Live Forever
(First Look Home Entertainment)
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2004, Volume 11, #6
Written by John Metzger
To be a band from Britain in the 1990s was to be at the epicenter of a worldwide cultural phenomenon that, for lack of a better term, was dubbed Britpop by the London tabloids. Sure, that moniker just as easily could have been applied to the myriad of British Invasion bands that flooded America 30 years earlier or to the glam, punk, and new wave groups that crossed the big pond throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. Instead, it’s been reserved for the movement that burst full-force when Oasis climbed the charts in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, despite the fact that its seeds were planted in 1989 when the Stone Roses — arguably the best of the Britpop ensembles — scored a quiet success with its picture-perfect, self-titled debut.
For those wishing to relive the experience, filmmaker John Dower has crafted
a fascinating and informative documentary that charts the birth and subsequent
death of the alluring Britpop scene. Named after a song by Oasis — the most
commercially successful and widely known of the Britpop acts — Live Forever
tosses the viewer right smack into the middle of the maelstrom. Featuring
interviews with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Blur’s Damon Albarn, and of course, Oasis’
Noel and Liam Gallagher, the film is delightfully amusing, even if its stars are
sometimes quite arrogant. Then again, who can blame them for feeling so
self-important when even the British political process adopted the emerging
scene as a means of reigniting the Labour party and ultimately landing Tony
Blair a gig as Prime Minister. Indeed, whether one prefers Oasis, Blur, Suede,
Pulp, Massive Attack — or none of the above, for that matter — Live Forever
is an engaging document that captures a brief moment when British rock ’n‘ roll
once again reigned supreme and cool Britannia cast a huge shadow on popular
culture around the globe. 
Of Further Interest...
Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible: 10th Anniversary Edition
The Who - At Kilburn: 1977 (DVD)
Live Forever is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box