Blur

Does anyone know the name of the song that is played on the start menu on the dvd? Like right before you would select Play????

This is the best soundtrack for any movie ever!!!!!!! And the movie is awesome too! My personal favorite is Woozy but every song on the album is great(although I have to admit, Im not too crazy about the Blur song...the intro matches the movie with the exotic feel, but about 10 seconds into the song it goes way off course)....If I was in charge of putting the soundtrack together I couldn't have done a better job. I recently went to Thailand and saw this place and its magnificent even though its overrun with tourists now and not such a "big secret" anymore. I brought this soundtrack along with my own soundtrack I made with songs such as Peter Gabriels "Red Rain" and Stings "Desert Rose". Those 2 songs really capture the feel of Thailand, the same feel this soundtrack captures. Thailands the best! The movie is the best(except the movie kind of goes downhill towards the middle, but the whole first half makes up for it)! And the soundtrack is even better! And like the others said...VAST-TOUCHED IS THE SONG THAT IS NOT INCLUDED ON THE SOUNDTRACK BUT IN THE TRAILERS FOR THE MOVIE..GREAT SONG! THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT ONE GUYS!

A really good mix of various electronic music. I was surprised that "Spinning Away" was a track from Sugar Ray. It is quite a good track with a very island feel to it. While I thought the movie could have been better, this soundtrack is one of the best I have heard.

The sountrack really matches every scenes in the movie. The sequencing and timing of the music with the scenes are uncanny. I used this sountrack as background for any occassion and it was just too perfect and listeners love it.

Let me start by saying I have never seen "The Beach". When it came out, it did not seem like the type of movie I would be intersted in seeing. Because I had never seen the movie, I had no impulse to listen to the soundtrack either. However, I recently borrowed the soundtrack CD from a friend, and was pleasantly surprised.

I love techno and electronica music. I have been a fan of this type of music going back to it's new-wave/techno roots of the early 80's. This CD offers a wide sampling of electronica, including some of the usual suspects/pioneers of the genre such as Moby, New Order, and Orbital. The CD also gives some artists not known for this type of music a "techno" vibe. All Saints, who were pretty much a Spice Girls clone of the late 90's, are given the electronica treatment on a tune called "Pure Shores". I actually like this song better than some of the material they recorded on their own. Perhaps they might have stayed popular a little longer if they had moved more in this direction than in the Spice Girl direction. Another group given a new spin is Sugar Ray. I had to check the track listing twice, because Mark McGrath sounds almost completely different on "Spinning Mary".

This CD is ambient enough to put on your computer and play in the background while you work and/or study. It is certainly not a masterpiece, but worth a spin.

Blur has a way of writing lyrics that elevates them above most bands. They are intelligent, ironic, and most importantly, funny. I've always related them to Weezer, based on lyrics more than music style. This collection gets the job done as far as providing a solid and complete collection of their radio hits. The songs themselves are all excellent, but they feel strange in the order presented. I agree with another reviewer that they were better when part of their original albums, in their original context. Maybe it's just because I enjoy listening to complete albums more than singles, but I prefer their original albums to this collection.

If you're only interested in owning their radio singles, give this a try. Otherwise, buy their original albums.

The CD was exactly what I wanted and was delivered exactly as promised. I'd do business with them again anytime.

Really, there should be no question about the quality of this record. It features over an hour of the most sublime pop music ever recorded. Every track is a stand-out, but particular highlights include the Euro-disco of "Girls and Boys," the orchestral grandeur of "The Universal," the gospel-tinged ballad "Tender," and the grunge parody "Song 2," better known Stateside as 'whoo-hoo.'
While diehards may have some qualms with the track selection (NOTHING from Modern Life Is Rubbish, save the single version of "For Tomorrow," made the cut), this album is probably the best starting place for newcomers to the Blur discography.
From here, the first place to go is Modern Life Is Rubbish, which is not adequately represented here, but still key to understanding the band's discography.

Not just great Brit Pop - actually - just great Music! There is so much more to Blur than "Song 2" (woo-hoo!) After getting into the Gorillaz with Damon Albarn - I bought this disc and discovered what I missed the first time around. Blur's songwriting is very strong and this Best Of disc showcases the depth and variety of their musicianship. Now, if only they would reunite and tour the US!

While Blur were the undisputable kings of 1990s Britpop, on this side of the pond Blur were virtually unknown outside of alternative rock circles. While the band had considerable success in the UK racking up hit after hit they scarcely charted in the states even though their songs popped up here and there, including commercials. "The Best of" bundles those UK hits spanning 1990 to 2000, which should go a long way towards establishing Blur's hit-making credentials with US listeners. "Best of" aptly demonstrates Blur's musical capability and songwriting prowess and showcases the wide variety of musical styles they could strike, from the moody atmospherics of "She's So High," and "To the End," to the heavy metal of "Song 2," the eclecticism of "Tender," the melodic catchiness of "Coffee and TV," and "There's No Other Way," and the downright nutty "Boys and Girls," and "Country House." "The Best of" pulls in 18 of Blur's biggest hits and throws in a bonus second ten track live CD of their 1999 Wembley show covering many of these same tracks; a great starting point for a casual listener or for someone just starting to dig into Blur's oeuvre.

Indeed these tracks show Blur to be probably one of the best musical acts in recent years, definitely in the same milieu as the Kinks and the Beatles, yet not mindlessly aping either of those groups and at the same time showing a true spark of originality that is all their own. If anything "The Best of" SHOWS THAT Blur remained consistently good throughout their career, while other groups burned out or put out rubbish. Consistently satisfying from start to finish, "The Best of" truly earns that title.

Blur is a band that instead of starting off great and slowly becoming dull, it is the exact opposite. They started off somewhat bland and just got better and more strange. However, instead of taking their music to a more psychedelic level higher than 13, they actually pretty much dropped their odd music compositions altogether. What they came up with instead was an album full of rhythm and beautiful melodies they have rarely tackled before. The hidden track, "Me, White Noise" while not, let's say, spectacular, it is a satisfying dance techno song that will stay in your head for a few days. Once "Ambulance" starts, however, you will really get a good taste of the what the album has to offer: pretty harmonies with interesting instrumentation and vocals that will instantly change your mood between sad and happy contentment with just a change of syllable. The next song "Out of Time" is even better than the previous. I usually don't prefer Blur singles over the other tracks, but I find myself thinking about this song so many times because it's just that beautiful of a song. Then we get to songs like "Crazy Beat" and "We've Got a File on You" that completely kills your original mood and instead makes room for loud fast rock songs. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. In fact, I love it. Both songs have such interesting instrumentation and other sounds that it hard to be bored with them. "Jets" is something everyone has to hear. It reminds me of 13's Caramel and Trimm Trabb in that it uses a simple melody and builds into six minutes of masterpiece. The album closes with one of the most beautiful final tracks (or tracks in general) I have ever heard, "Battery In Your Leg." If you are worried about listening to this album because of the absence of Graham Coxon, do yourself a favor and listen to it. Their is neither a "dud" nor a "filler" on here. Every song has something great to offer. This isn't a diverse pop album like Parklife. This isn't an intense psychedelic journey like 13. This is an album that delivers gorgeous music and shows that Blur is still not afraid of change.

Apparent swan song for Blur (Graham Coxon left the band mid-way through its recording) is no less eclectic and bizarre than any of their other efforts, if not even more so. Songs like "Ambulance," "Crazy Beat," and "Gene By Gene" employ unnatural sounds against each other in often jagged arrangements. In the latter, the noise can be so caustic through the cross rhythms that it becomes borderline-annoying.

Much of the rest is dreamy pop songs floating by at a sleepy pace; some are strong ("Jets," "Sweet Song") while others are rather dull ("Caravan"). The breaks between are where the best bits come from, such as the catchy rhythms in "Brothers and Sisters" and the short-form, punkish throwaway "We've Got a File on You." Mildly disappointing considering how good previous albums were, but it's strong enough to warrant a listen from fans and non-fans alike.

Best cuts: "Brothers and Sisters," "We've Got a File on You," "Jets," "Sweet Song," "Ambulance," "Crazy Beat," "Good Song," "Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club"

i was upset because i knew it damaged, but the only song i really liked was the song that was affected by scratches

It's pretty well documented at this point; Graham Coxon left blur in the early stages of recording Think Tank, but the band soldiered on. Etc., etc. You've probably read that in a bunch of these reviews already. That's not really important.
What is important is the fact that Think Tank is a remarkable album. A lot of fans were not happy with the direction the band took for 13, an equally as brilliant if less focused album, and most of them were not assuaged by Think Tank. It's too bad, because they're missing out on a great sonic experience. The album takes a few spins to really show it's colors, requiring a patience many people aren't willing to provide it with. From the opening beats of "Ambulance," to the heavy bass of "Jet," to the closing glory of "Battery In Your Leg," it's a great, varied listening experience. "Battery In Your Leg" may be one of the best songs of the decade; I've never heard a guitar used like that before, and, regrettably, don't think I ever will again. Graham Coxon's last contribution to the blur canon is a great one.
Again, an excellent album. Very different from everything else blur has done, but, in a manner not so different from the rest of their albums, it rewards patience and multiple listens. Great stuff.

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this CD since I had only heard one of the songs "Out of Time". I found it to be exceptionally innovative, and a giant leap forward from clips of other CDs of theirs I heard that were more pop oriented. Creative music on the edge as is U.N.K.L.E and Radiohead. Check it out.

Never in my life have i heard such a terrible album. First of all, it's annoying. Second of all, it's boring. It's not trendy, not unique...i can't find anything good about it. I picked it for $10 and i want my money back. I was hyped up about getting into Blur, hearing top stuff about them, but this was just a horrible experience. I'm not picky with music either...i barely throw back anything, and i listen to a huge variety of music including alternative rock, punk, ambient, electronic music, acoustic music, electronic music, doom/drone metal, jazz, blues, funk, rap, JEEZ the list goes on and i hope to never hear Blur again.

It seems I have some explaining to do right from the get go: for all those who claim that Blur's Parklife is the beginning of Brit Pop, there are just as many--maybe more--who would place this "movement" if not squarely at the release of Suede's first album, or even Oasis' "Definitely Maybe", then surely the its inception is more vague, consisting of a slow build, and based upon several releases and a general change in attitude. One thing for certain, there is at least some good reason to believe that Brit Pop is somewhat reactionary, as an antidote to the imported grunge rock coming from the states, and the general "Americana" that had suddenly eclipsed what was by all accounts a major British music movement that never seemed to reach stateside with the intensity it had in England, that being Madchester, representative of bands like Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, The Farm, Flowered Up, and the New Fast Automatic Daffodils, among others. Even the first Blur album, "Leisure", was to some degree associated with the Manchester sound.

But truth be told, the naissance of Brit Pop belongs to all of the above. As with any "movement" there are all sorts of reasons converging and catalysts a plenty. Nevertheless, I hold steadfast in my assertion: Parklife is the Beginning of Brit Pop. But why? Why not other bands, or even previous releases by Blur? Surely Modern Life is Rubbish should be considered! It is, after all, quintessentially English if not more than a little anti-American. But if Brit Pop is to be remembered as more than a one dimensional idea qua philosophy replete with an attitude, style, and general mode of being its crystallization must be found in once source, and that source is Parklife.

Unlike previous Blur albums and certainly the other great albums by Brit Pop's elite, Parklife mixes its metaphors and is an interpretive history of all that is and has been noteworthy within popular British history: Mod, Punk, Northern soul (subtly its there), James Bond cool, Pub dirge, a show tunes a la Noel Coward. And with guest appearance from Phil Daniels of "Quadrophenia" fame, as well as Lætitia Sadier from Stereo Lab (never mind she's French) it marked itself as a timeless as well as timely remark on why it was much cooler to turn on to a style that was ostensibly slick as opposed to turn off and be disenfranchised and angry, or maybe indifferent, which was what, essentially, American music was offering--or at least it seemed that way at the time. Whereas the Seattle scene was donning flannel and ratty jeans, Brit Pop was about wearing trainers, football jerseys, and haircuts. It sounds superficial now, but if you were listening to The Smiths, The Bunnymen, etc. in the eighties, then the Manchester and Shoegaze bands of the late eighties/early nineties, American grunge was disappointing.

But all this is not to trivialize Blur or Brit Pop. It was, and is, certainly not just a style without substance. To the contrary, its substance and content are rooted in its context, and Parklife is the seminal expression of the convergence of all of this. In short, Parklife discloses the mood and feel, dare I say optimism, of the early to mid-nineties.

Listen to it with an old copy of the NME, Melody Maker, or a Select, and you will know what I'm talking about!

Quite honestly, playing this album makes you want to like... Walk through the streets of the UK toting your guitar case headed towards band practice while wearing your union jack bearing leather jacket in the chilly november air. It's inspiring. While listening to it, you're wishing you could make music like this. I love blur. I think it's always been a close tie between them and oasis, but blur always comes out on top because of Albarn's voice. Definitely one of the best albums of the 90s, definitely one of the best in my personal collection, and definitely one of blur's best. you get this, you won't regret it and you'll play it everyday for about 2 months.

Parklife is a fantastic album, it really is. The songs are all impeccably well-crafted, the lyrics are clever without being full of themselves, and the playing is peerless. Opening track "Boys & Girls" is a wonderful dance track, finding the mid ground between Britpop and Hip-Hop (Kind of. I just liked how they rhyme). The only downside to the album is a matter of location. Starting with their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, blur were known for their ability to capture the feelings and emotions of the time and place where they were. Parklife is revered as Mid-90's England captured in song, and while I like the album very much, I feel like I missed something because I didn't hear it in it's own time. A small grief, but a grief none the less.

Hailed by many as Blur's best album, "Parklife" was my first sampling of them. After many years of being a huge fan of 90's alt/rock, I decided to check this band out. What do I think of this album? read on...

I was familiar with the first song on this album, "Girls & Boys" from seeing the video on Vh1 classic late one night. This song was the reason I got the urge to check this band out, a very catchy tune. The album continues next with "Tracy Jacks," and the comparisons to the Who and the Kinks come to mind with this certain song. "End of the Century" is one of the albums highlights. This song should be up there with the likes of Radiohead's "High and Dry." The next song, "Parklife" is more fun brit-pop, I'm not much for spoken word, but this song comes through with its catchy chorus.

The next four songs bring down the album just a tad bit, "Bank Holiday" is a quick punky song. "Badhead" is a great mellow song, but it seems out of place between "Bank Holiday" and the instrumental "Debt Collector." "Far Out" is a short, more experimental song. I like this song, it reminds me of the psychedelia of Syd Barret, and early Pink Floyd. Its a shame the song is so short.

The album picks up again with "To the End," this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Its a very british song, and I love the chorus. This song has a more epic feel, which I like.

The rest of the album is hit or miss. "Clover Over Dover" is one of my fav's from the album. More of a downer of a song with its depressing lyrics, and thats what I like. "This is a Low," the longest song on the album, and its many peoples favorites. I have to agree because its a very well written song, and its a good way to close out the album.

Blur's "Parklife" was better than I expected, and I'm ready to dive deeper into Blur's other albums. It's a great start if your a blur noobsause like me.

Blur's "Parklife" - Final rating: 77%

OK I'll admit I bought thier best of album for two reasons, Song 2 and the clever artwork and after a few listens I loved it. What I loved in particular was the songs off that album which were taken off the album "Blur", Song 2 is a given but also the amazing calm and catchiness of Beetlebum and the electronicly driven On Your Own. So on the back of those songs, I assumed this was Blur's best album and bought it.

I had high hopes on first listen and I was conflicted. How could an album with some such amazing songs be so... bad? The first few songs are great but once part 2 of the album kicks in you end up fastforwarding through all the songs until you reach the end. I've only listened to the whole album twice and couldn't again, and unfortunately the "white noise" path would be the one they followed in future years.

After the Brit Pop movement got exhausted, bands began to break off and move into very different directions. After the Great Escape, Blur treaded into really fuzzed-out and tripped out territory. A place where the White Sripes would eventually come from. And the results are mind-blowing. Where the weird sound effects gurgling on prior albums was subtle and hinted at, on this album it they hit you like a brick.

For those of you who heard Song 2 and thought this album would be a non-stop indie rock force-to-be-reckoned-with, I don't know what to tell you, if anything, Song 2 is just a small part in this mind-trip experience. So be warned.

The cd starts out on radio-friendly terms with the Beatlesque Beetlebum, and it serves as the perfect intro to where Blur are at on this cd. The verses are pure minimalist indie-rock style, and they break into a soothing radio-friendly chorus, and the outro builds up into a torrent of buzzing and blurry sound-effects that eventually eclipse the song they're grounded in. It encapsulates what's about to come over the next hour. Song 2 is the indie-rock extreme of the album rocking like a beast. And then you head into Country Sad Ballad Man which is the polar opposite, a psychedelic slow-burner with uncountable layers of acoustic, and electric guitars, bass, drums, and indefinable bubbling noises.

Like White Blood Cells by the White Stripes, this cd has no flow to it at all, and on listening to this the first time around, you have no idea what the hell is going to happen next. In the indie/psychedelic texture of this disc, Blur explore pop music, rock, ballads, pure psychedelia, and the unknown (Essex Dogs). It is one hell of a listen that will leave you mystified and coming back for more.

If you're looking for rock music at it's simultaneously most mystifying and haunting, this is a must.

My favourite album's tend to be the one's where a successful band leaves behind their signature sound and ventures into new realms that you wouldn't have expected them to and this is no exception. That's not to say that Blur were always the indie pop meets music hall of 'Parklife' and 'The Great Escape', there was definitely evidence of them wanting to be a more challenging band on their second album 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' and prior to becoming Blur their previous incarnation as art punks 'Seymour' showed they were musically more ambitious than any of the Britpop bands of the mid-nineties.
Still, this album shocked the majority of Blur's fanbase and surprised their critics at the time of it's release. Some of the songs have a demo feel to them and the so-called 'Lo-fi' production helps the album to flow well and give it a unique character no matter how diverse each of the songs are from each other.
It's my personal favourite Blur album and was the first that I bought by them. I'd heard the singles 'Parklife', 'Girls And Boys' and 'Country House' along with everyone else in the country at the height of Britpop mania but I wasn't a big fan of indie till 1997, year zero for me in terms of developing my own taste in music beyond my parent's taste's!
So this album truly introduced me to the world of Blur and I revelled in it from start to finish. Graham Coxon instantly became my teenage idol and has inspired me as a guitarist ever since i heard this for the first time. He might disagree but I would say that this is his album more than Damon's even if he only actually wrote just one of the songs (the chirpy acoustic strum of 'You're So Great'). It was Graham who became sick of the Britpop scene they inspired and the member who most fought for a change of direction. His guitar playing dominates this album and gives it a playful, sloppy one take feel that no Blur album previously had (including 'Modern Life...).
As for the songs themselves, there is a variety of styles on here from short punk blasts ('Song 2', 'Chinese Bombs', 'Movin' On') to haunting pieces (the instrumental 'Theme From Retro', 'Death Of A Party' and my favourite song on the album 'Strange News From Another Star') to eccentric pop (the under-rated single's 'M.O.R' and 'On Your Own'). 'Beetlebum' has to be one of the most unusual and therefore brilliant number one singles of the last ten years! 'Look Inside America' is the only track that harks back to their Britpop sound which is ironic considering it's subject matter! 'Country Sad Ballad Man', 'I'm Just A Killer For Your Love' and 'Essex Dogs' are the songs that require more than one listen to get into but are worth it once you do get your head round them.
You can trace the roots of '13', 'Think Tank', Graham's first four solo album's and even Gorillaz here on this album.
Blur were the nineties Beatles and this is their 'White Album'.

I first discovered Blur through Damon Albarn's side project, Gorillaz. Needless to say, Blur sounded completely different from the "zombie hip-hop" of Gorillaz, but I liked it - a lot. This is the third Blur CD I have, after their greatest hits album and "Parklife."

1. Beetlebum - great song, jams for a bit too long at the end 9/10
2. Song 2 - Whoo-hoo! Like Nirvana on ecstacy. 10/10
3. Country Sad Ballad Man - extremely catchy. One of the more experimental ones - 10/10
4. M.O.R. - kind of...eh. grows on you after a while, though. 7/10
5. On Your Own - catchy, nothing spectacular. 6/10
6. Theme from Retro - average. This is where I begin to get worried. 5/10
7. You're So Great - YES!!! This song is so great. And the reason it doesn't sound like Damon is because it's sung by Graham Coxon. 10/10
8. Death of a Party - spooky, but extremely beautiful. 9/10
9. CHINESE BOMBS - hated it first listen, got better, not nearly on par with Song 2. 8/10
10. I'M JUST A KILLER FOR YOUR LOVE - great guitar. 9/10
11. LOOK INSIDE AMERICA - very pretty piece. Damon could tone down the vocal gymnastics, though. Sounded like he was warbling in some parts. 9/10
12. STRANGE NEWS FROM ANOTHER STAR- another very pretty song. Probably the calmest one on the CD. 10/10
13. MOVIN' ON - not bad, not memorable - 7/10
14. ESSEX DOGS - personally, I love this one, but it's an acquired taste. 10/10

I read in several places that they were being inspired by Pavement's lo-fi stylings at the time. Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but this album definitely has a different vibe from their prior releases, and it is, once again, an excellent record. Damon, Graham, and the rest seem to be able to do any style they want and do it well. Incredibly strong from front to back.

Since their sophomore album, Modern Life Is Rubbish, Blur started to get creative. They began to throw a few new pieces into their songs that stood out against the majority of pop/rock bands. Now we introduce their sixth album 13. Instead of dropping interesting bits into, say, half of their songs, this album is nothing but strange music that is ethereal, loud, quiet, and sloppy all at once. There are very few "normal" songs on here. Blur's 13 mainly consists of psychedelic tracks that occasionally fade out just long enough to come crashing back to finish the song with a stunning climax.

Here are some tracks that are worth mentioning:

Bugman - This is loud, odd song that sounds like a normal rocker, but it gradually becomes a track full of obnoxious, but satisfying sounds. The most interesting fact about this song is how it seems to end, only to return midway with an exciting guitar solo.

1992 - A very spacey song. I say spacey because it sounds like there is a flying saucer is the background. Besides the flying sound effect, this is a very beautiful song.

Battle - I suppose nobody can resist mentioning this track. It is quite hard for me to properly explain this, so I'll use the terms I used above: ethereal, loud, quiet, and sloppy.

Trailerpark - I can understand why people may not like this song, but I think it's just as good as any other song on here.

Caramel - This track is mostly a soft song, though it ends with a loud section. This track also features one of my favourite hidden tracks.

I can honestly say this album is my all time favourite album. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to hear something different and mind blowing.

Don't Buy This CD For Any Reason Is a Piece of sweepings Only The Song "Tender" Could Be Listen and it`s Not The Big Deal. Don`t Waste Your Money And Your Time Please.

I can't think of another album quite like this. Great mix of relatively straight Britpop and experimental soundscapes, and some stuff that just defies classification. Not a bad track in the bunch. Recommended!

IMO, this is Blur's best. The band was unique in that each subsequent album was not only more "progressive," but also very different. Not many bands pull this off, but Blur did. It seems to me that 13 was the band's peak. The songs range from the choir-laden Tender to the Arabesque, hair-bandish Swamp Song. There's only one song I'm not fond of, Caramel, which just kind of drags on. All the rest are great. My favorites are Tender, Bugman, 1992 (Portishead-ish), Mellow Song (Radiohead-ish), and Trimm Trabb. Man, do I love Trimm Trabb! And I think the album's songs all fit together very nicely, a la Sgt. Peppers and American Idiot, where they all pretty much need to be there for it to make sense. After 13, I think Blur's Think Tank was disjointed and a bit indifferent - a few nice tunes, but no 13. You can hear Gorillaz being born in 13, I think. This is one of favorite albums.

While I am a Blur fan I just cannot listen to this drivel. It's picked up this cult status among Blur fans as it's the heart-rendering story of Damon Albarn's break up with then girlfriend and lead singer of Wire rip-offs Elastica, Justine Frischmann. 13 is a document of that break up and my god it's useless self indulgence. Mindless even.

First we'll start off with the singles.

Tender - a plodding gospel song that goes nowhere and proves that Damon just can't hack it when it comes to soul no matter how much he protests. Long winded and uninteresting

Coffee & TV - While I marvel at the video, I do think that that takes away from the fact that this song is very ordinary and nothing at all special. It does feature one of Graham Coxon's more agreeable vocals and goes by fine enough.

No Distance Left To Run - Awful. Just plain awful. It never deserved to be a single. It should never have been a single. The lyrics are the most embarrassing I have ever listened to and Damon's voice is just off beyond all point. Although I'm sure those who love this album will point out that it's supposed to represent the pain he's going through. It just doesn't work.

As for the rest of the album it just a horrible mess of styles thrown together to make it sound like they've been listening to the coolest albums around and that America's underground is really cool which is ironic given that this band originally wanted to go against all that.

People say that Blur is Graham's album and this is 13's album and while I'm not so sure I'd label Blur Graham's album I can definitely agree with 13 being Damon's album. It's completely self-absorbed and the music is secondary to the theme of the album which in my book is never a good thing.

However there are a couple of good songs. BLUREMI and 1992 are toetappers and the often underrated Optigan 1. Poor Optigan 1. The Optigan is one of the more fascinating instruments and has a gently surreal yet antique way of sound. It's a credit that this was made. Yet it goes almost unnoticed by many because " Oh it's just an instrumental." A shame that, because it sounds like everything this album is trying to be; emotional, warm, hurt.

But most of the tracks here are surrounded in half thought-out ideas, lazily produced songs and in the case of Trimm Trabb, nicking the opening riff of Wined and Dined by Syd Barrett. I once said that this album was a poor man's Bad Moon Rising ( by Sonic Youth ) and by god I stick to that statement. While that album had oozing soundscapes, inventive lyrics and a sense of adventure even in dealing with some similar viewpoints ( although not all )......this feels completely lazy, lyrics depressed 15 year olds would laugh at, music that doesn't really do much and not a lot much else. It's painful to say that this is the same band who an album beforehand made something that was a stroke of genius. This however is not the answer though.

Buy this if you are in love with Damon's ego. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and buy other Blur albums ( other than The Great Escape and Leisure ) or better yet buy Sonic Youth's Bad Moon Rising. Beats the hell out of this crap

Leisure, the debut album, was nothing special, save for the astonishing "Sing." Blur were not a band anyone was keeping a particularly close eye on in 1992, when they released a stand alone single titled "Popscene." It bombed, despite massive amounts of critical praise, but it trumpeted a new creative wave within both the band and within all of England. "Popscene," included on the U.S. release of Modern Life is Rubbish as "Pop Scene," is the single responsible for all of Britpop.

When Modern Life is Rubbish came out, Blur showcased everything that was great about "Popscene" over the course of 16 (17 in the U.S.) mostly-stellar tracks. They had a new lyrical acuity. Damon Albarn, the lead singer and the songwriter, had started writing about the world around him, instead of writing trite throwaway lyrics which were merely made to sell records. The results were a guitar album which wasn't quite like anything before, and has managed to remain quite unlike anything sense. Parklife, the subsequent release, would be a better album, with an overall stronger set of songs and more varied styles, but it doesn't come close to matching the urgency and energy behind this last-ditch effort by Blur to save their careers. It could have been suicide. It ended up being a master stroke.

Most of the people try to get everything new and fresh, ignoring things that are old now. One of those "old" things is Modern Life Is Rubbish, one of the best albums ever made. Because it wasn't really around in US in 1993, it didn't gain enough popularity and is not well-known here today. It's bad. Bad, because it is so good. The album is not recycling the classic british groups' music-it builds on it, gives many new musical ideas, styles, and the result is what will be in your head if you will put Garage Rock, Britpop, Psychodelic Rock and the "essense of wittiness" in a mixer, make a cocktail out of them and drink it. It is not "just britpop", it is alternative, progressive, very british rock-what's not to like? And, by the way, Modern Life Is Rubbish is a name so good, it must be on your shelf.
All you people looking for things all-new, stop right now and look in the past. There will you find good-old Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish album. Get over yourself and pick it up-you won't be dissapointed.

Does Modern Life Is Rubbish suffer the ill-fated sophomore curse that have plagued many great bands? No. It is actually the superior album. From the beginning of the first song "For Tomorrow" you can tell this will have a different kind of sound than Leisure. Then "Advert" starts playing and you can tell this song has a different feel to it as well. By the time "Intermission" has finished, you really can't help but be surprised that the band that used the tired shoegazing style of Leisure is the same band that created this bizarre album full of strange sounds and complex music compositions. But the fun doesn't stop there. Even the second half of the album, though has a few soft songs, continues the slightly psychedelic rhythms and sound effects all the way to "Commercial Break"..... And it still doesn't end there. Two bonus tracks close the album at tracks 68 and 69. "When the Cows Come Home" is fun little song that could have fit in nicely within the rest of the album. "Peach" is the weaker of the bonus tracks, but it is worth listening. Modern Life Is Rubbish is, in my opinion, Blur's first great album. I'm not saying I don't like Leisure, but since I enjoy bands like Gorillaz, Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, and early Genesis, Leisure sounds a bit boring in comparison.

The grandeur of this album didn't quite dawn on me until the second time I listened to it, and thank goodness I gave it that second chance! Included on this awesome C.D. are many varying guitar patterns, many of them being largely catchy and enjoyable. Horns accompany some tracks, as well as piano and occasional television samples. The only real negative feature of this C.D. is that the lyrics are sometimes mildly corny, such as in "Villa Rosie" which has the line "so tasty" repeated about eight times, or in "Turn It Up" where the listener is permitted to hear the awkward phrase "kazoo, kazoo" on multiple instances. Despite this unfortunate factor, though, most of "Modern Life Is Rubbish" is great listening. Track #8, "Intermission", is a sprightly song which includes a humorous recurring piano pattern that is somewhat circus-like. The pattern gradually accelerates as percussion and hard guitars are added in. This C.D. has plenty of rockin' tracks that are vital for the Blur fan to hear. I would recommend it with enthusiasm and present it proudly with five shinin' stars.

I think this is Blur's best. It has more rocking songs on it, later Blur albums get a bit too arty and weird. "Colin Zeal" is my favourite, its kind of a Bowie influenced song, and it rocks hard. Oily water" is second best, I love the ending.
By the way, the Gorillaz suck hard.

England was entering a new golden age in the mid-1990s. English patriotism was returning, and the English were proud to call themselves so. It was all summed up perfectly in Blur's third album, Parklife. Parklife was a celebration of the English way, even going so far as to make a moving, stadium-sized song about the shipping forecast ("This Is a Low"). That was on the upswing of Britpop. It was a document of the Glory Days.

The Great Escape is the comedown. For Blur, at least, the party was over before it even began. The overwhelming success of Parklife led to songwriter Damon Albarn having a nervous breakdown, and the album which came out of it is a stunner. The music is more angular, the songs are darker. While Parklife was England as it is, The Great Escape exists within Albarn's mind, in a world where darkness and depressions lay in every facet. The songs cover everything from voyeurism to separated lovers, and while it's a more challenging trip to get through, the album is definitely a classic. "Country House" and "Charmless Man" are two of the most enjoyable singles Blur ever released, and they serve to lighten the tone, though even they are about depressed men living empty lives.

There is a split within the Blur fan base; It's rare to find a Blur fan who finds The Great Escape average. They either love it, or think it to be the low point of the discography. I can understand where those who think little of it are coming from; The album is the only point in the Blur discography where they really seemed to stay still. All the other albums are tremendous leaps into new directions, but The Great Escape is Parklife with a hangover. The band settled in one spot, and let themselves sink deep into the ground. Some don't like that they were mining the same tract, and argue they buried themselves. Others, myself included, feel there was simply more to find in that vein, and it was well worth the stay.

After the era-defining and diverse Parklife album, Blur went on to create the Great Escape. Somewhat cynical in tone lyrically, it is clear to see a band on the brink of implosion with the excessively perky arrangements. The lead single Country House was released on the same day as Oasis's Roll With It. Oasis made it to the number one spot subsequently winning the 'battle'. And rightly so, Country House's smirkiness was not what the public wanted and they preferred Oasis's (then) working class authenticity. Overall, Th Great Escape is an over the top, theatrical mess and completely grating. Blur ended up releasing 1997's selft-titled album which, stylistially, was a complete reverse of The Great Escape and saw them embracing American indie-pop amongst other genres. And thank god they did!

The Great Escape is, in my humble opinion, the best and most underrated pop album of the 90's. It is an album where each song doesn't necessarily flow together and yet to the listener, it feels like the album created a world. In that world are characters that are pretty bummed out. Damon Albarn sympathizes with these characters, it's as if he makes fun of them and becomes friends with them at the same time. He narrates what they do, but understands why they do them. He treats them as if they just took the wrong path by mistake and now they're paying for it. But what I love most about The Great Escape is how diverse the themes are. This album has everything: humor ("Mr. Robinson's Quango", "Dan Abnormal"), wit ("Charmless Man", "Top Man"), optimism ("Could Be You"), pessimism ("Fade Away", "He Thought of Cars"), fantasy ("The Universal"), and desperation ("Entertain Me", a perfect gem and Blur's crowning achievement). The songs are tight and structured; there's nothing indulgent about The Great Escape. The real true great escape of the album is the final minute of carnival music at the end. It's as if Dan Abnomal, Ernold Same, and Mr. Robinson (and everybody else) actually decided on going to a carnival and forget about their problems for a day. If you love this album the way I do, it will probably make you watery-eyed.
Rarely ever have songs so simple sounded so profound. The Great Escape is Blur's Revolver, a wide-ranging and stunning masterpiece that should be considered vital. A+

Of Blur's english trilogy "The Great Escape" has alway struck me as the less inspired record probably because of the two or three annoying songs it has in it(the Ray Davies aping "Ernold Same"at the top of them) and at the same time for sounding less fresh and a bit more designed for success than previous efforts.

While far from being a bad record "The Great Escape"doesn't seem to recapture "Modern Life is Rubbish"s innocence or to present a band at the absolute top of their game as "Parklife"did.

But all this is forgotten in the presence of the several cuts that do honor their name.And they're not as few as one might think since there's about 8-9 songs that are actually compelling and, as usual with Blur, fun to listen to(Stereotypes,Entertain me,He thought of Cars,Top Man and Fade Away among my favorites).

A more than worthy addition to their catalog though not the best starting place for beginners.

This album was quite good, yet in my opinion not quite as good as Blur's self-titled album. A number of songs on here discuss the life of a fictional character, some being rather childish yet at the same time likeable. Many tracks also feature some sort of horn, also. I would most recommend the song "Fade Away", which has a unique beat and an almost circus-like off key horn melody which is slightly eerie yet enjoyable. Aside from this song, there are numerous other great incomparable songs, a strange booklet, and interesting lyrical features. I would recommend this album to any Blur fans out there, as well as those of any rock genre.
I recommend:
Stereotypes
Country House
Charmless Man
Fade Away
Top Man
The Universal
Mr. Robinson's Quango
He Thought Of Cars
It Could Be You
Ernold Same
Globe Alone
Entertain Me

Blur have managed to create a stunning catalog over the seventeen years since this album came out, but clearly even the best bands had to have started somewhere. While by no means a bad album, this is the weakest link in the Blur canon, and manages only twice to surpass mediocrity.

Keep in mind, this was the first album, and in 1991 Blur did not have their own sound. They fit in with all the baggy bands popular in England at the time. The songwriting isn't particularly impressive, and when one part of a song does excel, the other half fails. The chords for "Birthday" are quietly stunning, but the lyrics are some of the worst Albarn's ever committed to tape.

As mentioned before, there are two moments which raise this album slightly above the level of "For completists only". The first, "She's So High," was one of Blur's first hits. It was the song that put them on the map, and deservedly so. It's a prime slice of shoe gazing music, and worth hearing. But the real masterpiece here, the reason to pick up this album if you find it in the bargain bin, is "Sing." "Sing" is an early masterpiece from a band with more than a few masterpieces in their repertoire. A monolith, pounding piano progression, a friend of mine once described it as God coming through the keys, and subtle bits of guitar laced throughout, it is a stunning piece of work. That it does not overshadow all that Blur accomplished after is a testament to their unending appetite for change and improvement.

As Blur's first album, it's alright. You can still tell that they want to experiment and expand their sound, but it is still limited to that shoegazing style. Wanting to know which one to get, US or UK version, I was able to hear both "I Know" and "Sing" from start to finish, and I like "Sing" a lot better. For one, "I Know" just fits in too perfectly with this album, that I wanted to have "Sing" to add some diversity. Not to say "I Know" is a bad song, I just like the other one better. So I got the UK version for "Sing." Now on the album as a whole, it's a good effort, but the music starts to sound the same. The musicians are good with the instruments they are playing, but the music sounds a bit tiresome after a few songs. Not to mention that Albarn sings like he's bored most of the time. Get this album if you must, but I enjoy their later albums for their diversity and bizarre music.

This is a TOTAL home run, out of the ballpark--a truly great album that delivers exceptional, perfect songs one after another.

The professionalism and inspiration here are at the highest level--in the songwriting and in the execution and in the production.

You will play this CD until you've memorized every song and then you'll hum them to yourself for weeks and then you'll get drunk and try to sing them on karaoke night. You'll suck but people will cheer anyway because the songs themselves are so damn great.

And even if for some sick reason you don't care for this style, it's worth buying just for the classic cover picture.

Compared to the last cd Blur released, you almost can't tell it's the same band. I bought this mainly to complete my collection, I can't honestly say that I listen to it on a daily basis. But I gave it 3 stars because in its time, it was interesting, and it is a good, not great start for a great band.

Ignore all the hype and mis/preconceptions about Blur's early work and buy this album for two excellent reasons: "She's So High", a wonderfully addictive slice of guitar-driven, echo-laden atmosphere, and "There's No Other Way", an amazing mix of choppy, syncopated beats overlaid with perfect Syd Barrett vocals that's, without question, the most exciting track to come out of the whole "Britpop" era. Like the Stone Roses at their peak, both are infused with the infectious enthusiasm of the "60s" transformed into something that's so much better. Brilliant...

My conciousness of blur is a fairly recent development, having started sometime in the winter of 2005. Since then, I've done as I do with new loves, and hastily gathered together all of their studio albums. My hunger for blur has proven insatiable, however, and so now I'm turning my attention to b-sides collections and this, blur's only live album (That I know of). It's an excellent one, with blur at the top of their pop game. It starts like every Budokan album, with a fleet of screaming Japanese school girls, and then the music starts. The set list is as close to a greatest-hits as you're going to find, so you won't be dissapointed with the choices. Blur live is a tough proposition, only because their records are so ornately detailed and meticulously crafted that the live venue will inevitably cause some of the ear-catching sheen to vanish. Also, at the time, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon were not the most consistent of live singers, but the music is still wonderful. I don't reccomend it as a introduction to blur, but if you're already familiar, it's a fantastic addition to the collection.

Reminds you of how great Blur used to be. The recording quality isn't perfect, but it'll do--one thing I have to wonder, though: what exactly was the motivation behind putting the first nineteen tracks on the first CD and the second six on the second? A more even distribution, maybe? After "Intermission" would've been the perfect place to end CD1...I don't get it. I'd say "if you only buy one Blur album...", but that's not really the case since for what you'd pay for this you could buy Modern Life..., Parklife, and The Great Escape. For committed fans, though, Live... is well worth the money.

these 2 cds contain the storming Popscene which is a good enough reason to by this, but the other tracks make this release a must have, and here the band are in top form.Alex James rocks!

This is another record that Blur fans must have. You can hear all the action in a special two cd pack. Damon Albarn splendidly sings my favorite version of "The Universal". This is a cd you can take and pack away with you and all of Blur's good songs will be included in it. Very worth it.

A typical live performane from blur, full of the usual energetic sounding music which so often elevates this band above the rest. Recorded at a time when blur's music was happy and made you smile no matter what mood you was in!. A total contrast to the recent effort of "13". This is a must for all blur fan's who appreciate their live sound, especially those who have followed the band from the start. I guarantee this will bring the memories of the brit pop era flooding back.