Britpop Acts: Top 25

Britpop: Top 25 Acts

Britpop was a genre which emerged in the early ‘90s in the United Kingdom. It grew out of the British indie music scene and was characterized by its guitar-driven pop sound. This list was created by aggregating 17 best-of lists focused on Britpop. The top 10 is comprised of those acts appearing on 9 or more lists. After the top 10, any act appearing on 2 or more lists is ranked based on its overall status in Dave’s Music Database. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. Oasis 1. Oasis 2. Blur 3. Suede 4. Pulp 5. Supergrass 6. Elastica 7. The Verve 8. Manic Street Preachers 9. The Charlatans 10. Kula Shaker 11. Radiohead 12. The Smiths 13. Coldplay 14. The Stone Roses 15. Muse 16. Noel Gallagher/High Flying Birds 17. Paul Weller 18. Snow Patrol 19. Stereophonics 20. Keane 21. James 22. Happy Mondays 23. Ash 24. Travis 25. Ocean Colour Scene Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre Dave’s Music Database: Top 25 Britpop Albums Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Britpop Songs First posted 6/29/2026.

NME – Greatest Artists of All Time

image from kingloaf.com

New Musical Express, or NME, is a British music magazine. In April 2002, they featured a list of those artists which they said had the biggest impact over the magazine’s first 50 years.

1. The Smiths
2. The Beatles
3. The Stone Roses
4. David Bowie
5. The Sex Pistols
6. Oasis
7. Radiohead
8. Paul Weller
9. U2
10. Public Enemy

11. Bez and Shaun Ryder (of Happy Mondays)
12. The Clash
13. Nirvana
14. Elvis Presley
15. Joy Division
16. Blur
17. The Strokes
18. The Rolling Stones
19. The Verve
20. Bob Marley

21. The Fall
22. Prodigy
23. Lou Reed/Velvet Underground
24. R.E.M.
25. Frankie Goes to Hollywood
26. Dexy’s Midnight Runners
27. Beastie Boys
28. T-Rex
29. The Jesus and Mary Chain
30. The Specials

31. Manic Street Preachers
32. Roxy Music
33. The Pixies
34. Iggy Pop
35. Shane MacGowan (of The Pogues)
36. Primal Scream
37. Frank Sinatra
38. Bob Dylan
39. Blondie
40. Eminem

41. Boy George
42. Madonna
43. Marvin Gaye
44. Pulp
45. Michael Jackson
46. The Charlatans
47. Echo & the Bunnymen
48. The KLF
49. Neil Young
50. PJ Harvey

---

Resources:

• rocklistmusic.co.uk: NME’s Greatest Artists of All Time

---

Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” hit #1 in the UK

Do They Know It’s Christmas Band Aid

Writer(s): Bob Geldof, Midge Ure (see lyrics here) Released: December 3, 1984 Peak: 13 US, 7 CB, 39 GR, 35 A40, 32 AR, 15 UK, 12 CN, 14 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 3.94 UK, 11.7 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 39.3 video, 403.22 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Bob Geldof made his name initially as the frontman of the Boomtown Rats, an Irish punk-pop outfit which got its start in the late ‘70s and found success with a pair of #1 songs on the UK charts with “Rat Trap” and “I Don’t Like Mondays.” However, in his obituary someday, the leading line will reference him as the man who organized Band Aid and Live Aid. Geldof was so moved one night by images from the BBC of “Ethiopians as they trudged for miles in search of food” HL that he felt obligated to do something. He started out collecting money at Boomtown Rats shows HL but wanted to do something on a grander scale. He connected with Midge Ure, the frontman from Ultravox, to pen a song about those suffering in the African famine. He wrote the lyrics in the back seat of a taxi and Midge produced the backing track in his studio. TB To garner even more attention to the cause, however, the pair then tackled their collective rolodexes to round up a Who’s Who of British pop superstars to sing a Christmas charity single as the collective Band Aid. Among the stars enlisted were Bono, Phil Collins, Sting, George Michael, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Status Quo, Paul Weller, Spandau Ballet, Heaven 17, and Kool & the Gang. 36 artists HL gathered at Sarm West Studios in London on November 25, 1984. Geldof implored attendees “to leave your egos outside the studio” HL and, in a wonderful display of unity, “everyone got on with everyone else.” HL They started the recording process by singing the “Feed the world, let them know it’s Christmas time” refrain first as a group. Then individual singers sang the song the entire way through so that Ure, who also produced the song, could splice the best parts together for the final version. WK The whole song was recorded within a 24-hour period. WK Geldof wanted to make sure all the proceeds went straight to the Ethiopians so he in addition to getting the musicians to work for free, he arranged for free studio time, manufacturing, and distribution. The song sold 750,000 in its first week of release in England, making it their fastest-selling single in history at the time. MG It went on to sell more than 3.5 million, making it the best-selling song in Britain until Elton John’s 1997 re-recording of “Candle in the Wind”. WK Combined with the 1985 Live Aid concert, Geldof’s efforts raised £110 million. MG Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Band Aid The DMDB Blog: “Live Aid: July 13, 1985” HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. Blandford Books: London, UK. Pages 148-9. MG Theo Morgan-Gan “The UK’s Best Selling Singles” TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 217. WK Wikipedia First posted 12/15/2011; last updated 4/12/2023.

The Jam’s “Going Underground” debuted at #1 in the UK

Going Underground The Jam

Writer(s): Paul Weller (see lyrics here) Released: March 10, 1980 First Charted: March 22, 1980 Peak: 17 CL, 2 CO, 13 UK, 50 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.25 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 13.9 video, 37.85 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Jam were an English punk rock/new wave band which formed in 1972 and released six studio albums before their breakup in 1982. Their first chart single was 1977’s “In the City” from their debut album of the same name. Their success steadily grew until their tenth chart entry, “Going Underground,” debuted atop the UK charts. It was the first song to do so in six years. KL Despite The Jam’s success in their homeland, they never reached the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The Jam were actually touring the United States when they found at “Going Underground” hit #1. Drummer Rick Buckler said, “It was a shock when we got to #1, otherwise we wouldn’t have been in the states…We had a good drink that night. However, everyone wanted to be back in Britain. We made out we had all come down with a virus. We canceled the rest of the tour of the States. We flew back to Britain on Concorde to record ‘Going Underground’ on Top of the Pops for the following week.” SF The song wasn’t intended as a single. It was supposed to be the B-side of “Dreams of Children,” but “Going Underground” became the hit. “Striking the right balance aggressive punk posturing, Beatlesque guitar and catching singalong pop to create perfect harmony, the single would become The Jam’s defining release.” XFM “Going Underground” might appear to be about London’s tube rail system, but it wasn’t. KL Singer Paul Weller wrote it in protest of the British Conservative government’s policy to spend taxpayers’ money on building their nuclear arsenal instead of funding other government programs. SF The song references the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. KL Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Jam KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 259. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia XFM Mike Walsh (editor) (2010). The XFM Top 1000 Songs of All Time. Elliott & Thompson Limited: London, England. Page 205. First posted 10/13/2021; last updated 11/12/2022.