The Return Of Blur

[BJB]

So, be honest, who has high hopes for this new blur studio album?

After Think Tank (which wasen't as bad as people made out but certainly not the same), Grahams return should make a nice return to form.

My main two worries are:
1. Graham will get fed up again
2. Damon will have exahusted all his abilites (gorillaz, good bad and queen etc).

This should also be a healthy excuse for some blur discussion.

[boxofslice]

Is Alex James going to give up the cheese then?

[BJB]

Or is Dave Rowntree going to stop trying to become prime minister?

[Peking O]

Is Alex James going to give up the cheese then?

Yes, he's going to cut the cheese.

[boxofslice]

Yes, he's going to cut the cheese.

Pnarr Pnarr

[bennyprofane]

I think the most interesting thing will be whether they aim to put together something as stylistically whole as Think Tank or Modern Life is Rubbish, or whether they patch a load of Graham songs and Damon songs up against each other.  The latter would be really interesting I think.  Parklife, Blur and The Great Escape were all very stylistically various, but fitted together as organic wholes.  It'd be nice to have a Blur album that was actually kind of riven and juxtapository rather than organic and seamless. 

[Doctor Stamen]

Has this been confirmed anywhere then?  The last I heard was a rumour that they were going in the studio for a week in November and then just see what happens.  I loved Think Tank but it would be great to see them all back for one final album.

[The Plunger]

Favourite Blur album then ? Modern Life Is Rubbish for me. When I listen to it it takes me back to a happy and important time in my life, and 'For Tomorrow' is the greatest Blur single ever. Fact.

The Great Escape is quite underrated as well.

Leisure is pish though.

[Cack Hen]

Lesisure has Sing on it, though!

Some of the best songs are on Parklife, but as a whole album, Think Tank is my favourite. I've never understod the criticisms of it, it flows so nicely. Tracks like Ambulance, Out of Time, Caravan, Battery In Your Leg are all astonishing songs.

[BJB]

Great Escape for me. Largely Thanks to streotypes, country house and best man.
Mr robinsons quango is a pretty good stand out track as well.

Leisure also has Theres No Other Way on it.
I think Bang, whilist quite catchy at points, feels very forced. Mainly because it was written in 15 minuetes in order to please a record company who wanted another bankable single. Even blur have disowned it.

[The Plunger]

Thats true, Sing is fantastic. By and large though, I think Leisure is pretty poor.

I like Think Tank as well. I think some of the criticism is usually based on the Norman Cook-produced Crazy Beat, which seemed to enrage a lot of people. I mean, its not my favourite Blur single either but there are a lot worse songs out there.

Also, a while back I dloaded a torrent of all the Blur singles (I think it was that boxset thing that came out). I listened to a few of the b-sides, but generally speaking is it fair to say that a lot of the Blur b-sides are the band taking the piss ? Only one I can remember really liking was 'Magpie' from the Girls and Boys single. Anyone recommend any other gems ?

[non capisco]

'Luminous', 'Young & Lovely', 'All Your Life' and 'Black Book' are all good Blur b-sides. You're right, they did do a lot of flipside fannying about. Some of it was fun, a lot of it is stuff you're never going to want to hear again.

[Analrapist]

Hasn't this album been "just around the corner" since about 2004?

It's the Twin Peaks season 2 DVD of the music world!

[boxofslice]

Going to go with 'Blur'. Some good stuff on there, Song 2, Beetlebum, On Your Own. Quite a brave album to make as they had to pull away from the whole britpop thing and do something new and experimental even if it did mean losing some of the mass acceptance they had gained. A feat which Oasis failed to do and have since got stuck in a ruck.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Anyone recommend any other gems ?

"Theme From An Imaginary Movie" from - I think - "To The End", is a fine song. Like To The End, The Universal, and This Is A Low combined, only not as good. Yup, really sold it there. 

[Identity Crisis Ahoy!]

Out of Time might be the best they've ever recorded.

[thugler]

'modern life is rubbish' is definately my favourite, it's more cohesive than most of their albums. I still love 'blur' '13' and 'parklife' though.

Think Tank, other than a couple of tracks never really won me over, it just didn't sound like blur without coxon.

[rudi]

"Blur" for me, I think. I was expecting them to tread water at that point, but it really was a kick in the teeth to the naysayers.


And whoever posted the Oasis tag should pat themself on the back - it certainly fulfilled all the requirements for comedy, being surprising, shocking and laugh out loud funny.

[alan nagsworth]

Another vote for Great Escape here. Best Days, Charmless Man and Mr Robinson's Quango are brilliant. I remember getting £20 vouchers for Woolworth's for christmas one year and dreading what tripe I'd have to spend them on. Went in on boxing day and found Leisure, Parklife and The Great Escape for £3 each. Dunno where the other £11 went but listening to three Blur albums soon made me forget about that.

On last.fm it says that Oasis are Blur's top similar artist. OOOOOH! *the rubbing together of hands, the spreading of shit*

[Doctor Stamen]

No votes for '13'?  Just edges 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' for me.

[Ciarán]

Best Blur album? Parklife, for me.

[Marvin]

Blur, Parklife, 13 or Modern Life is Rubbish depending on my mood as my favourite. Followed by The Great Escape and then Leisure and Think Tank, which are both just not quite all there as albums.

[Ray Le Otter]

Blur, Parklife, 13 or Modern Life is Rubbish depending on my mood as my favourite. Followed by The Great Escape and then Leisure and Think Tank, which are both just not quite all there as albums.

"Parklife" for me all the way, not a duff song on it, great cover design, fab singles. Then "blur", followed by "Great Escape", "Think Tank", "Modern Life" and "13".

"Leisure" I think I've only ever got through the once. Though I perversely do like "Bang".

Apropos of nothing, here's the tracklisting for an alternative "best of" I burned off. Only rule was no singles:

ADVERT
BEST DAYS
DEATH OF A PARTY
TROUBLE IN THE MESSAGE CENTRE
HE THOUGHT OF CARS
TRACY JACKS
FADE AWAY
TRIM TRABB
COPING
YOU'RE SO GREAT
MOVIN' ON
ON THE WAY TO THE CLUB
ENTERTAIN ME
BAD HEAD
THEME FROM AN IMAGINARY FILM
BUGMAN
JUBILEE
THIS IS A LOW
SING

[BJB]

You forgot Bank holiday and BLUREMI (yes, i like that one).

[non capisco]

"Leisure" I think I've only ever got through the once. Though I perversely do like "Bang".

I never quite understood what was meant to be so bad about 'Bang'. It's a perfectly servicable pop single and yet the band and press alike always went on about it as if it were some huge embarrassment best left buried. There are far shitter songs on 'Leisure', and far shitter singles they subsequently released.

[Ray Le Otter]

I never quite understood what was meant to be so bad about 'Bang'. It's a perfectly servicable pop single and yet the band and press alike always went on about it as if it were some huge embarrassment best left buried. There are far shitter songs on 'Leisure', and far shitter singles they subsequently released.

Good video as well.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slw-YjZuAKA[/youtube]

[CaledonianGonzo]

As I recall.............

Back in the days before Parklife was released, Blur did a session for Mark Goodier (I think) where they did numbers including (again, I think) Advert, Bank Holiday and a Damon-sung early incarnation of Parklife.  Alongside these better known tracks, they also did something called 'Why has the 3/4 time signature become obsolete?', or something similar.

What happened to that, then?  I presume it wound up as a b-side under a different title, but which one?  I bought most of the Parklife singles, but not in multiple versions, and have a sneaky feeling I missed it.  As a fan of their 'Intermission'-style moments, I quite fancy hearing it again.  Does anyone have it?  And would care to share it?

[BJB]

Good video as well.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slw-YjZuAKA[/youtube]

Reminds me of tommorow comes today by the gorillaz.

[fremsley]

As I recall.............

Back in the days before Parklife was released, Blur did a session for Mark Goodier (I think) where they did numbers including (again, I think) Advert, Bank Holiday and a Damon-sung early incarnation of Parklife.  Alongside these better known tracks, they also did something called 'Why has the 3/4 time signature become obsolete?', or something similar.

What happened to that, then? 

It's on girls and boys, and I think, without checking, it became known as Anniversary Waltz.

[The Mumbler]

Slightly bizarrely, Dave Rowntree's on Radio 4's Great Lives next week, nominating the judge Lord Denning. Tuesday at 4.30pm, repeated Friday at 11pm.