Monday 13 July 2020

Blur album by album






Blur were one of the most prominent bands during the Britpop era of the Nineties; they drew media attention during their clash with Oasis in the singles charts. They were seen as the arty, clever, middle class, indie-pop in contrast to the anthemic, rootsy, working-class, pop-rock of Oasis. Nice boys liked Blur. Naughty boys liked Oasis. A level and university students liked Blur. The rest of the world liked Oasis. 

They formed in December 1988, out of  Albarn's existing college band Circus, as Seymour, when the band members were studying at Goldsmiths College in London. They started playing in the summer of 1989, and were approached by Food record company, who asked them to change their name to Blur, then signed them in March 1990. Their first single,  "She's So High", was released in Oct 1990 and reached 48 in the UK singles chart. The group were associated partly with the baggy Madchester scene and partly with the London "scene that celebrates itself" which morphed into shoegazing. They were similar to other early Nineties British indie groups, particularly Suede, who they saw as their main rivals. Their first album received mixed reviews, and was largely seen as disappointment. The record company refused their second album unless Albarn wrote a song that would be commercially successful as a single. The resulting single, "For Tomorrow", reached 28 in the charts, and helped push the Modern Life Is Rubbish  album to number 15. EMI held a strong interest in Food, and by 1994 had full control. EMI put efforts behind promoting Blur, who engaged in some dodgy nationalistic ideas, fuelled by Albarn's anti-American stance, and by the band's shared interest in The Smiths and Morrisey. 

 



The band's Britpop peak was reached with The Great Escape, their fourth album, released in 1995 along with the lead single "Country House" which sparked the Britpop battle with Oasis. Though Blur won the battle by getting their single to number one while Oasis' "Roll With It" was at number two, Oasis went on to win the war with the mega success of their album, What's The Story, which became an international hit.  Blur then became a band regarded as has-beens and failures to be sneered at and despised. Guitarist Coxon became disillusioned with what the band were doing, and after consultation with Albarn, the band changed direction to be less pop, less nationalistic, and more embracive of new ideas from America, particularly Pavement and Beck, and released the edgy but critically admired album Blur in 1997. They continued the edgy approach with their next album 13 in 1999, which had Coxon more firmly in charge of the music, and Albarn writing about the breakup of his relationship with Elastica leadwoman  Justine Frischmann. Coxon left as they started recording Think Tank (2003), which reflected Albarn's growing interest in electronic music, then returned in 2009 for some concerts, including headlining Glastonbury. The band have since been largely inactive, though have played the occasional concert, such as at the closing ceremony for the 2012 Olympics, and released one album, The Magic Whip (2015) with supporting tour, after which they have effectively disbanded apart from one unannounced reunion concert in March 2019 at an Albarn-organized Africa Express event in London. 

Comment I wrote on the SteveHoffman Forum: 

They were a solid pop-rock band - key to the Nineties Britpop scene. Regarded more as a singles band, though Parklife was highly respected (and hugely promoted). They accepted they were pop-rock, but wanted to be taken more seriously, especially the guitarist, Coxon, so took some ideas from American alt-rock, especially Beck and Pavement, which made them more accessible to American audiences who tend to like their later albums from Blur (1997) onwards. 
They came out of the early Nineties British indie scene, particularly the baggy sound of Madchester and the shoegaze sound of the south of England; they were not as good as their peers, but Albarn certainly had a knack of writing a catchy song with knowing lyrics, influenced mainly by Ray Davies, Morrissey, and Syd Barrett.  They saw their main rivals as Suede (rather than Oasis) - and there was something a bit personal about that as  Albarn's girlfriend used to be the girlfriend of Suede's Brett Anderson.  Blur were not as interesting nor as critically acclaimed as Suede, but were more successful commercially. However, it was the critical status more than the commercial success that the band wanted....

My favourite album is The Great Escape - it tends to get forgotten as it's the album between the popular Britpop  album Parklife and the Pavement influenced lo-fi Blur which contains two of their  best songs, "Beetlebum" and "Song 2".   The Great Escape is loaded with great songs which somehow get ignored or forgotten. It's comparable to The Kink's  Face To Face (1966) - another great album chock-a-block full of well crafted and clever songs that somehow gets overlooked.  Ray Davies is a splendid song-writer; much better than Paul McCartney. Compare The Kink's  "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home" from Face To Face with "She's Leaving Home" from Sgt Peppers a year later.  Davies' song is darker and more interesting with interesting societal observations and comments. 

Background


Wikipedia:

Blur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1988 originally under the name Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was also shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band during early recording sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the end of the album's associated tour, with the members engaged in other projects.
In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon back in the band and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British chart. The group have largely been on hiatus ever since the end of The Magic Whip tour.


AllMusic: 

Initially, Blur were one of the multitude of British bands that appeared in the wake of the Stone Roses, mining the same swirling, pseudo-psychedelic guitar pop, only with louder guitars. Following an image makeover in the mid-'90s, the group emerged as the most popular band in the U.K., establishing itself as heir to the English guitar pop tradition of the Kinks, the Small Faces, the Who, the Jam, Madness, and the Smiths. In the process, the group broke down the doors for a new generation of guitar bands that became labeled as Brit-pop. With Damon Albarn's wry lyrics and the group's mastery of British pop tradition, Blur were the leader of Brit-pop, but they quickly became confined by the movement; since they were its biggest band, they nearly died when the movement itself died. Through some reinvention, Blur reclaimed their position as an art pop band in the late '90s by incorporating indie rock and lo-fi influences, which finally gave them their elusive American success in 1997. But the band's legacy remained in Britain, where they helped revitalize guitar pop by skillfully updating the country's pop traditions.



Albums



Leisure (1991)

Solid debut but doesn't lift into anything special, though the singles, "There's No Other Way", and "She's So High" are attractive, albeit more about following the Manchester baggy sound and Suede, than being Blur. The closing song "Wear Me Down" also works well, though is more about following the shoegazing trend, than it is about Blur finding their own voice.  So, while this is an attractive album, and is an album of the moment, and is recognisably Blur with Albarn's distinctive drawl, and the encompassing of current music trends, it lacks originality, authenticity, and spark. It is the album of a band who wish to appear trendy, rather than wish to explore their own thing. 


Released26 August 1991
RecordedMay 1990 – March 1991
GenreBaggy
Length50:13
LabelFood
Producer

All tracks are written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."She's So High" *
4:45
2."Bang"Stephen Street3:36
3."Slow Down"Street3:11
4."Repetition"Street5:25
5."Bad Day"Street4:23
6."Sing"Blur6:00
7."There's No Other Way" *Street3:23
8."Fool"Mike Thorne3:15
9."Come Together"Street3:51
10."High Cool"Street3:37
11."Birthday"Thorne3:50
12."Wear Me Down" * Thorne4:49
Total length:50:13


Score: 4


"Popscene" (March 1992)

An energetic and poppy, grunge influenced non-album single. Later included on Live At The Budokan (1996) and Midlife (2009. 




Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)

I can hear Syd Barret in this. A lot. And other odd things, like Madness, The Kinks, The Beatles, but mostly it's Barret. Solo Barret. Yet, somehow, this has Blur's voice. This is the Blur we know. A solid album. Stronger than the debut, and pointing the way the band would go. 


Released10 May 1993
RecordedOctober 1991 – March 1993 at various locations
Genre
Length58:52
LabelFood (UK), SBK (US)
Producer

All lyrics by Damon Albarn. All music by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon/Alex James/Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleLength
1."For Tomorrow" * 4:21
2."Advert" *3:45
3."Colin Zeal"3:16
4."Pressure on Julian"3:31
5."Star Shaped"3:26
6."Blue Jeans"3:54
7."Chemical World" (includes hidden track "Intermission")6:33
8."Sunday Sunday"2:38
9."Oily Water"5:01
10."Miss America"5:35
11."Villa Rosie"3:54
12."Coping"3:24
13."Turn It Up"3:22
14."Resigned" (includes hidden track "Commercial Break")6:12



Score: 5


Parklife (1994)

Heavily promoted with a launch at Walthamstow Stadium, the album was a commercial and critical success. It is a pop music treat with its blend of classic Sixties pop influences, and Nineties indie-pop. 


Released25 April 1994
RecordedAugust 1993 – January 1994
Studio
Genre
Length52:39
LabelFood
Producer

All lyrics are written by Damon Albarn, except for "Far Out" by Alex James; all music is composed by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleLength
1."Girls & Boys" * 4:50
2."Tracy Jacks" *4:20
3."End of a Century" *2:46
4."Parklife" (featuring Phil Daniels) * 3:05
5."Bank Holiday"1:42
6."Badhead"3:25
7."The Debt Collector" (instrumental)2:10
8."Far Out"1:41
9."To the End" * 4:05
10."London Loves"4:15
11."Trouble in the Message Centre"4:09
12."Clover Over Dover"3:22
13."Magic America"3:38
14."Jubilee"2:47
15."This Is a Low"5:07
16."Lot 105"1:17


AllMusic: 10 
Score: 7


The Great Escape (1995)

This album is chock a block full of good songs. The band's best album. 

Released11 September 1995
RecordedJanuary–May 1995
StudioMaison Rouge and Townhouse, London
Genre
Length56:56
Label
ProducerStephen Street

All lyrics by Damon Albarn. All music by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon/Alex James/Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleLength
1."Stereotypes" *3:10
2."Country House" *3:57
3."Best Days"4:49
4."Charmless Man" *3:34
5."Fade Away"4:19
6."Top Man"4:00
7."The Universal" *3:58
8."Mr. Robinson's Quango" *4:02
9."He Thought of Cars" * 4:15
10."It Could Be You"3:14
11."Ernold Same" (featuring Ken Livingstone) * 2:07
12."Globe Alone"2:23
13."Dan Abnormal" * 3:24
14."Entertain Me"4:19
15."Yuko and Hiro"5:24


Score: 7 1/2 

Live at the Budokan (May 1996)

Sounds like it was recorded in the back toilet at the Budokan.  The band can't seem to generate an atmosphere, but they do adequately work their way through the songs, with guitarist Coxon sometimes coming on like some kind of dated rock star with chunky riffs and occasional feedback. Albarn, though, sounds below par. Not a great album, but passable enough. 

Released22 May 1996
Recorded8–9 November 1995
Genre
Length96:24
LabelFood/EMI

  1. "The Great Escape" – 1:37
  2. "Jubilee" – 3:13
  3. "Popscene" – 3:11
  4. "End of a Century" – 2:56
  5. "Tracy Jacks" – 4:09
  6. "Mr. Robinson's Quango" – 5:02
  7. "To the End" – 4:18
  8. "Fade Away" – 4:20
  9. "It Could Be You" – 3:13
  10. "Stereotypes" – 3:29
  11. "She's So High" – 5:26
  12. "Girls & Boys" – 4:50
  13. "Advert" – 3:28
  14. "Intermission" – 1:39
  15. "Bank Holiday" – 1:51
  16. "For Tomorrow" – 6:26
  17. "Country House" – 4:40
  18. "This Is a Low" – 5:12
  19. "Supa Shoppa" – 3:23

  1. "Yuko and Hiro" – 4:44
  2. "He Thought of Cars" – 5:03
  3. "Coping" – 3:23
  4. "Globe Alone" – 2:43
  5. "Parklife" – 3:37
  6. "The Universal" – 5:11

AllMusic: 6 
Score: 3 1/2 


Blur (1997)

Contains some good songs individually, but this is an edgy album, in which Blur appear to be trying to push the boundaries of what they can do and are capable of doing. This is sort of an arty album that doesn't quite make it. It's ambitious, sure, but patchy and lacking. There are interesting influences from American alternative rock such as Beck and the lo-fi of Pavement, but Blur are following rather than creating.  

Released10 February 1997
RecordedJune–November 1996
Studio
Genre
Length56:53
LabelFood
Producer

All lyrics by Damon Albarn (except for "You're So Great" by Graham Coxon). All music by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon/Alex James/Dave Rowntree except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Beetlebum" *5:04
2."Song 2" *2:02
3."Country Sad Ballad Man"4:50
4."M.O.R." (Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree, David Bowie, Brian Eno)3:27
5."On Your Own"4:26
6."Theme from Retro"3:37
7."You're So Great"3:35
8."Death of a Party"4:33
9."Chinese Bombs"1:24
10."I'm Just a Killer for Your Love"4:11
11."Look Inside America"3:50
12."Strange News from Another Star"4:02
13."Movin' On"3:44
14."Essex Dogs"8:08


AllMusic: 
Score: 5 

 
13 (1999)

The opening song, "Tender", is awesome, and "Coffee & TV" is good, but I'm struggling with the rest of it. 

Released15 March 1999
RecordedJune–October 1998
Studio
Genre
Length66:50
Label
Producer

All lyrics by Damon Albarn (except for "Tender" by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon and "Coffee & TV" by Graham Coxon). All music by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon/Alex James/Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleLength
1."Tender" * 7:40
2."Bugman"4:47
3."Coffee & TV"5:58
4."Swamp Song"4:36
5."1992"5:29
6."B.L.U.R.E.M.I."2:52
7."Battle"7:43
8."Mellow Song"3:56
9."Trailerpark"4:26
10."Caramel"7:38
11."Trimm Trabb"5:37
12."No Distance Left to Run"3:27
13."Optigan 1" (instrumental)2:34


AllMusic: 
Score: 


The Best Of  (2000)



All tracks written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Beetlebum"Blur, 19975:05
2."Song 2"Blur2:02
3."There's No Other Way" (Edited version)Leisure, 19913:14
4."The Universal"The Great Escape, 19954:00
5."Coffee & TV" (Single edit)13, 19995:18
6."Parklife"Parklife, 19943:07
7."End of a Century"Parklife2:47
8."No Distance Left to Run"133:26
9."Tender"137:41
10."Girls & Boys" (Single edit)Parklife4:18
11."Charmless Man"The Great Escape3:33
12."She's So High" (Edited version)Leisure3:49
13."Country House"The Great Escape3:57
14."To the End" (Edited version)Parklife3:51
15."On Your Own"Blur4:27
16."This Is a Low" (Not released as a single)Parklife5:02
17."For Tomorrow" (Visit to Primrose Hill extended version)Modern Life Is Rubbish, 19936:02
18."Music Is My Radar"Non-album single, 20005:29


AllMusic: 
Score: 

Think Tank (2003)

A bit U2. Some sense of wanting to be adventurous with electronic music, but it's not quite working for me.  Guitarist Coxon left shortly after the band started recording this. Albarn filled in on guitar for the album, and a guitarist was hired for the supporting tour.  

My comments from the Hoffman forum: 

For me, Blur were a pretty decent pop-rock band, and a rather poor indie/alt-rock band. Put them up against another pop-rock band, and Blur do stand out: intelligent lyrics, and a professional sound with an indie twist. Put them up against an indie or alt-rock band, and, for me, their weaknesses stand out. 

On Think Tank, the band are not hugely different to what they have been right from the start - from the first album they did atmospheric pieces like "Slow Down" and "Wear Me Down". But Coxon is missing, and badly missed. What we have is the weak side of Blur - the attempts to be atmospheric and musical, without the means to achieve that.  The best tracks, like "Ambulance" and "Out Of Time", have always been there in the band - the slow atmospheric touches, but here they are missing the crackle of Coxon's guitar, and they lean a little too much on the late 90s / early Naughty's albums by U2, and a little too much on indie dance acts like the Chemical Brothers and FatBoy Slim, without the touch, groove and excitement of those acts. Being a Nineties band, Blur would have been inspired by the successful blend of rock, electronics, and dance of Primal Scream' Screamadelica, and Albarn would no doubt have liked to create a contemporary version of that. But Screamadelica arrived where it did through collaboration, a simple desire to make groovy interesting music, and some very creative individuals out of their heads on ecstasy.  I think those elements were rather lacking on Think Tank, which emerged out of tension,  and one individual's dominance and attempt to create something they were truly not capable of. Crafted and intelligent pop songs, yes. Albarn is brilliant at that. Atmospheric music? By himself? Without the most musical member of the band? No.  For the best Albarn music at this time, I think we need to look at Gorillaz; though, for me, Gorillaz is a sort of washed out Beck - superficially attractive, but lacking depth, despite the involvement of the creative Dan the Automator. 

Released5 May 2003 (details)
RecordedNovember 2001 – November 2002 in London, Morocco and Devon
Genre
Length56:04 (including hidden track)
49:16 (excluding hidden track)
LanguageEnglish
LabelParlophone
Producer

All lyrics by Damon Albarn. All music by Damon Albarn/Alex James/Dave Rowntree except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ambulance" 5:09
2."Out of Time" 3:52
3."Crazy Beat" 3:15
4."Good Song" 3:09
5."On the Way to the Club"Albarn, James Dring, James, Rowntree3:48
6."Brothers and Sisters" 3:47
7."Caravan" 4:36
8."We've Got a File on You" 1:03
9."Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club" 3:03
10."Sweet Song" 4:01
11."Jets"Albarn, James, Rowntree, Mike Smith6:25
12."Gene by Gene" 3:49
13."Battery in Your Leg"Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree3:20


Score: 3 1/2 

 Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur (June 2009)

A compilation inferior to the 2000 Best of.  Some songs are the same. Added songs are marked with * - which indicates few essentials, other than "Stereotypes", are added. Yet tracks like "There's No Other Way", "End of A Century",  "Country House", "Charmless Man", and "To The End" are dropped.  

 
Disc one
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Beetlebum" Blur5:04
2."Girls & Boys" (single edit) Parklife4:19
3."For Tomorrow" (Visit to Primrose Hill extended version) Modern Life Is Rubbish6:00
4."Coffee & TV" (single edit) 135:19
5."Out of Time" *Think Tank3:52
6."Blue Jeans" *Modern Life Is Rubbish3:53
7."Song 2"Blur2:02
8."Bugman" * 134:51
9."He Thought of Cars" * The Great Escape4:16
10."Death of a Party" (7″ remix) * Blur4:15
11."The Universal"The Great Escape3:59
12."Sing" * Leisure6:01
13."This Is a Low" * Parklife5:00
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Tender"137:42
2."She's So High" (single edit) * Leisure3:50
3."Chemical World" (radio edit) * Modern Life Is Rubbish3:53
4."Good Song" * Think Tank3:06
5."Parklife" Parklife3:07
6."Advert" * Modern Life Is Rubbish3:44
7."Popscene" * Non-album single3:15
8."Stereotypes" * The Great Escape3:11
9."Trimm Trabb" * 135:37
10."Badhead" * Parklife3:28
11."Strange News from Another Star" * Blur4:03
12."Battery in Your Leg" * Think Tank3:20



AllMusic: 
Score: 



All The People: Blur Live at Hyde Park (Aug 2009) 

 
03/07/2009


Blur did two reunion concerts in Hyde Park in June 2009 with exactly the same set lists and released both concerts as two separate albums. Good fun perhaps to compare the performances to see which is the better (or, indeed, if there is are any significant differences). Competent but unexciting performances. Quite listenable, and both Albern and the band perform better than the 2012 Olympic Ceremony in the same location three years later. For what it's worth, I prefer the June 2nd concert. There's more warmth, energy, and tension in the band, and a more electric relationship with the crowd. The band always seem to enjoy and get into a groove playing "Beetlebum" live. 

ReleasedAugust 2009
Recorded2 July 2009 and 3 July 2009
Hyde Park, London, UK
Genre
Indie 
Length123:22 (2 July 2009)
122:22 (3 July 2009)
LabelParlophone

Disc one

  1. "She's So High" – 5:00 / 5:19 (from Leisure)
  2. "Girls & Boys" – 5:02 / 4:40 (from Parklife)
  3. "Tracy Jacks" – 4:31 / 4:32 (from Parklife)
  4. "There's No Other Way" – 4:14 / 3:55 (from Leisure)
  5. "Jubilee" – 3:01 / 3:11 (from Parklife)
  6. "Badhead" – 3:48 / 3:59 (from Parklife)
  7. "Beetlebum" – 6:50 / 7:00 (from Blur)
  8. "Out of Time" – 3:58 / 3:53 (from Think Tank)
  9. "Trimm Trabb" – 5:25 / 5:15 (from 13)
  10. "Coffee & TV" – 5:30 / 5:27 (from 13)
  11. "Tender" – 9:09 / 9:25 (from 13)

Disc two

  1. "Country House" – 5:08 / 5:18 (from The Great Escape)
  2. "Oily Water" – 4:20 / 4:35 (from Modern Life Is Rubbish)
  3. "Chemical World" – 5:08 / 4:42 (from Modern Life Is Rubbish)
  4. "Sunday Sunday" – 3:52 / 3:01 (from Modern Life Is Rubbish)
  5. "Parklife" – 3:12 / 3:37 (from Parklife)
  6. "End of a Century" – 3:30 / 3:05 (from Parklife)
  7. "To the End" – 4:24 / 4:24 (from Parklife)
  8. "This Is a Low" – 8:37 / 8:46 (from Parklife)
  9. "Popscene" – 2:57 / 2:55 (Single)
  10. "Advert" – 3:23 / 3:14 (from Modern Life Is Rubbish)
  11. "Song 2" – 5:53 / 5:21 (from Blur)
  12. "Death of a Party" – 5:16 / 4:56 (from Blur)
  13. "For Tomorrow" – 6:28 / 7:08 (from Modern Life Is Rubbish)
  14. "The Universal" – 4:46 / 4:44 (from The Great Escape)

Score: 4 




"Fools Day" (April 2010)

The return of Coxon is marked with the release of this limited edition, low key single. 


"Under The Westway" (July 2012) 





Parklive (Aug 2012)


 A live album recorded in Hyde Park as part of the closing ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympics. It appears to be a faithful and authenticate souvenir of that event - useful for those who were there. But it perhaps holds less of an attraction for those who weren't there, as there's a lack of polish and sophistication and magic to the album. It's a rather dull album, sometimes muddy, of an Albarn shouting rather than singing in front of a band who are professionally going through the motions, but who lack conviction. However, they are clearly pleasing the crowd who join in enthusiastically. The six minute "Beetlebum", however, is pretty decent. And the less Albarn sings, and the more the band play, the better, as his voice is not suited to live performance. 

Released13 August 2012 (iTunes Store)
20 August 2012 (CD)
3 December 2012 (DVD) (Special Edition)
RecordedHyde Park, London, 12 August 2012
Genre
Length125:13
LabelEMI, Parlophone

Disc one
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
1."Girls & Boys"Parklife5:07
2."London Loves"Parklife3:32
3."Tracy Jacks"Parklife4:26
4."Jubilee"Parklife3:00
5."Beetlebum"Blur6:00
6."Coffee & TV"134:58
7."Out of Time"Think Tank4:42
8."Young and Lovely""Chemical World" (single)5:12
9."Trimm Trabb"135:28
10."Caramel"135:04
11."Sunday Sunday"Modern Life Is Rubbish3:34
12."Country House"The Great Escape4:28
13."Parklife" (featuring Phil Daniels)Parklife3:44
Total length:59:15
Disc two
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
1."Colin Zeal"Modern Life Is Rubbish3:18
2."Popscene"(single)3:50
3."Advert"Modern Life Is Rubbish4:28
4."Song 2"Blur2:50
5."No Distance Left to Run"133:57
6."Tender"139:09
7."This Is a Low"Parklife7:58
8."Sing"Leisure5:49
9."Under the Westway / Intermission"(single) / Modern Life is Rubbish6:33
10."End of a Century"Parklife3:39
11."For Tomorrow"Modern Life Is Rubbish6:42
12."The Universal"The Great Escape4:45
Total length:65:58
Disc three (CD only)
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
1."Under the Westway (Live from 13 – Matt Butcher Mix)""Under the Westway" (single)4:21
2."The Puritan (Live from 13 – Matt Butcher Mix)""Under the Westway" (single)3:16
3."Mr Briggs (BBC Maida Vale session)""There's No Other Way" (single)3:30
4."London Loves (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)"Parklife3:41
5."Young and Lovely (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)""Chemical World" (single)4:39
6."Colin Zeal (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)"Modern Life is Rubbish3:09
7."The Puritan (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)""Under the Westway" (single)4:39
8."No Distance Left to Run (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)"133:51
9."This Is a Low (Live at Wolverhampton Civic Hall 6 August 2012)"Parklife6:57
Total length:37:12


Wikipedia
AllMusic: 
Score: 3 1/2 



The Magic Whip (2015)

This sounds remarkably like Bowie's final album, Blackstar, which was released in 2016, a year after this. Interesting. It's a pleasant album, and rather better than one expects of a largely inactive band getting together in the studio after 12 years. And while it is recognisably Blur (the slow, melancholy Blur rather than the bouncy Blur), it is also interestingly different. The songs are not strong, and this is not an important album for Blur, let alone for music in general, but it is an album for the band to be proud of. But it's not an album that many people will play much or will talk about. 


Released27 April 2015
RecordedMay 2013, November 2014 – January 2015
Studio
  • Avon Studios, Hong Kong 
  • Studio 13, London
Genre
Length51:42
Label
Producer

All tracks are written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree.

No.TitleLength
1."Lonesome Street"4:23
2."New World Towers"4:03
3."Go Out"4:41
4."Ice Cream Man"3:25
5."Thought I Was a Spaceman"6:16
6."I Broadcast"2:51
7."My Terracotta Heart"4:05
8."There Are Too Many of Us"4:25
9."Ghost Ship"5:00
10."Pyongyang" * 5:46
11."Ong Ong"3:08
12."Mirrorball"3:39


AllMusic: 
Score: 4 


Music videos 


List of music videos, showing year released and director
TitleYearDirector(s)
"She's So High"1990David Balfe
"There's No Other Way" (version 1)1991
"Bang"Willy Smax
"There's No Other Way" (version 2)Matthew Amos
"Popscene"1992David Mould
"For Tomorrow"1993Julien Temple
"Chemical World"Dwight Clarke
"Sunday Sunday"
"Girls & Boys"1994Kevin Godley
"To the End"David Mould
"Parklife"Pedro Romhanyi
"End of a Century"Matthew Longfellow
"Country House"1995Damien Hirst
"The Universal"Jonathan Glazer
"Stereotypes"1996Matthew Longfellow
"Charmless Man"Jamie Thraves
"Beetlebum"1997Sophie Muller
"Song 2"
"On Your Own"
"M.O.R."John Hardwick
"Tender"1999Grant Gee
"Coffee & TV"Hammer & Tongs
"No Distance Left to Run"Thomas Vinterberg
"Music Is My Radar"2000Don Cameron
"Don't Bomb When You're the Bomb"2002Thomas Vinterberg
"Out of Time"2003John Hardwick
"Crazy Beat" (version 1)Shynola
"Crazy Beat" (version 2)John Hardwick
"Good Song"Shynola, David Shrigley
"Fool's Day"2010Pulse Films
"Under the Westway"2012
"The Puritan"
"Go Out"2015Tony Hung
"There Are Too Many of Us"Blur
"Lonesome Street"Ben Reed
"Ong Ong"Tony Hung
"I Broadcast"





Discography


Summary 


Blur were a pretty good pop-rock band; though largely derivative, they had a distinctive and recognisable sound, and at their best were full of pop energy, capturing the zeitgeist of the Britpop Nineties. Their peak was 1994-1995 with the albums Parklife and The Great Escape , both of which contained their most successful singles, including the iconic "Country House", which beat Oasis to Number One in the "Battle of Britpop". Their early period, 1993-1994, was too much wannabe indie, trying to be either Madchester Baggie or Southern Shoegaze, and failing at both; while their later period had the same failing, though then looking to American Alt-rock for inspiration, particularly Pavement and Beck. That their record label changed their name, and they accepted it, is an indication of their commitment to success over authenticity, though they also wanted the credibility and status of being a serious band rather than a pop band, which is why they chased the sound of other indie bands, and copied the approach of genuine and brilliant bands such as Suede.  While the early and late periods are not their best, they did record individual songs in these periods that are not only good, but are among their best. While the Blur and 13 albums are generally dry and weak, and did not sell as well as their peak albums, because they copied American Alt-rock they are more appreciated in America than the band's previous albums, and they each contain two very strong tracks. Though the slow Moroccan influenced  "Out of Time" from 2003's Think Tank is appreciated by some, their output since 1999 can be safely ignored. 

On the whole Blur were a decent pop-rock band who captured and represented the zeitgeist of Nineties Britpop, and at their best constructed energetic and well crafted pop songs that combined contemporary indie interests with a reverence for Sixties pop-rock, particularly The Kinks, whose history they echoed in several ways. 

Voice/Musicianship (15)
Decent voice, decent musicianship. Not particularly great, but certainly professional and attractive.
Score: 8  

Image/Star quality (5)
They had a good image for a while in the Nineties, though were seen as slightly naff, and slightly poppy. The delving into Pavement type material in an effort to get more credibility didn't work in the UK or globally, though did in the US. 

Score: 2

Lyrics/Music (20)  
The strong point of the band is Albarn's more than decent lyrics. They are very professional, clever, and sometimes quite tender and emotional. The music is always reasonably pleasant and competent; a bit weak when  going outside their core strength - but at their peak they produced some brilliantly constructed pop-rock songs.  

Score: 12

Impact/Influence (10) 
They were one of the main bands of Britpop, but not one of the main bands of the Nineties. They were hardly known in the US until their later US alt-rock influenced period. 

Score: 5 

Popularity (5) 
They were popular in the UK, and sold reasonably well with some number one singles and albums. 

Score: 3 

Emotional appeal (5) 
Well crafted pop played with conviction tends to work well, though the emotions are often a little superficial. 

Score: 3 

Authenticity (15) 
Not really. They wanted to be, but a band that plays what the record label tells them to, and who change their name at the suggestion of the record label, are not so much interested in the authenticity of what they are doing as in their personal success and status. 

Score: 5 

Art (5)  
They are kinda arty. 

Score: 3 

Classic albums/songs (5)  
None of their albums are classic, but they did cough up a handful of really good singles. 

Score: 2 

Originality/Innovation (5)
Nothing much here. They were not leaders, but did capture the mood and sound of the moment. 

Score: 1 

Legacy (10) 
Their legacy will be their involvement and representation of the poppier side of Britpop. 

Score: 5 

Total: 49 out of 100


Best songs

* NME 
* Stereogum (good introductory article) 
* RadioX 
* WRVU 
* Ranker 
* Reddit 
* Farout (Best Albarn songs) 
* Young Folks (Every Blur song ranked)

Songs are listed chronologically. Numbers in brackets is the amount (including me) who had the song in their Top 20. ☝ indicates those songs which attracted five or more mentions.  ✔️ indicates those songs which did not get five mentions, but which I nevertheless feel is a song worthy of being on a compilation CD. ❌ indicates a song which got five or more mentions, but which I feel is over-rated. 

Leisure  (1991) 
"She's So High" (6) ☝ Their first single, and the first track on their first album. 
"There's No Other Way"  (6) ☝ Their second single - this got into the UK Top Ten, and the lower reaches of the US chart
"Popscene" (1992 - non-album single)  (6) ☝
Modern Life is Rubbish (1993) 
"For Tomorrow"  (8) ☝
"Advert" (2)  ✔️
$"Blue Jeans" (3) 
$"Star Shaped" (2) 
$"Chemical World"  (3) 
Parklife (1994)
"Girls & Boys"  (12) ☝  A popular Blur song - this is the song that brought Blur to the attention of the British public. 
"Tracy Jacks" (3)  ✔️
"End of a Century" (8) ☝
"Parklife" (11) ☝ - Classic, and most representative of Blur 
"To the End" (6)  ☝
$"Badhead" (3) 
$"This Is A Low" (7) ☝  ❌ Albarn trying to combine the lyrical interests of Morrisey (The Smiths) and Ray Davies (The Kinks) to create a melancholic song using iconic British imagery - the weather and the shipping forecast. It's quite popular, but on the whole does not match "Waterloo Sunset" or "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", which are clear bases for the song's construction. This is a magic moment, Albarn and Davies singing "Waterloo Sunset"  in The White Room, finishing with an impromptu couple of chorus of "Parklife".   ❔ I have now put this into my playlist as so many Blur fans feel this is such an important track.   Nope. Taken it out again. It's such a thin song and yet takes up a lot of space. 
The Great Escape (1995)
"Stereotypes"  ✔️  A typical cheeky Ray Davies lyric set to a swirling organ, a Nineties stop start rhythm, and some slashing alt-rock guitar. A strong song, somehow overlooked by critics. 
"Country House" (11)  ☝  A whoosh of confidence and energy - a cheeky song that represents Britpop.
"Charmless Man" (5) ☝
"The Universal" (9)  ☝
"Mr. Robinson's Quango" ✔️ Another cheeky lyric with strong bright music. A good song. 
"He Thought of Cars" (2)  
"Ernold Same" ❔
"Dan Abnormal" (2)  ❔
$"Best Days" (2) 
Blur (1997) 
"Beetlebum"  (12)  ☝ On the otherwise dull and too alt-rock derivative Blur album, the band deliver two of their most popular songs. "Beetlebum" is not like Blur, though is recognisable through Albarn's voice, and the tight pop-rock feel of the band. It's a song completely out of left-field - lyrics and music clearly influenced by John Lennon (the beetlebum in the lyric was just a nonsense word Albarn used when constructing the song, but the unconscious association with the Beatles is clearly there). The lyrics are, like much of Lennon's, ambiguous, but, like much of Lennon's, can be seen as a reference to taking drugs. There is a Pavement and Sonic Youth feel to this, as well as echoes of "Under The Bridge". 
"Song 2" (10)  ☝  The band's most iconic and possibly best song. As with "Beetlebum", it's not typically Blur, and the band have done nothing this thrashy and grungy before or since. Awesome slice of excitement. What a rush. Best used in the trailer for Starship Trooper (and, boy, was I disappointed that the song wasn't actually used in the film!)
$"Death Of A Party" (2)
$"On Your Own" (3) ❔
$"You're So Great" (2) 
13 (1999) 
"Tender" (10) ☝
"Coffee & TV" (11) ☝
$"No Distance Left to Run" (3) 
$"Trim Trabb" (3) 
Think Tank  (2003) 
$"Out Of Time" (8) ☝ ❌
$"Good Song" (3) 
$"Fools Day" (2010 - non-album single) (4)
$"Under The Westway" (2012 - non-album single)  (2)  
The Magic Whip (2015)
$"Go Out"   (2)  

The ultimate Blur CD: This is Blur: 
    X"This Is A Low"

Total time just over 1 hour 17 minutes: fits onto an 80 minute CD.

Links

* Starshaped 1993 documentary 
* No Distance Left To Run 2010 documentary 


***


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