Blur tracks poll - the RESULTS thread

"Magic America" is the only one I've voted for so far. Can't deny they're doing some snide "lol America" bollocks here but like all of the character songs there's a sense of hopeless escape fucking things up. By the time the chorus is done hammering away it sounds more desperate than piss-takey, probly cos Magic America is the limit of Bill's surroundings and imagination, unsatisfactory as it is. Songs that sound like nervous breakdowns are usually a win in my book.

Can't deny they're doing some snide "lol America" bollocks here

Most of it is not that at all, it's mainly about the warped perception of America by the sort of person who takes all their cultural cues from Hollywood etc. I know loads and loads of people like that – they go round being all American and talking like Americans and spelling like Americans based on the idealised portrait they pick up off the telly. In this case he actually goes to America (whether in reality or in his head) and eats and shops, so really it's a slur on Bill rather than America.

Hello. I'm in Barcelona right now. Bit of a shame I won't be experiencing this run down. Think I voted for when the cows and one born every minute - two fab b sides. Wasn't coping regarded as a terrible tune? Not a fan.

54. Globe Alone
(2 votes, 58 points)

This was described as their 'heavy metal' track in a Select preview feature of the time. Great Escape really is one of the most peak-and-troth albums I can think of and sadly this lands in the latter bracket.

the troth bracket?

To whom did he pledge it?

53. Inertia
(2 votes, 62 points)

^^^ great song. I probably should have voted for it, but I never had much of an emotional connection to early Blur, with the exception of about two or three songs.

'Globe Alone', is the first of my votes to show up and I placed it very highly. Albarn's evisceration of the everyman is pretty mean spirited, who's not keen on Sharon Stone after all, but the sheer ferociousness of the delivery pulls it off.

most of the Blur songs i love the most are the mean-spirited rejections of human lol culture but i don't think "Globe Alone" made my cut. it's good tho.

http://static.freewebphoto.com/food/free-photo/AAAAAA-K2N5GF-FDM89F-GBDAQ8-A55L97-H7HBDK-D6RLG6/jelly-beans.jpg
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1895/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1895-46282.jpg

=51. Miss America
(4 votes, 69 points)

I love the guitar sound on Miss America, there's a strange kind of sprawling morose quality, and I don't think anyone else has managed to sound so desperate while singing 'do-do-do-do-dooo'.

Love the story about how they Discovered Graham drunk in the studio kicking a chair leg (audible throughout the track). Graham's greeting of "Michael!" was shouted as they opened the door.

Do like this song a lot.

That's one of my least favourite songs on MLIR. That's always been their most undefinable album for me -- the good stuff is really good (but doesn't hit the highest highs that they're capable of) and the bad stuff is only tolerable in the context of the album. I was surprised that there were more songs on my list from MLIR than any other Blur album.

http://davideasson.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/blur-country-house.jpg
=51. Country House
(4 votes, 69 points)

"Blow me out" is quite a good bit but the rest of it? Really?? It probly wasn't annoying the first couple of listens.

I don't even like the 'blow me out' bit, tbh

#51 seems about right for this, plenty of interesting things going on it but overall it's a lot less than the sum of it's parts.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9jJ5xT0aRSA/SUb1FnEVo_I/AAAAAAAAAWk/NlEW4CfQzJ4/s320/Blur+-+Parklife+%5Bsingle%5D.jpg
50. Parklife
(5 votes, 75 points)

'Country House' really works well live imo tho I can't really listen to it on record. Didn't vote for it however. 'Inertia' was my #2 I think. Perfect.

Guy I worked with at Virgin looked a little bit like Damon and one Saturday when the shop was absolutely rammed this group of maybe 10 or 11 year olds followed him round the Singles Dept screaming "PARKLIFE!" at him for about 20 mins. Kinda realisation, on my part, that Blur big-time now.

Like "Country House", people who think "Parklife" was worth a vote get something completely different from Blur than I do. Probly wasn't annoying the first couple of listens.

http://991.com/gallery_180x180/Blur-Charmless-Man-86912-991.jpg
49. Charmless Man
(4 votes, 77 points)

ok i take back what i said about the last 2

Kind of excited to see three of their most well-known singles in a row ranking at the bottom of the poll... parklife should have fared better tho...

It got beaten by "Charmless Man" !

I've always held a place in my heart for Great Escape, because that seemed to be the first to really a get a big push in America prior to its release.

Charmless Man is my least favourite Blur single - grotesque self-parody.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01413/Ambulance_1413374c.jpg

48. Ambulance
(4 votes, 84 points)

At least 'Parklife' made the top 50 but really, that's robbery. Nothing not to like about that track.

... except the fact it's not "Country House"

love Miss America. easily in my top few Blur cuts. it's Alex James' fave Blur song!
i was pretty taken aback when i heard Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs for the first time though.

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.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/27/article-0-03B0B12F000005DC-730_468x312.jpg

47. 1992
(four votes, 87 points)

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).

46. Essex Dogs
(four votes, 97 points)

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...

hurray. 1992 is the first of mine to make it.

51. Country House

TOO FUCKING LOW!!!

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.

You people are savages. Country house below 1992 and charmless man, I mean...?!?

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!

Woo-hoo!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6PbDrJkTF_w/TL10xnKfWQI/AAAAAAAAACs/YPqPCJ16g9k/s1600/blur_song2.jpg
45. Song 2
(5 votes, 98 points)

Woo-hoo!

oh man... £158 though?

I know. So, for 4 Cds of 'interest', and 2 or 3 DVDs of mmm, you have to buy all their albums again?

Oh, and a book too.

As an XTC fan, and out of everything in this box set, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the aborted Andy Partridge Modern Life Is Rubbish sessions. It'll be great to hear for once and for all why they were junked!

Fan club single 'Close' appears to be missing. The only other thing I could nag about would be a desire to hear the early samba/calypso version of 'The Universal' and I'm sure I recall reading about more 'Think Tank' outtakes with titles like 'Chicken & Fries' and 'Saturday'. Shortly after the album came out there was some talk of an EP containing these leftovers.

so..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qefhT_96wYU

Remastered box set has been done proper according to Stephen Street who says this in Record Collector

".. EMI were planning to use the 90's production Emasters

(balls)

".. EMI were planning to use the 90's production EQ masters, but i wanted to make sure it was done right.. we had to go through the 1/2 inch tape archives finding the right takes.. there was quite a bit of detective work"

It's all being remastered by Street, and the same dude at Abbey Road (Frank Arkwright) who did The Smiths' box. can't wait for these.

Emasters -- when you want your tape mastered electronically.

http://blur.co.uk/livestream/

new songs here, starting at 6.15 uk time.

Excited!!

Didn't vote in this, basically ignored the band when they were around, found all signature hits annoying right away or soon enough--the only album I have is Blur, and "You're So Great" is the only song I liked. But I bought a very cheap double-compilation two days ago, and I think I've played "Out of Time" 12 or 15 times already. Such a beautiful, beautiful song. (Thought the great video up on YouTube was user-made, until I read otherwise.)

:-)