A music era defined by music critics not a generation

I was eager to watch this once I found out that it was posted on Youtube. After a few viewings I can't help but feel it was completely contrived and full of itself. Although it touched upon some significant events in the UK and the US music scenes it chose to interpret those changes based on a few glib comments by British music critics with a few comments by actual artists who were part of that era.

It also didn't firmly establish when Brit Pop found its footing. Was it in 1991 (when they played a snippet of Massive Attacks first critical hit) or was it in 1994 when Oasis hit it big? Another thing was the idea that 90s Brit Pop achieved what the 80s didn't however I distinctly remember British 80s music as being British and not trying to be American (ie - Duran Duran, Culture Club, The Smiths, Killing Joke, Souxsie & the Banshees, The Cure, This Mortal Coil, to name just a few) and those acts made some inroads in America. They even called it the 2nd British invasion of music after the 60s era. They also didn't try to "sound America" and I can distinctly remember the British sensibilities in their music (particularly The Smiths)

What I found lacking, as with most music documentaries, is that it blatantly left-out significant music acts that were just as critically and financially successful as the ones mentioned and who I felt made a bigger impact across the pond here in the US than either Blur or Oasis did, but both of those bands were touted as the pinnacle of Brit Pop.

Furthermore, this documentary seemed to be biased against Grunge Rock as some kind of omnipotent behemoth created by American Corporate Music instead of giving it its due as a truly regional music genre that broke out globally. It also seemed to revel in the corporate commercialism of Brit Pop's music successes at the same time so it felt strange to me that it would posit British pop as some kind of artistic movement that didn't strive for commercialism.

What are your thoughts, particularly those who grew up in the UK during this period?


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