Manchester group Oasis have comprehensively outsold their Britpop rivals Blur, a new study shows.
It was the chart battle to end all chart battles. Oasis and Blur had become sworn enemies, with Noel Gallagher stating in the press that he hoped members of the Essex band would perish from AIDs.
No shrinking violets themselves, Damon Albarn & Co. gave as good as they got. The two bands went nose to nose for number one when Oasis and Blur released their singles ‘Roll With It’ and ‘Country House’ on the same day.
In the end, Blur won after one of the hardest fought battles in pop history. However it is often argued that while Oasis lost the fight they won the war, with their album ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ going on to become one of the defining British albums of the 90s.
A new study by PRS For Music claims that Oasis did indeed win the Britpop wars. The organisation collects royalties for songwriters, and say that their figures show that Oasis have remained more popular than Blur.
Pleasingly, both bands have released seven studio album meaning that PRS For Music can compare like with like. However it should be pointed out that Blur actually split up in 2003, and only reformed at the tail end of last year.
Collecting together the bands’ most played tracks on British radio the organisation found the following scores:
Oasis – ‘Wonderwall’, 68%
Oasis – ‘Roll With It’, 12%
Blur – ‘Country House’, 10%
Oasis – ‘Some Might Say’, 7%
Blur – ‘Beetlebum’, 3%
All of which makes for a comprehensive victory for the Manchester band – even if Ryan Adams and Cat Power both perform superior versions of ‘Wonderwall’.
“With Blur performing some storming gigs and Oasis’ back on tour it’s like the heyday of Britpop once again,” explained Steve Porter, Chief Executive PRS For Music.
“These new figures showing that despite Blur winning the original battle, Oasis wins long-term by number of plays. However with both bands still working and their music being widely played the battle continues.”
Of course, everyone involved has become older and wiser since the heady summer of 1995. Noel Gallagher recently admitted his admiration for Blur’s Damon Albarn, although ClashMusic finds it hard to imagine the pair of them sipping tea together.
