In the mid-90’s, britpop turned grunge on its ear. Well, in England, anyway. The Oasis vs. Blur war was unfairly represented by the press as a battle between the lager-swilling good ole boys of the working class vs. the arsty and effete privileged lads. Well, it is true on some level that Oasis appeals to the lowest common denominator, while Blur requires a slightly more refined musical ear, but the fact remains that Damon Albarn could churn out sing-along anthems even the daftest bloke could appreciate. And he was at his absolute peak (after injesting Martin Amis’ glorious London Fields) in 1994 when Parklife turned London upside down. Two demos from that era have surfaced over at Dead Flowers: Anglophiles Anonymous, and they just happen to be that record’s two biggest hits, “Parklife” and “Girls & Boys.” Both are expectedly rough but reveal that the band had to do little to turn them into hits. Alex James’ bass work is particularly accentuated in the latter, heaping on the evidence that he’s one of the most underrated bassists of britpop and beyond.