The Beatles

www.thebeatles.com

No list could start with any other group, and while their music is now evocative of another time (the 1960's of course), the tunes are still instantly recognizable. Try 1 - the world's biggest selling album last year - for a taste.

Robbie Williams

Love him or loathe him, the Robster has better caught the mood of an upbeat Britain than any other musician. And if rolling around with Kylie Minogue is the price of success, where do you pay? Catch The Ego Has Landed.

Spice Girls

Hardly girls any more, and on the verge of doing the 'hero to zero' solo move by all accounts. This isn't exactly highbrow music, but if you're into light-weight fluff - this is your poison. Spiceworld was the high tide mark.

Oasis

Supergroup of the '90's, mixing blatant rip-offs of the Beatles with high-profile romances, fights, and superstar 'excess'. Now in serious decline artistically, but still a crowd pleaser. Morning Glory represented the peak of their success.

Rolling Stones

These early 'bad boys' of British rock still do an occasional stadium tour, often with fresh material of varying quality hitting the shelves in tandem. Jump Back showcases their post 1970 output, but Rolled Gold is the definitive '60's collection.

Radiohead

The moody, cutting edge of UK music has been staked out for a number of years by the boys from Oxford. OK Computer was the classic album of 1997.

Blur

Some of the most recognizable anthems of the '90's (Parklife and Song 2) were penned by these so-called 'rivals' of Oasis. Check out Parklife or the self-entitled Blur.

Lightning Seeds

Other British Bands

If you want to listen to some of the 'best of British', check out the dance beats of the Chemical Brothers, the moody sounds of the now defunct Verve and sporadically active New Order, and the classic rock of British icons Eric Clapton, The Who, and Pink Floyd.