The Day Blur Topped Oasis

08/26/2011
. (Gibson) On this day in 1995, Blur scored their first U.K. #1 single with "Country House" and won a media battle with Oasis for the #1 position. Both acts released their new singles on the same day. "Country House" topped the chart, selling 270,000 copies, compared to 220,000 sold by "Roll with It," seeing Oasis entering the chart at #2. Gibson looks back: Over the course of a year, the stage had been set for a royal rumble. After initially praising one another, Britpop's two biggest bands had begun to antagonize each other in the press.

In one corner there was Blur, a London foursome who had met while studying at Goldsmiths College. They already had three albums under their belt, including 1994's blockbuster Parklife, and were known for being artsy and working in a variety of musical styles.

In the other corner was Oasis, a Manchester rock band led by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. They had achieved huge success in Britain, where their album Definitely Maybe because the fastest-selling debut release in U.K. chart history, and made a reputation of celebrating the hedonistic tendencies of rock and roll. more on this story

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