Blur's Think Tank

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needed a rethink...
bleccchhh.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:02 (10 years ago) Permalink

oh wait... it's getting better

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:06 (10 years ago) Permalink

very underrated album. Needs some pruning, but otherwise stronger than 13.

― Jim, Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:24 (10 years ago) Permalink

stronger than 13 isn't saying much, though.

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:26 (10 years ago) Permalink

Was able to hear it in a record store.
Two good songs.
Two pleasant songs.
Two cheesy, probably fun at times songs.
Seven works of complete and utter crap. You can turn it off after number 10.

The last chapter in the tragic history of Blur? Sure hope so.

― Tijn, Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:29 (10 years ago) Permalink

"Two good songs."

I bet you I can guess the title of one of them.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 15 April 2003 21:59 (10 years ago) Permalink

i can guess the title of one of them. and the other? well, i can guess that it's pretty sweet, isn't it?

― j.a.e., Wednesday, 16 April 2003 01:01 (10 years ago) Permalink

Well, yes it's far better than 13 but there are more than a couple of minging tunes in there. I have a dodgy downloded copy where some of the tracks a repeated and some are in the wrong order but:

Sweet Song is absolutely gorgeous. Possibly the best thing they've done since "This Is A Low".
"Ambulance" and "Out of Time" are very excellent too!
"Caravan" is a real grower and it sounds like how the Doors should have sounded.

I'm not keen on the way Blur are adamant on trying to get another "Song 2" - they managed it once and it's not worth doing it again.
The other tracks, I'm sad to say, are "meh". Okay, but a little self indulgent. Damon seems to be getting VERY sloppy as a lyricist and a lot of the tracks sound unfinishined in comparison to earlier works. Like 13, the whole thing feels shambolic and thrown together too quickly.

Does anyone know if Graham played on any of the tracks or not? Why did he leave Blur?

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 16 April 2003 01:11 (10 years ago) Permalink

"unfinishined" is the best drunkjen word i have written tonight.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 16 April 2003 01:45 (10 years ago) Permalink

with the surprisingly well done mali venture as a blueprint, damon should have made the new album blur's "remain in light." he didn't. "think tank" wallows in a pool of its own ineffectiveness. instantly forgettable.

― notfazed (notfazed), Wednesday, 16 April 2003 03:19 (10 years ago) Permalink

'Out of time' deserves to be an album track, not a single. But, then, there's no more than one single-quality song on the record ('on the way to the club'), so it must have been pretty difficult trying to scrape for another. Considering that most of the tracks on the album are barely good enough to be b-sides.

It sounds like a lot of the record could have been good if they'd actually bothered to put the work in and not just flitted on to the next bit without fleshing out any ideas. And, yeah, Damon's lyrics are fucking appalling now - "we're all drug-takers in the summer tonight"? drug-takers? Who the fuck says "drug-takers"?; he's also become embarrassingly fond of that dying-seagull noise he started making on 13. It isn't a song, apparently, unless Damon yelps over what could have been a decent intro. Also, there's a sub-par rerun of 'Essex Dogs' on here. Need I say more?

13 was far better: self-assured, honestly experimental (by Blur's standards), and actually containing some decent songs. This is just half-arsed.

― cis (not that I'm bitter. oh no.) (cis), Wednesday, 16 April 2003 08:17 (10 years ago) Permalink

search
ambulance
sweet song
good song
out of time
gene by gene

destroy
the rest

they're about to come on bbc 6
in 5 minutes to talk about it.

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 16 April 2003 09:42 (10 years ago) Permalink

Has anyone figured out if "My White Noise" will actually be hidden somewhere on the album, or was it just an outtake that got lumped in with the original album leak?

Just curious, because it's the best fucking track on the record.

― paul cox (paul cox), Sunday, 27 April 2003 17:55 (10 years ago) Permalink

not just flitted on to the next bit without fleshing damon should have made the new album blur's "remain in light." he didn't.
they managed it once and it's not worth doing it again Needs some pruning, but otherwise stronger than 13. Possibly the best thing seems to be getting VERY sloppy the fuck says "drug-takers"?and the other? like how the Doors should have sounded surprisingly well done mali venture as a blueprint

― fucking track on the record, Sunday, 27 April 2003 20:05 (10 years ago) Permalink

9 years pass...

Loving this way more in 2012 than 2003. Anyone else?

The laziness in arrangements, lyrics and tempo that felt like a sideways/down move, at best, at the time, feels right when I hear it now.

"Crazy Beat" is still tough to love, of course. ahh well!

― mr.raffles, Thursday, 9 August 2012 02:53 (9 months ago) Permalink

this was always my favorite blur album

― Mordy, Thursday, 9 August 2012 02:55 (9 months ago) Permalink

whoa.
what are your other fave blurs?

think i'm this, now:
modern life/13 > park life > think tank > great escape > blur > leisure

― mr.raffles, Thursday, 9 August 2012 03:08 (9 months ago) Permalink

tbh i'm not a huge blur fan. i guess i rate this, park life, 13... and then mostly prefer gorillaz albums. i like it when albarn is doing more world-dilitante style, which is basically think tank

― Mordy, Thursday, 9 August 2012 03:19 (9 months ago) Permalink

This is a really solid album. "Crazy Beat" is total shit though. I listened to the Blur albums in order the other day and it seems like a logical step after 13, but without Graham the step is a bit unsure. Great b-sides too, as seems to always be the case.

― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 9 August 2012 04:13 (9 months ago) Permalink

This album would be a lot better without Jets, Crazy Beat and We've Got a File On You. Ambulance is such a great opener, probably my second favourite after For Tomorrow. It might be my third favourite Blur album after Parklife and Modern Life Is Rubbish. Sweet Song and Battery In Your Leg are such stunning songs. If they ever made another album I'd want more songs like those.

― Kitchen Person, Thursday, 9 August 2012 08:05 (9 months ago) Permalink

Parklife
Blur
MLIR
The Great Escape
13
Leisure / Think Tank (tied)

Leisure and Think Tank have their ups and downs. I don't think I could remember every song on Think Tank TBH.

― Quickly, take hold of my hand, asshole! (dog latin), Thursday, 9 August 2012 08:48 (9 months ago) Permalink

I heard Under The Westway the other day. Fucking offensively bad. What's up with Damon's voice? Dreadful...

― Quickly, take hold of my hand, asshole! (dog latin), Thursday, 9 August 2012 08:49 (9 months ago) Permalink

"Westway" is a bit (ok... A LOT) Bowie/Mott do "Whiter Shade of Pale," but it's grown on me.
Same with "The Puritan."

― mr.raffles, Thursday, 9 August 2012 12:59 (9 months ago) Permalink

I was really excited about this one back in 2003. I'd been impressed by "Music Is My Radar" and its b-sides. Relistening now, and Think Tank sounds about like I originally thought. Basically ok, nothing wrong with it, but eventually uninspiring. I still think Music Is My Radar is a pretty great mix of Can and Some Girls Rolling Stones.

Anyway, Crazy Beat suffers for being Bugman2, and isn't nearly as good as Bugman. And the sequencing on the album is bad. They should have just released the highlights as a bunch of singles and left it at that.

― dlp9001, Thursday, 9 August 2012 14:00 (9 months ago) Permalink

Third best album after Parklike and Modern Life Is Rubbish.

― Supper's Burnt (PaulTMA), Thursday, 9 August 2012 22:56 (9 months ago) Permalink

'Crazy Beat' owes more to The Kinks' 'Misty Water' than anyone seems to have noticed

― Supper's Burnt (PaulTMA), Thursday, 9 August 2012 22:58 (9 months ago) Permalink

No love for Out of Time? It's my favourite thing of their by miles..

― sktsh, Friday, 10 August 2012 13:18 (9 months ago) Permalink

It's very nice. Their last truly great single IMO

― sorry for asshole (dog latin), Friday, 10 August 2012 13:19 (9 months ago) Permalink

Out of Time is great. I also like Caravan a lot.

― I've been to Suffolk (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 10 August 2012 17:40 (9 months ago) Permalink

Not one of my favourite Blur albums, it has to be said. Have a soft spot for 'Ambulance', 'Out Of Time', 'On The Way To The Club', 'Good Song', 'Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club' and 'Battery In Your Leg' (which is the easily the highlight of the album for me).

I guess 'Caravan' could have been a brilliant track - the chorus has a lovely melody and I like it when the melodica kicks in, but overall I don't like the way they've treated it in the studio.

'We've Got A File On You' is the kind of inoffensive punk number they could pull out in their sleep.

'Gene By Gene' and 'Sweet Song' are okay, but I could easily live without both. I know 'Sweet Song' is moving for some, but it doesn't do anything for me.

'Brothers And Sisters' and especially 'Jets' are, in my opinion, aural excrement.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 13 August 2012 20:57 (9 months ago) Permalink

Classic - Out of Time, Sweet Song, Battery
V good - Good Song, Ambulance, Caravan
OK - On the Way to the Club, Gene By Gene, File on You
Regrettable - Jets, Brothers & Sisters, Moroccan Peoples
Tragic - Crazy Beat

― Get wolves (DL), Monday, 13 August 2012 21:17 (9 months ago) Permalink

I'd actually rank 'Crazy Beat' above 'Jets' and 'Brothers And Sisters'. But only just.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 13 August 2012 21:22 (9 months ago) Permalink

I want Blur to release a a track called 'Okay Song'

― sorry for asshole (dog latin), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 09:55 (9 months ago) Permalink

"jets" rules

tons of trippin' itt

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 14 August 2012 15:27 (9 months ago) Permalink

Has anyone figured out if "My White Noise" will actually be hidden somewhere on the album, or was it just an outtake that got lumped in with the original album leak?

Just curious, because it's the best fucking track on the record.

― paul cox (paul cox), Sunday, April 27, 2003 1:55 PM (9 years ago)

Baby ilm me 9 years ago was otm. It's still the best fucking track on the record (though I prefer the Albarn vocal to the Phil Daniels vocal).

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 15:33 (9 months ago) Permalink

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