Blur is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Blur,released on 10 February 1997 by Food Records. Blur had previously been broadly critical of American popular culture and their previous albums had become associated with the Britpop movement,particularly Parklife,which had helped them become one of Britain's leading pop acts. After their previous album,The Great Escape,the band faced media backlash and relationships between the members became strained.
13 is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Blur,released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the Britpop sound of the band's early career,13 explores experimental,psychedelic and electronic music.
Gorillaz is the debut studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz,released on 26 March 2001 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The album reached number three in the UK and number fourteen in the US,and the top ten in several other countries. Gorillaz has sold over seven million copies worldwide. The album's success earned the group an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band",and spawned the singles "Clint Eastwood","19-2000","Rock the House",and "Tomorrow Comes Today".
"Country House" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album,The Great Escape (1995),on 14 August 1995 by Food and Parlophone. Released on the same day as the Oasis single "Roll with It" –in a chart battle dubbed the "Battle of Britpop" –"Country House" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. The song is the band's best-selling single,with over 540,000 copies sold as of May 2014. Its music video was directed by Damien Hirst and nominated for Best Video in the 1996 BRIT Awards.
"Song 2" is a song by English rock band Blur. The song is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album. Released physically on 7 April 1997,"Song 2" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart,and number six on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"M.O.R." is a song by English rock band Blur from their eponymous album. Released on 15 September 1997,"M.O.R." reached number 15 in the UK Singles Chart on its release as a single in September 1997. Worldwide,it reached number 45 in New Zealand and also charted in Australia,Canada,and the United States.
"Parklife" is a song by the English rock band Blur,released in August 1994 by Food and Parlophone as the third single from the band's third studio album,Parklife (1994). The song contains spoken-word verses by the actor Phil Daniels,who also appears in the music video,which was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.
"Coffee &TV" is a song by British rock band Blur. It was written by the band's guitarist,Graham Coxon,who also sang lead vocals rather than frontman Damon Albarn. The song appears on Blur's sixth studio album,13 (1999),and was the second single released from the album on 28 June 1999. The lyrics describe Coxon's struggle with alcoholism and the song's video,featuring a sentient milk carton searching for Coxon,won several awards. Commercially,"Coffee &TV" reached No. 11 in the United Kingdom and No. 26 in Ireland. It was a major hit in Iceland,where it peaked at No. 2 in September 1999.
"Tender" is a song by English rock band Blur from their sixth studio album,13 (1999). Written by the four band members about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's breakup with musician turned painter Justine Frischmann,the song was released in Japan on 17 February 1999 and in the United Kingdom on 22 February as the album's lead single. "Tender" became Blur's 11th top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart,debuting and peaking at number two the week after its release. It also reached the top 20 in Greece,Iceland,Ireland,Italy,New Zealand,Norway,and Spain.
"Out of Time" is a song by British band Blur from their seventh studio album,Think Tank (2003). The song was written and produced by band members Damon Albarn,Alex James and Dave Rowntree,with Ben Hillier also serving as a producer. After being premiered via BBC Radio 1 on 3 March,it was released as the album's lead single on 14 April 2003,by Parlophone. The song became the band's first release without guitarist Graham Coxon. It is a pop ballad featuring acoustic guitars and bass,as well as a Moroccan orchestra. Lyrically,it deals with a civilisation that has lost touch,with Coxon's departure being referenced in the lyrics.
"No Distance Left to Run" is a song by English rock band Blur from their sixth studio album,13 (1999). It was released as the third and final single from the album on 15 November 1999,reaching number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. It is widely understood to refer to Blur vocalist Damon Albarn's split from long-term partner Justine Frischmann.
"Clint Eastwood" is a song by English virtual band Gorillaz,released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on 5 March 2001. The song is named after the actor of the same name due to its similarity to the theme music of The Good,the Bad and the Ugly. The song is a mix of electronic music,dub,hip hop and rock. The verses are rapped by Del the Funky Homosapien,portrayed as a blue phantom in the video,while the chorus is sung by Damon Albarn.
"Crazy Beat" is a song by English band Blur from their seventh album,Think Tank (2003). The song was written and produced by band members Damon Albarn,Alex James and Dave Rowntree in Morocco,with Norman Cook also serving as a producer. It was first serviced to alternative radio stations in the United States on 17 March 2003,by Virgin Records,while being commercially released in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2003,by Parlophone,including the songs "The Outsider" and "Don't Be" as B-sides. A three-chord song,"Crazy Beat" is a dance-pop and electropop track which draws influences of big beat and nu metal into its composition. Lyrically,it praises the effects of music and clubs on crowds.
"Girls &Boys" is a song by English rock band Blur,released in March 1994 by Food Records as the lead single from the group's third studio album,Parklife (1994). The frontman of Blur,Damon Albarn wrote the song's lyrics with bandmembers Graham Coxon,Alex James and Dave Rowntree,while Stephen Street produced it.
"The Universal" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is featured on their fourth studio album,The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 13 November 1995 by Food and Parlophone as the second single from that album,charting at number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 in both Iceland and Ireland.
The discography of English rock band Blur consists of nine studio albums,five live albums,five compilation albums,one remix album,two video albums,four extended plays,35 singles,10 promotional singles and 37 music videos. Formed in London in 1988,the group consists of singer/keyboardist Damon Albarn,guitarist/singer Graham Coxon,bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Three years later,their debut release,the Madchester and shoegazing-tinged Leisure (1991),peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) inaugurated the Britpop phase of their career. Its multi-Platinum follow-ups Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995) helped the band achieve mainstream popularity in Britain;every Blur studio album from Parklife onwards has topped the British charts.
"On Your Own" is a song by English rock band Blur. It was released as a single on 16 June 1997 from the band's fifth studio album,Blur (1997). It charted at number five on the UK Singles Chart. Although it was not released under the Gorillaz name,Damon Albarn,frontman of both musical projects,has since referred the song as 'one of the first ever Gorillaz tunes'.
"Stereotypes" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is the opening track to their fourth studio album,The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 12 February 1996 as the third single from that album,charting at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. It also became a minor hit in Australia,peaking at number 95 on the ARIA Singles Chart in June 1996. The accompanying UK B-sides—"The Man Who Left Himself","Tame" and "Ludwig"—demonstrated a dramatic change in style for Blur,being stark and raw,foreshadowing the stylistic shift that would realize itself on their eponymous follow-up album.
"Charmless Man" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is the fourth track on their fourth studio album,The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 29 April 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fourth and final single from that album,reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and also charting in Australia,France,Iceland,and Ireland.
"End of a Century" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. Released in November 1994 by Food Records,it was the last single to be released from their third album,Parklife (1994). The song reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart,considered a disappointment by Andy Ross of Food. Damon Albarn later stated that "End of a Century" may not have been the best choice for the album's fourth single,and that "This Is a Low" would have been a better alternative.
