Blur tracks poll - the RESULTS thread

Is that the first one to have 3 first place votes?

(xp) Having re-listened to everything repeatedly over the last two or three weeks, I'm surprised to find that 13 is actually one of my favourites. MLIR sounds a bit dated in places.

Feels totally different to anything else on 'Leisure'

Is that the first one to have 3 first place votes?

Yes

DL: I disagree completely about 13. It sounds very deliberate and is a complete and convincing album. Think Tank sounds like a band in its death throes.

I think you'll find more people who'll agree with you than I will tbh, especially outside the UK - Think Tank was well-reviewed here but murdered in the US.

The piece on 'Sing' in that Select link hotheads is interesting - it's what they sounded like left to themselves in the early days basically. I think it's the only one off Leisure that was self-produced.

Just listened to Sing for possibly the third time ever. Wow. I don't bother with Leisure but that one is spine-tingling stuff.

I gave it good points in the showcase poll

shoegaze, damn you

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

haha nice

Dirty little monsters! Ahahahaha

4. End of a Century
(16 votes, 370 points)

cracker

I thought they were in the cupboard eating morsels but carpet is just as plausible.

Why do I have a bad memory of Squeeze covering this?

No first-places yet still outscored 'Sing'. How many ballots were there in total?

Oh I love this song, somehow ignored it thinking about "to the end".... forgot to vote for it.

Makes sense it not getting any #1s, because it's like a mini 'This Is A Low'

Have to go to bed now. Thanks for doing this NBS. Love the results and agree with the top 20 as it is. Will make myself a decent blur compilation with this one.

Not particularly relevant at this stage of the results, but I've just found this video of Bugman using Gorillaz bits and pieces:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3FOnSyv8BU&feature=related

How many ballots were there in total?

I refer the right honourable gentleman to the second post in the thread.

I see

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.parentdish.com/media/2009/07/thumb-suck-425bs071509.jpg

(xp: cheers, Moka)

So the same amount of people voted for 'sing' as 'century', 'sing' had 3 first place votes to none for ' century' yet ended up with less points. 'Century' must have got a fair few top 5's.

The top three are well, well clear of the rest:

3. Beetlebum
(19 votes, 469 points)

When I first heard 'beetlebum' on the radio i was really disappointed, of course turns out they'd faded it out after 3 mins. The last 2 mins of it are so so great!!

It's a faultless record. It's also the least-successful #1 of all time. Fact.

When I first heard it I was astounded. I think it's the only Blur single I bought. I just played it over and over until the album came out.

The video is so beautiful as well.

So glad to see Beetlebum get recognition. For years I thought it was just me. Was it that people expected template britpop and didn't get it?

Anyway, such a sublime piece of songwriting.

Oh YES! The video!

Beetlebum is one of the greatest number one singles I can think of, it deserves to be this high.

Hope that For Tomorrow is number one.

This was the actually the first Blur song I ever heard (caught the video late one night on MTV), and I worked my way back from there. Huge turning point in the course of my musical tastes.

The first time I heard (of) it, I wondered if it was a Spike Jones reference...

(I was going to post a youtube of the video I have on VHS, but it seems not to be on!)

Not this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAXnqjUfal4

No, Spike Jones'"WilliamTell", it goes into a horse race commentary, and the knackered old nag that eventually wins is called Beetlebum (or Feedlebaum, or some such)

http://www.ballardian.com/images/drew_westway.jpg
http://nwsix.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/primrose-hill2.jpg

2. For Tomorrow
(18 votes, 2 first places, 490 points)

http://www.fatbadgers.co.uk/Maps/seaareas.gif

A top 3 of 2 opening tracks and a closing track. Beetlebum & For Tomorrow are both a hell of a way to start an album for sure.

1. This Is A Low
(21 votes, 3 first places, 585 points)

I love 'For Tomorrow', and it captured a moment quite unexpectedly when it looked like they were all washed up. It's a lovely record all through. The incredible, unexpected high bits (what are they? strings? backing vocals?) earlier on are so thrilling, but the extended oompah section brings it down a tiny bit.

This Is A Low was my #1. Feels so canonical to place it such, but really it still has the power to choke me up from time to time. Not quite sure what it stirs in me cos i'm not at all patriotic and don't consciously spend time thinking about England or its place in the world etc For all that this song just hits me and i found myself embarrassingly emotional when they played it at Hyde Park. A fitting #1.
Thanks to NBS for doing this and everyone who voted and came along for the ride.

No arguments from me about the no.1 - astounding song.

Great job, and thanks to those who, unlike me, got around to voting.

Yes - fabulous idea nbs, and great fun. Many, many thanks!

Yes, thanks NBS.