Parklife

Oh. Another britpop album. What a surprise. Honestly, all of these bands are starting to sound exactly the same. Much like their food, British pop music seems to be mostly bland and uninspiring.

So British. Very playful. Sort of all over the place. I think Blur is the most fun of all the Britpop groups.

This album tastes like sunshine. It perfectly encapsulates the energy and colour of the 90s. Even the more reflective, melancholic moments, it glimmers with light and hope. A bright spark in an already illuminating decade. Vorsprung durch technik.

Fuckin' Blur albums are too long and filled with shit man.

The first half of this album is as good as pop music gets. Sensational. The second part loses momentum , but still has This Is A Low and To The End to pull it round. Easy 5 stars.

Excellent album!! So good I listened twice. What a treat, it's got the bangerz yet also somehow they made oompah music sound cool and threw it in there?? I really love the storytelling and the feeling in these tracks. So nice listening to the entire album all together.

British people act like these guys were legends, but its pretty mediocre stuff.

This is a contender for my favorite Blur album. The song "Parklife" was a favorite of my brother and me when I was in high school. The overtly British stuff is charming, like "Bank Holiday" and "London Loves." Several great songs on here and I think it covers a fair amount of ground while staying cohesive as an album throughout.

After touring, Damon Albarn became increasingly influenced by the shift in 60s songwriting which is exemplified in the Beatles and the Kinks. These influences are reflected in this album which manages to incorporate a dizzying array of sounds ranging from experimental 60s rock, to more punk like and electronic sounds. The lyrical content similarly treads the familiar ground of disaffected middle class life. What I love about this album is it’s undeniably British aesthetic and its folding of so many styles into something cohesive and new.

Arguably the definitive Britpop album, Blur's Parklife carries you along with its bouncy pop hooks and dry lyricism.

I forgot how great this record was, the crown jewel of the Britpop genre. Feel like these guys never fully made it outside of the UK, there’s a lot of bands that I will never understand how they didn’t become huge worldwide, Blur is one. I guess Damon Albarn finally got his due with the Gorillaz but really this should’ve been the album that made these guys gigantic stars. Sadly only in the British Isles…

Another easy one for me. I handwrite out all the lyrics when I taped my friend's copy of this so I could sing along. It was the first album that wasn't a pop compilation or PJ and Duncan that I obsessed over. I was 10, and I wanted to be Graham Coxon. I forgot to write any more while I was listening, just enjoying it! It's subtler than it gets credit for.

Nice try posh boys.

MASTERPIECE. ICONIC. GENIUS.

I got into Blur way too late. I really dig this album!

Indie pop classssic. Glamourised the mundane like nobody before. Nothing more to say... I love it!

- i see Blur i press like - I like how at some places it's raw like those dogs on the cover (Parklife, Jubilee, Girls and Boys..), just barking at me and then its mellow and I'm bathing in Damons voice (This is a low, End of a century, To the end). - very fun. i can easily put this and listen to the whole thing and stop doing whatever I was doing

Full of life, angst, and Damon Albarn’s beautiful vocals and bright guitars.

I bet this was the biggest shit ever when it dropped.

Amazinggg SO GOOD

Instant 5 stars from me. While it's not my favourite Blur album, it's still a masterpiece in my mind. Did it influence or capture British culture at the time? The standout 'overplayed' tracks Girls and Boys and Parklife are both fantastic and English music in the 90s would have been vastly different without them. The rest of the album is all top notch with Damon starting to use characters in his songs more and more. The variety is there with fuzz, disco, and beautiful compositions but it all fits to get her as a coherent record and the songs are so well written they have undoubtedly stood the test of time. I have listened to this album regularly for close to thirty years and have not tired of it yet.

4/1001 This is the third album in a row I've been excited to listen to. Another artist I'm familiar with from "Song 2" and later Gorillaz. Right away "Girls & Boys" brought me back to the 90s when I probably last heard that song. Somehow this album escaped me for 30 years, but no bother regretting that now as getting to hear a fantastic album like this for the first time in a treat Full of that great British rock style. Favorite track: "Girls & Boys" 5/5

I didnt think this was particularly "good" for lack of a better word, but I loved almost every second of it I found myself singing along to the chorus of several songs, despite it being my first time listening to them, they were that encapsulating. I loved the instrumental track, and songs like The Debt Collector are incredibly charming. Felt myself dancing around a little as I was listening to it. I have rated music I thought was "better" lower but thats simply because, despite it not being as artistically innovating as some of the other albums, its genuinely just so nice to listen to. Will listen to it many times in the future

Looking for girls who want boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Always should be someone you really love

Awesome album! I'm constantly surprised by how varied Blur is while keeping their almost comical signature sound.

I had just relistened to this for the umpteenth time a couple of days ago, it's one of my favorite albums, the best album of the 90s if you ask me. I was originally hooked by Boys and Girls but every time I listen to it a different song jumps out as a new favorite, the title track, "End of a Centurty," "This Is a Low," even "Jubilee." Currently it's "To the End."

I liked this album very much. It sounds so true and so fun. It sounds like "good days". I didn't know Blur much more than "Song 2", but now I'll search for all other albums to know a little bit more. Definitively, worths it!

Throwback to the 90s "Britpop rivalries" - I was originally more in the Oasis camp but as time has gone on even though Oasis may have a few singles that have higher peaks I think Blur is more listenable over the long haul (i.e. for an entire album). Tons of cool/odd melody on this album with a lot of British influences. "Tracy Jacks" could very well have been a deep-cut old-school Who song. There are some annoyingly-overly-British songs here (e.g. "Bank Holiday") but that's more my lack of preference for punky fast-paced chanting. Fortunately for any irritating moments they are either short or countered quickly; for example "Badhead" is a very mellow tune with some simple and nice guitar lines weaving throughout the song. Then they go from "Far Out" through "To The End" and "London Loves" - that trio typifies this surprisingly diverse and melodic slice of the 90s that for me was a welcome diversion from the angsty-Nirvana trend. 7/10 4 stars.

The year is 1995: UK media is giving generous coverage to the like of Blur and Oasis as a "Battle of Britpop" rages on the charts with a battle between the leading singles for each band's subsequent albums, "The Great Escape" and "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", respectfully. The media was late to the party though, because "Parklife" was the real big hit for the lads and the prime definition of britpop. These are great songs, too. Catchy as hell, good fun, and tons of personality from Albarn et. al., all culminating in a definitive album for the genre. This is nothing if not exemplary by the album's title track "Parklife", in which does an exaggerated accent of a very content englishman, followed by the chorus where we all sing "ALLLLLL THE PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE" and then we go hand-in-hand through our parklife. The back half of the album is not nearly as good as the first half, dropping off all Bank Holiday, picking up with To The End and the last three tracks. Still worth a listen for Britpop history.

Maybe I am just in a bad mood but this was straight up annoying to me. I had a hard time finishing the album.

ALL THE PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE!!! Ok, now that I've got your attention, it's time for Blur. This album isn't massively different in style from the wonderful 'Modern Life Is Rubbish', but it doesn't need to be, since there's still enough creative juice in them to make it work. (Another example would be Queen's Night at the Opera and Day at the Races) Parklife's concept seems to hang together a bit better compared to its predecessor, and the band experiments more with studio trickery and different styles. (I couldn't imagine Girls & Boys or To The End on the previous one, for example. That's the difficult thing when you have two really great albums in a row from the same band in the same style that you love equally, you either go into detail about the differences between the two or you just shrug and say 'It's good, innit.' Tangent: It's good, innit. Fave: This is a Low Least Fave: Lot 105

The closest an album has ever got to a good British sitcom. A vivid portrait of eclectic ordinary people experiencing the funny parts of life mixed with real pathos. Fun, witty, bouncy, poppy. At the same time; cynical, bitter, aggressive, and reflective. Something most of Blur's contemporaries and copycats couldn't reproduce (and something that Blur themselves couldn't balance on their poppier but lyrically darker follow-up The Great Escape).

I love Britpop

YES YES YES

I love a the satirical lyrics of the album and its depictions of different characters and aspects of modern life. Instant British classic with its mix of humor, timeless melodies and harmonies, and its new take on musical influences like the Kinks (harmonies and instrumentation of end of a century) and the jam (on songs like trouble in the message center and Tracy jacks). Even though the melodies seem familiar, all of the songs seem fresh and unique from each other so there was very few dull moments. It might not be perfect but my enjoyment of the album was a 5. Solid album but I also listened to all of Oasis-wtsmg today and they still are by far the best of Britpop. 👍: Tracy jacks, parklife, end of a century

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🫶🫶🫶🫶

blur is always a joy

It's the sound i love the most: tidy chaos

One of the best British albums from this era. It is a stylistically very versatile record (synthpop, instrumental waltz, punk-rock and so on) with excellent songwriting and lyrics.

Iconic. This was the beginning but really a continuation of the vibe that goes from the Kinks, The Who, The Jam and Squeeze to name a few. Quirk, fun and constantly re-inventing itself thanks to Damon's skill and inventiveness.

I might just like everything Damon Albarn does

I though Modern Life Is Rubbish was pretty good but I think I liked this one more it still felt proggy but with a lot more tasteful instrumentals I think also Lot 105 and Supa Shoppa made me feel like I was in Napoleon Dynamite which is a massive plus overall super enjoyable album, I don’t think I have any complaint other than the super corny bri*ish accents still I think this album deserves a 10/10, I really loved it

nice blur!

Great album and much more varied than I remember

I'm not sure why I disliked this album so much in the past. It's a belter.

Some of my favourite blur songs are on this album. I even enjoyed the interludes.

<3. London London London as a mysterious otherworldly place. It's not romantic and that's what I love, it's just big and urban and different.

Much better than ’modern life’

British anthem. Loved Jubilee and Bank Holiday and the playful closing song. An album that transports you to the beginnings of a significant cultural era in 90s Britain. Couldn't help but bop my head along to the songs as I was listening. Not usually my "type" of music but this is exactly why I signed up for 1001. Album has been saved in my collection and my musical horizon has been expanded. Overall a pleasant surprise. Didn't give five star because I reserve that for music that really stirs my soul (it's a high bar).

I tried my hardest to hate this band in my youth but I just couldn’t. They won the battle of Brit pop with country house. I mean it was up against roll with it so they kind of gave you that one didn’t they eh Damon? Got absolutely smoked in the album sales though didn’t you? Cockney twat. Sorry I got carried away there anyway park life is a brilliant album. I mean it’s no definitely maybe but it’s pretty good isn’t it.

This has aged terribly. Shite like the Debt Collector and Far Out. The highlights (Parklife, End Of A Century, To The End) are just about enough to give it a 4 though. Oasis shit/shat all over Blur, from a massive height.

I wake up when I want, except on Wednesdays, when I'm rOOdely awakened by the dustman

British Weezer.

Started very well, but deteriorated as the album went on.

I had only really heard Song 2 by blur before so o was expecting something like that. What I got was really Brit-pop, Beatles-esque music. I enjoyed it. It’s crazy this came out right around when Nirvana was just getting big. This is completely different from that and from what everyone else was doing.

Fun nostalgia-filled album that is very much of its time. Blur make me smile, they always sound like they're enjoying themselves. It's never a chore to throw some Blur on, singalong, and enjoy the anthems. Nice happy stuff.

I don't much care for British people

ну я не знаю что написать у меня сегодня плохой день....

Another 5 star album from Blur? This project had revealed that I’m really into this band I only previously knew 3 songs of prior. And since this project also had me listen to an Oasis album, to which I gave 1 star, I now know who I would have rooted for in their classic feud. Shoutout to the very Belew/Fripp by way of Bowie guitar playing and the sharp & very British songwriting.

The epitome of Britpop. I probably can't be truly objective about this album as it was one of the first cassettes I ever owned and I wore that sucker out. And then I also bought it on CD as soon as I had a CD player and I also bought the LP when I saw it one day because I had to have that iconic front cover in the largest format I could buy. I spent hours perfecting the riffs on Parklife, End of a Century, Jubilee and Magic America on my first electric guitar while trying to get my hair to look like Damon Albarn's. It was genuinely a life-changing album for me and I can listen to it anytime, from front to back and on a loop. If I'm trying my hardest to be objective, I'd highlight the variety and musicality of Tracy Jacks, Badhead, The Debt Collector, To The End and This is a Low. Here was a band who had self-imploded on tour in America two years prior, come back with the fantastic Modern Life Is Rubbish, which wasn't rubbish but didn't sell very well and now had to make this record work, somehow, in order to save their career. It's the sound of Damon maturing into a top-tier songwriter while Graham Coxon cemented his place as one of the finest and most versatile guitarists of his generation. It's lyrically astute and sad and funny and a remarkably vivid reflection of Britain in the mid-90s. For me though, most importantly this is the album where Alex James comes of age. Blur's elegantly effortless bassist kicks proceedings off with the classic intro to Girls & Boys and sets the entire tone of the album. It's not just a collection of moody musings, oddball characters, doomed love songs and wry observations from park benches and underground trains and nostalgic windows into a resurgent London. It also repeatedly implores you to get up and dance, bop, pogo and mosh, by having the coolest rhythm section in British music at the time. There seems to be a bit of anti-Britpop backlash in some of the reviews and ratings here, and for this to be sitting with an average rating below the global average is absolutely criminal. I can only assume that you just had to be there and the majority of my fellow album generators weren't, which I guess makes me the lucky one. It gives me a sense of enormous wellbeing. And then I'm happy for the rest of the day, safe in the knowledge that there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it. An absolute stone-cold classic.

When it comes to the big 4 of Britpop, Pulp and Suede definitely have their fans, but the real stars of the show were always Blur and Oasis. I have listened to all of the Pulp and Suede albums on this list, but for whatever reason, I'm just now getting my first Blur album nearly 500 days into the project, and I still haven't gotten Oasis yet! Fortunately, I am now able to have an opinion on Blur, specifically their 1994 album, Parklife. What's my opinion? This album's great! I just got the Gorillaz album on the list a little over a week ago, which actually gives me the benefit of being able to compare the two big musical projects attributed to Damon Albarn. The two bands definitely have things in common, as well as some major differences. One of my favorite things that the bands have in common (at least from the albums I've heard) is the variety in songs for a given album. I loved the variety in Gorillaz self-titled and I love the variety in Parklife. There are definitely rock elements here, but Blur really puts the "pop" in Britpop, especially in this album's first half. Look at a song like the opener, "Girls & Boys." First of all, the song's great, but secondly, try to think about what genre you'd call this song. Yeah, you could just say Britpop, and I guess you'd be right. But the blend of rock, pop, disco, and new-wave is really unique. Other songs like the final (actual) song, "This Is a Low" lean closer to a more standard rock affair. That song's also amazing by the way. Damon Albarn's singing is solid throughout the album. The writing is just as varied as the songs themselves, which is a good thing. Parklife is a distinctly British album, but not in an annoying way. There are definitely elements of 90s British culture here, but there's definitely a bit of satire here that's always welcome. I will say that my one problem with this album is that the first half is quite a bit stronger than the second half, with such stand-out songs like the aforementioned "Girls & Boys," "End of a Century," the title track, and "To the End." Of course, the second half isn't devoid of great songs. You still have songs like "To the End" and the also aforementioned "This Is a Low," but the first half is definitely more consistent. Other than that, yeah this is a perfect representation of what Britpop should be. Fun, unique, and distinctly British, yet not juvenile to a point of annoyance. Parklife is great. Light 5/5.

Unlike some of the other mainstream Brit pop of the era, this is rather experimental and builds upon a sound.

Excellent

This is not my favorite album by blur or maybe even my top 3, but I still believe it is a 5 star album, because it both had the impact and the integrity and still holds up due to it being such an amalgamation of so many influences that it creates something so original and fresh that has never been replicated. It's also such a pick-me-up due to its mostly up-beat nature. Even the slower songs have an ornate and flowery quality.

lovr this album

Another top album of all time

Awesome

This is just a perfect album, fantastic highs but the whole thing is cohesive and varied. Amazing guitar playing throughout.

Masterpiece

TRACY JAAACKS. XTC album in disguise, and a damn good one too.

9/10 Mostly very fun and cheeky but then suddenly its earnest and heartbreaking. Very diverse musically. Highlights: This is A Low End of a Century Parklife Jubilee Magic America Trouble in the Message Centre Girls & Boys Clover Over Dover

Pre-listening thoughts: BLUR!!!! Post/during listening thoughts: this is the most British album I have ever heard in my entire life. This is what watching peep show as an American feels like. I love this album though it is so good. Britpop peaked here (and with pulp and supergrass). 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: bloody right innit Fav tracks: no skips. Least fav tracks: none

Great album. I've known this one about 10 years. From the opening track, "Girls & Boys," the sound of the album stands out uniquely within its genre. For all the discussion of the Britpop wars between Oasis and Blur, this album came out a year and a half before Oasis released anything that could come close to competing with this album. And as much as I love "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova," they don't strike you the way this album does, with the addictively weird instrumental accents on "Girls & Boys," the French passages in "To the End," the carnival instrumental of "The Debt Collector," or the upbeat rock of "Trouble in the Message Center." This album showed an eclectic mix of genres and styles that really shines and when you think about it, makes Damon Albarn's transition to Gorillaz frontman way less surprising than if you only knew him from "Song #2" beforehand. Everything they tried on this album feels wildly successful when viewed altogether, and is clearly the best Britpop album I know, if for no other reason than it is immediately and obviously unique.

Man I love Blur, not one bad song and the album went by so fast, 10/10

They always compared Blur and Oasis but the bands were different and this album shows that Blur is a lot more interested in more complicated sounds. It is a great album.

Fab.

Get some exercise to a classic Brit Pop machine.

Fav: This Is A Low Least Fav: Lot 105 Shoutout to all the people who gave this it’s rightful 5/5. Blur are without a doubt one of the 90s best bands

Love it. Love it. Love it. Simpsons: Yes

A very groovy/feel good album from London

Dette albumet er som å se på Wallace & Gromit, det er så koselig, vittig og erkebritisk. Digger det noe teatralske som dukker opp støtt og stadig i korte trekk. Låta Parklife er jo i seg selv et rent kunststykke i britisk tørr humor. Generelt også bare veldig mye trivelig og hookete musikk.

Starter ekstremt sterkt, med en rekke energiske poprocklåter med erkebritisk historiefortelling. Ender opp på noen litt rare steder i andre halvdel, men med nok leken sjarm til at jeg er med hele veien. Favorittlåt: Parklife

You should cut down on your pork life mate. Get some exercise.

Girls who are boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Who like boys to be girls Who do boys like they're girls Who do girls like they're boys Always should be someone you really love

Uhh ja jeg synes jo det er en klasse plade og Blur er et klasse band. Det er nok lidt mindre min lyd end Oasis og måske mangler det lidt kant.. Har været meget mellem stor 4 eller lille 5 og tror vi ender på en lille 5 faktisk, fordi det er en virkelig fed plade som er lækker at høre i gennem for enden til anden. Synes faktisk nok Parklife er det fedeste track faktisk, ikke Girls and Boys.

Captures a particular place and time yet still sounds current . Fun, great hooks, incredible range, stellar songwriting. This is a Low is 🤌

Los 90 son un mundo hermoso

Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as (Parklife)

Very good, my favorite Blur album

Liked it!

One of the most British albums to exist, but charmingly so.

I’m mature enough to admit that Blur won the Britpop wars of the 90s.

one of the best albums ever by anyone ever

Peak nostalgia

Did not use a private spotify session for this. I got into Blur when I lived in London and couldn't figure out why we Americans embraced Oasis, but "Song 2" was Blur's only Top 40 song in the states.

This is a very cool album. Sounds great still. I had forgotten how much I like tracks like End of a Century. And Badhead. Full of fun, sing-a-long lyrics - pure entertainment. But also so much more than that. Both loud and quiet. A textured reflection on society: songs like Park Life, that everyone sings along to, are great, but it also reflects the other side of all of us. As in, even when we are all so jolly at the party, we have other things we are dealing with in life. To the End. I really enjoyed listening to this again, and Damon's voice (both written and singing) is strong throughout. Not quite a five star because I don't love every track ... but a 4.5, for sure. Oh, actually, what the heck - l enjoyed it a lot - let's go 5!

Peak Britpop. Lighthearted, fun, with great lyrics and stories throughout, and unmistakably British. Girls & Boys, Tracy Jacks, End of a Century, Parklife, Badhead, To the End. This is Blur firing on all cylinders.

Belter and light years ahead of Oasis - think we all know who won the britpop battle really ;)

Song for song I still prefer Modern Life Is Rubbish (which was 2 years ahead of it's time) but Parklife is still a essential album.

The high water mark of britpop and Blurs best album.