Parklife

This is a unique album. Not bad but definitely something different than what you typically hear. 3 out of 5.

25 years ago I would have gotten down to this

Posh Damon and his pals, the Cheese one, the Tory Councillor and Graham Coxon, who is cool to be fair. This is actually a good record, if you forget that you don't like Blur. The singles are absolutely massive, and This is a Low is one of the best songs of the Britpop genre. The rest of the album doesn't match up, and it suffers in comparison to Definitely Maybe, from earlier in The Project. I remain Oasis over Blur.

I think this album is pretty nice. I do not like it as much as 13. However to the end is really one of the best songs that I’ve had the pleasure to listen to

Good album

Parklife was a pretty good album. It was nothing amazing but none of the songs were bad and the voice and music definitely worked better than i thought they would. Some parts could be pretty weird but it definitely wasn't enough to ruin the album for me so I think it's a decent album

This album was kind of meh. Pros - they were ambitious and not too formulaic in the songs they chose to record. There were some good songs. Cons - unfortunately, there were more misses than hits for my taste.

Fill in soon. 5/10

Iconic britpop. The sound of blur. Bit of a repetitive sound throughout the album.

Strong styles.

"To the end" 's pretty nice Brit rock, not exactly my style

I feel like I should like this more than I do. Weird and quirky, and not in an enjoyable way for me. Some cool punk-like songs on it help carry. I get a pub crawling with the mates vibe that I just don't resonate with. Fav tracks: Girls & Boys, Parklife, Jubilee

The whole Oasis v Blur debate is laughable. First of all they aren’t even the same genre. But if we are going to compare them it’s not close. Oasis by a mile. Oasis’ energy dwarves Blur. Sure Blur is more complex but that aren’t exactly Radiohead either. I do appreciate the vivid snapshot of British life in the 90s. I’ll give them extra points for that but overall Britpop in general is very overrated. 6.3/10

It doesn't get me like I'm told it should, but good album. Great cover though.

Well, I guess we're just going to review every Blur album on this list. This one was okay. It's getting hard to have anything to say about these Brit Pop albums, since they all start to blend together after a while. Still, the music is really solid throughout 3/5

Blur, good one, underrated I think!

2.5

Not really my cup of tea. Not a “must listen”.

I liked this one better than the previous Blur album that was on this list. But not enough to make me want to listen to it again.

Very fun and poppy album. Damon's genius shines through it. Has quite a few duds, but packed with gems.

Some classics I forgot existed, great album.

This was better than I expected. I quite liked the last two songs in particular.

Boys & Girls - Good Charolette remade this one (4/10). Tracy Jack - catchy (5/10). End of a Century - meh (2/10). Parklife - pleasant (7/10). Bank Holiday - ska-adjacent, actually like this quite a bit (7/10). Badhead - mellow (3/10). The debt Collector - instrumental, circus (1/10). Far out - I like it, melodic and eerie (7/10). To the end - favorite song so far! (8/10). London loves - catchy (5/10). Trouble in the message centre- catchy (7/10). Clover over Dover - (6/10) magic America - huge fan (9/10). Jubilee - okay (5/10). This is a low - my album favorite (9/10). Lot 105 - interesting closer instrumental (4/10).

I liked the first few tracks but it got worse from there. Sad, I really wanted to like this one. 3.5

Good stuff, varied and fun - liked a lot of the album 3/5

Brit pop. not my thing, some catchy songs, a lot of filler.

Good

Pretty good but very much average compared to what I have listened.

Decent britpop album, if I could give it 3.5 stars I would. Really enjoy Damon Albarns performance as the lead singer, however I feel a lot of the songs lacking in depth and feel. Enjoy it as the silly, catchy fun it is!

Heeeurlijk

Erg goed album, heb 'm 3 keer geluisterd. hangt tegen een 4 aan

It was okay, but did I really have to listen before I was dead?

Great variety

I am a big fan of Damon Albarn's work, mostly his stuff from Gorillaz onwards, but I have always assumed Blur had some great albums that I just never listened out of lack of time. "Song No.2" is basically an anthem from my FIFA playing days, and many more songs are just so good, like Parklife's "Girls & Boys". Today finally I had a chance to listen carefully their album track after track, and I have to say I;m just disappointed. Maybe Oasis was a better band, at least other than the main singles? This record didn't move the needle for me, it was quite predictable and rather boring, or even dull. Maybe it's a sign of times, we need something more entertaining now? Nice singles, but the rest of the album is very forgettable, I'm happy to move on. I think I have to listen to the rest of their discography, just to make a more conscious decision about this band.

Brani Preferiti: - "Girls and Boys" - "End of a Century" - "Parklife" - "This Is a Low" Note: Il britpop è un genere fantastico per singoli brani, ma diventa fallimentare quando si crea un album... fortunatamente per loro i Blur sono una band che ha sfornato dei brani fantastici durante gli anni e alcuni dei più famosi sono racchiusi in questo disco. Sono vittima della commercializzazione dei Blur, ascoltando con maggiore piacere i loro brani più famosi e non quelli da considerarsi "creativi".

They had some fun with this album and I like that. Rating 3 stars.

It's okay. Didn't really grab me. Has some good songs on it.

Mid 90s Brit album. Heavy on the Brit, somewhat punk-vibe as well. Lots of British talking bits. Not sure if there is anything I would go back to listen to again, but it was a solid album overall. The titular track “Parklife” probably has the most replay value for me. 3/5

As far as Britpop goes, this is one of the nicer album's I have heard. It's just that after listening, I cannot recall a single song. Oh well .... 3/5

Will require a relisten. This album is certainly eccentric. With the weight of the Britpop / Indie movements to come on its' shoulders, it's clear that this was a massively influential album.

Good album - a few great tracks. 3/5

It was fine, I'm glad to have given it a go but I probably won't return.

Hadde kje så store forventninga, men kunne hørt albiet igjen. Litt for langt, som dei fleste albi fra CD-ens storhetstid

it’saiight

Bit plain but entertaining, I had a good time listening to this

Ah! qualcosa di interessante

Another 2.5

Has moments of greatness in an otherwise average album. Preferred the self titled album with Death of a Party/On Your Own etc.

not sure what it means

Decent Brit pop. Have to love the confidence it takes to put an instrumental waltz in the middle of the album

I don’t know how I feel about this being my first album, it’s very British. But at least it’s got Girls & Boys either though so many covers do it better!

3.4

Love Blur. Some solid songs in here like Parklife & Girls & Boys. The rest is nothing special.

Bowie meets The Smiths

When this album started I was ready to give a one-star “moooom, 1001 Albums is making us listen to mediocre Britpop again” review but dammit if Parklife didn’t grow on me. I didn’t love the vocals most of the time but the music was fun and varied and the album as a whole flows nicely.

Just background noise. Don't hate it but I have better things to listen to.

Litt spess, men viba med 3.5

Decent

Hm. Don't know if I've heard this before! Okay I have heard Girls & Boys. And duh! Blur. I think they have a song on the Trainspotting album. 3 stars

Cool album, fun listen. Girls & Boys definitely stands out by far.

Well, it's better than Oasis, but the album is still like the Cheesecake Factory of 90's brit pop. They do a reasonable job of most everything, but everyone is really only there for one thing.

Never listened to this before. Know the hits. 8 wasn't a Blur girl and I'm still not.

Nice

3.5 Pierwsza połowa lepsza

Well, the big hit "Girls & Boys" is definitely the best track on the record. This reminds me of being in high school, with limited cash, and buying albums based on the strength of a single, and being disappointed with the album... happened all the time, actually. I wouldn't say this record is bad, but I didn't find it compelling, and I fail to see how it breaks any sort of new ground. I'll put it in the bucket of being an album that the UK centric author wanted to include as it was significant in a UK centric way, but it's not really all that important, big picture.

A pretty uninspiring Brit pop album that felt like they got the guy with the worst accent to sing some of these inaudible songs. Overall it wasn’t terrible as I somewhat like the sound but compared to other Brit pop in the 90s this wasn’t that good. Still better than a lot of this list though. 5.9/10

Slightly punky brit rock

Hit and Miss, as usual

3,5

it was okay, not a giant fan of it

Preferred them to oasis. Sort of. I’m not sure how well they’ve aged. This was enjoyable.

I remember when I first saw the outstanding cover to this cd - I immediately thought of the song Dogs (1968) by The Who, which actually namechecks 2 champion greyhounds of that time. I thought, being mods, Blur might have followed The Who’s lead, but no. Not a greyhound reference to be heard. However there are plenty of plight of the working class lyrics here that remind me of 60’s mod classics by The Who, The Kinks, The Small Faces, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd. The opening track is a classic, as is the title track. And I love the nod to Syd (Far Out). I don’t think it’s great. But it’s pretty good.

Also very nice, love the British rock and story driven songs. Also some lovely theatric interludes. Does also remind me very much of David Bowie, who I adore 3,8

This was just slightly decent Britpop. Too long an album IMO. 6/10.

Good! But why are there 16 songs? It's too long. I kind of am loving Blur. But there's too much filler that's hard to distinguish in the back half. I like how it's both super silly and has a strong identity to it. But it's too long. 3/5. Kind of wish I was a teenager when this came out, I'd probably be obsessed.

very British and very 1994… i really like this album cover

Lovely start, gently downhill. Did I always think that?

It's got a few great songs, a few meh songs, and a few rubbish songs. For me, Blur are a very good "greatest hits" band, but not a great "album" band, and this is not Blur's best album either. I never understood how the question was "Blur or Oasis" when the correct answer was clearly always Pulp.

It’s no argument that Albarn would go on to be one of the most prolific and important songwriters of the 21st century, but you wouldn’t guess that having only heard this album. Blur is a good band, and this album has moments of real rock greatness, but it’s so packed with fluff that makes it pretty hard to sit through all the way. Three stars for the tracks that go hard.

For all the hooks and catchy choruses, nothing here really grabbed me.

3 stars is a lot more than I would have given it at the time of release. I appreciate, rather than like, this album

okay. very british.

Maybe I’m just getting old but this is when mediocrity became mainstream.

Sadly I do not like this album much personally but I see why many do.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah it’s decent and distinctively a very UK soft rock record Favourite song: Track 1 - Girls & Boys

Love me some Blur. Absolute bangers on this album, but runs a little long for me. I would give it something close to 4, but I can't go to 4 so 3/5

This really isn't worth listening to. It's not terrible but the only song I liked was the first one (Girls & Boys) and even that was mostly because of recognition.

Boys and girls, I've always disliked, but it's massively popular. Tracy Jacks has a great chord progression in the verse, but the chorus is grating. Generally a decent track. End of a century is really good, catchy and enjoyable. What can I even say about Parklife? It's iconic to the point where being critical is a bit meaningless. Bank holiday was filler rubbish. Badhead was a surprising track, lots of musical maturity, evocative of Caravan. My favourite track up to this point. Debt collector feels like self-aware filler, but it's still filler. Far out is also filler. To the end is decent if a bit generic. Quintessential song that your dad would like. London Loves is pretty forgettable. Sort of an 80s Bowie caricature. Trouble in the message centre is forgettable. Bit too much on the production, gives it some Eurotrash energy. Clover Over Dover takes us back to that Cambridge Sound from Badhead, absolutely lovely guitar parts and the chord progression has a satisfying and enjoyable turnaround. At first the Harpsichord felt a bit ham-fisted, but it really grew on me, this is my favourite track so far. Magic America is very Brit-pop. The electro drums and sound effects are bit grating, but it's overwise quite a nice track with a nice hook. Jubilee sounds like a send-up of the Sex Pistols made by Iggy Pop. Decent track. Nice guitar parts on This Is A Low, spacey and gritty. Drags on a bit though. Lot 105 is a strange way to send the album off. I don't know if it was originally an end of Vinyl run-off extra or something, but it's of no consequence, sounds like the Monty Python intermission music. Overall and very hit and miss album. The high points are excellent, (Clover Over Dover, Badhead, Parklife and End Of a Century) are all tracks that any other album would be happy to have as their lead single, but the lows really do detract. This may not be the case, but the feeling I get is of a band maturing and ready to write deeper and more sonically interesting sounds, held back by a desperate desire to be fun and relatable. It's common for people to hide passion or intensity out of fear of ridicule. I'm not saying that is what Blur are doing on the throwaway tracks, but when a properly constructed, deep and engaging track pops up amongst the filler, I can't help but feel that they were too concerned with staying cool and disinterested, rather than let their obvious musical talent fully shine. 7/10, should have embraced pretention.

I was unfamiliar with Blur prior to this, except for Song 3. Good album. More playful than their Britpop rivals Oasis. Some silly stuff, some rockin stuff, but overall pretty fun. Parklife is a standout. 3.5 stars

Decent stuff, good instrumentation. Way too British for me.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Each song had its own rock/pop sound. Favorite songs were "To the End" and "This is a Low"

Only knew "Song 2" before this. Still the only song I know. Typically 90s.

Fun album, but it didnt grab me.

Easy to enjoy. 3.5/5

There's some really good tracks on here, including some real classics. I'd never listened to this album as a whole before now, and I don't think I'm missing much at all by only hearing the singles/hits before. It has a good energy across some songs, but there's also quite a lot of weird tracks and general filler it feels like.

3.5

Some of the songs were quite fun but I’m not a fan of the over pronounced British accent. My guy needs to work on his vowels

I wonder if I would look more favorably on this album if I hadn’t already listened to so many lesser Brit Pop bands that came up on this list. I can certainly appreciate the humor on this album and the creativity, but it’s kind of meandering.

- Some decent british rock - Not a Blur fanatic but I can appreciate them (at least Song 2 wasn't on this album) - Kinda long - Girls & Boys was my favorite

30.05.2023

The zingiest of the Blur records, despite the presence of their high-water mark of "Girls & Boys." There's too much that is impressed by its own cleverness, so clearly convinced it's the sharpest kid in the class. The blending of punk and dance hall (see title cut, "Bank Holiday," "Debt Collector" and "Lot 105") just doesn't hold up all that well (maybe one has to be British), if only for clunking up the transitions from song to song and for Albarn's consistently Lydonic vocal stylings. "Badhead" and "To the End" and "Clover Over Dover" each work well, suggesting what was possible if they'd leaned a bit more sincerely and straightforwardly into the sweet, rather than insisting on being so salty in taking the piss so bloody much of the time. What's better than decent ("This Is the Low"), doesn't necessarily take flight. And like other Blur records, a bit of judicious trimming would've boosted the overall effect. In the end, one prefers Oasis in one direction, Pulp in another, and the Kinks in the third. The equation is basically this: Blur's being too clever by half leads one to liking them half as much as one might.

Always thought I didn’t like Girls & Boys - it’s actually great giving it a proper listen. Still don’t like the title track, probably from over exposure tbh Surprising to hear the punk influence in the tracks I haven’t heard (Bank Holiday) - hard to take it seriously tbh Forgot about To The End - singalong classic Lots of cartoony, cinematic stuff. Hear it tons in Gorillaz This is a low, enjoyed it Actually hate when Albarn does a John Lydon impression 🤮

1. Girls and boys- My absolute favourite blur song, very catchy and brilliant instrumental, absolute banger-9/10 (added to playlist) 2. Tracey Jacks- recognised this one, catchy chorus, nice drum and guitar , albarns voice is good on this one, however did get a bit annoying 7/10 3. End of a century- liked the guitar on this one, not a fan of albarns voice, liked the backing vocals, disliked the small trumpet interlude, found this song a bit boring 5/10 4. Parklife- another blur banger, one of my favourite songs of theres, very catchy a good song that overviews Britain, love albarns voice in the chrous-9/10 (added to playlist) 5. Bank holiday- faster tune, liked the lyrics, and albarns voice on this one and guitar on this one- 6/10 6. Badhead- good guitar rhythm, albarns voice is good, does seem a bit slow, however the instrumental was nice and mellow (liked the song) 7/10 7. The debt collector- annoying didnt like the trumpet instrumental, 2/10 8. Far out- was not a fan of the vocals, very slow, nice guitar background,3/10 9. To the end- nice violins, nice and elegant, liked the female background vocals albarns voice is good on this one, instrumental strong throughout song,liked how it progressively got faster, nice synths, (liked the song)- 7/10 10. London loves- not a fan of the instrumental to begin with however did get better, was very upbeat chrous was a bit weak, but nice guitar solo, the song really went well with my setting (on a bus) (added to playlist) 6.5/10 11. Trouble in the message centre- liked the piano in the beginning, and intrumental, liked albarns voice, which, good melody (added to playlist) 7/10 12. Clover over dover- liked the guitar picking at beginning, good intrumental, this one had a good vibe liked it very much (added to playlist) 8/10 13. Magic america- liked the electric G in this one, seems like taking the piss out of america which was funny, humerous lyrics, good beat overall, albarns voice is ok on this one (liked the song) 6/10 14. Jubilee- good beat/ instrumental, albarn voice is good, goes very well with the instrumental, very catchy section to the song, (liked the song) 6/10 15. This is a low- albarns vocals very strong, nice guitar playing, loved the solo too (liked the song) 7/10 16. Lot 105- wtf is this?! Sounds like seaside music to begin with, very annoying guitar was annoying 2/10 I already own this album on cd however i had rarely listened to it, i do like a few of the songs on this album, but it seemed like a very generic 90s rock album, most of the songs were catchy but some dir have some annoying instrumentals. Fav song- girls and boys least fav- lot 105 Album average- 6.1/10

Eh.

Only a 3 for the number of times I thought "huh, I didn't know this was a Blur song."

Had some solid tunes on it, but not really my cup of tea. When I think Britpop I prefer The Verve's type of sound a lot more. Did like the title track, Bank Holiday, and To The End.

I continue to believe that I like Blur, or even Gorillaz until I listen to either. Then I realize I just don't. I am not sure why but it just doesn't grab me. Having said that, this record was different than all of the other records coming out at the time. It really did not conform to any of the macho, heavier or darker sounds that were getting popular in 1994. So credit where credit is due.

Starts off with 4 great songs then some filler in the middle. Longer than it should be. Songs 1-4, London Loves, Clover Over Dover and Jubilee.

Starts off with some very good songs but really fizzles out, should have been 20 minutes shorter. 3.5/5

Better than expected, and it grew on me the more I listened.

A good Britpop album, managed to fall asleep to it, but liked what I heard

Parklife is the ultimate British tune. If you're not having a carling and a pack of pork scratchings listening to it what's going on :o girls and boys is another highlight! Decent listen all the way through but not hugely stand out for this genre.

I like Blur. This is probably not my favorite album of theirs ("Blur" is better). I could do with out some of it. In general, I would like their albums more if they had cut the "fluff" and stuck to the "approved" 35 minutes for 90s punk/pop albums. But, who am I to hinder their creative process?

Another potential grower. Could have seen myself endlessly replaying this on my CD player if it came out a few years later. 3/5

There are some good songs but this was really too long.

The definition of fine. Look if you come from a culture where ketchup is too spicy and the only side dish you can handle is "mushy peas" then this music probably blows your fucking mind.

I actually quite love Damon Albarn's other musical project, Gorillaz (which only has one album on this list, somehow?), and would call it one of my favorite bands. Despite this, I've never really dug into Blur as a band, save for Song 2, which I think everyone knows. I was intrigued to finally hear a full album, but my partner had gotten a couple of their albums already, and not thought much other than being better than average Britpop, so my expectations weren't set too high, and after it was all said and done, I'd say it's okay overall. It certainly is better than most Britpop (not Supgrass though), but it is overly long and often times a song will start with something I like then not do enough with me. Very quantity over quality feeling. None of it bad, but if this is the definitive Britpop album, then I have to ask why other Britpop albums like to change what they're doing comparatively.

Parklife is the third album by the English rock band Blur and it's the band's best-selling album. This 4x platinum (in the UK) album was a landmark release in British rock music for being the backbone of the emerging Britpop scene in the mid-1990's. Parklife was released to critical acclaim, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and staying there for 90 weeks. I liked this album and agree it might be the best British pop album out there. The first track "Girls & Boys" was the best in my opinion and the other songs only try to be as great. Pop isn't my favorite genre so that affects my rating of this album, although I still think it's a great album. Still, a genre defining album such as Parklife should be listened to by the masses.

It has filler, but it also has some great tracks, a convincing throughline, and some of Albarns best work

Not the biggest fan of britpop so far, but To The End is a particular favorite of mine. The other singles are also very catchy, but once again seem to be the few peaks in an otherwise mild and forgettable album that generally sits in the background.

Fav tracks: Girls and Boys Everything else pretty mid

siedettävä, bank holiday, girls and boys ja a lot kivoja biisejä

I didn't like these guys when I was a young person. They are alright to my old person's ears. I guess.

3.75

Girls who like boys who like girls who like boys who like boys who like girls who like girls who like boys

Wasn't bad, wasn't great either

I like it. The overly Britishness of Blur just appeals to me I guess.

A fun early 90's romp. Not sure I will listen to it again.

insanely obsessed with just how ragingly british this entire record is: how they perfectly capture the joyful gloominess of life on the isles — a collection of songs that serve as a capsule for a particular era in time that you can almost smell the wetness and humdrum; the aspiration amid the growing anti-institutionalism; the contradictory disdain and pride loudly oscillating; and maybe most of all, the humor. indeed, british artists have always had a much more defined sense of humor than their counterparts stateside, and this is a very funny album. Parklife is so english that Blur sing in a way that over-exaggerates their accent (each time they say ‘Tracy’ on “Tracy Parks”, they sound like children mid-burb… isn’t that the most comical thing you ever did hear?); and the growing americanization of british culture breeds cynicism in them (“Magic America”). but for all the humor, Parklife just sounds kind of stale — in its capsulation of that era of music, it sounds like a relic; it sounds dated. no part of this sounds truly interesting in the year of our lord 2023, though i can see how this would be the cream of the crop in the 90s. the maximalism now sounds clunky, and the verve abrasive. but idk, maybe it’s just because i’m not british…

Ok album, enjoyed the listen, but other than Parklife, not really interested in listening again

Got some groove. Stylistically varied and fun.

Highlights: "London Loves," "End of a Century," "Trouble in the Message Center," "This is a Low" Blur is the kind of band that never let expectations get in the way of making a decent pop song. Among similar bands, they also strike the best balance between the cracked vulgarity of Ween's parallel development and the increasingly self-serious tone of their predecessors in XTC. The lyrics can be mocking or sad and still find a way to be affirmative or charming, like they're matched to Albarn's voice. They're hungry for hooks, a teasing timbre or a modal wrinkle, stacking them on top of each other as high as they can. They know what they like, drifting from XTC to Beatles to Bowie to Pink Floyd for ideas. The tonal clutter, like a suburbanite playroom or a commercial break, is a 90s staple. At the same time, there's hardly ever a breakthrough, a culmination or a centerpiece. This is like the Honda Civic of pop groups, the ol' reliable, the crown royalty of 3-star music.

I had Girls & Boys on cassingle, so I have a lot of love for that song. I've never actually listened to the rest of the album before. This is so British and undeniably 90's. while the album is fun, it doesn't really stand out for me.

Good britpop album. Bit overrated but still enjoyable!

A lot of good songs here but the album is just a bit too long and all over the place. To The End was good.

Fine, idk if I'd rate it a must-listen

No lo amo pero es muy bueno

I lot of good tune work here, some solid beats that get under the skin. But I don't walk away from it wanting to hear more. By the end, I'm glad it's all done. I don't need much more of it.

Good not great

This was overall a lot better than I remembered it. There were a few weak songs, but there were some pretty solid tracks beyond the one or two I grew up hearing on the radio. Certainly has a strong English sound and I'm not sure it would've been singled out if it was American.... But, enjoyable listen.

The best of the crappy Blur albums on this list.

End Of A Century ends with the lyric, “…it’s nothing special.” An apt description for this album. Parklife (song) is good though.

I never really got into Blur, I think Parklife and Girls & Boys are decent songs, but not for me.

Fun, but mostly forgettable. Love Girls and Boys though. Also the song I guess too.

Sinceramente no escucho mucho blur por mi cuenta (es decir no en mi regular playlist), pero escuche mucho blur por fausto un amigo que le encanta y lo ponía siempre en discord. Nevertheless me gusta mucho parklife y siempre vibeo cuando escucho Girls and Boys. 7/10

Enjoyed it!

This album isn't bad. Love the opening track. It could stand to be about 15 minutes shorter though.

Bit all over the place honestly. It has some catchy tracks though. Overall not as huge on it as a lot of people seem to be.

La britpop est un genre qui déçoit rarement depuis le début du générateur. J'ai toutefois eu envie de casser la gueule à Robert et ne m'en suis pas privé dès que j'eus fini cet album.

7,5/10

Pop'y sound with a little edge but really nothing unique enough to make it memorable for me. I'll check it off my countdown list and move on to the next one

Somewhere between Oasis and Wire. Not bad.

7/10

I know a lot of the songs on this.

First song is a banger, the rest is OK with a good vibe

A couple of songs that would get stuck in my head. I wish I had listened to this back when it was current.

It's a little upbeat and fun, but I don't find anything about it to be particularly great. Just good. 3.5

Quite a few good tracks. It is an easy album to enjoy. Never heard it before. Girls and Boys sounds familiar, but the rest were completely new to me. I am sure I will keep listening to this one in the future. 3/5 (for now)

I'd completely forgotten about "Girls & Boys," which I thoroughly enjoy, but it's far better than the rest of the album, which is just okay. I enjoyed "Clover Over Dover"—it's fun to say and I love me some harpsichord—and "Lot 105" has a campy '60s game show vibe to it, but it's barely over a minute long, which is a damn shame. I think it's safe to say that when it comes to Damon Albarn, I greatly prefer the Gorillaz over Blur.

One of the most Bri'ish pop albums ever recorded. My all-time favorite Blur song is Girls & Boys, and I enjoy Parklife (I sometimes sing this on my way to the park with my pup). I wasn't sold on the rest of the album, though. It's just ok.

Very British sounding rock. Not great, not bad.

Buen disco de pop-rock muy inglés. De la ola de grupos de los 90

I liked it. I'm more a fan of The Great Escape. I can see how this got them there, but it's hard to listen to the chaff after you've heard the Wheat.

I get this is the album for the breakthrough, and I was always aware of Girls & Boys (which gets a little grating to me) and Parklife which I like but it's their next album "The Great Escape" that does it for me.

I definitely prefer this album to “modern life is rubbish”. And I’m a Blur girl rather than an Oasis fan. There is quite a bit of filler on this album, but some absolutely classic tunes. Phil Daniels gets a five just for being Phil on Parklife. I would rate this a 3.5 ordinarily, but not given that choice….

Way too many blur and blur adjacent albums on this list. Some good songs but so much of it blurred together.

So varied. There's humour. Many good, a few so so and a couple naff. Have never taken to the singer so their work only warrants infrequent visits.

Interesting how you can hear the transition from 80s to 90s music on this album. Good lyrics and energy. I’d prefer if this was all 90s and no 80s influence

This is fine but give me Oasis any day!

This just sounded like a David Bowie album with crisper production . I don't think there was anything particularly unique about this album though it had some nice guitar parts, harmonies and dancey sections. I did not come away from this understanding how this could be someone's favorite band or album. The Beatles ("End of a Century" sounds like it could have been on Sgt. Pepper), the Kinks, Bowie ("Jubilee" sounds a LOT like "Suffragette City") The Clash, Elvis Costello ("Tracy Jacks" sounds like "Pump it Up") and Oasis already exist. I already thought that Oasis was the much better Beatles-inspired band from this time and if this is the best album Blur has to offer then my opinion has been reaffirmed. Again, not bad by any means but not "Great". I did not hate it but could happily live the rest of my life never hearing this again, which I feel is a telling statement about how good this was. Would give a 3.5 if possible.

I find this hard to listen to now. It’s such a strange novelty record. Two great songs - badhead and to the end. Not interested in the rest.

5/16, 31%

i listened to it and i cant remembert anything

Good album, would have to give it another listen for the songs I'm not as familiar with

Girls & Boys - Not bad but not gonna go back to it. Found it too long. Tracy Jacks - I like this song. It's very catchy and I like the instrumental. End of a Century - Flew past me but I like the ahhhh in the background Parklife - Super cheery track from the bri'ish innit, sounds really good Bank Holiday - I didn't like this one very much just made me cringe tbh Badhead- So far the best song on the album I love this track The Debt Collector - Goofy ass beat bruh Far Out - idek what happened To the End - Hi french woman and I like the slowness of this, very peaceful London Loves - Not a big fan of this song the guitar solo in the back ruins it Trouble In The Message Centre - This one is cool, it feels robotic but not lame and the way everything comes in is very satisfying Clover Over Dover - This song is CRAZY good i love the instrumental usage and vocal symmetry Magic America - good song i like animal crossing k k slider noises Jubilee - Not a fan of this song either. Didn't click. This Is a Low - The music doesn't click for me, he says "and go to sleep" and it makes me want to Lot 105 - what in gods name is this bro. never getting the aux if you say you like blur and play this.

3.5 / 5 album. Has some very nice songs, but it's a bit too long of an album + it's a bit incoherent. Feels like a compilation album.

Ok.

Fine line here between a 3 and 4, but overall I'm leaning to a 3 (no doubt if I'd heard this earlier in the list, it woud have been a 4).

Ok!

Good one. FAV tracks:tray jacks, girls & boys, london loves

Ensimmäinen kerta, kun kuuntelin albumin kokonaan alusta loppuun. Levyn alkupuoli ei jostain syystä oikein innostanut, vaikka sieltä löytyi kaksi aiemmin tuttua kappaletta – Girls & Boys sekä Parklife. Sen sijaan kuuntelu muuttui mieluisammaksi suunnilleen albumin puolivälin kohdilla. Suosikeiksi muodostuivat To the End, London Loves ja Clover Over Dover, mutta muut kappaleet eivät oikein tällä kertaa sytyttäneet.

Cut a few songs, and I'd rate this much higher. As it stands, there's too much bloat between a couple of immortal singles.

This was just okay to me. Maybe I was having an off day. The Boys & Girls cover was the best part.

Jawel, ik kan dit beter waarderen dan vroeger. Grappige nummers zitten er tussen die ik niet kende

Ik ben toch altijd meer een Oasis fan geweest. Maar toch kon ik dit wel waarderen.

Iets te brit-popperig waren ze hier nog. Latere albums zijn vele malen spannender en interessanter. Maar nog altijd geen vervelend album om zo eens een keer te draaien.

Een tijdje terug naar solo-optreden van Damon Albarn geweest. Dat zit nog in m’n hoofd. Dit kwam daarmee vergeleken wat kinderlijk over, maar kan ook aan m’n stemming hebben gelegen.

solid album not my taste

Decent.

Disappointed not to find much in this beyond the singles. But they are great singles.

I totally enjoyed this album — need a bit more time to get a firmer handle on it, but this band was like a perfect cocktail of a whole swath of British pop/rock/punk that came before them. It was as if I could hear every influence (well, there's plenty I wouldn't know) but it never felt derivative or phony. Dug the sense of humor, liked the overall attitude. Not necessarily music I'm drawn to — I'm mostly unfamiliar with blur — but something I was happy to get turned onto. 3 seems like a low score, but I'm not at a 4, so that'll have to do.

Started today's listen thinking "Blur" who the heck are Blur? Soon as the first note hits on Girls & Boys, I was reminded. I'm surprised Girls & Boys is not a TikTok classic for today's gender fluid kids. Reading the Wikipedia entry for this album, I see that there were a lot of comparisons between Blur and Oasis. I enjoyed Blur way more than Oasis and think they are simply a better band lyrically and musically. I enjoyed the ride and flow of this album. I'm going to explore more Blur!

classic britpop 7/10

90s Britpop icon.

Blur never really did anything for me - the battle of Britpop was a little too early for me, but being from Manchester, I can't not side with Oasis. Parklife is a cracking tune, the spoken word parts are pretty distinct compared with a lot of indie music of the era. Girls & Boys is good too, but the rest is a bit filler-esque. Lovely album cover though.

A decent album but nothing to write home about. Not really into the Britpop scene. Oasis did it better.

Never cottoned to Britpop, but this was ok. I was more of a Leatherface or MBV guy, but this was good. I enjoyed the post-punk and Beatlesesque flourishes.

Sounds the same now as it did when it came out - like a teenage boy complaining about tidying his bedroom. The musical equivalent of Kevin & Perry. The music is ok, the vocals are a discomfort I don't want to suffer

Not bad. Not great. I guess this was Britpop/Britrock before Oasis came along and beat them at their own game. Stand out tracks: Girls & Boys, Parklife.

Singing about the mundane and making it fun.

Good album. Gave me punk vibes, but not as loud and annoying.

It was rather enjoyable for the first half, just kinda uninteresting in the back half

Thought this was kinda bland. Guess I didn't get it.

an album im prettt familiar with, some classic songs but the rest is pretty boring.

Un estandar del britpop de los años noventa. Sin embargo, como todo disco de una banda popular de su época, es menester avisar la fuerte contradicción entre los temas populares (ubicados en la primer parte del disco) y el resto. No esperen que todos sean iguales a Girls and Boys. Blur es Blur y el nivel de experimentación y sutileza en el comentario social a veces desvía la atención de los temas más pop.

Grest

sounds more diverse than i expected me likey: eh

When drawing the Brit Pop battle lines I stood on the side of the Northern pretenders Oasis. I always felt Blur were a bit of a joke band. Madness for the 90's... Therefore I never took much notice of this album past the odd single. I can appreciate it a bit more now, but still not one of their best moments in my opinion.

I liked this better than modern life is rubbish

Not as bad as I thought it might be, given that the singles off this are kinda irritating

Bit of a mixed bag to be honest but good

Étrangement sympathique

maintenant que j'ai écouté tous les albums de blur de la liste je peux dire avec certitude : ouais bof non ??

Truly one of the Beatle’s best

eccentric, indie, funky, jammy, Beatle’s inspired

Great 90s Britpop album. Many surprises. I hadn't heard anything from this album before as I was young when it came out 3.8 stars to start

Kinda weird. Pretty groovy. Some good stuff. Kinda liked it.

Me gusta este disco, pero prefiero el homónimo.

Some killer. Some filler. Not my favourite Blur album. Peak Britpop Blur are this and the next album. They get a bit weirder later in the decade which I prefer.

This band reminds me a tiny bit of The Jam and other British bands of that ilk. It's an interesting take on pop and I like it.

The singles for this are cool and it's not a bad listen overall. It's a consistent sound and vibe and it has its place as an influential British rock album. My gripe is that I'm kind of tired of Damon Albarn's recent saturation in today's music, so it colors how much I would enjoy this. I also think there are better British rock albums out there

I listened to the album while cutting the grass so my full attention was not given and the album was more or less background music. I wasn't too familiar with any of the songs except the first track "Girls & Boys," and that is because the chorus sounded familiar. Overall the album wasn't bad but when Parklife came out in 1994 my musical tastes weren't too diverse. I was super into hip-hop and rap so I wouldn't have sought out this album.

Leuk bandje. ***

never really got the hype for this album - just ok for me

Great to revisit this album.

Tracy Jacks is annoying, and it's taking all I have to not skip it. Parklife is the first song that is tolerable so far... Okay album got much better after the first 3 songs. Thought it was going to be a 1, but it's earned a solid 3.

Not bad, but mostly unmemorable. I liked Girls & Boys which I swear I've heard in a movie or show or something but I can't think of where.

I remember a lot of this in the background in the 90s and didn't mind hearing it now. It was OK

I had never heard any of Blur’s work apart from Girls & Boys. This album is mediocre at best. It feels like it was stretched out by songs that serve zero purpose other than to take up time (Such as Lot 105 which is basically just glorified Wii Sports music). The album feels like it got by with the bare minimum. It’s not horrible, it just feels like so much more could’ve been done. The best songs are This Is a Low and Girls & Boys.

Good album just nothing too special. I prefer later Blur when they got more alternative. Brit-Pop is just not really my thing, but this is a great Brit-Pop album.

I can see why this could be quite a divisive album as it definitely does have the potential to grate with the mockney stuff - but the strength of the genuinely good tunes pulls it along. Tracy Jacks, EoaC and Badhead are great and should have been the lead singles!

Shannah like - 2.5 Bill expected better from a band with such a good reputation - 2 Conor like - 4

I was more of a Great Escape fan and I always felt occluded from liking this one. It doesn't feel as accessible as The Great Escape.

Never really understood why people love that band so much, and I still don't. Some good songles here and there, but mostly boring in the long run. Maybe a greatest hits would be more suited for a casual like me.

Too long of an album, but some great songs in the lot.

Ok but ok

Cest moyen, franchement je m'attendait a un peu mieix consirant leir aitre album sir la liste 3.

just okay for me. Liked the first song a bit.

Some songs had potential and others were just weird. I like Blur but this album was kind of a let down.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed and parts of this I absolutely did not. I’m not sure if I wasn’t in the right mood to enjoy it all or if I really just disliked certain tracks. There were a few on here I can see myself going back to, but unfortunately there are a few I won’t give a second chance.

I was surprised at how widely varied the tracks on this album are. There is brit pop, brit punk, brit rock... it doesn't all work, but there are some definite highs (ironically This Is a Low is one of my favorites). Pretty enjoyable album, but uneven.

3/04/22

I quite like the funny lyrics at the start, as well as the peek into British culture. After that, the songs kind of went into a blur (pun intended) and overall this album just doesn't leave you with a feeling that it was all that. Perhaps it was because it was too long?

Ok

Empieza muy bien y volver a escuchar las conocidas fue muy bueno, pero hacia el final 16 se sienten pesadas. Songs: Boys and Girls, Parklife

Lo dije cuando nos tocó otro de Blur hace unos meses: "Por mí, para oír a Blur, tiene que ser un disco de éxitos y a la mitad ya estuvo." Este no es la excepción aunque sí me gustó más que el otro (Modern Life Is Rubbish). En definitiva, mi favorita es Boys & Girls, y creo que después de esa (que es la primera) el disco no vuelve a tener un pico.

I knew of Blur, but somehow made it this far without realizing this was a Damon Albarn project. Also they’re a solid coupla decades more recent than I’d assumed for some fuckin reason. Any case, I had fun with this one, probably one of the better entries out of the kind of stuff rock bands were putting out during the 90s.

I like Boys & Girls but the rest of the album is alright.

I was really excited to see another blur album pop up, but a bit disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as their self-titled album

Wasn't as special as I remembered it.

As some may know, I got the full CD experience of this album with the Radio Promo copy I happen to own. Regardless, while I was delightfully impressed by how good the first couple songs were, the rest didn't really cut it for me. I don't consider myself to be too big on Britpop but this album isn't as bad as I had expected it to be. It does have it's ups and downs. 3/5, favorite songs: Girls & Boys, End of a Century, This is a Low

Can really hear the connections to Gorillaz. Dynamite drums, vocals lost me some, but decent effort nonetheless.

even "girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they're girls who do girls like they're boys" can't save this massively meh album

I can't believe how many Brit-pop genre albums there are on this list. Like most of them, I don't have anything against this album. It's good, catchy, and well-produced, but I also don't find anything super special about it. I actually liked this more than most of the Brit-pop albums I've heard so far, but still I'm going with 3 stars.

3.5/5. Couple bangers, but The Bends is king of Brit-Pop

Não ouvi tudo, confesso porém curti a vibe

It was just alright, smiths vibes with some songs

Some good songs, which are the classics, but other than that, meh. A bit childish.

First half of the album was good, tapered off in the back half

I liked that it was a concept album and that it was interconnected. I enjoyed parts and then some pieces went well over my head 😂 That being said, I’d give it future listens.

I really wanted to like this more than I did 😭 A couple of great tunes (Boys/Girls far and away the best)… I guess it’s always just been the Gorillaz for me.

Never really listened to this album. Heard the singles obviously, but Bur were never really my cup of tea.

Pretty good britpop 3

It's got a lot of filler but some of it is awesome

just as I remembered it

Genre: Britpop 3/5 One of the genre’s biggest records, Blur’s Parklife is a hodgepodge of gritty Britpop singles and absolute faff, as the Brits might say. Girls and Boys represents some of the best ideas the genre ever had, while the 3-song run of Badhead-The Debt Collector-Far Out is an exercise in how much they can get away with. While Albarn’s concepts would come to greater fruition with his Gorillaz project, there’s something here for everybody to enjoy, but plenty to ignore, as well. Definitely more for fans of the genre.

I enjoyed this album. There was enough quirk on here to make it seem different. And it helped that I've been looking to listen to this album for a very long time because I saw the cover one time and thought it was terrifying. Tracy Jacks was one that stuck with me after listening.

This is a really weird album. It starts out as some quirky British alt-punk but from track to track there's really no telling what genre will be fused in. As a whole it makes for a jarring experience, one I'm not exactly interested in revisiting. Even a couple tracks on here that I straight up skipped. But on a few, the stars aligned and I enjoyed the weird variety show. I can't personally call it great, but it's good enough for how off-the-wall bizarre of a ride it is. Favorite tracks: Clover Over Dover, London Loves, Lot 105, Parklife. Album art: Have definitely seen this before, along with a lot of Blur projects, so I've always been interested to know what they sound like. After this album, I still don't know what they sound like. But the dog racing pic is very cool. 3.5/5

Heard one song that I recognized. Rest of the album was ok. Not really my style although I listen to a little bit of everything. Might listen again if I was in a meh kind of mood.

This was a tricky one, because there was some obvious classics in here but some songs that did my nut in. It seems Blur were generally a bit all over the place with the quality of their output. Luke will hate me for putting 3 as this album was seminal for him.

The bangers are bangers that's for sure. But there's some crap on here too. I very much like Damon Albarn but I have never forgiven Blur as a whole for bullying Nardwuar in his interview with them in 2003. They stole his hat.

This was alright. I’m not a massive Blur fan. 3*

Some classics but also more filler than I was expecting. Highlights were Parklife and Magic America.

It's k

Singer from the Gorillaz?

Perfectly fine

I kinda dig it

Fun and genre-bending. Good, not great.

I was really looking forward to this album when it popped up - unfortunately it just felt a bit jumbled and overall a bit meh.

Will mir nicht ins Ohr

Much better (and completely different) than the previous Blur album we've had. Some great tunes although it did feel like it lost momentum a bit towards the back end. Perhaps it needs a second listen.

Bloody decent

Catchy enough.

I'm a cockney, I'm a cockney, apples and pears, cor blimey, I'm a cockney. We've got cockney albarn on this one, it's an early version that eventually evolves into wagwan albarn, which is a far funnier character. I need to write a standard copy paste for when an album has some belting singles and then a load of shite. This is very much one of those. 6 good tracks out of 16 makes it hard to give it a high score and i wouldn't ever bother listening to this album again.

A trudge through London with tiresome tour guides, Blur spark to life from time to time (End of the Century, To The End) and a couple of tracks are fun the first three or four times you hear them (Parklife, Girls and Boys) but this album hasn’t aged well, as ubiquitous as it was in its hey day; there’s a lot of filler here in search of a song (Bank Holiday, Far Out, Magic America, Jubilee) which can get really tiresome, really fast. When Albarn inclines towards introspection he’s a far better songwriter (‘We kiss with dry lips when we say goodnight’) and can be genuinely moving; but he falls back on a cheat move which is to knock out songs with ‘wry’ observations on other people that ultimately comes across as condescending.

Just ok. I'm glad Gorrillaz came out of this.

a los 15 no le presté atención, me hubiera gustado

Has its moments, but overall this album did not convince me. Nice try, though.

There is so much about Blur I do not like. I will never listen to Boys & Girls or Parklife out of choice. Tracy Jacks is amazing though, their best song along with Out of Time. End of a Century is good. If you don't like his stupid voice it's a difficult listen. Far Out is good Better than expected

Outside of the 3 single releases, this was really not what I was expecting. All felt a bit disjointed.

Much greater range demonstrated here beyond what I knew from Song 2, both vocals/instrumentals. Girls and boys, Badhead, to the end,

Все-таки не очень я люблю Blur, Pulp круче

Its ight too proggy for me

Solidt britisk guitarpræget pop-rock

Blur is a band that I like in general. There are several tracks by the band that are on my repeat playlist, including "Girls & Boys" from this album. That track as a rhythm that keeps me coming back. "This Is a Low" is a potential new favorite from the album. I have listened to all of this album before, but most of the album felt unfamiliar. I think that this album lands squarely at 3 stars... it was good, but nothing is calling me back for a full album re-listen

Blur are a great singles band, and this album has some absolute bangers: Girls and Boys, Parklife, End of a Century. Beyond that, the singles To the End, This Is a Low and the album track Badhead are lovely chilled songs. However, the majority of the rest was a quite irritating. A fair bit includes what I can only describe as circus music. This is pretty weird and a bit off-putting. I'd never noticed it on To the End before, but that song gets away with it where others don't. Overall, about 1/3 of this 16 track album is pretty great, but the rest is generally annoying. As such, I can't justify more than a 3/5, and it's only that high as the singles are so good. With Blur, I think I'll continue to stick to the greatest hits (the 2000 Best Of would be a bona fide 5/5).

Underwhelming. A small step to the magic whip.

This was fine but didn't make a very deep impression. It mainly seemed like just pop, but sporting a particular attitude that I could probably decode more meaningfully if I was of the culture, but as a dumb American just comes off as some type of generic non-posh UK vibe.

i thought it was okay. i liked more songs than others, it was fun but others were boring. i thought it was completely average!

The album as a whole is a little park walk of the English bourgeoisie and especially their vices, a kind of Kinks concept. But overall it is an album of mediocre songs. (6/10) Favourite Songs: Parklife, To the End