Reviews (page 11 of 14)
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
With each new Blur album I hear, the more I become convinced that they are the epitome of a singles band.
This album is from 1994, but it feels like something Duran Duran would have put out in the 80s.
Decent album… differ then want I was expecting
Really confusing to me how an album can have so many decent, enjoyable songs and accompanied by so many songs that suck shit. 5/10
5/10. Meh
Is this one considered as Blur's best album? I've always been fond of many tracks of this one but I don't believe it is as good as everyone thinks, it drags quite a lot and gets boring at times, I personally prefer The Great Scape and 13 over this one.
I enjoyed listening to this. Great, crisp sound, high energy tunes. Musically diverse songs, with echoes of everything from the Kinks to Bowie to Syd to Gary Numan. The diverse styles are mostly an attribute, but it also tends to make the album seem unfocused and a bit rambling. They could have dropped several tracks and made a better album. "Boys and Girls" is for sure the top track, and "To the End" is absolutely charming. Fave Songs: Boys and Girls, End of a Century, To the End, Clover Over Dover
So funny to me that this is the sound that brought British music back, not bad by any means just quirky. I did enjoy it but not one of my favourites.
I vaguely remember Boys & Girls from my childhood. I do like it more than some of the other Britpop of the era, but I'm sort of done with the genre in totality. Bank Holiday is pretty dope. However, To The End is boring as hell.
v fun, lost me in the middle a bit but loved beginning and end
Enjoyable but not an everyday listen album.
Favorite songs: Girls and Boys, Parklife, Bank Holiday, London Loves, Lot 105 Thoughts: I’ve been trying to get into blur for a while and this really helped! This is such a nice, fun upbeat album. I listened to it while packing for Sokobanja. But I really did enjoy listening to this album, it was a little bit outside of the box from what I listen to but still quite nice!
.
aighto
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Some great britpop tracks on here.
Not really interesting 3/5 Better then Album blur
I feel like this is what it would sound like if the Beatles made an album in the 90s. I can appreciate that
I recognized some of these songs
Ok
Some definite Gorillaz notes, but some other general weirdness
Fav tracks: end of a century, bad head, jubilee, this is a low Buena energía Música para sentirse cool
Me gustó pero no demasiado, tiene canciones muy buenas pero no todas me parecen interesantes de escuchar, algunos sonidos los siento un poco repetitivos. Pero en general es un buen álbum.
Also not bad but boring.
ya lo había escuchado y medio medio
Generally pretty slow, not really my jam.
lots of repeating words not my cup of tea, some good songs Really good beats, hate the singing
Boring
This album lacks some of the frantic pace from other blur records, but instead offers a more experimental sound. Almost as if it was serving as a concept album itself, Albarn gets some practice before his entire concept group, the Gorillaz to come.
Con un clásico en el primer single, el resto del álbum algo... Extraño. Hay un par de temas que me gustaron, pero no podría rescatarlo completo. 3.5
Some excellent songs... but a lot are are either crap, or absolutely shite.
Some brill tracks but inconsistent - better was yet to come ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some good, some awful. My genre but was never much of a blur fan.
Interesting. Not a huge fan of Blur, but it wasn't bad. I didn't hate it, but not sure there was anything that was going to make my favorites list.
I love so many songs on this album. Yet struggle with it as an album as it has so many week tracks. First for songs are brilliant, next 4 average to bad, "To the end" and "This is a low" are wonderful songs but the bits in between just don't live up to the hype. Tough to rate this due to the disparity between the good and bad. 3/5
ok
They throw lots of different genres at you early : synth-pop, speed-punk, a waltz(!) Some catchy tunes. A few weeks ago Spotify sent me their song, To the End, which is nice. The lead singer songs like a cross between John Lydon & Mark Almond.
„Sometimes I feed the pigeons“ and sometimes ist in allen ersten 4 Blur Alben zu viel görenhaftes LALALALALA, die den durchaus teils zum niederkniehenden „hui!“-Songs eine Breitseite „pfui!“ vor den Latz knallt. Kann Blur erst ab ihrem gleichnamigen und ebenso reifen wie frischen Album und darüber hinaus gern über volle Distanz hören - davor war halt Pubertät und diese hat schon Drive aber auch Overdrive 2.7
Not amazing, and bit too long, it had some nice tracks but nothing incredible
The second half took me by surprise. Some songs are annoyingly repetitive, but a lot of it is cool.
Great album, fantastic production, good flow of songs. Not exactly my type of rock but I would check out more of their music.
I don't think I've ever listened to this all the way through. I liked it! The sound of it just didn't really grab me throughout, despite its significance or whatnot.
This was released at the height of my "nothing but metal" phase, so I disagreed violently with how inescapable the singles from it were, but age has mellowed me, and I can enjoy their cheeky Lahndan britpop these days. Fave track - I'm gonna go with "Girls & Boys" because even though it drove me spare in my teens, it's still inextricably linked to some good summer memories, so it gets a nostalgia bump...
Interesting album, not heard a lot of blur before, but can't take Parklife seriously after the Russell Brand thing. Damon Albarn is awesome though, so I look forward to hearing more Blur albums.
I've known Blur, but this provided a lot of new songs for me. Some of the popular ones I had heard, as well as a few lesser known ones, but I liked the ones I hadn't heard of. Some goofy stuff too, but mostly good British 90's alt-rock. Highlights: -Girls and Boys -End of a Century -Parklife -The Debt Collector -To The End -Clover over Dover -This is a Low
2.5-3/5
Had higher hopes for this one, but still plagues by symptoms of Brit-pop so this doesn't hit as well as their self-titled album. Trying to be critical of the system but still has that 90s optimism sound. Nothing really stands out in here to me.
Not at all my style but I could see the charm.
It's good. Don't love it.
They’re not all just woohoo, good album
Interesting. Reminded me of Genesis
Not bad! I've never listened to Blur for a whole album before, but this pretty good!
what’d be playing in the background of a coming of age film for teens who feel misunderstood by everyone aside from themselves. very 90s.
Surprisingly entertaining and easy listening. Solid music and a look into Brit pop
Kinda on the fence with it. Some songs I think are really cool and unique. I definitely can see where ideas for later Gorillaz records were kind of incubating on here. But a lot of the songs just aren’t really doing it for me, some are even kind of grating to me.
Levy oli aika heittelevä. Hyviä biisejä ja vähemmän hyvin mahtu vino pino.
2.5 rounded up
Ihan mukava levy ja joitain tosi hyviä biisejäkin, mut kokonaisuutena ei kuitenkaan ok:ta parempi
Much campier than anticipated. And a lot poppier.
this one impressed me a little. there's some pretty cool songs here, despite my low expectations going in.
<h1>Hey</h1>
I like a lot of britpop and 90s alt-rock, but for some reason Blur just doesn’t do anything for me. This has a handful of nice melodies here and there, but none of the songs are interesting or catchy enough that I want to hear them again.
Horrid.
Bass line on girls and boys, London loves being fun and some of the slower ones good, largely forgettable record, better than anything oasis ever did
p736. 1994. 2 stars. Proof that Blur were a great singles band, but lack the talent for a decent album. They remind me of the The Kinks, but without the whimsy. This is an incredibly flabby double album, full of filler and pitiful instrumentals, and saved from 1 star by the quality of the singles. Actually, I've realised that the main reason I don't like this album is because of Damon Albarn's faux Cockney voice, plus the fact he's a cunt.
too painfully british to be entertaining
A bit meh
In 1994, "Girls & Boys" was playing everywhere and I hated it. To me, Britpop felt like an annoying tsunami of harmless boring music that clashed with the vibrant grunge and neo-punk scenes, pushing music back toward something more conventional and socially acceptable. Although I still dislike the genre, I have since learnt that Blur is among the Britpop bands I can appreciate once in a while. This is mainly due to the fact that beside their popular hits, their albums often feature a more experimental side, with odd sounds and weird circus music. Parklife, however, doesn't have many of these moments - you need to rummage through a LOT of very average or uninteresting songs to find a couple of gems. It's certainly not an album I will return to ; it lacks the boldness of their self-titled album or even the energy of The Great Escape. 3/10
We got them all, it was inevitable given how painfully British this list can be. I think we’ve almost completed the set now: The Verve, Oasis, Pulp, Suede, Supergrass… and here comes this second Blur album. Damon Albarn is worshipped like some alternative-rock guru, especially since Gorillaz supposedly provided definitive proof of his creative genius. But with Blur (and Gorillaz), where others hear brilliance, I mostly hear fairly shallow pop rock. It probably captured Britain at the time very well, not quite the football-lad Britain of Oasis, but the slightly less bad boy version of it. The four singles obviously bring back memories, and the fun is contagious, but the bouncy pop, the too many weaknesses and the very British concerns still do very little for me.
Hate to say it, but as much as I used to love this album when I was getting into music, it really hasn't aged well for my taste. For starters, I've been forced to play the title track live far too many times (one time) with a terrible band and an even worse singer. That also meant rinsing it over and over in practice for about 4 months... So not a fan of that one. It also made me get really sick of Albarn's voice, which is tolerable with Gorillaz as they're actually doing something vaguely interesting there, but even then, as stated in my review of their debut album, it's probably the worst part. A lot of this album, not that I remembered it that well, is also trying desperately to be more weird and unique, but in ways that just make it sound downright childish and silly in a bad way. Why does To The End start using random chromatic scales in the background that sound like actual circus music?? Why does Girls & Boys have such stupid, annoyingly repetitve structures? And, god, after seeing that Coachella performance a few years ago, it really showcased how unbearable that chorus is, particularly in terms of vocals. Then, there's the more "normal" songs like the aforementioned despised title track, which I find fine but overall boring and pretty uninspired (I mean, the whole Britpop movement was just indie rock bands trying to go back to the popularity and energy of 60s pop-rock but failing miserably, especially when other cats like Neutral Milk Hotel had similar inspiration but are a lot better overall, in my opinion.) In general, if you couldn't tell from that really long parenthesis, I'm really not a big fan of Britpop these days (sorry Ellis - I do still like Charmless Man and Country House******* though, my nostalgia for those is less corrupted by You Know Who). Overall, sure, there are some less overplayed songs on here that are more enjoyable, like Trouble in the Message Centre, Clover over Dover, and to a lesser degree, End of a Century, I don't really find them that good in comparison to literally anything else I could listen to now or even back then. I don't really think I've gone off anything from my early music taste like I have this.
meh.
Hé heftig en te punk. Niet mijn smaak. 2 sterren
For an album allegedly seminal of its era, this was a disappointment. Presumably its era has not endured.
I can’t say how disappointed I was with this album. In a year where Definitely Maybe was released by Oasis, I have no idea how there was ever a conversation about The Battle of Brit Pop. There are two songs on the track that were up to the standard…the rest felt like mindless filler.
Why is Blur’s entire discography on this list
I thought I'd like Blur. They seem like the band I would like. BUT, it turns out I don't?
The Blur sucks. Sorry not sorry. 👎. Vocals aren’t good and album too long and not interesting.
Mediocre Brit pop....a reoccurring theme on this project.
The singles from the album are OK being familiar but the rest is just pretty boring pop music of its day. No wonder I hadn’t heard them before or even if I had then must have easily forgotten them. They all seemed to blend into a background nothingness. The only track that sounded different to the others was Debt Collector and that sounded as if it was stolen from a merry-go-round at a kid’s fairground. Didn’t feel any extremes of negative feelings listening to it but just thought now I’ve heard this album I won’t ever need to again. Next please...
i'm not sure how much of my dislike for this is purely my dislike for british voices
I will never understand how Blur gets mentioned in the same breath as Oasis
Blur is one of those britpop bands that think they’re smarter than they actually are.
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Girls and Boys is the hardest line dance I’ve ever done
Vibes: 3 Instruments: 2 Production: 3 Emotional Value: 1 Storytelling: 1 Album Cover: +0 Stand Outs: Girls & Boys, This is a Low Overall Rating: 2
wish i liked anything half as much as i liked the singles!
One ok song. I don’t know man come on. This is I don’t know whatever just noise just garbage. I’m giving it two stars for the graphic design.
Enough fucking britpop
..
Yeah, this is absolutely none of my business. Two stars because I’m able to recognise it is good for what it is, regardless of my opinion on the music.
Gives an 80s sound, bounces around between sounding like the clash, or just generic 80s electronica.
Started in a simple jolly and upbeat way, and made me think it would be somewhere between a 3 and a 4 (for my taste). However, it just kept getting more and more quirky, unusual and subtly avant-garde. It feels weird for me to say, but in a way it became unpleasant and frustrating to listen to. Perhaps the instruments/musical arrangement is not to my liking, as it feels quite simplistic. Amusingly, on the other hand, if it just played it safe and stayed generic, it would probably annoy me for being "FIFA rock", vapid and uninspired... I'll settle that I respect it, but don't particularly like it. Feels harsh giving it a 2, and maybe it's just a bad day, but it took me a lot of willpower to even finish... Highlight: "Theme from an Imaginary Film" and "Red Necks" from the Extended/Special Edition were oddly good. Of all things. What? "Alex's Song" ruined the streak tho.
Early Britpop?
I'd probably like this if I was 18 when it came out...
It’s all a blur…
I was surprised by this album's playfulness and cheery attitude. Mixed with British Punk flavor, polka interludes and French chanson. It sounds crazy, but it's not my cup of tea... With all of these contradicting influences it's hard for me to see the identity of the album.
Imagine that, another overly hyped Brit band that wasn't that good. I am sensing a trend. Just like "Tracy Jacks" this is "...so overrated". They sung about Brit shit I can't relate to and that's why I never got into their sound. The first song, "Girls & Boys" (38M listens - 37M of those in England) is so annoying. It sounds less like 1994 and more like 1982. "End Of A Century" (27M) sounds more like a Blur song/sound but it's super average. Outside of the chorus for "Parklife" (178M) it's a pretty lame song with Captain Jack Sparrow singing about stuff an American can't relate to. "Bank Holiday" was unlistenable. I have no inkling how these guys ever made a splash in the US outside of "Song 2" which is a masterpiece. Everything else is soaked in pub beer and covered in HP Sauce with a side of breakfast beans. If this were released today, it would fall flat (for a second time in the US) and barely dent pop culture. 2 stars
Some interesting songs mixed with a bunch I don't long to hear again.
I don't exactly hate Blur but three albums is absolute insanity
196. ok
Got it - it's Britpop, so we have to hear it. But do we? I wasn't a fan when it came out, and it didn't grow on me in the meatime.
This one grows on you. Just not that much, more like a 2 to a 2.1 ‘Badhead.’
Another album by an OK British band. What a shocker.
better than i expected. guitar tone is great. some songs are very creative. some dumb and annoying. good enough album but it should have ended 9 songs in. definitely didn't need to be that long and definitely didn't need to hear this before i die.
Same kinda thing like the Clash do that I don't like that much
listened to half of it and came to the consensus that Blur is off brand Oasis. I liked 'Girls & Boys', and 'Parklife' would be better if it was Liam Gallagher singing.
Eh? There were some neat songs on this album but it just generally wasn't very memorable to me. Might relisten at some point to see if I was wrong but I'm unsure.
Less annoying than the other blur album I got so far.
Sorry guys when I can’t get into even one song after 4 songs I’m done. I know there’s an audience for this band, but I don’t like it
At its best (aka slowest and lushest), this plays like a lost Beatles album. At its wonkiest (aka least melodic), it's perhaps TOO British...am I allowed to say that, lol? "End of a Century" and "To the End" light me up--feel like Great Ones...from Lennon, not Albarn. The whimsy of the instrumentals (bari sax!) and background vox is also vaguely Beach Boys. All that is to say: no surprise that I like swaths of this.
my only real exposure to blur is their self-titled album, which is one of my favorites all time - some real grit and melancholy layered into what's otherwise boring britpop. this is just the boring britpop. get edgier!!
Parklife - Blur: Girls & Boys bravely asks: What if David Bowie… wasn’t that good? The song is aggressively British and meanders along pointlessly. I know it’s famous, I’ve heard it before, but I still don’t like it. Tracy Jacks is so ‘90s. I could imagine myself skittering around a British Uni wearing a pair of skinny headphones and a plaid jumper listening to this. I would study literature and express an interest in counterculture, alongside an abject hatred for the vague concept of a “businessman.” Regardless of its dated content, I enjoyed the guitar on the song, and found the instrumental last minute to be catchy and captivating. The fadeout to weak orchestral music served as a solid transition to the slower third track. End of A Century touches on the same themes as Tracy Jacks. Everyone is looking for something independent of the mainstream. Even Faux David Bowie. Fauxie. Parklife offers a thesis for what Blur’s album plans on covering. Much like other alt-rock ‘90s albums, Blur is taking a shot at the normalcy of the everyday person’s docile, boring life. I didn’t particularly mind it in any real way. I enjoyed the chanting of the album’s title, which reminded me a bit of “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Bank Holiday requires an open mind. The track drew upon metal-influences and contained quirky lyrics. I never listen to metal and find the melodies and noise levels common throughout that genre to be a bit grating. Despite the metal-like sound Bank Holiday still managed to sound a bit like the introduction to a sitcom. Badhead is slower and sadder than its peers. The song more so resembles the Beatles, as opposed to the David Bowie x Metallica x Nirvana sound present in earlier tracks. The horns were an interesting touch on the song and nicely complemented the choir in the song's background. The Debt Collector is cousins with Dominic the Donkey. The song is an Italian, Circus-like melody without lyrics, serving as the album’s de facto intermission. Far Out is a haunted version of the Debt Collector. The circus is now haunted by extraterrestrials. The track is a bit disquieting and is again reminiscent of The Beatles To the End incorporates the lead singer’s smooth vocals alongside the seductive chants of a french woman. The song is the least experimental number thusfar, with romantic violins, and a lighter, romantic version of the circus-like feel of the debt collector. The song includes a strong vocal performance alongside a light, whimsical melody, creating a romantic feel. London Loves is alright. It’s a standard ‘90s Alternative Brit-pop song. Trouble in the Message Center was grunge-foward, and incredibly listenable. I enjoyed the gritty guitar, the raw vocals and the chanted chorus. The song also shifts between chrus and verse, nicely breaking the piece up. Clover Over Dover is a laid-back track. The song is easy to listen to and incorporates the circus-like melodies of the earlier songs. The repetitiveness works to its benefit, as the track requires little close attention, and instead allows listeners to mindlessly enjoy the airy feel of the love song. Magic America depicts a man who has an idealized version of America, seeking a perfect life. The song mocks the band, with a dream-like chorus of la-las. Again, I could see this track working well in a film. The last three tracks have greatly turned this album around. Jubilee tackles counterculture, yet again. The use of horns on this track is a solid touch. Without the electric guitar, the song could nearly be a show tune. I find the lyrics, as well as the chorus to be weak. This is a Low is a Pink Floyd track. Well, it’s not. But it could be. I actually didn’t mind this one. The melodic nature of the guitar worked well with the lead singer’s low vocals, making for a comfortable listen. I enjoyed the song’s ambient qualities. Lot 105 brings back that circus sound in full swing. I feel like I’m playing the arcade game where I have to hit the clowns withtthe red balls in order to win thirty tickets. Free Youtube Music. No words; closes out the album. I wish this album was mixed better. I struggle to understand much of what Blur is saying due to how comparably loud the instruments are. A remaster would benefit the band. Additionally, I struggle to properly rank this album. Of all genres, I listen to ‘90s rock the least. I don’t particularly enjoy it, nor do I enjoy Britpop. Despite my struggles, i didn’t completely dislike every track on this album, which must say something about its overall quality, considering the limitations I’m working with. I enjoyed that they dared to do something different with the circus-like tracks and the bevy of melodically distinct songs. Final Ranking: This is a Low Trouble in the Message Center Clover Over Dover Magic America To The End Parklife Tracey Jacks Girls and Boys Badhead Jubilee End of Century Lot 105 London Loves Far Out Bank Holiday The Debt Collector Album Score: 4/10
Eh
kind of didnt like it, and i dont know why because it feels like it oughta be my type of album. ran a little long. theres just so much of damon albarn's voice and it made me appreciate the entire gorillaz discography less. it's like he's showing me all his cool 2000's pop rock toys and every single one makes me cross my arms and shake my head and say "no thank you." Girls & Boys is really a load-bearing tune when it comes to the score, besides that i liked Clover Over Dover a lot. the rest of the album has been already entirely forgotten, except for the measurable elevation of my cortisol levels from being mildly annoyed for most of its duration, which has doubtless taken precious seconds off my life moreso than the established 52 minutes of the album
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None Man, the List has me on a pretty bad streak this last week or so. This is a third Blur album. For me, it sits somewhere between Blur's self-titled album, which I didn't much care for, and Modern Life Is Rubbish, which was decent enough, but still not really anything I've thought much about since Feb 2026, when I last listened to it. This album - no, this band - is basically in one ear and out the other. I still don't understand how Damon Albarn went from whatever the hell Blur is to the Gorillaz, which is a masterclass in how to make good music and exemplify how featured artists should work on albums. This is.... whatever. A 2.
Big fan of Damon’s work with the gorillaz, but never really listened to much of blur. My expectations were kinda high for this one and it was kind of disappointing.
Really seems like a “you had to be there” album for me. Not bad, just not very interesting.
Another dog shit album. It sounds like a 90s version of the generic British Punk that overly saturates this list.
Good rock. Terrible vocals.
Oh boy, another crappy British rock album. Not interesting, didn't like it at all, why is this album here? It could be worse, but I saw nothing redeeming about this one. Even the one hit on this kinda sucked.
Highlights: Tracy Jacks, To The End and Clover Over Dover. 2.2
I've always had a soft spot for Brit pop, but I guess that doesn't extend to the whole genre because this album was not my favorite. I'm not British and I was too young when this came out to have any nostalgia associated with this album. I can definitely hear and appreciate the 60s and psychedelic rock influences here as well as some early Gorillaz sounds from Daman Albarn. I gave this album 2 listens thinking maybe I missed something but it just sounded monotone to me. I really struggled to make it through the whole thing. "Girls & Boys" was pretty catchy, but this album just missed the mark with me.
I didn’t mind this but it’s not something I would go back to. It was kind of silly at times though, there were pieces of it that I liked.
i really just don't like brit pop
Just not for me. Too many of the songs sounded like I just heard them. It was the first album that we listened to that I couldn't wait for it to be over. Everything they did would have been better if it was performed by Oasis. Favorite track was maybe Parklife.
Love the hit single. Wish I loved the rest as much.
Surprised to see Blur have more than one album on this list. This one is okay, kind of generic 90s alt rock. Highlights: "End of a Century"
Oh yay another britpop album. This one is like sifting thru mud and sometimes you find a rock that’s kinda alright. By the second half ur drowning in mud and there are no more cool rocks
Partially known. Meh.
With a name like Blur, I expected heavy metal/hard rock. But this album is primarily Britpop/alternative. “Bank Holiday” is a track with more of a hard rock vibe, but it doesn’t really work. Some of the tracks sound like Oasis. “The Debt Collector” is a waltz-like instrumental - maybe it was included to show that the band can exhibit musical diversity. Same with “Lot 105”, an end-of-album add on. Overall the album is just barely good enough for a 2.5 rating.
Ah ouais mais Blur c'est tout nul en fait
just not my cup of tea
On en a un peu marre des albums de brit pop sah, 2.5+/5
Annoying and bad.
Huge meh
Generic Britpop synth songs and forgettable, derivative pop melodies and vocals.
at times very fun but a little overly long, and the vocals become a bit much by the end
hate to say it but i dont really see the appeal, maybe ill grow into it but for now its just a bit mid. Best song - Parklife
Blur is a band of two halves. The singles are fantastic, the rest is just garbage. This album is no different. A shame really as I was looking forward to this one.
Not my kind of music
All I knew from Blur was "Song 2" and this was not really like that. This album kinda annoyed me tbh. It was fine Liked Songs: "Girls & Boys" , "End of a Century" , "Parklife" , "Badhead" , "To the End" , "Trouble in the Message Centre" , "Magic America" , "Lot 105"
bez komentarza lecimy dalej
I think Oasis won the battle. To me there weren't any songs that really stood out for me. I love Song 2 from their later album so I was expecting something on par with that and what was not what was delivered.
I’m not sure if I was annoyed because of how British it was or annoyed because it was annoying but I was annoyed. God it was so extremely British (derogatory)
Ich hatte ein bisschen Sorge dass das Album mich ein bisschen nerven würde. Fast richtig: Es nervt mich sehr. Das ist so schmunzel clever und irgendwie nicht gut gealtert, vielleicht mit Ausnahme von to the end und this is a low, die schon so klingen wie Blur und Alban später. Sorry, vielleicht hart aber
couldn't finish it, i knew i'm not a blur fan
Dammit Jim, I'm a shoegaze guy, not a britpop guy. +1 for Girls and Boys. The rest is pretty typical of the time. Still, it's better than Oasis. Didn't finish it. Of their albums, I certainly prefer 13, which I understand makes me a weirdo.
Review - glad I got this album when I did. I enjoyed Village Green Preservation Society so much, and everything you read about it talks about how influential it was to all the britpop bands I've never been a fan of, that I was thinking I should give this album a listen. And now I have, and I can say this album is mediocre. It's more eclectic than I'd expected, and some of the songs are very good. But I truly truly hate Damon Albarn's silly singing voice. What Blur are missing that The Kinks had was some level of sincerity to what they were singing about - Ray Davies was sarcastic and funny and absurd, but there'd be a clear and underlying core of sincerity in his songwriting. Damon Albarn couldn't do that if he tried. And while I can understand that singing in a very noticeably English voice might have been radical in the mid-90s, Albarn's voice just feels put on. I'm no big Oasis fan, but even if they were trying to sound American when they sang they simply couldn't help but sound incredibly Mancunian. Whereas Albarn is putting on a very exaggerated Cockney-ish singing voice and it just doesn't work for me. Glad I got that out of my system. Rating - 5/10 Need to hear? YES
FAR TOO BRITISH. Only thing I knew from these guys was song 2. So this wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Nothin doin
It's fine, very British. It was fun to trace elements of this album to what would become the Gorillaz (2.5)
LOVE the album cover! I've heard a handful of these songs when I worked at the music broadcast in the 90s and 90s rock ruled the airwaves. Never digested the record though. It's alright... the hits are the hits for a reason.
Sounds Bland to me. Prefer their self titled album.
I like the single “Girls and Boys” with its refreshing genderfuck politics, early for 1994, though it gets too repetitive. The rest is a “blur” of samey songs with a super annoying male whiny vocal. Not for me.
if this is supposed to compete with Oasis, that's the funniest joke e'er told. This is Temu Oasis. This is credits music of the original Shameless (derogatory)
--Girls & Boys...a decent groove but I find the vocals grating --Tracy Jacks...really don't dig the 90s Britpop voice. I'm not sure which voice annoys me more, Albarn's or Liam Gallagher's --End of a Century...kind of a Beatles feel; the Britpop I actually enjoy --Parklife...something tells me this is what birthed the Arctic Monkeys. take that as you will --Bank Holiday...interesting tempo change, too bad it's not entertaining --Badhead...another Beatles imitation, I prefer it over the Oasis-like stuff --The Debt Collector...I don't know why this is on here but it's a fun diversion --Far Out...um, okay? just...why? --To the End...an epic ballad of some kind? not gonna lie, I'm really not seeing a vision here. every track kind of exists in its own world. and there aren't enough pop bangers on here to justify its length. maybe I should finish the album before making statements like tha--oh god there are seven more tracks --London Loves...okay, this has a Phil Collins' Genesis vibe I appreciate --Trouble in the Message Centre...switching it up to the Gary Numen impression now --Clover Over Dover...of course the brits have to force a damned harpsichord into every LP --Magic America...sorry, y'all, any magic we Americans had has been replaced with MAGA trash. you should probably leave us to rot. oh, right, this is supposed to be about music --Jubilee...whatever --This is a Low...Albarn has proven himself to be incredibly talented, but the songwriting just isn't there yet. Every decent track on this LP seems to simply reference another artist that did it better --Lot 105...ready to move on to Gorillaz
Average
Meh, it was ok but most of the songs sounded the same.
Not the biggest fan of Blur. The songs weren’t tough to listen to and had some catchy portions, but I was waiting for this one to just be over so I could move onto the next album. I think that since I was so ready to get through this, it diminished the overall experience. Might need to give it another shot in a future listen.
доста разочароващ, имайки предвид, че това е блър. труден за слушане след първата песен
Not sure why this album is good
A whole lot of meh. I think this was way bigger in the UK than the US. Nothing really stood out to me.
ниче не почувствовала
This was a tough one, first album (only on the 3rd) that I skipped through a few songs. I’d give them a chance but after a minute or two, I’d skip to the next. Not my jam.
too loud for me.
Meh, pretty unmemorable
I never really got into Blur beyond Song 2. I recognized Girls and Boys, but couldn't get into the album. I find the funky weirdness works way better in Gorillaz than this band.
Boring!
There’s way too much Brit pop on this list.
Opět ucházející klasik rap.
So British Never enjoy early Blur as much as I think I'm going to. Came to them in the late 90's. Maybe it's not the hip thing, but I prefer their more generically radio friendly singles from later work. It's not necessarily better, just hit me at the right time. This album just gives me low rent Oasis, and I don't really like Oasis. Probably about 4th on their discography for me, just 2 stars
I've always found the song boys and girls obnoxious and therefore never gave the rest of the album a chance. Glad to see 30 or so years later that wasn't a bad decision....
I don't hate this album, but I don't particularly like it either. It doesn't offent me in any way, but I have absolutely no desire to hear a single track from this album ever again.
4/10
proper British,park life is like the most known song I like the guy in it innnnit blud