When it came to compiling my list I didn't end up putting in many of their biggest hits so I'm quite glad three have of them have are already out of the way. Parklife is one of my favourite albums of all time but I really don't ever need to hear the title track again.
Ambulence was in my top five, it's such an amazing opening track.
― Kitchen Person, Thursday, 26 May 2011 16:41 (twelve years ago) link
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/27/article-0-03B0B12F000005DC-730_468x312.jpg
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 26 May 2011 18:56 (twelve years ago) link
47. 1992(four votes, 87 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 26 May 2011 18:57 (twelve years ago) link
FWIW I liked Parklife when it came out. I can remember hearing it for either the first or second time on the radio one morning and thinking "it's just some bloke talking about pigeons - this is brilliant", then they suddenly cut into the song to announce that John Smith had died, which took the edge off it a bit. As with 'Girls & Boys' I just feel I've heard it far, far, far too many times to want to listen to it again now. As for 'Charmless Man', while it's far from being my favourite I don't really get the intense hatred it seems to inspire in some people. '1992' on other hand, is a little bit boring and self-pitying (and I say that as a fan of most of the desolate introspection numbers).
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 26 May 2011 21:24 (twelve years ago) link
46. Essex Dogs(four votes, 97 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 26 May 2011 21:45 (twelve years ago) link
If "Blur" hadn't had that tracck, the album would still have been way long enough, so it always seemed like a bonus track.
And all the better for it...
― Mark G, Thursday, 26 May 2011 21:47 (twelve years ago) link
hurray. 1992 is the first of mine to make it.
― spellcheck is really advanced these days (cajunsunday), Thursday, 26 May 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link
51. Country House
TOO FUCKING LOW!!!
― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 26 May 2011 22:37 (twelve years ago) link
Globe Alone's music is a brilliant representation of the madness going on in the head of the subject of the song. Ugh, crap sentence. Anyway. Love the shit out of it.
Charmless Man is mainly a great tune, really, but to its benefit/detriment (take yer pick) it continues that album's theme of characters that Damon hates/pities (including himself obv). In retrospect it's not that surprising that he effectively disowned the album – it's sooo negative, and not in the dull-fondness way that makes Parklife so appealing.
'er indoors LOVES Ambulance. I don't mind it but I have enormous prejudice against everything off Think Tank because I do not like Think Tank.
btw I don't recall voting for many tracks off 13 but it's my favourite Blur album by some distance.
― Autumn Alma Park Toilets (Schlafsack), Thursday, 26 May 2011 23:36 (twelve years ago) link
You people are savages. Country house below 1992 and charmless man, I mean...?!?
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 03:26 (twelve years ago) link
Yes I'm talking about the 'blow blow me out' bit which is pop genius as opposed to drivel like 1992 and embarrassing nonsense like charmless man. A pox on ya!
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
Woo-hoo!
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 06:58 (twelve years ago) link
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6PbDrJkTF_w/TL10xnKfWQI/AAAAAAAAACs/YPqPCJ16g9k/s1600/blur_song2.jpg45. Song 2(5 votes, 98 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 07:00 (twelve years ago) link
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 27 May 2011 07:04 (twelve years ago) link
Song 2: A song largley unknown outside of Britain - rejected in American for being "too darn rock". Most Americans, when asked about Blur, give a blank look - but if you play them the chorus of 'Yuko & Hiro' they immediately recognise it as the soundtrack to countless games of Ice Hockey, Baseball and 'Football'.
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 07:05 (twelve years ago) link
heh
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 27 May 2011 07:15 (twelve years ago) link
Not to mention Soccer.
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 07:17 (twelve years ago) link
It was huge here.
― 百万个叉烧包 (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 27 May 2011 08:01 (twelve years ago) link
oddly enough i have felt Heavy Metal on many occasions but none of them induced by Blur.
― Deeez Nuuults (Noodle Vague), Friday, 27 May 2011 08:08 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.allgigs.co.uk/images/object/artist/62317/PJ_Proby-1-200-200-85-crop.jpg
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 08:47 (twelve years ago) link
44. Country Sad Ballad Man(6 votes, 99 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 08:48 (twelve years ago) link
ha i was trying to work out what the picture was signifying
― Deeez Nuuults (Noodle Vague), Friday, 27 May 2011 08:49 (twelve years ago) link
I love that one.
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 09:03 (twelve years ago) link
dammit should have voted for CSBM, I could have sent it a few places up.
― ◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝ (Moka), Friday, 27 May 2011 09:31 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah this is a good one. Glad to see it scrape past song 2. Shoulda been a single instead of mor
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 10:44 (twelve years ago) link
mor is such a single, CSBM is not.
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 10:58 (twelve years ago) link
MOR is like "on top of old smokey" played fast.
That's a good thing, btw.
MOR is eugh
― 百万个叉烧包 (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 27 May 2011 10:59 (twelve years ago) link
it's like the whole album just stops being interesting for four minutes
― 百万个叉烧包 (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:00 (twelve years ago) link
I can't even remember how mor goes but csbm is an earworm. Sorry to disagree
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:00 (twelve years ago) link
Autumn otm. In a strange way it could be seen as a very clever self-fulfilling parody.
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:02 (twelve years ago) link
It really is! CSBM otoh is epic.
― 百万个叉烧包 (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:03 (twelve years ago) link
M.O.R. and For Tomorrow are the two Blur singles which always remind me of Bowie (the former based on Berlin, the later on Ziggy Stardust) and they always make me wish I was listening to him instead. They both sound to me a bit parodic (then again, most of their singles seem to share this quality). CSBM might not be single material but it's more interesting and unique.
― ◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝ (Moka), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:20 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, Blur are the ultimate 90s parodists in a sea of parodists. Damon's wanted to be Syd Barrett, Ray Davies, Terry Hall, Stephen Malkmus, and a whole host of other figureheads throughout his career. Don't really see it as a problem though because I knew Blur before I knew their influences and worked back.
― broodje kroket (dog latin), Friday, 27 May 2011 11:29 (twelve years ago) link
Let's not forget Jilted John as well.
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 11:40 (twelve years ago) link
xpost: Well, huge credit to him for emulating all of his influences with various degrees of success. Blur were always a very open eveything-goes sort of band that still managed to have a very unique, trademark sound. That's no easy feat.
― ◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝ (Moka), Friday, 27 May 2011 12:00 (twelve years ago) link
I'm giving most of the uniqueness credit to Graham Coxon, btw as his guitar playing feels like the unifying, unmistakable force to their music.
― ◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝ (Moka), Friday, 27 May 2011 12:02 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, and also why Think Tank doesn't sound like a Blur album.
― 百万个叉烧包 (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 27 May 2011 12:50 (twelve years ago) link
43. No Distance Left To Run(5 votes, 100 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 13:04 (twelve years ago) link
Ah, I thought that pic was a comment on AAlmanac's winning argument!
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 13:06 (twelve years ago) link
I think I pulled this from my ballot late on, but it's kind of lovely. Probably just a bit too slight and passive to be worth my vote, I think I decided.
― Ismael Klata, Friday, 27 May 2011 13:13 (twelve years ago) link
I find it slightly annoying.
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 13:14 (twelve years ago) link
I should explain what I mean by that, but I don't think I can without sounding mean-spirited. I just find it borders a bit on smugness in a 'look - I'm heartbroken, but see how reasonable I'm being about all this' kind of way. I imagine it irritates Justine, but I could be wrong.
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 13:25 (twelve years ago) link
And sonically it's not as interesting as most other tracks on 13.
Well, it won't be irritating Justine that much, as:
1) she's left the country, or2) it doesn't get that much radio play anymore, or3) both
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 13:32 (twelve years ago) link
unless she's moved to a town where the locals endlessly play it on the jukebox whenever they see her
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 13:34 (twelve years ago) link
Damon Albarn once mentioned that people kept putting 'Roll With It' on the jukebox every time he walked into a pub. He said he expected people put 'Country House' on whenever the Gallaghers went in one, but I doubt it.
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 13:35 (twelve years ago) link
I think they put on Ocean Colour Scene on.
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 13:48 (twelve years ago) link
http://images.paraorkut.com/img/clipart/images/s/smiling_star-846.gif
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 14:01 (twelve years ago) link
42. Strange News From Another Star(6 votes, 111 points)
― Que sera sera... (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 27 May 2011 14:02 (twelve years ago) link