Amazing, watching this, how many tracks bring back, to me, not memories of the singers or bands but of executives, producers, writers. I see the Manics and think of young Rob Stringer, my friend who is now boss of Sony worldwide. I see Gina G and remember the effort we all expended putting it together as the UK Eurovision entry (still, for me, the perfect Eurovision track but we only came 8th; it needed a great performance so we got it the next year with Katrina). Happy memories for me on almost every featured hit but nearly always of behind the scenes workers, many of whom are still in touch.

1996 always seems to me the perfect balance of great music - so much variety and all jostling for the mainstream, and breakthroughs by several genre-defying acts who still have stellar careers.
After 96 it all seems to get compartmentalised into genre's, you had the govt making out they were hip and trendy and pop drifted more towards pap, tho it wouldn't become intolerable until we reach the Social Media Years after 2006

One of the reasons I started The Tip Sheet in the early 90s was because Matthew Bannister took over Radio One dedicated to aim it only at the young. I felt this was the beginning of musical segregation which would destroy music as a popular art form. We were doing OK until Surrey Police stepped in - 2000 - prompted by Max Clifford who may have been asked to do that by an EMI executive (or spouse) about to be removed from office by my Chairmanship.