Britpop fever reaches boiling point as Blur and Oasis go head to head in a bid to find out which record company can fleece the most money from the kids. Ultimately, Blur's Food stable win out as 'Country House' beats 'Roll With It' to number one, but Creation go on to reap massive rewards from the continuing supersonic ascent of Oasis.
Gone: Richey Manic. Still yet to be found, though God knows his band could do with some of that old shit-kicking sloganeering of his.
Album of the Year: Maxinquaye - Tricky
Single of the year: Common People - Pulp
Artist / Band of the year: Pulp
1995 belonged to: Jarvis Cocker and his sex-geek Sheffield wit.
Key event: Blur vs. Oasis. The death of Britpop, the undoing of Blur, the making of Oasis, and probably the last time the kids' music made it on to the Channel 4 news 
It's Pulp who prove ultimate champions this year, however, as 'Different Class' turns out to be a bit of a masterpiece and nabs the Mercury Music Prize. Elastica finally release their spiky, Stranglers-copying debut, and Radiohead become everyone's favourite whiney prog-sprogs as 'The Bends' echoes through student digs across the country.
Dance music finally gets the albums it deserves with Goldie's 'Timeless', Tricky's 'Maxinquaye', and the Chemical Brothers' 'Exit Planet Dust', while Richey Manic wanders off and inspires a million and one heartbreaking Angst letters.
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