Parklife

While this is a lot better than the last album I got by blur which was ultra shitty and should’ve gotten a 1, I still didn’t enjoy it very much. Just not for me I guess

Ok.

Truly a formative album for me so it’s getting 5 stars. By the time that I started getting into rock and alternative music, Blair, we’re on the self titled album add Song 2 was all over the place. As a Canadian millennial, blur his first and foremost, known for their inclusion on Big Shiny Tunes 2-a truly formative text for us. I was unaware at the time that the direction Blur were heading in musically at that point was a departure from the previous sound. I started getting into this album Parklife when I started to do a real deep dive on Oasis and then by extension their Britpop peers. I listen to this album today and felt like I needed to immediately follow it up with the first two Oasis albums. I hadn’t heard any of these in 10 years and wanted to see how time had affected my perception of them. The Oasis albums are undeniable and have an amazing energy that even that band could not replicate. They are both masterpieces. Parklife though is so interesting. Lyrically it is so much more complex and actually dives into real subjects in songs instead of feelings, you can tell that these are very much more accomplished musicians working at the height of their powers. I believe I talked about this during my review of the self titled blur album, but I was at what was at the time meant to be the last blur show during their late 2000s reunion at T in the Park in Scotland in 2009. They nearly had to cancel the show, because Graham Coxon had food poisoning, and apparently had come right from the hospital to the venue amazing euphoric experience, though, as that crowd was primed to see blur, I had brought a bunch of signs for them, including someone with one of the milk carton guys on a stick that he was holding up in the crowd. The band did go on hiatus but then returned about five years later with a new album. But I was so proud that I had managed to see Blur before they had broken up. A few weeks earlier to the show, I had also seen oasis in Edinburgh. It was to be one of their last concerts before they broke up that fall. This is going to seem inconsequential to most people, but I was given advice on concerts from a coworker, Jason I have never forgot. He had gotten tickets to go see Pearl Jam, and wanted to know if I wanted to buy one of the tickets. The day of the concert, I had class the next day and was not doing great in school that year. Jason told me that whenever I had an opportunity to see a band, I should always take it. He said you would never know if they were going to break up before you got a chance to see them again. Thanks to him, I got to see the two Titans of Brit Pop in the UK, something I would likely never gonna get to do again. This is turned out to be the best advice in my life. Thanks, Jason.

Songs like Girls and Boys and Parklife have since lost their impact due to overplaying, but if you can approach with a fresh mind then this is still a great album. It's too long - 90s Blur albums almost always were. Damon and the band managed to strike a chord and find the zeitgeist with this album which made them into Britpop stars and you can see why - the number of hooks in each song are crazy. Personal favourites are Tracy Jacks, End of a Century, London Loves, Trouble in the Message Centre and This is a Low.

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.

Very bouncy album! I really like it. Melodic punk.

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

I commend them for trying some different things I.e. using their British accents instead of taking in an American Accent. Essentially it is a pop album with many 3 minute songs. “Boys and Girls” & “Parklife” are catchy tunes, but no real depth to the album. Hearing this once was enough for me, but found no value added.

Nice groove.

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

Zou willen zeggen dat ik dit een te 'wazig' bandje vind, maar dat is het eigenlijk. Ik vind het gewoon saai en snap niet helemaal waarom dit zo populair is.

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.

4. Would be 5 but too many aged lyrics.

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

Not my style

solid album not my taste

Absolutely defining album of the '90s

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.

In the Oasis vs Blur battle, I was definitely a Blur fan. I practically wore out my copy of this disc back in the day. But it’s been years since I’ve listened to it so I was curious how I’d feel about it today. And I still rather like it though I’d cut out about four of the songs as the albums drags a bit on side two. Having said that side two has two of their best songs (To the End and This is a Low). Anyway, the highs are still high but there’s more filler than I’d like, IMO. This is more like a 3.5, but i'll round up for nostalgia.

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!

One of the best British albums you're gonna get

Not my fav, must not be a Blur fan..

I really don't care for Britpop or Blur very much, although I think this album is decent for what it is.

90er u Britpop!

It's really pretty good. Nothing mind blowing like Damon Albarn's latest stuff, but we can hear some things shaping up to get there. It's an overwhelmingly British pop album, as well.

classic britpop 7/10

New one for me. Think I had heard of the group but not the album. Well sounds kind of dated. Not sure how well it's held up. I'll pass.

Zo ontzettend Britpop. Ik begreep toen al niets van de “strijd” tussen Oasis en Blur (kwam van de broertjes Gallagher natuurlijk). Blur springt eruit met inventieve riffs, ritmes, britgekte, melodie, zwaar, ruig en pop-licht. Is natuurlijk voor al die Britpop gitaarbands die hierna kwamen een voorbeeld gebleven. Zonder Blur geen Franz Ferdinand en Stereophonics. Maar ook alle eigentijdse bands inspireerden elkaar, Travis, Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers. Mooi album, sterke nummers.

90s Britpop icon.

Boring

Iconic 1990s

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 very good album that has a stronger first half

Britpop classic. The first half is great.

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

There has been a lot of Britpop on this list. Some of it good, some of it pretty damn bad. But this is the first one that was FUN! Seriously! The others could be poignant or self-important or serious, but this one here was so damn fun at every turn. It had a smidge of bloat, could have been tighter in some places, but man I had a blast listening, and that's enough for 5 stars easily.

The sounds here feel closer to what I enjoy about Gorillaz, although it did have some dull moments.

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.

Interesting that Damon Albarn did music before gorillaz. Had no idea. Kind of a mixed album, some good songs but plenty that just seemed goofy and were not that interesting. Pretty weak album in the majority. 2 stars

considering blur's "song 2", i guess i was hoping this album would be better and more exciting. it was mediocre. not even one song stood out to me.

So, I only knew the infamous "Song 2" from Blur, and was pretty much expecting something in that vein. I was pretty wrong. This is some bizarre indie, britpop, semi-ska contraption. I did like the chipper, sunshine-y nature of it all, but overall, I honestly just could not get into it.

Singing about the mundane and making it fun.

Like Girls & Boys en Magic America. Niet mijn type muziek, wel heel strak gespeeld. Sterk instrumentaal.

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

It's amazing. Having only heard "Song 2" before I didn't know what to expect, but it blew me away.

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

运动听的还不错

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

I might just like everything Damon Albarn does

Meh ik kwam er niet in misschien dat dit beter wordt als je er vaker naar luistert

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.

Upbeat British pop/punk

Grest

sounds more diverse than i expected me likey: eh

Nisam ovaj album sluša nekih desetak godina. Jebeno je sjajan. Svaka stvar je drugačija.

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.

As good today as it was when it was released. A classic.

Good vibes. I’d totally listen to this again

Really enjoyed this one. Notable tracks "Boys & Girls", "Tracy Jacks", and "Parklife".

Super solid album. I'll always choose Blur over Oasis.

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

Meh

Iconic album, forgot just how good this album is, filled with melodic pop throughout

Pretty fun, decent variety, didn’t listen too closely but nice enough in the background

Fun and creative album. Really outstanding bass, guitar and vocal melodies.

One of my favourites for years.

Another generic Brit pop album.

Was okay liked the top songs rest kind of blurred into the background… pun intended

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 ??

Great punk album, but it's not for me

Yes, this record is the utimate summation of Britishness during the nineties--with a lot of it still relevant today, from cynicism about everyday life in England to sudden bursts of romanticism and hope. Iconic AND lively. And essential for fans of British rock at large. But beyond its topical contents, *Parklife* is first and foremost an incredibly adventurous album transcending its original britpop genre like no other record before. What a ride it is, from the exhilarating disco parody of "Girls And Boys" up to epic closer "This Is A Low" (I swear I can sense the wind blowing across the white cliffs of Dover or Brighton when I'm listening to this one). And this counting everything in between, of course, including all those wonderful earworms along the way ("Tracy Jacks", " End of A Century", "To The End", or that insanely cinematic title track and its hilarious unreliable narrator--foretelling stuff like Yard Act in 2022). A great, great album that honors that old Kinks tradition in ways that can make Albarn, Coxon, James and Rowntree proud today. And the best LP Blur has ever released, period (with the eponymous one in tow right behind it). On a sidenote: I'm also a huge fan of Mogwai, and so felt quite saddened when the latter tried to ignite a war of words with Blur at the end of the nineties (as if those two bands were from the same sort of league anyway...). I've just read today that Stuart Braithwaite kind of admitted all of this was a little immature on his part, that he actually met Grahan Coxon quite a few times since the time of that quickly-aborted public feud, and that Coxon has been nothing but awfully nice to him, even with that story between them... At least *one* member of Blur is a high-class act, or so it seems... I'm only telling this story to raise one little question: how come there's no album by Mogwai to be seen anywhere on this list? What do Dimery and co. have against post-rock and other similar genres like that? Beats me, really... Maybe they were such fans of Blur that they decided to boycott a whole genre as a retaliatory measure, ha ha. If that's the case, well, come on, guys, please reconsider. It's all water under the bridge now, is it not? Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 861 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 77 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 34 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 29

Girls & Boys is a bop

Much better than ’modern life’

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.

I mean it's a good and a classic album, but it's all very samey/samey. Some good songs on there still

Me gusta este disco, pero prefiero el homónimo.

It's a great album. You have to look past the title track and just fall into and enjoy songs like This is a low and To the end

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.

Girls & Boys is really good.

So many great tracks

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.

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

at the moment I liked this album the most of the proposed options, it has everything, and something calm and something driving, there are serious songs and sad ones, and there are simple and foolish ones at first glance

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.

Was pretty good, I liked most of the tracks.

It's a bit longer than it needs to be but there's a lot more to this than many other britpop albums. The interludes are fun, the ballads are really effective, and the singles do indeed slap

Leuk bandje. ***

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

Great to revisit this album.

Man, Damon Albarn's voice is grating

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.

Brings back memories. There are some undeniable belters on this album but it does lose its way a little in the middle which stops it from being a 5

Interesting...not what I expected, knowing only Song 2. I like End of a Century and Tracy Jacks was kind of catchy. This is definitely not what I anticipated. Far Out is cool. To the End even has some Serge Gainsbourg vibes, what even is this album?! I feel like this album is so chaotic--I think it's a 3, 3.5 in terms of the music, but I want to round up a point just because it's so crazy.

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.

Good pop songs with some brains and some F-you behind them.

Blech

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.

Good album. I enjoyed this much more than expected.

fun, electric, groovy, goofy

It doesn’t pack as much of a punch as it did in the nineties, it is eclipsed but Blur’s self titled album, but I’ll still give credit to this album for representing that certain time and place it came from [probably] better than any other album.

15th May 2022 Listened in the morning when working from home and on the way to the supermarket. Watched the outfit in the evening. Love a bit of Brit pop. Again it’s the new fresh sound and a nod to the whimsy of bands like the Beatles. Albarn is a master of writing about regular life.

Classic

I always had a soft spot for Blur during the Britpop War days. Parklife makes me smile every time and plenty of other great tracks.

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!

Britpop de Blur. Ningún megahit. Un 4.

ikkje mitt favoritt blur-album, men ganske bra likavel

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

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

The sound of summer 1994, very proud I had a pre-release tape of this! Evocative of OJ's white Bronco and the Romanian football team. Would be a 5 from Badhead alone but the dreadful title track drags it down a bit

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

Badhead, The Debt Collector, Clover Over Dover and This Is A Low. You can only listen to these 4 songs, the rest is rather average and is forgotten very quickly. I'm not sure what this album does on this list, but it would be a good candidate to drop to make way for more modern material.

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

I had mentioned before about the BritPop documentary. Again, all I really knew about Blur before that was "Song 2" (woo hoo.). This album really puts them in a new light. It really gives you a feel of Britain, I think. The songs don't drag on, and the instrumentals blended in pretty well with the songs. Watching the videos did not really give you insight to the songs, particularly "To The End". I am still not 100% sure what that was about... Anyway I felt that this whole album was a bit more tongue in cheek than they were letting on. But not being from England, there were probably more in-jokes that I was missing. Still, I enjoyed this more than I was expecting.

I wish I would've given the self-titled Blur album a 3 because this album is definitely better but doesn't feel good enough to be a 5. They do some different stylings really well - synthpop/rock (see Depeche Mode) on Girls & Boys, Brit-style spoken word/rap/rock mix (see the Transplants) on the title track, punk on Bank Holiday, classic Britpop (see, um, Blur) on End of a Century. It's an eclectic mix. But there's also some excess / filler / unnecessary stuff - it doesn't need 16 songs, 10 might have been about right. I thought songs 6-9 were kind of boring and meandering but the album regained some steam with London Loves and Trouble in the Message Centre (felt a bit like the Cars here). Jubilee was also a lot of fun on the back end.

Big fan of 'Girls and Boys' and 'Parklife' already. Lovely basslines and guitar. Very listenable album. I liked the more serious sound of 'This is a Low'.

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

cool and fun 4.5

I did not listen a lot that I liked here. It is the second Blur album I've got, and I had the feeling they were almost the same.

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

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

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

Reconheci alguns dos hits.

An album that really defined the Britpop scene. I've never really listened to Blur other than the the hits, and this album was a surprise. It's a nice patchwork of different genres and different tones, all woven together into a cohesive album. Definitely one to listen to!

0couldn't listen through the first two tracks - skipped through, stopped and listened to a couple more tracks but I found nothing that is "must hear".

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.

Bit irritating but biped around in a cardigan to this a lot

Fun, alternative album.

Really enjoyed, not stellar, there's a few on here that are pretty boring. However, I would definitely come back to this if given the option.

some singles I knew, and can see why they were the singles, rest is circus fillers

A classic blur album with all the blur trappings.

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?

Largely enjoyable. I knew Girls & Boys and Parklife before, and I do think these remain the highlights of the album. I also particularly liked London Loves. It starts to drag a bit at the end.

Ok

Album is all over the place, with a handful of excellent songs.

What a banger! 8/10.

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

💯

eu não lembrava que blur era tão bão

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.

Very eclectic mix on this album, it's got a lot of variety in the sounds but keeps the strong British vibes that Blur gives off. Enjoyed quite a few songs, some were just ok but overall good album and a fun listen.

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

Great album. I vividly remember my sister got a CD player and this album, back in 94, for her 15th birthday. She played this album a lot and I always kinda liked it. Haven't played it in years but it's still great.

as English as tuppence, mockney Britpop

Wasn't as special as I remembered it.

Really enjoyed this one. I'm definitely gonna need to revisit.

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

I liked Blur's more experimental albums a bit more than this one, but it's still a really decent britpop album.

GIRLS WHO ARE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS TO BE GIRLS/10

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

Loved this my first listen In the 90’s and love it still.

Fabulous and so nostalgic for me. I remember seeing Blur perform Park Life on The Word!

He gets intimidated by the dirty pigeons They love a bit of him

Bank Holiday I could do without, but otherwise what a lineup of delicious Britishy pop.

awrrrrrrrr

very impressed!

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

nice blur!

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.

Cool parts but then they sing

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

Não ouvi tudo, confesso porém curti a vibe

Не мое

Britpop de Blur. Ningún megahit. Un 4.

It was just alright, smiths vibes with some songs

Thought it was great

1994 - English Rock

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

Some of their biggest hits but not blown away overall.

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.

I have an instinctive dislike of this record since I was in the North during the Britpop Wars. The singles are fun, although Boys and Girls is impossible to sing along to. Parklife has become so much part of culture that it's hardly a song anymore. On this album, Blur don't really seem to know what they want to be, beyond the novelty singles and the cod chanson it's all a bit forgettable. And don't get me started on the bleated mockney vocals. Ultimately, Mogwai put it best: Blur are shite.

Really puts an end to the Oasis/Blur schism, Blur are without doubt the superior group. This record is a conceptually vibrant masterpiece full of well thought out narratives and perfectly executed rhythm. Parklife is easily my favourite ever Blur song.

Has a handful of good songs most of this drones on and all sounds the same.

Liked it

Not really a fan. I enjoyed maybe 2 songs. I imagine it's just not my style of music.

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

Classic tunes. Listen to more of this when you have time.

Pretty good britpop 3

i do not like this album quite as much as modern life is rubbish, but, good job damon. great listen.

Up there with the best britpop albums an absolute classic. Just misses out on 5 stars due to my personal preference of preferring oasis, and the verve.

Oh, I remember when this album was brand new. It is packed full of quality singles and the rest of the album is clearly the spiritual descendant of The Kinks' Arthur album, capturing a snapshot of London life (or their interpretation thereof). My favourite track is "This Is a Low", which uses the UK shipping forecast as an effective way of soothing a broken heart. I can testify that this song does what it needs to do and was what got me though the turmoil of 2000.

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.

Such a soundtrack to my Uni days and the whole 1990s. Spikey, quirky, Brit pop, indie, truly English. Literally just two or three obvious fillers. A really good album alongside Different Class from that Brit pop 90s era.

Kolejny blur na liscie, dzien w ruinie, jest to rzeci studyjny krazek bandy, ale chyba pierwszy ktory przyniosl im mainstreamowy sukces, bo jak pan Damon powie, ze zrobi album, ktory kazdemu anglikanowi sie spodoba i w radio beda go grac, to tak bedzie, jest to kompilacja najbardziej mialkich popowych kawalkow utrzymanych w klimacie okolo synthowym polaczonym z brzmieniem alternatywnego rocka, wiec typowy britpop, jak przystalo na wyspiarska muzyke z lat 90, o ile szanuje Damona za muzyke, ktora tworzy w gorillazach, tak jestem hejterem blura, bo nie slychac przez kogo jest tworzona muzyka, wszystko brzmi jak muzyka tworzona przez nikogo dla kazdego, wiec masa instrumentow, synthow i mialkosc liryki dobija przez cale 16 trakow rozciagnietych na 52 miniuty, najblizej prawdziwej muzyki stoi chyba tytulowy traczek, ktory featuruje dodatkowa narracje, wiec nie sam pan Damon opowiada historie, jak na reszcie plyty, chociaz reszta bandy wspiera go typowymi chorkami, kolejnym trakiem wartym uwagi z tych 16 bedzie otwierajacy girls&boys, ktory przywodzi mi na mysl tworczosc The The przez ten dencingowy beat oparty na synthach, ale na plejke dodam jedynie parklife, pewnie nie jest to ostatnie spotkanie z blurem, bo przeciez chluba brytyjskiej muzyki popularnej

es brit pop, algo nuevo aunque el sonido me recuerda a otros artistas, pero venga era 1994, era europa

Yes, it's a good one.

6/16=38%

Thumbs down

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

the album really isn't like "song 2" which is a good thing

blur are a boring band

Classic Album, so much better than Oasis

Unerträglich. Beim 5. Song ausgemacht. 'blur' fand ich ja ganz angenehm, das hier geht gar nicht. Kommt bei mir auch nicht alle Tage vor, dass ich zwei Alben der gleichen Band derartig unterschiedlich bewerte.

Couple okay hits but mediocre then and did not age well

Classic Blur. Great

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.

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

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.

Didn't want it to end, confident 5 stars Saved: - Girls and Boys - Tracy Jacks - End of a Century - Parklife - Badhead - To the End - Clover over Dover (favorite) - Magic America - This is a Low

Decent Britpop album.

Great album and much more varied than I remember

Favourite tracks: Girls and Boys Parklife, to the end, London Loves

Really cool album. I haven't listen to a lot of Blur honestly but I definitely should especially since I'm a huge fan of Damon Albarn's other music project Gorillaz

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

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

Decent album but nothing special

11/26/2021 Today's Album: "Parklife" by Blur - FYI I am writing this as I listen to each song. After researching, it turns out I already have some songs by this group on my playlist. Girls and Boys is a great opener to this album, with this fun and bouncy backtrack that is just layered up with these whiny vocals that actually work pretty well and these rock guitars. There's also a bunch of cool channel specific synth effects that I really dig. I know I'm still on the first song but damn the breakdown at 3 minutes is also so cool and I just really love the sound of it so far. Tracy Jacks is nowhere near as explosive as Girls and Boys, but I think it's a good follow up and it's still a pretty fun song, if not a little repetitive. Also damn the strings switch up is cool as hell. Oh my god the production on End of a Century is next level. I absolutely love this song it's like if the Beatles were grungy with those muted trumpets and distorted guitars. Parklife is a very interesting song, with the layering beat and laid-back spoken word vocals. I keep wanting to say the vocals are annoying, but then there's some great harmony or the instrumentals take center focus, and I can't really complain anymore. Bank Holiday is a stinky track. It sounds like the most annoying Green Day song but with Gorillaz vocals. Okay but that noise rock pop off at the end though okay okay I see you. Badhead is a very pretty piece of psyche pop. I really like the pretty flowery guitars and the synth in the left channel. The vocals are also much less obnoxious, and I think that it directly following Bank Holiday makes that track much more bearable and makes it make more sense within the track list. Fantastic track. The debt collector has this creepy carnival atmosphere to it. Very moody, but playful. Wow the flutes and clarinets add a whole new layer to this vv good yes i like. Far Out is just that, far out. I think it's a nice way to split up the album with some weird ass experimental noises. The vocals actually meld somewhat well with this, and it reminds me of a weird track off of a Ween album and the way the vocals trail off is so cool. I actually really like this song as well, damn. To the End is a super nice song. I love that the vocalist is really pushing his abilities and the psychedelic guitars mixed with such chill percussion is so cool. I really like this album holy damn. Oh wow the sparkly little flourish on To the End holy cow. London Loves absolutely fucks. Everything about this instrumental just screams CUM. I can't help but boogie down to this one. The hook and chorus are fantastic, and I am not bored for a second. The fucked-up guitar solo around 2 minutes makes me nut. This band is so good at balancing their sounds to make it just go down so smooth. The sampled traffic narrator in the left channel are mixed so well. This album is absolutely blowing my mind. Trouble in the Message Centre is this cool retro futuristic track. I don't think I'm crazy about the vocals in the beginning but I'm waiting to see where it goes. The instrumental is so good I'm waiting for the vocals to stop sounding so monotone, but I think that's sort of what they're going for. This guitar solo at 2:10 is absolutely making up for the poor parts of this track. I overall think it fits the flow of the album well, even if it isn't a great track by itself. Clover Over Dover starts off really strong with these harpsicord piano sounds mixed well with a psychedelic guitar and steady drums. I like the vocals a lot in this song and the bridge has these really cool laid-back vocals that hug my ears. Me like. Magic America sounds a little funky at first but as you get used to the sound it really opens up. The bubbly noises in the second verse is so cool and I really like how consistent all of the choruses are. They all sound so natural and clean. The solo on this song is so weird but so cool at the same time. This weird instrument just shines over the backdrop of the distorted guitar and rock drums and the descending synth at the end just closes up this track perfectly. Jubilee sounds like it could have come off of Pablo Honey by Radiohead. Its a little too blown out for me to really like it. I do like the strange descending note at around 2:00 but its short lived and the saxophones in the background just don't do enough to save the song. This is maybe the only bad track other than bank holiday, and it isn't even unlistenable. This is a low has these really cool effects that sound like they came out of Radiohead's The Bends. Once this song hits the chorus, it hits for sure. I love the melancholic instrumental and all of the psychedelic effects overlayed on this track. These distorted guitars at 3:00 absolutely fuck all over this song. It turns this song up from a 7 to a 9.5 and is the perfect culmination of most of this album. This is a great climax to the album and I just hope the closing track puts it to bed nicely. Lot 105 is a nice upbeat closer. It has this playful organ piano over this ascending bassline and 808 beat and it just gets better when the guitar and aux percussion come in. It feels like its wrapping up in that same kind of energy it started with. When it picks up in the last 20 seconds, its super fun and closes out the album fantastically. Overall, this album fucks so hard and the few flaws I see in it are completely overshadowed by the amazing highlights this album has to offer. Holy shit it's good. (and fun) Score: 9.8/10 Almost flawless. Highlights: All excluding Bank Holiday and Jubilee

Really cool album. Lots of different styles of music mashed into one.

Not their best album by any stretch. It is, however, probably their most iconic. Evokes memories of my early teens and always brings a smile.

Singer from the Gorillaz?

The tunes are catchy, but each song is basically the chorus played over and over the exact same way. Boring.

I cheered when I saw this assignment. I had discovered this album just a month prior and loved it. I'm a fan of Gorillaz, and pre-Gorillaz Damon Albarn doesn't disappoint.

A great album - poppy yet interesting. Some great songs; even the filler is better than anything Oasis have ever done.

Just too much going on. Couldn't get into it.

More like 3.5. Really thought I’d be giving this a 5 when I started listening - but album doesn’t end as strongly as it begins for me. Still Parklife, Girls and Boys are absolute classics. Great listening to this again.

Perfectly fine

Interesting album. Some great songs. Fun listen.

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.

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

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

Will mir nicht ins Ohr

Schwer zu ertragen

'End of the century' has always been one of those songs that I have enjoyed when heard on the radio or in the background but never properly listened to. It's a classic. Very enjoyable album.

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.

Ja gilla de till trots för att de va br*ttiskt??

Bloody decent

Catchy enough.

4/10

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

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.

The fun I had listening to this when I was younger. I was like a young Theresa May in a field of wheat. Getting fucked by 6 farmers.

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

Don't believe the rumours emanating from the Bolton region of Greater Manchester, this is a well put together album not just a hit or two and some filler. It just about manages to stay on the right side of the Mockney geezers schtick that became overwhelming by the time of The Great Escape. And those hits that the Bolton fella is on about, they really are some monster hits aren't they?

Parklife feels like a new record, yet so familiar. Having never heard the album, but familiar with Blur's 'Song 2' it feels worlds apart from that song, yet all cut from the same cloth. Best: Girls and Boys Worst: Trouble in the Message Centre

It was alright, but I have a hard time with their accents. 0RS

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

Don't get why so much meh-Brit-pop is must listen. I didn't listen much to 'em when they were around and I still don't.

nope, still don´t like this, i should not say hate.....

Excellent album. Girls & Boys (5*) stands out - it is both annoying and catchy. Prefer Auteurs, Pulp and Suede but Parklife is still an album I put on once and a while. Score: 4.49 -> 4.

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

Great album! I liked this much better than “Blur”. Multiple genres, from disco to punk to polka. Some. Baroque pop elements - really interesting.

Lot more filler than I remember.

It was pretty good. Don't have a strong opinion.

Fun and nostalgic! I’m a 90s kid so remember this well. Made me wanna go thrift shopping and for a pointless drive. Harkens back to the particular 90s snark

Peut-être le meilleur album de Blur, de la Brit-pop qui fait plaisir

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,

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

Все-таки не очень я люблю Blur, Pulp круче

Of course I'm familiar with Song 2, which was unavoidable when it came out, but before I started this review, my strongest impression of Blur was how much Brian hates them. :joy:Listening to Parklife is a really odd experience. A high level of songcraft is immediately apparent. The rhythmic hooks are jagged and the melodies and harmonies are cunningly constructed, so why is it that they leave next to no impression? What does leave an impression is the arrangements. Blur weaves together crunchy, grungy guitars, snaky 80s synth lines (thankfully in the background), sing-song choral backgrounds, Manchester accented talk-singing about British everyday life, chugging rhythmic parts, churchy organ overlays, and more into a sound that somehow manages to encapsulate the previous quarter century of British rock without sounding like a simple pastiche. On Parklife, Blur has come up with, like it or not, a unique sound.So what do I think of Parklife? Not a lot, actually. Clearly, Blur is a competent band, and I can appreciate what they're doing on an intellectual level, but they just don't appeal to me.Okay, I wrote the previous paragraphs a few songs into the album. Blur frontloaded the most driving, pop-oriented songs. As Parklife goes along, the songwriting and arrangements get increasingly less energetic and more anonymous and twee, not a good combination. At least until London Loves, and then we're back to the punchy sound of the opening tunes. Blur is much better at these sort of uptempo songs, which are at least cheeky instead of wan.I just had an insight--Blur is the 90s version of XTC, not as horrid, of course, but still with a tendency towards the twee and cutesy, best disguised with crunchy guitars. Best in short doses.

Its ight too proggy for me

Britpop klassiker! Girls and boys er hjernefed. Albarn er nice. To the end er god. Spænder bredt rammer højt!

fremragende

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

If you ask most people who were around in the 90s to list the top 5 Britpop era albums. This would be on it. Probably deservedly so but there's an annoying amount of filler on the album when listened to as a cohesive work. And for that, I'm knocking a mark off

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).

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

A classic!