Blur: The Best Of | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | 30 October 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1990–2000 | |||
Genre | Britpop, alternative rock, indie rock | |||
Length | 77:08(CD1) 43:38 (CD2) 89:35 (VHS/DVD) | |||
Label | Food/Virgin/Parlophone | |||
Producer | Stephen Street, William Orbit, Steve Lovell, Steve Power, Ben Hillier | |||
Blur chronology | ||||
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Damon Albarn chronology | ||||
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Singles from Blur:The Best Of | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 88/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | 6/10 [3] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [5] |
NME | 9/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 8.6/10 [7] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | A− [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Wall of Sound | 86/100 [11] |
Blur:The Best Of is a greatest hits compilation album by English Britpop band Blur,first released in late 2000 and is the final Blur album by Food Records. It was released on CD,cassette tape,MiniDisc,double 12" vinyl record,DVD and VHS. The CD album includes 17 of Blur's 23 singles from 1990 to 2000,plus non-single,"This Is a Low". A special edition of the CD version included a live CD. The DVD/VHS version contains the videos of Blur's first 22 singles. The album,which has had enduring sales,hit number 3 in the band's native UK in the autumn of 2000,while denting the US charts at number 186. The cover is by artist Julian Opie. The painting of this Blur album can be found at the National Portrait Gallery in London,England.
The album received a positive critical response. Of the reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator website Metacritic,the album holds an overall approval rating of 88%. [1]
On the chart ending 7 March 2009,it was reported by Music Week that the album passed over one million unit sales in the United Kingdom.
A proposed title for the album was Best Blur Album in the World Ever, [12] in reference to the compilation album series The Best... Album in the World...Ever! (which often contained songs by Blur).
All tracks written by Damon Albarn,Graham Coxon,Alex James,and Dave Rowntree.
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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1. | "Beetlebum" | Blur , 1997 | 5:05 |
2. | "Song 2" | Blur | 2:02 |
3. | "There's No Other Way" (Edited version) | Leisure , 1991 | 3:14 |
4. | "The Universal" | The Great Escape , 1995 | 4:00 |
5. | "Coffee & TV" (Single edit) | 13 , 1999 | 5:18 |
6. | "Parklife" | Parklife , 1994 | 3:07 |
7. | "End of a Century" | Parklife | 2:47 |
8. | "No Distance Left to Run" | 13 | 3:26 |
9. | "Tender" | 13 | 7:41 |
10. | "Girls & Boys" (Single edit) | Parklife | 4:18 |
11. | "Charmless Man" | The Great Escape | 3:33 |
12. | "She's So High" (Edited version) | Leisure | 3:49 |
13. | "Country House" | The Great Escape | 3:57 |
14. | "To the End" (Edited version) | Parklife | 3:51 |
15. | "On Your Own" | Blur | 4:27 |
16. | "This Is a Low" (Edited version, not released as a single) | Parklife | 5:02 |
17. | "For Tomorrow" (Visit to Primrose Hill extended version) | Modern Life Is Rubbish , 1993 | 6:02 |
18. | "Music Is My Radar" | Non-album single, 2000 | 5:29 |
Total length: | 77:08 |
Recorded live at Wembley Arena, 11 December 1999.
Both the CDs and the DVD were released together as a box set in the United States in November 2007, but this release has since been removed from distribution. [13]
Weekly charts
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Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released the albums 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 widely publicised chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
Damon Albarn is an English musician. He is the frontman and main lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz.
Parklife is the third studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 25 April 1994 on Food Records. After moderate sales for their previous album Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a Century", "Parklife" and "To the End".
Think Tank is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 5 May 2003. Continuing the jam-based studio constructions of the group's previous album, 13 (1999), the album expanded on the use of sampled rhythm loops and brooding, heavy electronic sounds. There are also heavy influences from dance music, hip hop, dub, jazz, and African music, an indication of songwriter Damon Albarn's expanding musical interests.
The Great Escape is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Blur. It was released on 11 September 1995 on Food and Virgin Records. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and charted in the top 10 in more than ten countries around the world. Less than a year after the album was released, it was certified triple platinum in the UK. The album received near-universal acclaim on release.
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.
"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.
"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released on 20 January 1997 as the lead single from the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur (1997). Written about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin, the song features Beatles-influenced music and a mood that Albarn described as "sleepy" and "sexy". Despite fears of the song's uncommercial nature, the single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Blur's second track to top the chart. It has since appeared on several Blur compilations.
"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.
Cross Road is the first official greatest hits album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994, by Mercury Records. The album contains hits from all previously released albums from their debut, Bon Jovi (1984) to Keep the Faith (1992). The album also features two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the North American versions.
"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.
The 10 Year Limited Edition Anniversary Box Set is a box set by the band Blur released in limited quantities on 17 August 1999. It contains 22 CDs with 126 tracks featuring all official UK singles from their debut album, Leisure, to their 1999 album, 13, and the b-sides, with the exception of three of the b-sides featured on the single No Distance Left to Run. Fanclub singles, promotional singles, and singles released in other countries are not included.
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.
Brand New Day is the sixth solo studio album by English musician Sting, released by A&M Records on 27 September 1999. Promoted heavily by the success of the album's second single, "Desert Rose", the album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and sold over 3.5 million copies in the United States. Upon its release, Brand New Day was a critical and commercial success, and hailed as commercial comeback for Sting.
"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.
Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur is a two-disc compilation album by Blur, released by EMI Records on 15 June 2009. It is Blur's second retrospective collection, succeeding 2000's Blur: The Best Of and coincides with the band's 2009 reunion performances.
All the People: Blur Live at Hyde Park is a pair of live albums by British band Blur, recorded during their Hyde Park reunion shows on 2 and 3 July 2009. The albums were initially exclusively available on the Sandbag website at £15 for the double CD, or £10 for the mp3 download. The title All the People is a lyric from their song "Parklife".
rolling stone blur album guide.
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