A Chronological History Of Epic BRITISH Indie Angst - Updated

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Here's where we've got to (I've added in a handful more myself):

1966 - Johns Children - "Smashed Blocked"*
1973 - Mott The Hoople - "All The Young Dudes"
1975 - Pink Floyd - "Wish You Were Here"
1980 - Joy Divison - "Atmosphere"
1981 - ???
1982 - The Associates - "Party Fears Two"
1983 - Echo And The Bunnymen - "The Back Of Love"
1984 - The Smiths - "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
1985 - Jesus And Mary Chain - "Some Candy Talking"
1986 - The Smiths - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"**
1987 - ???
1988 - House Of Love - "Destroy The Heart"
1989 - The Wedding Present - "Bewitched"
1990 - Inspiral Carpets - "This Is How It Feels"
1991 - Teenage Fanclub - "The Concept"
1992 - Manic Street Preachers - "Motorcycle Emptiness"
1993 - Suede - "Animal Nitrate"****
1994 - Blur - "This Is A Low"
1995 - Radiohead - "Lucky"*****
1996 - Skunk Anansie - "Weak"
1997 - The Verve - "The Drugs Don't Work" OR Placebo - "Nancy Boy"
1998 - Mansun - "Legacy"******
1999 - ???
2000 - The Delgados - "American Trilogy" OR JJ72 - "October Swimmer"
2001 - ???
2002 - ???
2003 - ???
2004 - Snow Patrol - "Run"
2005 - ???
2006 - ???
2007 - ???

Annotations:

* moar prehistory needed! Surely...the VU!!? (tho see *** below)
** non-Smiths suggestions welcomed for these years though they'd need to be pretty hott I guess.
*** most WP feels cramped rather than epic to me. Also shouldn't there be some Nirvana somehow, or NIN or something? On the other hand there's quite a good case for sticking to the UK tradition, in which case the 00s need even more work. (EDIT - have gone with this)
**** I'd be more tempted to go for something off the (rubbish, sorry) second alb than this jaunty number.
***** Are there more apt Radiohead tracks?
****** After this point I haven't actually heard most of the nominations which is surely how it should be!!

Also - more 00s angst pls!

Comments

[koganbot]

Prehistory might be the Beatles' "Girl" (1965) and the Kinks, um, well, depends how you define "epic" (grandiose miniaturism?) - I think w/ "epic indie angst" we're after something that's making gestures towards expansiveness while still being recessive in its heart - but I see scores of Kinks songs starting with "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" (1965? 1966?) until they started to really suck badly in 1973 or so. "Sunny Afternoon" or "Dead End Street" for 1966, "Waterloo Sunset" or "Death Of A Clown" for 1967 (but not "I'm Not Like Everybody Else," which is a raving rocker, hence not indie), "Picture Book" for 1968 (was going to choose "Phenomenal Cat" for man's anxiety in relation to felines, but song not genuinely anxious enough), "Shangri-La" or "Victoria" for 1969, "Lola" for 1970, "20th Century Man" for 1971, "Celluloid Heroes" for 1972.

By the way, I challenge your inclusion of "All The Young Dudes." Epic angst, for sure, but where's the indie? If that's indie angst, then so are "Midnight Rambler" and "Billie Jean." (Also, if you were counting non-Brits I still wouldn't count the Velvets as indie, no matter how many indie boys build altars to the third Velvets album; soft or loud, the Velvets were throwing crud in the world's eye.)

Can Canadians count as Brits? There's be a vote here for Leonard Cohen's "Stranger Song."