Music & Popcorn

Live Forever - The Rise And Fall Of Brit Pop (Passion Pictures)

Music scenes come and go in the blink of an eye. New York City in the 1970's. Athens and Minneapolis in the 1980's. Seattle in the 1990's. Every city, anywhere in the world, has something shaking with music, and sometimes there's an explosion of sound that changes the course of popular culture. For many living in Great Britain during the early 1990's, that eruption that took over America in the early 1960's with the British Invasion came back, almost full-cirlce, to their homeland.

Director John Dower lets his camera roll to tell the story of Britain's return to the musical limelight in the mid-1990's. The larger question that this documentary seems to raise, at least how I see it, is why did the world stop paying attention to Britain's music? On top of that, Dower charts the rise and fall of the scene on the shoulders of Oasis, from their 1994 debut Definitely Maybe to their third album, 1997's Be Here Now. Because Oasis failed to deliver the big album that was to dominate the music charts around the world, the Brit Pop scene died.

There are some interesting sides to the story that Dower puts together such as creating a connection between the music at the time and the political environment in Britain near the end of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's tenure and the start of Tony Blair's time in office.

The early 90's saw Nirvana unknowingly and rather hesitantly fill the role in many people's eyes as the most important band in music. Suddenly their home of Seattle became the fire that ignited a boom in American rock which saw bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden become staples on mainstream radio. To the Brits, the Yanks took over their country with their "grunge" music.

It's understandable how many in Britain could feel out of touch with American bands. How does Eddie Vedder know what it's like for a kid growing up in Manchester? How does Mudhoney capture the mood of Sheffield? "Americans have tremendous confidence but not much talent," said James Brown, founding editor of Loaded. It's obvious the resentment much of Britain had towards America; that American fashion, American music, and American media seemed to be all there was in the world.

Interviewing some of the principal players during this period like Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis, Damon Albarn of Blur, and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, Dower does his best to recapture the highs and lows of the scene, the infamous chart battle between Oasis and Blur, the cool Britannia movment, and the albums that made their marks.

Where's Radiohead? The Verve? Dower does leave some spots open that are key to the story. Even an in-depth discussion on the Stone Roses, the favorites to carry Britain's music scene at the beginning of the 90's, is rarely debated. In the end, Oasis take up much of the documentary, highlighted with some footage from their second night at Knebworth where in two nights in August of 1996 performed before 250,000 people, Britain's largest free standing concert in history and symbol of the height of Brit Pop.

Live Forever comes across more as a personal note from Dower almost asking, "Remember the good old days? Ten years ago?" It's a little difficult to get overly nostalgic over bands that are still making music. Sure, Oasis no longer has the clout they once had in America, but they still hold a commanding presence in the U.K., case in point the 250,000 plus tickets they sold in the course of 3 hours for an upcoming eight date U.K. summer tour. Radiohead, creatively speaking, has taken more chances than Oasis and will always have some artistic credibility over Oasis. Blur lost the chart war with Oasis and their talented guitarist Graham Coxon but managed to grab some attention with 2003's Think Tank. Richard Ashcroft of the Verve went solo and the Rolling Stones are probably still making money from "Bittersweet Symphony."

In some ways, how the Brit Pop scene failed to go the next step is much like how the punk movement of the early to late 70's overdosed on itself. But given time the cycle starts up and the music catches on all over again, maybe dressed up differently. Good rock and roll, good pop music is unmistakable. The real great rock and pop comes without warning and sets the tempo of the times.

Fans of the music will enjoy Live Forever but by no means is it the definitive document on the Brit Pop scene of the 90's.