A man with a quiff and a hearing aid twirls around with a bunch of gladioli sprouting from his trouser pocket. Two sullen Scotsmen deafen you with descanting feedback. Jackson Pollock paint-splattered mods in flared trousers become the sound of Ecstasy.Five lads from Burnage standing still and playing football style anthems to hundreds of thousands of people. Common People! Bez! Parklife! The "Imperial Phase" is a term defined by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys to describe a time in an artists' career when they were at their commercial peak - when they could do nothing wrong. This book describes the imperial phase of British indie music from the end of the Smiths to the death of Britpop. In 45 coruscating essays Ray Dexter analyses the records that told the story. Artists covered include the Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, New Order, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Pulp, Radiohead, The Verve and many, many more.