I have liked Blur since before they became popular after the release of their Parklife album which most people think was their first. Back in the day there was a big band battle between Blur and Oasis and most people chose one or the other but I chose both. Both bands have different styles and I think Blur made some good music.
Blur were an English rock band and formed in Colchester in 1989 and consisted of Damon Albarn, Alex James, Dave Rowntree and Graham Coxon. Blur were originally called Seymour but their manager at the time didn't like the name and drew up a list and Blur was the name they finally chose. The single There's No Other Way was Blur's first commercial success and the release of their debut album Leisure in 1991 rose in the charts and Blur embarked on a tour of the US to promote the album. During their time in America, Blur had many arguments because of the lack of appreciation by American listeners and were writing an album which was aimed at American culture called England vs America but in the end decided against it and their second album was released in 1993 and was titled Modern Life Is Rubbish and some reports claim this was the first ever Britpop album. In 1994 Blur released the album Parklife which was a huge success and entered the UK chart straight at #1 and contains some of their most popular songs including Parklife, Girls and Boys, End Of A Century and To The End. The song Girls And Boys entered the UK charts at #5 and also spent 15 weeks on the US Billboard 200.
When Blur released the single Country House it was at the same time that Oasis released Roll With It and this is what caused the whole Battle Of Britpop scene. September 1995 saw both Blur and Oasis release new albums which also fueled the battle. Blur released The Great Escape and Oasis released (What's The Story) Morning Glory? The battle saw more press during the 1996 Brit awards when Oasis sang the chorus of Parklife while accepting one of their awards.
Their next album, the self titled Blur was released in 1997 and contained more hits: Beetlebum, Song 2 and M.O.R. This album saw a drastic change in the style of blur's music and Damon Albarn was reported as saying "We already left Britpop behind with our last album".
The song Beetlebum went straight into the US chart at #1 and Song 2 reached #6. The album turned gold ($1million in sales) only a few months after it's release. When 13 was released in 1999 the single Tender was a massive hit not only in the UK but also in the US and the single Coffee And TV gained them cult status in the US.
The 13 album also saw another turn in the style of Blur's music which now included electronically produced music and gospel style music. Think Tank was released in 2003 and was Blur's last studio album. The album was another #1 hit in the UK and was also nominated for an award in the 2004 Brit Awards. Blur split in 2003 and Damon Albarn had started work with his new band Gorillaz. Some of Blur's most famous songs are: Girls And Boys, There's No Other Way, Country House, For Tomorrow, Parklife and The Universal. My Top 10 Blur Songs are: 01.
Tender 02. There's No Other Way 03. On Your Own 04. I'm Just a Killer For Your Love 05. For Tomorrow 06. Charmless Man 07.
End Of A Century 08. London Loves 09. She's So High 10. No Distance Left To Run.
My name is Andy I'm 31 and I'm from Manchester, UK I like to read a lot (Discworld, Sci-Fantasy) and listen to music (The Doors, Wu-Tang, Amy Winehouse, Kaiser Chiefs, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix). I also try to be a skateboarder when I get time and dry weather. Please view and leave comments on my blog which contains lots more music reviews and my website which contains lots of music merchandise such as T-Shirts, CD's, DVD's, Posters and accessories of your favourite Bands, Artists and Groups. Web: http://wisdommcr.pcriot.com Blog: http://my-top-music-reviews.blogspot.com
