Blur | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 10 February 1997 | |||
Recorded | June – November 1996 | |||
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Length | 56:53 | |||
Label | Food | |||
Producer |
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Blur chronology | ||||
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Singles from Blur | ||||
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.
Under the suggestion of the band's guitarist, Graham Coxon, the band underwent a stylistic change, becoming influenced by American indie rock bands such as Pavement. Recording took place in London as well as in Reykjavík, Iceland. Drummer Dave Rowntree described the music on the album as being more aggressive and emotional than their previous work. Producer Stephen Street claimed that lead singer-songwriter Damon Albarn had started writing about more personal experiences while Coxon revealed that listening to his lyrics it was clear to him that "he'd obviously gone off his head a bit more".
Despite worries from Blur's label, EMI, and the music press that the change in style would alienate the band's predominantly teenage fanbase and that the album would flop as a result, Blur, as well as lead single, "Beetlebum", reached the top of the UK charts and the album was certified platinum. The album also reached the top 20 in six other countries. The success of "Song 2" led to Blur becoming the band's most successful album in the US where the Britpop scene had been largely unsuccessful. The album received positive reviews from most music critics, many praising the stylistic change as well as Albarn's songwriting. This is the last album to feature longtime producer Stephen Street, until his return for The Magic Whip (2015).
Despite Blur's previous album, The Great Escape being released to positive reviews, and entering the UK charts at number one, the album's success was left in the shadows compared to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Britpop rivals Oasis which went quadruple platinum in the US. [6] Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which made lead singer-songwriter, Damon Albarn feel "stupid and confused". [7] Bassist Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser—very publicly." [8]
An early 1996 Q magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup". [8] Guitarist Graham Coxon, in particular, began to resent his bandmates; James for his playboy lifestyle and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image. [8] In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer Stuart Maconie later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly." [8]
Coxon struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's former Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as Pavement. [9] In the 2010 documentary on the band, No Distance Left to Run , Coxon stated that he was getting more influenced by American guitarists as "a lot of them were doing very interesting stuff with guitars and I needed to be nourished. I suppose as a guitar player and there was none of that happening in English music although English music was now more popular [so] I started listening to more stuff from the States from smaller labels." [5]
Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said. [8] He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to, as drummer Dave Rowntree put it, "work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". [5]
Recording sessions for the album started in June 1996 at Mayfair studios in London. After the initial sessions, the band left to record the rest of the album in Reykjavík, Iceland, away from the Britpop scene. [8] [10] It was in Iceland that the vocals to "Strange News from Another Star", "Essex Dogs", "Beetlebum", and "On Your Own" were recorded. [10] "We just recorded some vocals there," Albarn revealed in an Addicted to Noise interview. "I have a house there and it's the perfect place to write because of the light [The sun doesn't rise until midday]. Not good during the summer because it's sunshine all the time, 24 hours a day." [10]
Apart from a change in musical style, the band changed the way they recorded. "It was the first time we sort of jammed," Coxon revealed. "We've never really jammed before. We've been quite white-coaty, overall about recording, like in a laboratory. Yeah, we did actually feel our way through just playing whatever came to our minds and editing, which was really exciting." [10] "We just played together for two weeks in a way we hadn't done since 1991," Dave recalls. "We wanted to purify the sound, to not have anything there not played by us. We reasoned that if we made small changes at the input end, we could effect large changes in the output." [8] According to producer Stephen Street, "Blur had decided that commercial pressures and writing hit singles wasn't going to be the main consideration any more. The mood in the studio was very different to when I'd first worked with them." [11] "In the studio, once we got past those first few days, where I felt everyone was treading on eggshells, there was a great atmosphere. I think it was because they didn't want to be competing with anyone on this record, they wanted to make a record that would help keep the band together." [12] Street had acquired a new piece of hardware, described as "muso-ish to talk about but really useful" that enabled him to sample loops and otherwise cut-and-paste entire sections of the band's jam sessions. [8]
Rowntree stated that the band decided to give Coxon a much freer hand on Blur. [5] Street also observed a change of Albarn's writing style, as he "was much more prepared to write in the first person, rather than about interesting characters. I think [Albarn had] grown a bit and was prepared to start writing about his own experiences rather than transposing them on to a character like Tracy Jacks or Dan Abnormal." Coxon agreed, and felt "Damon's songs were revealing more to me than to him" and said that when he heard some of his home demos he realised "he'd obviously gone off his head a bit more". [5] The album features the first song to appear on a studio album in which Coxon not only wrote the lyrics, but also sang lead vocal—"You're So Great". [13] [14] [15]
According to Mark Redfern of Under the Radar , Blur eschewed Britpop in favour of American indie rock. [16] NME magazine similarly argued that it favoured lo-fi and alternative rock over Britpop. [17] By contrast, Margaret Moser of The Austin Chronicle characterised its music as "a punchy brand of muscular Brit-pop", [18] while AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it "may superficially appear to be a break from tradition" but is a "logical progression" from Britpop rather than an abandonment of it. [19] Album opener "Beetlebum" has been described as a "Beatles tribute" by several publications; Erlewine wrote that the song "[runs] through the White Album in the space of five minutes." [19] Q magazine's Andrew Collins compared the song to The Auteurs as well as a "slightly menacing Free as a Bird", due to "a slight drone undulating in the foreground" and a "sweet, elongated coda busied by what sounds like an invasion of turkeys." [20] Albarn admitted that "Beetlebum" was about heroin and the drug experiences he had with his then-girlfriend, Justine Frischmann of Elastica. [21] Albarn also stated that the song describes a complicated emotion, sort of "sleepy" and sort of "sexy". [22] The song's title alludes to the phrase "chasing the beetle", a variation of the phrase, "chasing the dragon", which refers to inhaling the smoke from heated heroin, morphine, or opium that has been placed on a piece of tin-foil. [23] "Song 2" is notable for its hook which features Albarn yelling "woo-hoo!" The song's intro has been called Coxon's "finest moment". [24]
Erlewine described "Country Sad Ballad Man" as "bizarrely affecting, strangled lo-fi psychedelia", [19] whilst Collins claimed that "the seated intro is a rustic mess from which arises a simply beautiful, lazy riff." [20] "M.O.R." was described by James Hunter of Rolling Stone as a homage to Mott the Hoople. [25] The song borrows the chord progression from David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" and "Fantastic Voyage", the latter of which was co-written by Brian Eno. "On Your Own" is notable for its usage of a Roland TR-606 Drumatix, a 1980s drum machine. Erlewine described the song as "an incredible slice of singalong pop spiked with winding, fluid guitar and synth eruptions." [19] "There's a terrace singalong in here somewhere", Collins claimed, "undermined by its indistinct drum sound". [20] "Theme from Retro" was described as "obligatory space-rock trip-hop" by The Austin Chronicle , [18] whilst Collins claimed that it "presents Blur in dub", referring to it as "an unyielding, lovely row. Like, say, a Blur B-side." [20] "You're So Great", performed only by Coxon, was described by Collins as "the most American of all" as "[Coxon's] voice – faraway badly recorded, wavering but heartfelt – belongs to anyone but Old Blur." [20] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly described the song as recalling the "whacked-out plangency of Midwestern lo-fi heroes Guided By Voices". [26]
Lindsay Zoladz's review of the album (as part of Blur 21 ) for Pitchfork claimed that "Death of a Party" is the album's highlight, speculating that it influenced Gorillaz – another musical project that features Albarn as the chief songwriter. [27] Collins claimed that it sounded like Blur's "second homage" to The Specials' "Ghost Town", speculating that the lyrics, "Why did we bother?/ Should've stayed away" reflected Blur's recent withdrawal from the public eye despite the song being written years before, and summarised the track as "a genuinely creepy piece". [20] Sinclair described "Chinese Bombs" as sounding like a "Lower East Side mosh-pit den", [26] while Zoladz felt that "I'm Just a Killer for Your Love" was "exquisitely bleary-eyed". In "Look Inside America", Albarn recalls the band waking up from a previous night's show, swigging Pepsi to find the energy to do a local TV show. Hunter called the song a "classic '90s road ballad". [25] The song contains the refrain "Look inside America, she's all right; she's all right," which was said by Erlewine to "cleverly subvert the traditional Blur song, complete with strings." [19] Collins described "Strange News from Another Star" as "Blur's Space Oddity", stating that the "acoustic guitar, quiet intro, nutty mood-change into a darker passage [and] a melancholy report whose central thrust ("I don't believe in me") [express] further doubt from the troubled Albarn." [20] Originally performed as a poem at the Albert Hall in July 1996, [20] the studio version of "Essex Dogs" was described by Erlewine as a "six-minute slab of free verse and rattling guitar noise." [19] Collins revealed that "here it's set to a starter-motor riff so berserk even its author, Coxon, confesses to find it hard to listen to." Collins also described it as "a fitting ending (all eight exploratory minutes of it) to a challenging, barbed masterwork." [20] The song is followed by "Interlude", a hidden track which was described by Collins as "a distressed instrumental sign-oft that goes nowhere". [20]
In a November 1996 video interview, Rowntree claimed, "It's a much more aggressive record in many ways as well as a more emotional record. I think the music we're making now is the music that we've always wanted to make but got distracted from in a way." [5] [28]
The artwork for Blur, as well the album's associated singles, was designed by design company Yacht Associates, which consists of Chris Thomson and Richard Bull. [29] [30] The pair had also been involved in the design process for Blur's previous album covers as part of Stylorouge. [29] The cover art depicts a patient being rushed into an emergency ward. Searching for an image that conveyed "both optimism and scariness", Yacht Associates chose the stock photo from Tony Stone Images, describing it as "an anaesthetic dream". [29] In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die , reviewer Mark Bennett speculates that the cover art represented the band's critical status prior to the album. [31]
The back cover and inside sleeve by Paul Postle depict sulphur fields in Iceland, where much of the album was recorded. Postle also took photos of the band rehearsing for the gatefold. [29] Blur is also the group's first album not to have lyrics printed in the liner notes, instead having a composite photo of the band in the studio spread out over three panels. When questioned on this decision, Albarn revealed they "didn't wanna have to go through explaining what the lyrics are about because they're quite odd to explain," although he stated that "'Death of a Party' and 'Strange News From Another Star' are [both] pretty clear." [10]
The music press predicted that the lo-fi sonic experimentation would alienate Blur's fanbase. These fears were also shared by James who revealed that the front rows of the gigs that the band were performing at during the Britpop years were primarily attracting 15-year-old girls and that he thought the change in style was a "fucking big balls move". [5] Andy Ross, who was running Food Records at the time, admitted that when he first heard it he was "taken aback. We'd won Brits, we'd won two consecutive Q magazine Albums of the Year and my initial reaction was it's awkward and difficult. My immediate reaction was will you sell as many records? Where's my royalties? Everyone's first reaction to it was that it was a departure: that's clear from the artwork onwards." [8] Albarn dismissed EMI's concerns, calling them "The usual thing—'It's got no singles on it'. Meanwhile, they're giving Radiohead the full marketing works. That hurt for a while because we've done so well for them. We were trying to be really brave. But it was all made up pretty quickly." [8] Parlophone MD Tony Wadsworth was enthusiastic however as Coxon recalls, "We played him "Song 2" as a bit of a test of whether he was on our wavelength. We told him this was the second single. Course, we had no idea that it would be. He sat there, grinning—'Definitely! Definitely a single!'" [8]
Worries of "commercial suicide" were eased when the lead single, "Beetlebum", debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. [32] [33] Blur topped the UK Albums Chart when it was released in February, [34] knocking White on Blonde by Texas off the top spot. [35] [36] Blur eventually went on to be certified Platinum. [32] Although the album could not match the sales of their previous albums in the UK, Blur became the band's most successful internationally, [32] reaching the top twenty in Switzerland, [37] France, [38] and Norway. [39] In the US, the album peaked at number sixty-one on the Billboard 200, Blur's highest-charting album at the time, and was certified gold. [40] The album's US success has been attributed partially to the popularity of "Song 2", which peaked at number six on the Modern Rock chart. After "Song 2" was licensed for use in soundtracks, advertisements and television shows—it became the most-recognisable Blur song in the US. After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour. [8]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [26] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 7/10 [43] |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [27] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 4/5 [44] |
Spin | 7/10 [45] |
Blur received generally positive reviews from music critics in the United States, [46] but reviews were mixed in the UK press. The Guardian praised it, whereas The Times was more ambivalent and The Independent was negative. [47] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the album highlights "the band's rich eclecticism and sense of songcraft. Certainly, they are trying for new sonic territory, bringing in shards of white noise, gurgling electronics, raw guitars, and druggy psychedelia, but these are just extensions of previously hidden elements of Blur's music." [19] Margaret Moser of The Austin Chronicle praised the album for "unveiling a punchy brand of muscular Brit-pop that dances around raucous, Kinks-like garage-pop ("Movin' On," "M.O.R."), tender, Beatles-like harmonies ("Beetlebum," "Look Inside America"), punky quirk ("Chinese Bombs"), soulful balladry ("Country Sad Ballad Man"), obligatory space-rock trip-hop ("Theme from Retro," "I'm Just a Killer for Your Love"), and a raise-yer-mug singalong ("On Your Own")." [18] Jonathan Bernstein of Spin also felt that, "despite their traitorous pronouncements, Blur's highlights are consistently British-bred." [45] James Hunter, writing for Rolling Stone , claimed that "what still makes [Blur] great is their deep grasp of style and genre. What they haven't done on Blur is roll out of bed, strum a few chords and loudly free-associate about the first thing that pops into their heads. This is a record that inhabits current American rock biases as cogently and intelligently as Parklife corralled the last few decades of British rock." [25]
Many praised lyrics such as the ones in "Look inside America/She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to Beck, [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years. [20] Erlewine wrote that "Blur might be self-consciously eclectic, but Blur are at their best when they are trying to live up to their own pretensions, because of Damon Albarn's exceptional sense of songcraft and the band's knack for detailed arrangements that flesh out the songs to their fullest." [25] Alternative Press called it "a whirl of weird esotericism, precious, precocious and impressively". [48] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was less enthusiastic and cited only "Song 2" as a "choice cut", [49] indicating "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money". [50] However, there was strong praise from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , who awarded the album four out of four stars. Ed Masley wrote that "you can hear the new infatuation with indie rock stylings all over the latest release, with its clattering sonic collages and transistor radio vocals. At times, it's as though they've forgot that they're British. They are British though. It's what makes this eponymous record their greatest." [51]
At the 1998 NME Awards, Blur received a nomination for Best Album. However, it lost to Radiohead's OK Computer . [52] [53] In 2013, NME ranked it at number 137 in its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [54] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [55] Q writer Tom Doyle reflected that, with Blur, "it appeared to have dawned on [the band] that as long as they had three or four decent singles, the remainder of an album could become a playground for their art rock imaginations", a development he said paved the way for 13 (1999). [56]
Unlike some of Blur's previous albums, praise from the band members has remained. "I'm really fond of that record," Coxon said in 2009. "I think it's one of our best." [5]
All lyrics by Damon Albarn (except for "You're So Great" by Graham Coxon). All music by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree except "M.O.R.", written by Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree, David Bowie and Brian Eno.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Beetlebum" | 5:04 |
2. | "Song 2" | 2:02 |
3. | "Country Sad Ballad Man" | 4:50 |
4. | "M.O.R." | 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" (includes hidden tracks [note 1] ) | 8:08 |
Total length: | 56:53 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "All Your Life" | 4:12 |
2. | "A Spell (For Money)" | 3:30 |
3. | "Woodpigeon Song" | 1:43 |
4. | "Dancehall" | 3:11 |
5. | "Get out of Cities" | 4:03 |
6. | "Polished Stone" | 2:43 |
7. | "Bustin' and Dronin'" | 6:32 |
8. | "M.O.R." (road version) | 3:02 |
9. | "Swallows in the Heatwave" | 2:33 |
10. | "Death of a Party" (7" remix; remixed by Adrian Sherwood and Simon Mundy) | 4:19 |
11. | "Cowboy Song" | 4:07 |
12. | "Beetlebum" (live acoustic version) | 4:34 |
13. | "On Your Own" (live acoustic version) | 4:11 |
14. | "Country Sad Ballad Man" (live acoustic version) | 4:44 |
15. | "This Is a Low" (live acoustic version) | 3:32 |
16. | "M.O.R." (live in Utrecht) | 3:18 |
17. | "Death of a Party" (live in Utrecht) | 4:16 |
18. | "Song 2" (live in Utrecht) | 2"07 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [85] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [86] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [87] | Gold | 25,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [88] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [89] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [90] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [91] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [92] | Gold | 679,000 [93] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [94] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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 singer, musician, songwriter and record producer from Whitechapel, London. 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".
Modern Life Is Rubbish is the second studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released in May 1993. Although their debut album Leisure (1991) had been commercially successful, Blur faced a severe media backlash soon after its release, and fell out of public favour. After the group returned from an unsuccessful tour of the United States, poorly received live performances and the rising popularity of rival band Suede further diminished Blur's status in the UK.
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.
13 is the sixth studio album by the 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.
"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.
"Popscene" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, released as a non-album single on 30 March 1992. Despite its relatively low chart placing, it has since become critically praised and regarded as one of the pioneering songs of the Britpop genre.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Chemical World" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, included on their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), and released in June 1993 by Food Records. The song was written by the band and produced by them with Stephen Street, Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley and Steve Lovell. It peaked at number 28 on the UK Singles Charts as well as number 27 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Sunday Sunday" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, included on their second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993). It was released on 4 October 1993 by Food Records as the final single from that album, and charted at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. This is the highest-charting single from the album ; the record company thought the original album contained no singles, and had the band write the other two singles specifically for single release. The band's original name, 'Seymour', is credited as guest performer on the CD1 single, due to the B-sides being recordings from that era.
"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'.
"To the End" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It appears on their third studio album, Parklife (1994), and was released as a single in May 1994 by Food Records. The song describes a couple unsuccessfully trying to overcome a bad patch in a relationship, and features full orchestral accompaniment with a choric refrain in French by Lætitia Sadier from Stereolab. The song was produced by Stephen Hague, unlike the rest of the Parklife album, which was produced by Stephen Street. Blur have produced several different recordings of the song.
Leisure is the debut studio album by English rock band Blur, released by Food Records on 27 August 1991.
The Magic Whip is the eighth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was recorded in Hong Kong and London, and released by Parlophone on 27 April 2015 and Warner Bros. Records on 28 April 2015. It was the band's first studio album in 12 years since Think Tank (2003), marking the longest gap between studio albums in Blur's career, and the first in 16 years since 13 (1999) to have featured the original line-up. The album also marks the return of the band's longtime producer Stephen Street following Blur (1997).
The Ballad of Darren is the ninth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was released on 21 July 2023 by Parlophone and Warner Records. The album's songs were written by frontman Damon Albarn in 2022 while on tour with Gorillaz, and composed by Albarn and the rest of the band. It was produced by James Ford at Studio 13 in London and Devon. It is Blur's first album since The Magic Whip (2015), and their shortest album, with a runtime under 40 minutes. The album's artwork features a 2004 photograph of a man swimming alone in the Gourock Outdoor Pool in Gourock, Scotland, taken by Martin Parr. Its title refers to Darren "Smoggy" Evans, the band's longtime bodyguard.
The duo are seen covering 'You're So Great' – a Coxon-sung track from Blur's eponymous 1997 album.
For years, he had never seen himself as a songwriter. But then he wrote a song on Blur's self-titled album from 1997, called "You're So Great".
I'd written You're So Great (from Blur's self-titled 1997 album)...
Musically, Blur was already rejecting Britpop in 1997, as their fifth album, Blur, embraced American indie rock
Then, in early 1997, Blur had a hit with a single called 'Beetlebum', which, after being pressed in these very pages, Albarn reluctantly admitted to be about heroin.
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