Parklife

Pas toutes bien mais quand même un trop chouette album Top track To The End ça bouge pas !!

Parklife and Girls &Boys always in my heart. Un pur produit Britpop comme on les aime. Good guitar riffs, commentaire social, un bon petit accent working class alors qu’on est un petit bourgeois. Je dirais toutefois que ça peut vite avoir tendance à être un peu redondant (genre est-il nécessaire de répéter Tracy Jacks 5 fois ?) Mention spéciale pour le Damon Albarn de cette époque, le pain. Moins fan des sons un peu expérimentaux ? Genre Far Out ? Keske ?

This albums sounds like they are trying to mix music from the past (specifically beat, a bit of post-punk and new wave) and give it a new twist, but somehow it doesn't work.

This is certainly a Britpop classic, released at the height of the Britpop wave and the hype surrounding the ‘feud’ between Blur and Oasis. And yes, the album has a few catchy hits (‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Parklife’), but in the long run it’s too cocky, too superficial for my taste. I prefer Blur’s later albums, as they sound a bit more mature; I can’t really get into this one over the course of a whole album (and even less so with Oasis). Perhaps because I’ve never really warmed to the Britpop wave. Good, probably very good, but just average for me.

Its a decent album from the Britpop era but I'll always be Team Gallagher!

just good

It’s British as hell, and pretty decent

Has anybody ever seen Damon Alburn and 2D from Gorillaz in the same room? They sound almost identical, almost like the same person! 😮 In all seriousness, great album 4/5

3.5/5

Largely unimpresive britpop with a few standouts.

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.

I was and, very much still am, an Oasis guy. I still don't think Blur ever made a 'great' album. Loads of brilliant albums. Almost all their singles are classics as well. This album is obviously very good. Girls and Boys, End of a Century and many others are brilliant songs, superbly performed. Some of the album is a bit 'Cor Blimey' and they definitely are playing at being working class. But I can't deny the strength of most of these songs.

доста разочароващ, имайки предвид, че това е блър. труден за слушане след първата песен

4/5. A really solid alt rock album. The arrangements and production are of ridiculously high quality. You get so many different instruments and genres threaded in here in a coherent way. Harpsichord, horns, synth, and choirs join in to make what might have been a decent enough alt rock album into something special and unique. Melodies and harmonies are really pleasant. blur has a talent for ear worms and leverages music theory to pull at the heart strings with just the right chord at just the right time. The only things I can say against this album is that it can be a little too chaotic at times and that the vocals can get tiresome. Still, definitely worth a listen for fans or alt rock.

My second Blur album through this journey, and I enjoyed it more than their debut. The opener was catchier than I expected it to be and I got a good amount out of following the journey of the album. Far Out and To The End were probably my standouts, but upon closer inspection I was able to find value in most of the songs. Will I revisit? Probably not, but it was a nice listen all the same for a band I haven’t spent much time on.

oi so british

Liked it then, love it now.

I LOVE DAMON BEAUTIFUL BABYGIRL

One of my favorite albums of all time. Blur's main things are making fun of the middle class and complaining about how modern life sucks. But at times, Damon Albarn would strip off the pretense, sing a love song, admit he's just as vulnerable as the people he writes about. He's a brilliant lyricist who hides his love for the world behind mockery and indifferences. 10/10 album

Damon albarn is a social experiment.

Esse álbum tem o que os outros de britpop que escutei não tem: whimsyness.

Absolute classic. Never listened the whole way through before

Pretty much the quintessential Britpop album for me, as I grew up in an Oasis-hating family. I don't think I've listened to it in its entirety before this though, as I mainly listen to Blur's greatest hits. So I was surprised at how many great deep cuts there are on here. It's a bit too long though, and I would have dropped a few songs (like Bank Holiday). Overall, a great summery pop album though.

A couple bangers, super influential and a really cool time for music. Not quite my style, but a good record. WOOHOO

Not sure why this album is good

classic 90s jam 3.5/5

Girls & Boys End Of A Century Parklife Bank Holiday To the End London Loves Trouble in the Message Center Clover Over Dover

Girls & Boys Tracy Jacks Parklife London Loves Clover Over Dover

Clear 5

Know what I mean?

Favorite Song: End of a Century

Perfection

A whole lot of meh. I think this was way bigger in the UK than the US. Nothing really stood out to me.

A very 90s album.

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.

would've been a more enjoyable listening experience if my train wasn't hella delayed and a guy made me move out of his seat even though the reservation things aren't working

I had heard the first song but it was certainly not indicative of the best of the album. I’m not sure who this band wants to be but I can’t say I really care. Leads vocal is irritating and the music style was all over the map of a place I never want to visit again.

Meh, pretty unmemorable

Just a couple of British lads knocking about and banging out a few tracks. Surprisingly there are lots more gentler tracks on the album that probably qualify as ballads. However I'm not sure what the om-pa-pa instrumental track is doing there? Did a street busker walk in, record a track and then leave and everybody else was too high to notice? I feel the quality of the tracks drops off after the well known ones.

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.

I always actually like early Blur more than I think when I get to listen to them, songwriting wise, but I really have always been put off by their Estuary English sound. Which is really silly from my point of view, I don’t have an issue with any other accents, event full London working class like the Kinks or Madness. And same today, like the songs as such, the Beatles and even more so Kinks influences but I struggle with the upwardly mobile cockney thing/shtick, and I like Damon, think he’s a good frontman, just my northern prejudices I guess. Appreciate rather than really like, 3 Star

This is better than I remember it being when it was released.

Fine aged britpop

Not too bad, a couple good songs on there. They really do a lot of different stuff.

Stated in brief: Gorillaz >> Blur. Stated at somewhat greater length: This is fine, but tedious in places. I'd heard "Girls & Boys" plenty of times and don't hate it, but it's just sort of a middle of the road pop song. The same can be said of the title track, with its additional rambly spoken word bit differentiating it a bit. I was more taken with the parts that rock out. "Bank Holiday" in particular is a highlight, much in the same way that songs like "M1 A1" or "Punk" stand out on a Gorillaz disc. A lot of Albarn's sensibilities come out here, which is a thing I like well enough, but wouldn't actively seek out. And if I were to seek it out, I'd probably want all the cool features and extra weirdness of Gorillaz.

Some absolute fucking garbage on this

There's about half to a third of a good album here and it's almost exclusively front loaded. I love Blur as a band, but their hit rate was never the biggest. Still, they spanned a breadth of sounds and styles that their contemporaries never really reached, and this is a prime example of it. They're just one of those bands that would have really benefitted from a standard LP length instead of the CD era.

Decent enough listen. Has the only two Blur songs I really like (Girls & Boys + End of a Century) so points for that.

fell short, without the main bangers this album is pretty forgettable for me

fav songs: girls and boys tracy jacks badhead london loves cheeky, playful, melodic 70/100

Odd to reflect on the intensity and importance of the blur oasis battle back in the britpop era . It only really lasted 1 album as it became clear which band had longevity and which was a vehicle for two twats.

Boring!

There’s way too much Brit pop on this list.

This album was good, but I liked it better for how it showed Damon Alburn’s vocal range. He’s my favorite part of Gorillaz, playing 2D.

I can’t decide between a 2 or 3…it’s such a mixed bag. The songs that touch on electro-stuff I found way more appealing and Boys & Girls was one of two Blur songs I knew & that’s an all-timer. It somehow makes felt overambitious (& overly long) despite feeling kinda lofi at the same time.

Probably 3.5. I liked it, I’m not going to go out of my way to listen to more Blur though

Innovativ? Herausragend? Nö, öde, das übliche Britpop-Gejaule! Forget it!

Love, love, love this album.

Hadn't really heard their songs except for the singles. Turns out there's a reason for that. Some half decent singles, some annoying and the rest are weak

Loved this one!

Blur is just that steady band that produces great songs time and time again. Think the Kinks or Elvis Costello. Problem is nothing ever really stands out. I prefer some of their later, more psychedelic works a bit more.

Opět ucházející klasik rap.

60s flavor in the 90s rebel spirit. Bangers, anthems of the working class, great feeling

I blinked and half of it was over.

Solid

This album is hard to describe without saying it may be the most British album you will ever hear. This album is like a cartoonish version of waking up to go to primary school in the U.K., with you posh school uniform and mop top hair. Girls & Boys sounds like a song made to hypnotize nonbinary people to get them convert to their assigned sex. It's a really good song. I love the bass tone in Tracy Jacks, there's just something very mbv about it? The song parklife is dumb but great. Badhead is such a great song and such is To The End. London Love kinda just fucks idk. Clover over Dover is great and has a lovely harpsichord. Songs like The Debt Collector, and Lot 105 are just so charming, and those songs are probably the most disliked I imagine, but they are fun little instrumental songs. There's a lot I enjoy in this album that I have a hard time trying to articulate what it is about that's great, so I suppose I will have to return to this review, but ultimately I really like this album. Blur surprised me, I didn't expect this kind of fun attitude and was expecting more of a brooding oasis type situation, which I very fortunate to not get. This was great, fuck the British.

Well if this doesn't define British pop rock in the 90s I don't know what does. It's got some fun hooks and catchy moments, but a lot of noise just for the sake of it too. I don't think their use of synth is particularly inspired here. A lot of time on this record feels kind of wasted, no reason for it to be 52 minutes. If they trimmed it around the good stuff this could have been special. It's an okay record. Too obtusely British. 3.4/5

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 wanted to like this more than i did

Sorry 2-D, but I'm pretty burnt out from all the britpop on the list.

PARKLIFE!

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....

BRITAIN 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 feel like i'm transported back to 2010s britain listening to this. so nostalgic even though ive never listened to this album before

No. 138 I liked this album very much. It sounds so true and so fun.

At least its not American shit.

Fun and nostalgic.

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.

Some good songs but some not so good stuff, overall a little fun but not a regular listen

Mi aspettavo un bel album. Invece è molto noioso.

Amazing Britpop album; they're songs in here that suck me through a time warp and remind me of happier care free times. It's a little longer than it needs to be, and a little messy in its arrangement, but still has all the fun loving spirit of youth in his lyrics and performances. Most enjoyed songs: "Girls & Boys", "Parklife", "Badhead" and "To the End".

Album No. 0183 on my list. I've never been much into Blur to be honest, especially in comparison to their (alleged) rival Oasis, who are amongst my favorite artists of all time. I can't actually name a reason why. The songs I know I actually like, but I've never had much desire to look deeper into Blur. I had known multiple tracks on "Parklife", but I can't remember actually listening to the thing in its entirety. Hence, I was curious how the album would actually be like. After listening to it, I'm not sure what to make of the album, though. It's certainly an icon of the Britpop genre and deserves its spot on the 1001 album list. It does have its great hits ("Girls & Boys", "End Of A Century", and my favorite, "Parklife", i.e. the title track). But in my opinion, there are also some much less memorable songs on this. I really *want* to like this album because of its significance for a genre that I find interesting, but I'm just having a hard time doing so. My guess is that this album is so important because of its cultural significance, influence and the aforementioned hits, but less so due to the quality of the entirety of songs on this. I dunno, maybe I'm also not the biggest fan because I'm more drawn to Northern England (--> Oasis), maybe it' Damon Albarn's singing (which is more suited to Gorillaz in my opinion), I don't know. I feel bad for not liking this more, but that's just how it is. Maybe I'll revisit this one later and change my rating. I'll add the three mentioned hits to my playlist. In the end, this is a solid album for me, but not an all time favorite. 3/5 stars.

4/10

proper British,park life is like the most known song I like the guy in it innnnit blud

Not for me

too British for me

It is THE 90s britpop album. I guess this one is a merited inclusion unlike way to many uninspired records on this brit-biased list. However, it does not do anything extraordinary, it is just a correct record. 7/10 [KEEP]

Not listened to this for over 25 years. I understand why now, how could anyone compare this to anything by Oasis? 90% shite, 2 points only for To The End which is the only track worth listening to, and is actually pretty perfect.

This record is eccentric, weird, and easily accessible at the same time. And that's about the highest compliment I can offer to an album that is one of my favorites of the 90s and is the best record of the BritPop era. I never understood the Oasis v Blur debate. Oasis excelled at big dumb stadium anthems while Blur excelled at pretty much every other form of rock and pop music, and have a generational talent as their primary songwriter vs a guy who knows three chords. Guess who I'm picking in that debate

I low key hated this

I thought it was alright. A couple of bangers

Parklife - это абсолютное величие. Большая часть легендарных Britpop релизов ассоциируется у меня с ярким, солнечным летом, этот альбом не исключение. Сколько здесь приятных, приставучих мелодий, соседствующих с тихими шедеврами, и уже, легендарными композициями. Girls & Boys - хитяра всех танцевальных клубов тех лет, легкомысленнная и зажигательная. Tracy Jacks - невероятная приставучая, классная песня с заводными гитарами, скрипкой и catchy припевом. Обожаю её. Parklife - буквально один из гимнов Великобритании. Bank Holiday - привет от Blur в сторону панка. Badhead - хочу отдельно выделить её. Насколько меланхоличная, красивая песня. Это просто нужно прочувствовать. London Loves - своего рода, оммаж в сторону Боуи. Великолепная гитарная работа от Коксона, симбиоз электронного звучания с роком. This Is A Low - потрясающая песня, по сути, является "закрывашкой" альбома. Столь атмосферная, столь британская, чувственная песня, от которой чувстуется сырость, дождь и запах свежего эрл грея. Здесь по разному проявили себя все ребята из Блюр, даже глупенькая Far Out от Алекса Джеймса звучит мило и классно. Этот альбом так многогранен и хорош, что говорить о нем можно ещё долго. Такое сочетание жанров, инструментов, такая характерность, столько влияния от их главных вдохновителей из 60-х. Я думаю, те кто действительно его оценил, и сами прекрасно это понимают. Что и говорить, бритпоп в девяностых - последнее великое событие в истории Английской рок-музыки со времен Британского Вторжения в 60-х.

Blur - Parklife (1994) Вывод: Наблюдение за жизнью Британии, запечатление облика эпохи; повседневность как материал искусства Повседневность как спектакль. Blur на этом альбоме фактически превращают обычную британскую жизнь в серию маленьких сценок. Люди в транспорте, офисные служащие, скучающие пары, странные персонажи городских парков всё это становится материалом для песен. В отличие от американского альтернативного рока начала 90-х, здесь почти нет трагизма. Скорее наблюдение со стороны: немного иронии, немного сочувствия, немного тепла. Музыкально альбом строится на удивительно лёгком фундаменте. Гитары звучат ярко и чисто. Но внутри этой простоты спрятано много разных источников: британский поп 60-х, глэм-рок и даже танцевальная музыка. В результате песни звучат одновременно традиционно и слегка театрально. В первую очередь обращает на себя внимание разнообразие ритмов. Некоторые вещи почти танцевальные, другие  размеренные и меланхоличные. При этом сами мелодии остаются подчеркнуто британскими: ясными, чуть сентиментальными и немного ностальгическими. Вокал играет здесь ключевую роль. Албарн поёт не как типичный рок-фронтмен, а скорее как рассказчик. Его интонации иногда звучат насмешливо, иногда почти театрально. Но за этим всё равно чувствуется человеческая теплотa. Даже самые ироничные песни не превращаются в холодную сатиру. Особенно интересно, как альбом работает с образами. Песни часто выглядят как небольшие зарисовки городской жизни. Это делает пластинку похожей на музыкальный альбом наблюдений: вместо абстрактных тем здесь конкретные персонажи и ситуации. В этом смысле 'Parklife' продолжает старую британскую поп-традицию, где музыка тесно связана с повседневной культурой. В начале 1990-х британская гитарная музыка находилась в странном положении. С одной стороны влияние американского гранжа, с другой электронная танцевальная сцена. Blur пошли в противоположную сторону: они обратились к британскому поп-наследию и сделали его центральной частью своего звучания. Именно поэтому Parklife часто воспринимается как один из альбомов, которые сформировали эстетику бритпопа. В итоге альбом звучит как яркая и немного эксцентричная поп-картина Британии 90-х. И он один из самых характерных: лёгкий, наблюдательный и полный мелких деталей повседневной жизни.

Very British 90s.

Some of these songs are goofy in a very deliberate manner, kind of like the music version of Austin Powers. They're all fun and very quintessential Brit pop. Album started to overstay its welcome around London Loves. What was charming at the start was grating by the end.

A fun, very British album.

Not a bad album but that pseudo London/home counties accent is so irritating.

Good fun but I'd not consider it anything special.

so much more playful and eclectic than my previous exposure to britpop as a genre had primed me for. i think the doggies on the cover are cute also.

So 90’s, so British.

Classic britpop, very genre defining

The music of the opening track was quite good & had me optimistic for the journey ahead. The vocals on the other hand were annoying as fuk & unfortunately the remainder of the album followed that track. There were one or two more cuts that I enjoyed musically, but I just couldn't with the vocal. And there were some radio hits on here from my adolescence. I hated them then & I'm not too keen now.

Hmm

ну хз тут есть разнообразие в динамике и инструментале, но и ощущается бритпоп к группе блюр хорошее отношение на альбоме есть хит, но час - много прошел мимо меня, не зацепил 3.1

Parklife!

A good album. I liked many of the songs. It did seem to go on too long because the latter part of the album seemed weaker. I enjoyed it. I’m not sure if I ever would listen again.

this is so bad and hurts my ears i hate the british

Jeuj, Blur is terug met nog meer lollige Britpop. Een prettige combinatie van lijzig, blij en energiek, en na 32 jaar (shout out naar Doe Maar!) klinkt het nog steeds fris. Nee, helemaal niks mis mee, eigenlijk.

Girls & Boys leek mij vooraf de vreemde eend in de bijt. Maar nu ik luister, zit deze bijt vol met vreemde eenden. Zelfs een eend in een Hollands carnavalspakje en een eend uit het spookhuis. Het is wat los zand, maar zeker een luisterervaring die iets toevoegt aan de lijst. De creativiteit doet me wat aan de jaren '60 denken. Tegelijk heb ik geen enkel nummer een like gegeven op Spotify en kan ik niet zeggen dat ik echt genoten heb. Laat ik 3 sterren noteren.

De laatste van de drie Blur albums, uit de hoogtijdagen van de Britpop. We krijgen een beetje een gek album, een ratjetoe van stijlen achter elkaar lijkt het wel. Maar daardoor blijft het ook wel interessant, want er komt continu iets anders voorbij. Dat betekent niet dat ik het nu ineens geweldig vind. Ik heb vorige keren een 3 en een 4 gegeven en de veelvoud aan Blur neigt me nu wederom een zuinige 3 te geven.

This was annoying and boring

This album is definitely one of the most iconic British albums. It was poppy with its catchy hooks and very British humor. But while the album is humorous and unserious, the instrumentation on this album is fantastic. Overall, parklife is a fun and nice album that does an amazing job at incorporating pop with rock in a creative and memorable way.

Interesting album, not necessarily for me. 6.3/10

It's funny, I've just spent the week obsessing over the new Gorillaz (Damon Albarn's other project that's arguably now more successful than Blur) album ("The Mountain"). It's so good. Unlike this album which I didn't like very much at all. It just goes to show...something.

Someone in England is going to be offended: this album is adequate. In his book “Your Favorite Band is Killing Me” Steve Hyden talked extensively about the Oasis vs. Blue battles. Both are adequate bands, but I feel like if I would have grown up trapped on an island with limited resources playing on Radio 1, I would have liked either of them better. This album is a conglomeration of Englishness: Girls Who Like Boys was Depeche Mode-ish; Jubilee was Clash-ish; Magic America was Bowie-ish; Clover was Kink-y, and not in the good way; Far Away was White-Album Era Beatles; Bank Holiday a little Sex Pistols-ish. It was well blended English pop rock that somehow bridged homage and reinvention. But when all is said and done it, for me, lacked the uniqueness to make it anything other than …well… adequate.

Random thoughts: * So, in the 90s when this came out, I don't really remember it. I'm pretty sure I heard "Girls & Boys" but can't say for certain. * Flash forward to late 90s and early 2000s when Susan introduced me to this album. I listened to it on CD and still have it today. * I definitely like this and have pulled it out every once and awhile to listen to since it is such a good album. * I love the varying styles (punk, pop, jazz, etc). Park Life, London Loves, Tracy Jacks, and Magic America are a few of my favorite tracks. * I guess if you listen close you can kind of hear that this guy will go on to become Gorillaz. Although I really don't hear anything like Song 2 in here. * I was never one to care much about Britpop and the whole Oasis vs Blur thing i only really know about from reading about it way after the fact. But this album makes me choose Blur over Oasis if you have to pick sides.

so fucking good

Me I like

Olipa hauska levy, en tätä ilmestymisaikanansa kuunnellut, mutta hyvä että nyt. Monipuolista meininkiä hyvällä pilkkeellä silmäkulmassa. Ja hitit toimivat yhä hyvin.

#287/1001. I think I own this? Perhaps or perhaps not. Surely listened to it quite a lot back then. Girls and Boys is something I still play as a dj every now and then (typically incorporated with 20+ other girls / boys themed songs in a live mash-up). Other than that it has some fun songs and is a nice document of the genre and it's era, but it's it really a record that changed the world? Does it have to be in order to be included? Perhaps the whole Britpop movement is something worth that title and perhaps this album even is one of the best documents of that genre. But still...it's so nineties that it hurts.

Never heard, not a fav, still waiting on my fav by then to show up.

ok so i thought i liked blur but this was not good

Would not buy

Не фанат брит-попа. Вторую половину альбома можно скипнуть

2/5 It's music but I think I hate Britpop. Like a lot. I'm four songs in to this two disc album (32 songs total) and I'm so bored. Parklife (The title track, and most listened to song by 100,000,000 plays on Spotify) is dull talking over repetitive music. Frankly I'm annoyed. This is talentless repetitive and NOT catchy (at least to me) I will not be finishing this album if I can help it and oh my god song five has started and I want to shoot my speakers. Why is album this on this list? British people can't season food and they sure as hell can't season music. Hard pass, please stay away from my playlists.

A few great tracks but the repeated use of kitsch sonic tropes from the (e.g.) funfair feels dated and cloying

Weaker than the Blur album. A few great tracks, but then too much bland and boring.

2+

The hits are truely amazing but the rather quirky songs that are in between makes it a bit silly at moments, makes me think of pavement, but I like pavement more

Girls & Boys // Parklife // To the End // Trouble in the Message Centre // 3.5/5

Looking back, it seems like every Blur album has always been a cult classic, but in the early '90s, few thought so. I'll go further, "thanks" to their first two albums, the band managed to make a tidy fortune and live practically hand-to-mouth for a while. Perhaps when you're angry and hungry and have nothing left to lose, things like "Parklife" are born. It's a genre-defining record, without exaggeration, that, while it didn't feature any fundamentally new moves, executed them in such an order and proportion that it gave birth to Britpop. There's a little bit of everything here — ballads, punk rock thrillers, electronic dance hits, and even some orchestral pieces, sometimes serious, sometimes silly. I once saw someone say that Blur was a band that planned to sound like The Kinks, but ended up sounding like The Jam. There is something to this.

Pure class

Ok, cette nouvelle écoute avec mon propre CD m’a refait évaluer mon opinion sur le meilleur album de Blur. Bon, ça reste The Great Escape, mais Parklife est proche en maudit!

I wanted this to be better. It was all over the place. I can’t give it two stars, because there are redeeming tracks and, I’ve ranked other albums 3 that should now probably be a 2

Really fun and era-defining! Saved a few songs I hadnt heard before such as Tracy Jacks and London Loves. Optimistic vibe overall, being British was COOL back then (lol)

Despite giving both my last Blur album (self-titled) and my last Gorillaz album (coicidentally, also self-titled) two stars, I was actually pretty stoked to check out Parklife! I wouldn't say I've been on a Britpop "kick" per se, but coming back to Supergrass' I Should Coco more than any other Book Album and enjoying my first listen of Radiohead's The Bends had me more interested in the genre than ever before. Blur's third studio album has been pretty inescapable during my research. It's Pitchfork's #2 "Best Britpop Album," SPIN's #2 "Best Album of the Britpop Era" and is prominently featured on Discogs' "10 Essential Britpop Albums Everyone Should Own." Needless to say, my curiosity was already piqued going into Parklife. I made my breakfast, sat down, put the album on and immediately had a new favorite Blur song in "Girls & Boys." A straight-up dance track as the album's opener? Sign me up! I wish I could say I liked the rest of the album just as much, but I can't. Don't get me wrong – my enjoyment didn't completely fall off a cliff, but none of the other highlights ever veered into "loved" territory for me and the overly-stuffed tracklist led to my interest waning before Side A even wrapped up. Fortunately, Side B managed to bring the LP to a pretty satisfying close – five of my eight favorites landed among the final seven tracks, with "Magic America" and "Jubilee" coming the closest to matching my affinity for "Girls & Boys." All in all, Parklife is an album I enjoyed – just not quite enough to give it a four (though I did wrestle with that decision). I really wish half-stars were an option on this site because it would have been an easy 3.5 under a more granular rating system. While this one being more mid than expected has managed to slightly take the wind out of my sails, I'm still very much looking forward to checking out Oasis and Pulp (along with Supergrass' other Book Album)! Highlights: Girls & Boys, End of a Century, Bank Holiday, London Loves, Trouble in the Message Center, Magic America, Jubilee, Lot 105

I'm starting to run out of clever ways to describe those britpop albums.

I have this and always rated it well below the Oasis albums it was “at war” with, so was looking forward to hearing it again and taking a fresh listen. I was right to prefer Oasis. I like Tracy Jacks as it’s an XTC sounding track, To The End and London Loves, but after that there is too much filler.

I really dislike this… End of the century is ok and probably pushes this up to a 1.5 but the rest of it is not for me

Lo conocía y me gusta, varios temazos como boys and girls and parklife por ejemplo

I knew the singles plus a few extra songs that are on the "best of" album I have, but hadn't heard the others before this. Pretty enjoyable, nice sound.

Pretty good

This is another band I need to learn more about. They are all over Colin Larkin's list. I dig it. 4 *

Me gustó, lo tendria que volver a escuchar, por ahora no destaque ninguna canción. Se me hace muy repetitivo el sonido, muy lineal. Pero está bueno. El otro día estaba escuchando el homónimo, blur, y no lo termine. Supongo q es una señal para escuchar más de ellos. Suena muy parecido todo, a todo a las bandas similares etc. El álbum no me gusta ni me disgusta, ni fu ni fa, un 7/10

"Parklife" is a quintessential British album; a mixture of genres, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, emphasised Cockney accents. Apart from that, it is a solid piece.

Me gustó mucho el disco. Muy versátil y muy divertido de escuchar. Un disco muy personal para la banda ya que son historias sobre su vida supongo plasmadas en un disco y pero cada canción tiene un carácter distinto así como debió ser cada historia. El disco abarca una amplia gama de géneros como el punk, las baladas, el synthpop, entro otros lo cual lo hace sumamente disfrutable y nada tedioso. Me gustaría destacar su estilo único que al final termino por definir un subgénero: el britpop, escuchas ese termino y los más probable es que pienses en Blur y en especifico en este disco. Buen disco.

Based on absolutely nothing but a gut reaction I could not shake the feeling that blur were overconfident and fakey posh boys. The only thing they seemed to have going for them was a distant pissing match with Oasis who also bothered me from afar. Later, Song 2 would be so catchy that I'd give a few of their singles a listen and casually pick that one up. Outside of their s/t fifth studio album I gave no other record a complete listen and even that was a let down — whoo hoo. So with historical context adequately set I've just now listened to Parklife in its entirety. I didn't miss much. It's overly long and a bit too "at the circus" more than "the park". A more focused edit of the record that eliminated their weaker work would have kept my attention better. Having said that, I appreciate that there is some exploration in the songwriting but they could've done that in demos. Ultimately there's too much pop in this Britpop for me.

WOOOHOOOOOO-me when I saw this album come up. Girls and Boys and Parklife are great tunes, I never listened to this whole album though. End of a Century sounds like halfway between the 90's and like Arctic Monkeys. The Debt Collector swings a little bit. I like the opener of To the End. Trying to find reasons to like this album, unfortunately aside from the headline singles it's a bit mediocre. Not bad, just not especially good. It's carried by Boys and Girls and Parklife. There are at least a few different sounds here, although none that really leap out. I did enjoy Trouble in the Message Centre, though. It has given me an excuse to listen to Song 2 again, though.

I loved this back in 1994. Hasn’t aged well.

3/5

Took me right back to my youth

Not my favourite blur album, but probably the best of Britpop

Pas si mal Blur

Muziek voor coole mensen

ik voel wel wat voor die park leven

ja leuk die parklife

classic shit

We get it, you're british.

Alguna me gusta más que otra, pero aun así, me parece que en lineas generales esta bueno, es entretenido de escuchar y hay canciones que ya conocemos.

I already listened to it

No me interesó.

This one is fun! I really liked the variety of sounds, especially the less common and unique ones. Very listenable and I could see myself putting this on during the summer days! 7/10

To the End is my favorite. 3/5 kind of boring but not awful.

3,3/5

Wanted to like it more than I actually did.

An album that I go out of my way to listen to already, this was just another excuse to hear it. A record that I never get tired of putting on, it shows Blur at the height of their powers but starting to experiment with various styles of songwriting, with Graham Coxon's guitar work branching into different territories that he would further develop as the band went on. Everyone in the band is at the top of their game, with Damon Albarn sounding aggressively British in a way that I love. One of the best albums of the 1990s and one that still sounds fresh.

This isnt an album review, its a window i to my teenage years. Released when i was the grand age of 12 and writ large across my falling on love with music, i sang every word of 70% of this. Undeniable pop bangers that i'd sung and danced and drank to in later years, shade in ballads that stand the test of time and an introduction to strings on indie pop that sparked a life long love. I didnt revisit this album because it never left me and i still listen to it now. The second half has some undoubted filler but this is a tardis that takes me back to when i had hair and my knees didnt hurt and life was simple.

Stand-out tracks: Girls and Boys, This Is a Low, Tracy Jacks, Far Out, The Debt Collector, Clover Over Dover, Trouble in The Message Centre, Parklife, Bank Holiday Lots to like on this album. I do feel there are quite a few duds as well that just fill up space, but I'm overall pleased. Tracks like Girls and Boys, Tracy Jacks, Parklife, Trouble in The Message Centre aren't anything too melodically complex, but they have catchy lyrics and good enegry. On the other hand there are a few shorter sort of in-between tracks which focus on a singular idea like The Debt Collector, Far Out and Bank Holiday that play around a bit more with the instrumentals. I feel like the album is just a bit too long and tries to play with many ideas, but ultimately ends up not being perfect. Maybe focusing on fewer ideas and having more meaningful tracks would benefit this one.

Highlights: Girls & Boys, Tracy Jacks, End of a Century, Parklife, London Loves, Trouble in the Message Centre, Clover Over Dover, Magic America, Jubilee, This Is a Low When I saw this as the record of the day it brightened my mood. I love Blur and I love Albarn. One of the rare 90s Britpop acts I don't detest to any degree. That being said, I never listened to Parklife as a whole, but I already had a good portion of it across several of my playlists. It just sounds whacky and cheery, but not at all dumb and simple, so I find it to be a great pop record. Found the mocking use of whatever that moog sounding thing in Magic America was to be a nice touch. Strong opening loaded with the singles, then afterwards it cools down, but it doesn't get dull. It even picks up a bit at the very end. The middle however is filled with a couple of shorter tracks (even an unexpected instrumental!) that do feel like padding, but they are just ok.

Kinda meh, but some fun. 2.5

Nice blast from the past - some good songs, thx!

This was okay, interesting enough.

Perfectly fine for what it is, and I liked it better than the self-titled album. 3.2

This is on here because its a 90s british album and Robert Dimery really liked that. Nothing really interesting for me on here but not offensively bad

This is one of those records where I can absolutely see why it matters and still not feel much of anything personally. The songwriting is sharp, the arrangements are clever, and the whole Britpop aesthetic is fully formed here. It’s confident, well-crafted, and culturally specific in a way that clearly resonated in the mid-90s. But for me, it never really grabs hold. There’s a lot of character and commentary, but not a lot that feels urgent or emotionally grounding. The satire is smart, the hooks are solid, and the musicianship is tighter than it sometimes gets credit for. Still, I found myself admiring it more than enjoying it. It feels like a well-produced snapshot of a moment rather than something I’m compelled to revisit. Maybe it’s just that Britpop doesn’t quite hit my frequency. I can respect what Blur is doing here without being all that excited by it. Strong craftsmanship. Limited resonance.

i love blur i love damon albarn

Heard of Blur, never listened to a Blur album. Very catchy. Very British. Girls & Boys is repetitive and too long, not a fan of that song. You hear some of that 60s British invasion influence but it’s all more pop-centric. A lot of it is real fun. Kind of prefer when they go heavier into that more 60s sound. End of a Century is great and probably the stand out on the first half of the album. Theres a handful of more 80s pop songs that kinda don’t fit with a lot of the rest of the sound. And also some random harder rock songs that break away from that more 60s influence. It’s a fun album but seems a bit disconnected at times, all over the place. I think it’s a fair 3. Some of the songs I really enjoyed outweigh some of it I didn’t care for.

Huh, I actually liked this more than I expected to? But I didn't love it. I like the sound of it, and I might go back to it every now and then, but I highly doubt it'll ever be a favorite. 3.5

This album is all over the place. Not hear to speak ill of Mr. Gorillaz but I like that project a lot more than Blur. "Boys and Girls" is a fun bi anthem opener but with the Oom Pa Pa of "Debt Collector" and the homage to pub sings of "Clover Over Dover" and the post-mod shred of "Jubilee" this album suffers from identity crisis in a way that makes a sit&listen a little dischordant

Blur walked so that Fontaines DC could walk a bit faster. This album slaps on the first half, and then you’re over it by the second half. “To The End” is the best song, could have ended there.

Some really good songs and it feels like a snapshot in time of their environment (location, time, age, etc). Quite a varied mix of styles and it's fun. This small period seems to be a moment in time where British music was finding its feet again post what was a economic and music recession. I think it deserves to be on the list, and is possibly one of the finer "britpop" albums. Just not really my thing.

Boys and Girls is a great song. I just didn’t like the rest. Played the album in the car and Iggy seemed to like it. “Only when they are singing, not while they are talking.”

Boys who like Blur who like girls who like Blur

The album cover alone gave me a gross feeling. Maybe if I had heard it in 1994 I would’ve enjoyed more?

Really impressed with this album! loved the vibes, it's chaotic and messy in the best way. Production is great and the vocals are fun. I had a good time with this, enjoyed most of the songs and would definitely listen to this album again! 7/10

An absolutely masterpiece of Britpop. Obviously mileage will vary based on your attitude towards the genre, as a Brit myself this is heritage so you’ll have to forgive my bias. Also the fuck is up with the top review for this album. Like wooooah no way in the list of 1001 albums the same genre comes up once or twice, like yeah no shit dude

I have never really listened to Blur, mainly because I didn't like Song 2. So far this is mostly boring. Ok... some of this is pretty catchy. Definitely starts to touch into Scottish indie pop as well, which I enjoy.

Blur turns me back to some old memories but i was never a fan.

Classic!

Well written lyrics with a lot of irony. As the title track, Parklife, was always playing in my favorite beer pub, I can not listen to it without wanting a stout or a porter.

The things I'd let Britpop era Damon Albarn do to me. Love in the 90s was paranoid.

I love this album some much

Girls & Boys and Parklife are good songs. A lot of the other songs though were hard to get through. Too cheesy and not in a very endearing way.

Phenomenonal. Maybe its because im biased about this certain genre of music, but i absolutely loved almost every song on this record and i feel like im gonna return to this one more often. There were maybe 2 songs that werent my favorite however they were not bad by any means. Highlights: Girls&Boys, Parklife, Bank Holiday, To The End, This is a Low.

Oasis?

Good. Not sure if I just liked the ones I already knew though.

Love it

awesome!!

3.5, a few songs drag it just above the normal average 3

Some good some bad just a mid album for 16 songs

Some good little tunes in here and overall a decent album apart from the goofy circus beats I'm not sure what that was about. I'd never listen to a blur album before and only knew the big hits. I know that there was a big Oasis v Blur thing and I definitely prefer Oasis. Standout songs 'Parklife' and 'badhead'. Good but not great.

A modern classic for a reason. But personally, Oasis wins.

This was a pretty fun album. Not too serious and some decent hooks. Seems like good summer driving album.

Banger. Better now than it was then. Almost makes Damon bearable

Vet, aparte stukken, maar soms ook iets te apart

Listened to first half. I feel bad, but I find the heavy accent of the vocals annoying.

Meh, album was a blur

Fun punk album

I did not have this album first time around. Am over familiar with the singles and they still hold up - but otherwise underwhelmed with the rest of the album - do not think I have missed much.

Some great memories and a couple of bangers. Some lesser tunes not aged well, but the album is all about the attitude and swagger, (vibe as the kids say) and deliberately pulpy songs. The album also gets an extra star to wind up the American reviewers on here.

Only song of theirs I knew before was Song 2. This album was a disappointment. just generic brit rock garbage

I actually really like this album - similar to my Pulp review (and The Streets I guess too), something about the working-class mundanity of some of these classic Britpop albums just sticks with me. And this one is arguably THE classic album of the era. The first four songs are pretty stellar - Girls and Boys is just a pop banger, and Tracy Jacks may be my favorite song of the album. Sort of a lull in the middle and then it picks up a bit towards the end. I dig it.

Highlights: Boys and Girls, End of a Century, Parklife. In a nutshell: "Confidence is a preference..." Damon Albarn said in 1990: "When our third album comes out, our position as the quintessential English band of the '90s will be assured. That is a simple statement of fact". And he was right. Fun, bouncy, sunny, and indeed decade defining. Nothin' more to say. Overall: 6/10

Liked it more than expected

Nice and varied Went into it assuming brit pop shite Nice lil fair ground interlude Smidge too long, lost impact towards the end

Bom, tem um bom replay value, mas não é meu favorito do Blur 6/10

Girls & Boys is so ON. Holy shit. Absolute banger. I love how British people seemingly love being British, like being extra British for the sake of being British. Definitely some heavy British shit happening here, like a slice of England, perhaps a bit more in the posh side here. I used to super-love this album in my teens (was quite the Anglophile in my youth and thirsted for most things British) and remember most of the words even after not hearing it for years While I'm not quite as dick-hard for the Brits now, I still really enjoy this album.

1/3. Surprising given how much I like Gorillaz, but this felt pretty unexciting overall. It's not that it was necessarily bad, just not particularly interesting and I'm not sure it really needs to be on the list.

Entweder gute zwei oder sehr schlechte drei Sterne. Manches gefällt mir ganz gut, das meiste finde ich aber leider nervig

old school aint fo me

(listened to special edition)

I like how they sing

Easily Blur’s best work

This was awesome. Blur never fails to surprise and delight me with their inventive brand of unexpected musical choices. It was like alt pop, but with a brilliant sense of musicality and ingenuity that made me happy to listen to. I listened to it all the way through twice and could've gone for more. Five stars, easily.

Wenn ich ei Stimm chönti ha, wärs 100% die vom Damon Albern. Macht jedes Album losbar. Aber ned jedes Lied. Paar sind denn doch wider sehr absurt gsi mit dene Chilbi Kläng. Janu, vier Tickets fürd Crazy Mouse

Besser als s letste blur. Aber immer nani big fan 3 skaterpatks

Átlagos, de inkább rossz. Nehezen hallgatható számomra

Hype hype hype. Blur is top. Just right music for me

The more i hear, Blur have a few great singles every album bit not enough here to justify the length

Nah

Good

It’s not even my favourite Blur album, but it’s one of the foundation records of its period, still a reference point now.

Yeah, I can't really go into detail other than just it being bad. Would be a 1 star rating, but the greyhound doggos on the album cover made me smile.

Britpop, unfamiliar with the term, as well as the band. It was tolerable.

I didn't really feel this one. More Britpop in a list already filled to the brim with the genre, and crossed with New Wave? Yeah, I think I'll pass. Favourite Track(s): Clover Over Dover Least Favourite Track(s): Trouble at the Message Centre

Honestly loved it, I get the hype,

WOW! I remember a few years ago listening to Blur via their self titled album because I was in my grungephase and really liked Song 2... not knowing that it was them mocking grunge. Because of that dissapointment, I didn't really listen to them for a few years. Until today ... this album is incredible! Britpop at its best! Best tracks: Girls&Boys, End of a Century, Bank Holiday 4.5/5

Classic Blur, amazing songs.

More mediocre Brit pop bullshit that didnt need to be on this list

girls & boys - infectious bop, also ppl really do be confused sometimes This is a low-- pretty good Disappointed to find out the woohoo song is not on this album Damien Alpert just legit sounds like everything's all experimental all the time.

Couple good one but a few borings

not my jive...poorly executed punk...drums to heavy.

It’s ok. Nothing too memorable or bad

soy capaz de ver todas las virtudes y aunque he aprendido a quererlo más y hay temones que me gustan muchísimo, sigue pasando algo que hace que no caiga enamorado como debería. Culpa de mi sordera, imagino. Albarn era el único inglés guapo de los 90', jódete Beckham

Pop, britpop, new wave...You name it, you have it. Depilaos las cejorras, Gallaghers

Estaba completamente convencido, xa que aquí non hai medios puntos, de chantarlle cinco estrelas a este álbum; pero tan pronto rematei de escoitalo comezou a soar de seguido This is Hardcore no reprodutor e decateime de que igual hai quen merece máis esa valoración. Con todo, malia esta pequena hostia inicial, Parklife é un álbum excelente. Posiblemente, o cumio de Blur como grupo e do britpop canonicamente entendido. Os cinco/seis primeiros temas son todo hits de seguido e, aínda que, como todos seus discos, pareza ter algunha canción que o fai durar de máis, a escoita non deixa de ser desfrutable en ningún momento. 'To the End', 'Jubilee' ou 'This is a Low' completan un álbum magnífico, unha xoia atemporal repleta de temas máis grandes ca a vida. Perfecto para descubrir en calquera momento, inmellorable para volver unha e outra vez. Un engadido: 'End of a century' foi durante un tempo non pequeno da miña adolescencia a miña canción favorita. Oh, it's nothing special (#7 dos 1.001 discos que escoitar antes de morrer: 4,5/5)

graham coxon va nuet durant tot el disco

En su día no les presté atención, pero hace años que descubrí este disco y, la verdad, es un pepino.

100% a bias pick for me but i loveee this album esp the first half

One of the great Britpop albums.

I liked this album, Blur is a fun band. Nothing struck me as excessively amazing here but it's always chill.

Thoroughly enjoyed this album. Aside from a bit of a lull in the middle, tons of fun tracks here along with proof that Albarn really always had the sauce. Favorite Songs: “Girls & Boys”, “End of a Century”, “This is a Low” Least Favorite Song: “Far Out” Mid 4.

Oasis is better

I enjoyed this album listen from Blur! I think this was my first time listening to an album by them in full. Overall, I thought this was a fun Brit pop album. Nothing mind blowing but enjoyable to listen to even though the songs were a bit repetitive and sounded similar to each other. I would listen to this again in the future!

This is just what my morning needed.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album

I think blur is some high quality Brit rock. While not all the songs on this album are memorable it’s a smooth list almost the whole way through.

Fuck I had money on the yellow numbered dog. My wife is going to kill me when she realizes we no longer have a house

I like Blur a lot, but including 3 albums of theirs on this list is unhinged, let's be honest.

This album is a wonderful mess. It's well paced, good contrast, ends right where it feels like it should, and sounds like loads of self-indulgent fun. I had completely forgotten about Blur - so glad to revisit!

There is a Blur album I like. This one isn't it.

I feel like there are 3 different albums/bands happening I n this album.

This record is kind of all over the place. There is a lot of interesting instrumentation in here, but I didn't always dig what they did with it. Girls & Boys and London Loves are the songs I like best.

It’s good but not quite my taste

- too British - didn’t love it or hate it - probably wouldn’t listen again on purpose

Overstays its welcome - sounds very unique at first but ends up having very little variety in instrumentation, structure, vocals, lyrics, etc. Too goofy for me at times :'( Highlights: "Girls and Boys", "Badhead", "The Debt Collector", "To the End"

While I can see why it was a hit back in 1994, I have missed it then (..I was just 6 years old) - and today, in 2026, it is still good but not timeless classics type of good. 3 out of 5, just out of respect for the past and for Damon.

This was an eclectic and fun album. Favorites: Girls & Boys | Parklife | The Debt Collecter

Catchy and a classic, but the title track and a couple of others on here almost feel like novelty songs. When they’re not playing up to the cockney geezer role, they could be a really great band.

Cool

banger

I don't like Blur one bit.

4.95

Sympa je connaissais pas Blur

Bon délire plutot cool

Je l’ai écouté la semaine dernière ça veut tout dire. Blur c’est vraiment un groupe à part Damon a une voix particulière que j’aime bcp on dirait qu’il s’en fout mais en bien

Musical personality goes a long way.

lovinggggg

Excellent

Generally fun. Arctic Monkeys may have taken some inspiration from here.

Never listened to this album before but I had recognized the iconic album cover. I enjoyed most of the listen but there were way too many tracks on the special edition to properly digest.

A lot of tracks (16) but not too long (album is 52 minutes). It was enjoyable, some songs deserve more attention than they got, some didn't struck my mind as much as it did with most people. Lot 105 serves no purpose and is, as such, indispensable.

I really really enjoyed this. I bought it back in the day and at the time thought it went on a bit too long, maybe I didn’t give it the time it deserved back then because I was listening to other emerging Brit pop bands that were maybe a bit more “listenable “. But now I’ve given it the time it deserves I’m well impressed now

This is like Cheap Trick for British people.

Genuinely really fun. did not expect to enjoy that as much as i did

Perhaps I'm just not a Blur guy. Started off okay I guess but it was all downhill from there.

Sorry, I found this ridiculous and not in a good way.

Har aldrig lyttet til denne selvom der er ikke kun 1 men 2 goodboys på coveret. Meget bedre end et gennemsnitligt britpop album

All over the place (positivt, for en gangs skyld). Synes allerede man kan høre spor af Gorillaz engang imellem

Great variation - only a few songs I didn't like

very british

Me, supposed Blur fan - this is probably the first time I listened to a full album of theirs before the Best Of from 2000. Parklife (especially the Girls & Boys 'whoop-whoop-whoop' sample) does feature prominently on the best of record. I'm certainly not disappointed, or I am disappointed I didn't listen earlier. I probably was diverted away being aware Blur and Parklife were designated as part of the foundation of Britpop, the genre that notoriously and expeditiously wore itself thin. Well now that the stigma has passed (although I hope to hell there are no Oasis records on this list) I can freely enjoy Blur and just about everything Damon Albarn creates.

sometimes his voice got a bit annoying and it was a bit long but besides that i enjoyed it

4,5 + 💖 Eu amo blur

A great album all throughout, no song felt like it was dragging on and it was kind of sad to hear the album end. Also, while it is not much like Gorillaz, you can sense the precursor to what the Gorillaz will become in this album.

4/5 Rare occassion that I'm begging for an album to continue but I just love Blur so much, and Damon Albarn's voice makes me incredibly happy. There's some bangers on this album that I've listened to a lot growing up. Blur will forever remain one of my favs. I'm only not giving it 5 points because I didn't love every song.

Not my style of music, but ok album

Has a few bangers, but overall a little bit disappointing

really surprising instrumentals and background vocals!! super fun