BCB 100 - Blur

geoffcowgill · Postby **geoffcowgill** » 11 Jul 2006, 16:54

Until late 2000, I didn't really know much about Blur. I'd heard "Girls and Boys" a couple of times, knew the Parklife album was pretty acclaimed, had heard "Song 2", not entirely aware that it was them, and that was about it. I read a Mojo retrospective article centering on their Best Of and was sufficiently intrigued. Got said compilation and loved it. It's really nice to be able to do that, to find that there are all these great songs that many others had heard one at a time as singles and be introduced to them in one fell swoop. I don't have Parklife yet, but it would likely be my favorite if the quality is fairly consistent with the singles. The three regular albums I have (Modern Life..., Blur & Think Tank) are very good, but that Best Of is better. I adore "End of a Century". I'm a sucker for that Squeeze/Beatles type of thing, and this one is done exceptionally well. There just isn't enough of this kind of perfect pop music anymore.

I'm glad I haven't been exposed to too much of Damon Albarn's public persona or whatever it is that causes people to hate him so much. I can instead regard him simply as a gifted and curious musician who sometimes gets in over his head a bit or puts the wrong foot forward.

Favorite Album - Blur: The Best Of

Favorite Song - "End Of A Century"

Clippernolan · Postby **Clippernolan** » 11 Jul 2006, 17:09

Album: Best of

Song: Coffee & TV.

BajaJaba · Postby **BajaJaba** » 11 Jul 2006, 17:49

Album : Blur (Self Titled)

Best Song: Pressure on Julian...

The Modernist · Postby **The Modernist** » 11 Jul 2006, 17:51

Album: Modern Life Is Rubbish

Song: Beetlebum

Insouciant Western People · Postby **Insouciant Western People** » 11 Jul 2006, 17:52

Album: The Great Escape

Song: Girls & Boys (PSB remix)

Corporate whore · Postby **Corporate whore** » 11 Jul 2006, 18:07

Album: Parklife (enjoyable despite the ubiquitous (sp?) title track)

Song: Song 2

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 11 Jul 2006, 18:09

They're better than Oasis.

Album - Parklife
Song - Stereotypes

Limpin' Jez McKenzie · Postby **Limpin' Jez McKenzie** » 11 Jul 2006, 18:26

A band with a classic career trajectory - couple of albums to find your feet, then a few albums of massive popularity, then a bunch of well-received but less popular albums with a solid following. Blur are an excellent band whose records have gems mixed with lesser tracks - which is fine really.
Best album - Parklife , and quite rightly.
Best song - I'm just a killer for your love.

nathan · Postby **nathan** » 11 Jul 2006, 18:33

I go through periods where I think they were just wretched poseurs and other times I think they put out some of the most interesting pop music of the 90's. Either way, I like to listen to them from time to time still.

Album: Modern Life Is Rubbish

Song: No Distance Left To Run or Chemcial World

Bungo the Mungo · Postby **Bungo the Mungo** » 11 Jul 2006, 18:36

I dunno.

Album: Parklife

Song: There's No Other Way/For Tomorrow/Badhead

Penk! · Postby **Penk!** » 11 Jul 2006, 20:22

I think they're a really underrated band. Yeah, they were silly sometimes and they were never really what they thought they were, but no one else - especially within the Britpop crowd - managed to be as diverse and interesting as them while retaining their knack for writing tune after tune after tune.
Album: probably the self-titled one, but I like all of them except Think Tank
Song: either This is a Low (objectively their finest moment) or He Thought of Cars (its slightly odder brother)

Bad Ambassador · Postby **Bad Ambassador** » 11 Jul 2006, 20:34

Album: Think Tank
Song: End Of A Century

For me, Think Tank works as a whole body of music and for whatever reason it really clicked with me. The summer of 2003 was dominated by that album and very little else. To this day it never fails to engage me. I'm with Alex James that this is their best record and it's one of my all-time top ten.

As for End Of A Century, as has already been said, it's a perfect pop song.

Hare Brained · Postby **Hare Brained** » 11 Jul 2006, 20:41

Put off by the mockney bollocks early on, wasn't interested. However, as I've said before, saw them at the Astoria a few years ago and they were fucking fantastic. Rooolly good.

Bad Ambassador · Postby **Bad Ambassador** » 11 Jul 2006, 20:50

Almost forgot, honourable mention goes to what is probably now my second favourite Blur song, 'Black Book', from the b-side of 'Music Is My Radar'. It's a slow-moving tune that goes on for an age, but it gets me every time. Worth checking out, or indeed clearing your throat.

KeithPratt · Postby **KeithPratt** » 11 Jul 2006, 21:01

I only like Popscene.

Modern Life is Rubbish wasn't bad either.

brassneck.. · Postby **brassneck..** » 11 Jul 2006, 21:10

I've never been a "fan" of Blur and yet i own all their albums. There are excellent songs on them all but i could never clutch the band to my bosom because, firstly, they were poor on the 2 occasions i saw them live in the early days, and, more importantly, i wanted to punch Damon and Alex.

I find much of Parklife smug and irritating although i do still like This is a Low and End of the Century. I haven't replaced my cassette copy of The Great Escape and don't feel the need to.

13 is dross apart from Coffee and TV, it was clear that Graham needed to leave, such is the quality of Think Tank. Leisure is patchy but the other 2... it's difficult but

Album = Blur

Song = Beetlebum

I always think of Blur as Graham's album, and all the better for it's aping of americana.

Carl's Son · Postby **Carl's Son** » 11 Jul 2006, 22:14

Being smug and irritating myself I adore Blur. Cant pick one song, cant pick one album. You can hate Damon Albarn all you want but very few people these days write songs that good and have hits with them.

brassneck.. · Postby **brassneck..** » 11 Jul 2006, 22:19

Chris Chopping wrote:Being smug and irritating myself I adore Blur. Cant pick one song, cant pick one album. You can hate Damon Albarn all you want but very few people these days write songs that good and have hits with them.

Have you read my post, Chris?

Ranking Ted · Postby **Ranking Ted** » 11 Jul 2006, 22:26

I like all the LPs a lot, excepting 13 and Leisure, which are relatively poor. On form, though, they're as exciting and challenging a pop band we've had in the last 15 years.

LP: Modern Life Is Rubbish
Track: This Is A Low

Tom Violence · Postby **Tom Violence** » 11 Jul 2006, 22:41

Angel Heart wrote:A band with a classic career trajectory - couple of albums to find your feet, then a few albums of massive popularity, then a bunch of well-received but less popular albums with a solid following. Blur are an excellent band whose records have gems mixed with lesser tracks - which is fine really.
Best album - Parklife , and quite rightly.
Best song - I'm just a killer for your love.

Couple to find your feet? Just the one. Rightly enough Leisure is patchy, but I think MLIR is by far their best album. Sheer genius throughout. Every single album is a must have....with the exception of 'The Great Escape'. Bar the four singles and 'Top Man', I find very little to like about this album at their peak of fame. But it ain't bad. And the rest are all just incredibly strong.

Best album - Modern Life is Rubbish (easily)

Best song - Caramel