Scream would release groundbreaking albums, pushing boundaries with their sonic soundscapes and ambitions.

Lets go back to 1992 and it was very much the case of right place, right time!

The Chemical Brothers met in Manchester and began DJ-ing in pubs while also forging ahead with producing their own psychedelic big beat sounds. Originally called The Dust Brothers, until the US producers asked them to change, their first self-pressed white label 12-inch found its way into the hands of Andrew Weatherall who began playing Song to the Siren in his sets.

Word, as tended to happen with Weatherall, got round and before long Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons were remixing for Leftfield, Lionrock and Republica. In October 94, the duo, still known as The Dust Brothers, became resident DJ's at the Heavenly Sunday Social on Great Portland Street. Noel Gallagher and Tim Burgess were regulars and before long The Dust Brothers were remixing Primal Scream's Jailbird, The Charlatans Patrol and Nine Acre Court, the Manics and The Prodigy.

By 1995, The Dust Brothers had become The Chemical Brothers due to a name clash with the American producers. Tom and Ed were carving out their own space in the world of electronic music, fusing breakbeats, big beats, and psychedelic grooves into something fresh and thrilling. Their debut album Exit Planet Dust was a game-changer, and one of its standout moments and was Life Is Sweet, a track that featured none other than Tim Burgess of The Charlatans on guest vocals. Tim was a big fan of the Heavenly Social where The Chems had a residency. It seemed like a natural fit. It sounds like it most definitely was.

1995 was a super sunny summer and Life Is Sweet was one of many songs released around that time that seemed to be tailor made for the times and the weather. Life - for a 19-year old with no ties, good friends and regular nights out - was very sweet.

The Chemical Brothers were already known for their heavy, rolling beats and club-shaking basslines. But Life Is Sweet was something else: a hypnotic, groove-laden track that felt equally at home on a dancefloor as it did blasting through a car stereo on a summer evening drive down the Clyde Valley. 

I'm driving in the sun

It's a hell of a way down south

Bring me back my love

Tim Burgess was a perfect and very natural fit to The Chems psychedelic soul, bringing a laid-back, almost dreamlike vocal delivery to the mix, a human warmth to the beats, bass and synth sounds.

Swirling synths, a relentless and infectious groove and Burgess' floating vocal, trying to calm the storm going on around him, but getting beautifully caught up in it.

Burgess, Tom and Ed definitely found chemistry together in this collaboration.

Released as a single, Life Is Sweet included a Daft Punk remix. Looking back, this release captured a moment when electronic music was evolving, absorbing elements of rock, hip-hop, and psychedelia to create something new and intoxicating, fresh for the 90's.

On reflection, I wish the video had documented the times - Tom an Ed DJ-ing in a packed basement in the Heavenly Social The video (below) with Tim singing and dancing along. That would be super cool to look back on.As it is, Tom and Ed are mucking about with (and blowing up and trying to fix) a large bank of equipment, while Tim is seemingly locked in a smaller room looking through a hole in the wall to watch The Chems, while in other rooms there are a series of mad people!

Remember (cause it can be difficult when you read or turn on the news) that life can be sweet, and so is this tune.

Life Is Sweet is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE. Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve

94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

95. Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub

96. Common People by Pulp

97. Let Our Love Grow Higher by Eula Cooper

98. Regret by New Order

99. Keep On Keepin' On by Nolan Porter

100. Sit Down (Live at G-Mex) by James

101. Never Lose Your Sense Of Wonder by Yeti

102. Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over by The Charlatans

Some Velvet Morning

Cover version of the month #114
Primal Scream & Kate Moss cover Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra

Primal Scream's Evil Heat album, released in 2002, was a bit of a messy affair. The band were possibly a little burnt out from recording and touring 2000's extraordinary XTRMNTR, where they recorded and produced with the help of an exceptional array of guests including Kevin Shields, The Chemical Brothers and David Holmes. Their live XTRMNTR shows were a sonic kaleidoscopic exploration, with Shields joining them on stage to create all kinds of glorious white noise over techno beats.

Looking back, the Scream's run from 1991's Screamadelica, taking in Give Out But Don't Give Up, Vanishing Point and through to XTRMNTR is pretty astonishing. They knew no boundaries, pushed themselves to new levels, collaborated with Weatherall, Holmes and the Chemicals, went to Memphis to play country soul and rock n roll, benefited greatly from the addition of Mani on bass and partied harder than most. 

What goes up, must come down.

Evil Heat was a bit disappointing for me. I only really revisit 2 songs from the album; the sublime and dreamy Autobahn 66 and their cover of Some Velvet Morning with Kate Moss. Truth be told, I rarely listen to much of the Scream's work post XTRMNTR. Maybe 6-8 songs or so? The band rarely play much from their post 2000 albums either. 

Back to the cover version though. There is added zip and electro sleaze on the extended version of the song with Gillespie singing in a menacing whisper and Moss's vocals sounding dreamlike at times and beautifully seductive at others, especially at the end when she is purring look at us but do not touch.

Then there's the video. A masterclass in lo-fi psychedelia and effortless cool. Bobby Gillespie, all rock 'n' roll swagger, looking good, great hair, sharing the screen with the iconic Moss, wearing a babydoll dress, all sultry and seductive. Both start in seated positions, but are seemingly brought to life by the songs pulse and the psychedelic light show going on behind them. 

Before long, Gillespie is up at a mic, a modern and cooler take on Sid Vicious's look while singing My Way and Moss is prowling and dancing to the beat, looking effortlessly gorgeous. It's simple, yet utterly captivating. Surreal and beautiful.

The original Some Velvet Morning isn't just a song; it's a legend, created by whispered awes in the decades since it was released. In pre-internet and social media times, this was a song that was passed down and around via mixtapes, often mentioned by bands I followed in interviews. 

Hazelwood and Sinatra's Some Velvet Morning is kind of psychedelic folk by way of a western. It’s a dreamlike, almost unsettling duet, full of cryptic lyrics and a haunting, ethereal beauty. 

The contrast between the two singers creates a masterpiece of tension and seduction, a truly one-of-a-kind creation. Hazlewood's gruff baritone weaving around Sinatra's innocent, almost childlike delivery;

Flowers growing on a hill

Dragonflies and daffodils

This becomes super trippy around the 3-minute mark, when the song is cut up to have Hazelwood and Sinatra singing line about, with the music completely different for each line. It's the kind of song that sounds like it came from another dimension, existing outside of time. No wonder it is still talked of in wonder.

Primal Scream's electronic transformation of the song is super cool. Hazlewood and Sinatra's version feels like a hazy journey through a fever dream. The Scream Team take it on a shimmering, swirling sonic adventure - creating a pulsing groove, synth soundscapes and swirling texture. Both have a dreamy quality that isn't easy to capture on record.

Gillespie and Moss will have shared a few velvet mornings in their time. It's a great cover version.

Hazelwood and Sinatra's original and the Primal Scream cover of Some Velvet Morning (I've opted for the version on their Dirty Hits album) are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

102. God Only Knows

103. The Last Time

104. Bridge Over Troubled Water

105. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

106. Louie Louie

107. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

108-110. I'm A Loser, Yesterday and Beware of Darkness 

111. So You Say You Lost Your Baby

112. Kelly Watch The Stars

113. Association

Blur v Oasis - the battle of Britpop 30-years on

 

Thirty years ago, Britpop went into overdrive as Blur and Oasis released the singles Country House and Roll With It on the same day. 

It was a chart clash that played out like a playground scrap - threats, name calling, bringing girlfriends into it, slaggings... only the playground was the entire UK, and the fight was front-page news and headline news on TV! 

On one side, four council estate lads from Burnage, snarling, sneering and swaggering their way through music history, lifting riffs and melodies from the best and making them their own.

On the other, four former art school students from Colchester by way of Goldsmiths, doused in irony, retro stylings and cheeky Southern charm.

The context matters. The context mattered. 

By mid-1995, Britpop was no longer just a scene, it was a phenomenon. You didn't have to tune into the Evening Session to get your fix of independent/alternative music. Radio 1 was soundtracking mornings with Elastica, Supergrass and Pulp. Anything was possible, the summer was super sunny, Tony Blair was rebranding Labour and Things Could Only Get Better. Maybe it's rose tinted glasses, maybe it's because I was 19 in 1995, but it was a time when bands really mattered, you could fall for them, believe in them and follow them.

Blur had already won the race to Britpop fame. They kicked things off with Modern Life Is Rubbish in 1993 and swiftly followed it with Parklife in April 1994. Damon Albarn was on telly more than some soap stars, promoting single after single, with his band set to release The Great Escape, their third album in three years. 

But the Gallagher brothers were coming fast. Definitely Maybe was a declaration of intent and Some Might Say had given Oasis their first No.1 in April '95. The stage was set.

But here's where the fun starts. Originally, Oasis were set to release Roll With It on 14 August 1995. Blur’s new single Country House was planned for two weeks later. But whether it was competitiveness, cockiness, or marketing genius (probably all three), Blur moved their release forward to go head-to-head.

It was an act of provocation. And Oasis, never ones to back down, embraced it.

Suddenly, it was war - North v South / working class v middle class / cigarettes & alcohol v tea and irony. There were public wind ups and bickering - Noel calling Blur Chas n Dave, Damon singing Status Quo's Rocking All Over The World over the top of Roll With It on the radio, Liam saying he fancied Damon's girlfriend Justine. See the video below.

Blur had the marketing might of Food/EMI behind them, fancy CD packaging (and crucially 2 CD singles with different b-sides), a glossy video directed by Damien Hirst with Loaded girl Jo Guest and Alex James Groucho Club mate Keith Allen. 

Country House was colourful, bouncy and bonkers, a music hall knees-up about a man who escapes the city for a nervous breakdown in the countryside. The jaunty song does contain a beautiful melancholic breakdown that is often overlooked when discussing the song; Blow, blow me out, I am so sad I don't know why. 

Meanwhile, Roll With It was Oasis doing what Oasis did best - an arms aloft anthem. Straight up guitar music with attitude - you gotta say what you say, don't let anybody get in your way ...

The intensity of the battle increased; Blur moved a date to play Bournemouth the same night as Oasis. Noel was affronted and worried that their own chart and media battle would spill into kids fighting on the streets.

Things got ugly. Noel's comment about hoping that Albarn and Alex James would catch aids and die was utterly horrific, one that he would swiftly apologise for. 

Then came the chart result, revealed on Sunday 20 August 1995. Blur won. Country House went straight to No.1 with 274,000 copies sold. Oasis sold 216,000. The media declared Blur the victors - they were Top of the Pops.

Speaking of which, Oasis had played the prior week, (17th August episode), with Noel on (mimed) lead vocals and Liam playing guitar. The following week, (24th August episode), Jarvis Cocker introduced a perky Blur, complete with bassist Alex James wearing an Oasis t-shirt.

One month later, Oasis dropped (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and the real war was over. It sold by the millions. Wonderwall became the anthem for the nation. The band played two epic nights at Earls Court that cemented their reputation as the best live band out. Within a year, they were selling out two-nights at Knebworth and playing to 250,000 people, this after squeezing in two-nights at Maine Road. They were everywhere. Oasis connected with people in a way that Blur never could.

What next

Blur retreated and reinvented themselves with a darker, more introspective sound. Their eponymous 1997 album opened with lead single Beetlebum - a song about Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin. It was beautifully dreamy, edgy and closer to The Beatles (was the title a dig at Oasis?) than anything Noel Gallagher every produced with Oasis. Although credit to Noel for his Setting Sun single with The Chemical Brothers in 1996.

By contrast, Oasis released the lumpen, cocaine fuelled Be Here Now in the same year. It sold well, contains a couple of gems, like Don't Go Away and Stand By Me, but the production is dire and there is nothing interesting in the layering of sounds, no experimentation from any of the musicians. Just Noel layering guitar upon guitar, no grooves. By this point, no-one questioned Noel or his band. His label knew his records would sell in their millions, any magazine with a Noel/Liam interview sold bucketloads and everyone wanted to be around them. They were so big that no-one dared to criticise them.

That still seems to the case in 2025. Liam's instantly forgettable solo albums received lots of 4/5 star reviews! Heaven forbid that the Gallagher's receive any constructive criticism. They sell papers and magazines, generate views and clicks in the hundreds of thousands.

Albarn has gone on to prove his creative skills in numerous guises, including his magnificent work with Gorillaz. He is a pure artist, always creating, taking in influences, taking chances. Damon's animated band guise have now released 8 exciting and eclectic studio albums with an incredible array of guests. Albarn has also released 2 solo albums and numerous collaborations. He cannot sit still for long.

Noel has also continued to write a prolific rate. By his own admission, Be Here Now and the truly appalling follow up Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (which should have been an EP) were not up to scratch. However by 2002 he was back writing sky scraping anthems like Little By Little and Stop Crying Your Heart Out. Even Liam was producing the lovely and under-rated Songbird as Oasis, lifted by the arrivals of Andy Bell and Gem Archer into the band, hit another run of form.

Over time, Albarn would find himself returning to Blur. Producing the stunning Under the Westway single in 2012 and then surprising everyone with the magnificent The Ballad of Darren album in 2023. Albarn, as an artist and writer, is getting better with every year that passes. 

Of course, 2025 is all about the return of Oasis. Liam's post Oasis career has delivered nothing of note. Beady Eye never took flight, and while his solo career saw him play to huge crowds, that was largely down to him playing Oasis songs. The more Oasis songs he played, the bigger the crowds. His own material with an army of writers was like dot to dot songwriting for him - exceptionally bland. 

Noel has produced some good stuff. His eponymous High Flying Birds debut album in 2011 had some gems that would have been amazing for Oasis - Everybody's On The Run, If I Had A Gun and the stunning AKA...What A Life.  I'm a big fan of Noel's 2017 Who Built The Moon? album with David Holmes on production duties, while Dead In The Water is as good as anything he wrote with Oasis. 

Thankfully, water has passed under the bridge since August 1995. Noel and Damon have long since made up, performing live together for the Teenage Cancer Trust in 2013 (see video below) and generally being increasingly positive about each others music and talent in interviews.

In the end, it wasn’t Blur or Oasis. It was Blur and Oasis. It was about the energy, the ego(s), the arrogance and the music. And like all good battles, the fallout was just as interesting as the fight.

My own conclusion - Oasis set out to be bigger rather than better. For a couple of years they were bigger and better, but the Knebworth comedown hit them hard. 

Very arguably, over time, Damon Albarn has proved to be the most talented British artist of the last 30-years. His body of work is beautifully eclectic and his ability to find a melancholic melody is impeccable.

That said, there are not many songwriters that bring people together like Noel Gallagher. The elder Gallagher brother has written an incredible collection of songs that can be sung on terraces, at weddings, funerals and when people (and cities) are at their lowest and need a lift.

Thirty years on, lets just enjoy the fact that both have produced such fantastic bodies of work and that they continue to create and play live.