Parklife

Was hoping for more. A few great tracks. Really like Damon albarn so was hoping for a better insight. Brit pop ehhh

Fun, britpop has never been my thing and this album didn't bring me round. Didn't hate it though

Charming album, feels somewhat nostalgic

There is a really good 40 minute album in there. Strong 3

Parklife is technically excellent - great musicianship, cool genre-hopping - but it never quite clicked for me - back when it was released and it still doesn’t today. To me, Blur sometimes sound like they’re sneering at their subjects rather than being part of their world. That said, when they drop the smirk on slower tracks like “To the End” and “This Is a Low,” they’re genuinely moving. Strong 3 stars.

innit

Not particularly fond of the British, but these ones are alright.

Jollain tapaa klassikkokamaa itselleni. Tykkään tuosta brittiaksentista aina!

Ordinary

Brit Pop. Certainly. Some good moments, but also quite bland at time. A lot of the theatrical/ show tunes sound production annoyed me. Not sure the big hits justify the rest. Rather hear Oasis.

good album, some songs were a little bit annoying, but i enjoyed the rest. 3

Some good songs that I recognize.

A little all over the place. Felt disjointed and too long.

I was not a fan there wasn’t really one song on the album I enjoyed

Blur is right, went by without much details sticking in my brain. Fine, fun, nice background music.

Pewnie miałem coś do napisania o tym albumie w momencie, kiedy go słuchałem. I pewnie jeszcze więcej, kiedy słuchałem go po raz drugi. Ale po dwóch tygodniach zatarł się w mojej pamięci i nic z niego nie pamiętam. Poza tym, że chyba chciałem mu wystawić 3, na pewno nie więcej.

Cor blimey! It's these blokes again! Honestly, I didn't hate this. In fact, compared to the other albums on this list that are tagged as Britpop, this was quite good. Bonus star for surprising me and bucking the trend for this genre.

I had low expectations of this due to the last Blur album. I was surprised when this started off well enough. I did grow bored towards the end, but I’m going to give it a bump in rating for exceeding my expectations.

Boys who like girls who oh whatever

Everyone agrees that our phones are listening to us but I don't think people are aware that the 1001 Albums Generator is also listening. Talk shit on Girls & Boys and the generator will punish you with Blur. When this album doesn't bore me, it annoys me. Every song had a moment where I'd hit my limit, look down at the runtime, and somehow there would always be 2 minutes left of pain.

This was a first time listen for me. Thanks to this project, I've been listening to bands I'd heard of but never gave myself the opportunity to appreciate. What I've found is that I really like Britpop a lot. I don't think there's been one album in that genre that I haven't enjoyed. What I can say about Parklife is that it's so far the one I've enjoyed the most. Every song put a smile on my face thanks to something-a little musical bit or a fun turn of the phrase. Yes, it's definitely derivative of music that came before it, but I didn't care one lick about that. In fact, I like the recognition of where some songs came from. There's part of me that doesn't feel this deserves a five rating, but there's another part trying to come up with reasons why not and I'm struggling to find any. I think that first part is just the surprise of how much I love this record. And no, a non-PC album cover isn't enough of a reason to dock a star.

One of their best before they went weird on me.

Two songs that I appreciated. On this list that ranks a three

One of my favourite albums from the ‘90’s

Didn't hate didn't love

Blur is always great

Instantly started bouncing. Unfortunate that the best song is first, but the rest is still pretty good 👍

Heard the two bangers a million times before and they always slap, rest of the album is decent too

Gutes Rock-Album. Girls & Boys ist bekannt. 3/5

Album on krutskeid täis, aga see teebki kuulamise väga huvitavaks. 10 lugu 14st olid mulle piisavalt huvitavad, et läksid kohe Spotify Liked Songs sekka. Siin on piisavalt satiiri ja põnevat kõla, et saaks albumit ikka mitukümmend korda kuulata. Pole ime, et see on 90ndate britpopi üks defineerivaid albumeid. Oasis vs Blur kakluses olen kindlasti Blur poolel.

Maybe one needs to be from the UK or super into mid 90s britpop to want to throat this as deeply as the British press and rags like Pitchfork have. Im not and this is as far on the low end of mediocre as can be.

A rare 1. This album really annoyed me. Generic boring brit-pop dnf. Why is this on the list? Genuinely I could find better music on the radio

There's a lot going on in this album. And the songs seem to change direction a lot. At one point I thought I was in a circus.

Listen, Damen Albern is a legend. But this is just bland Brit pop. I couldn't find a single song worth revisiting.

Boy and Girls is a great song

Didn’t we listen to this already? I don’t know. It’s all… a BLUR. I know I know. A lot of you came to this dog track to hear droning British “rock” and gamble on competitive animal abuse, but I just wanted to take this time to thank all my loyal readers for the approximately 6 “thumbs up” across 300 reviews. It’s thanks to the loyalty of those people that I can strive to continue to make “jokes” like the one that began this paragraph. It appears that another dog is going to have to be put down around the homestretch turn, so I’ll begin my exit by saying it’s in a man to dream *GUNSHOT* *LOUD YELPING* but you’ll find that *SECOND GUNSHOT* in dreams we find out the uhh how’s that go? *GRAINY PA ANNOUNCEMENT ADVERTISING PENNY BARK-A-RITA NIGHT* that we are all uhh the men in dreams or what have you. It looks like they’ve got the corpse off the track, so I bid you all a good evening and please, enjoy the rest of the races. Oh and Blur. *SCATTERED SOBS AMONGST WAILING SIRENS.* Girls & Boys - Both?? How are we going to afford this? Duran Duran called, they said they have urgent word from the Visa fraud department. Thankfully I gave them my credit number promptly and I should be on easy street. Tracy Jacks - Related to Terry Jacks? Songsmith extraordinaire who brought us “Seasons in the Sun.” End of a Century - BLUR PREDICTS Y2K. Parklife - Ahh this is actually pretty good. Love a bit of cockney screeching. PARKLIFE. Bank Holiday - The banality of working life distilled into a mid-90’s punk tinged rock song. This somehow captures the bleakness of the infinity of employment while also sounding like a run of the mill party song. Badhead - How’s your head? Nothing but complaints, really. I kinda lead with the teeth. The Debt Collector - Ah the classic boredom interlude. I love those. Far Out - Through the looking glass, I spy a dapper alligator surfing upon a sea of rubies. From his corncob pipe, a billow of phantoms form a megalophobic nightmare in the cream cheese skies lighting the scene. Now that would be far out. Whatever this was, was more like “close in.” To the End - Even ColderPlay London Loves - Fun little poppy tune. Feels refreshing compared to the last little bit. Also? Like a decade ahead of its time. This has 2004 written all over it. Trouble in the Message Center - Whoa, this guy IS the message center? I would like to commit arson at the message center. I kid the poor man. These la la la’s do have me obsessively fidgeting with my lighter. Clover Over Dover - Mozart Moshpit. Magic America - Magic if in stead of making a rabbit disappear, you were killed in an “unpreventable” mass shooting. God bless the US of A, where civilians spay the ultimate price for freedom. Jubilee - Man I am asleep here. If it weren’t for the dense swath of This is a New Low - Oh it’s just kind of bad, not THAT bad. Lot 105 - No, this is Lot 301. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve peeled greyhound corpses off of a modern day coliseum for psychopaths. It’s now time to end the week on a low. A boring album, that I’m sure was the “soundtrack” to some bloke’s ‘94, but it was simply the drone in the background for me for about an hour. The fun ideas were there, but appeared like pennies in a pile of gruel during the world’s worst scavenger hunt. Not very fun, and in the end, kind of a waste of time. I have donned my corrective lenses and now the blur is gone. I think that’s best for everybody. Especially LensCrafters. Greedy fucks. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Parklife, London Loves, Clover Over Dover

Interesting! Varied! Markedly british! But still great and I liked the whimsy and I liked the songs I had never heard more than the ones I had heard. Cool!

Been stuck on this album for a while due to the birth of my daughter, so it's been hard to listen straight through. And it's fine, it didn't pull me in fully to hold me for its duration, but I would say I really enjoyed Parklife, Tracy Jacks, anda couple others. I like Damon in the Gorillaz so much more, but this does feel like a foundation to some weirdness.

Not too bad. Way better than Oasis, anyway.

7.5/10

Girls&Boys is iconic. The 90s were better somehow. The album is pretty weird. Definitely where the Streets got his style from. A bit Pink Floydy.

Niestety nie mój klimat. Nie jest źle ale pierwszy kawałek mnie denerwował już po polowei

Some very nostalgic songs (family road trip staples) and some new-to-me songs. Overall enjoyable and solid

This was a very fun album. Quite diverse - all over the place! In Tracy Jacks, I love how the first guitar strum isn't synced between the left and right speakers. There is a slight delay. That really caught me off guard when listening through the album. I instantly rewinded to hear that again!

Now I've heard the rest of the album that the single came from. Not bad I'll listen to this again

It’s undeniably British, it’s undeniably fun.

Solid album with fun tracks

I wanna hear a moody and serious cover of “Parklife” next time they make a Jurassic Park.

Pretty meh after that poppy first track. I tried, but pass

Not great

Definitely not top-notch

Parklife is a vibe. It's funky, rocky, carnival-y? and a bit oddball. I think this one needs a couple listens to really absorb. It's got a lot of meat on its bones to digest. It feels like it captured the feeling of England back in the 90s. I can't explain it because I wasn't there, but I feel it somehow. I actually get Porcupine Tree vibes from several of these songs, and they're from the same-ish time frame, so that was an interesting pull in my brain. The album features some great basslines and some catchy guitars, also the styles used by the songs keep things moving and interesting. It is a long album, though, but I don't feel it overstayed it's welcome. Standouts were "Girls & Boys" "Parklife" "To The End" and "This Is A Low." Overall, I had fun but I think this is a 3 star album, very very close to a 4. Parklife is fun but things kind of blend together after a while. There are some standout songs though that will go on a playlist. I'd have probably rated this higher if I grew up with the album, but as a Blur outsider I thought it was good but not exceptionally great. I do want to listen to some more Blur though!

Cool album with a lot of variety of sound and styles.

Wow this list is just different varieties of white guy rock, hey. Went into this a bit jaded which has maybe harshed my judgment but I just really really don't care that much about this album. Saved a song: N RYM: N

Nice little album. I enjoyed it!

So for some reason my browser didn't save my review when I refreshed my screen. I do remember saying "More Blur. Hooray." somewhat sarcastically. And I believe I said that I liked each song approximately half as much as I liked the previous song. And I did like "This Is a Low." I believe that's all of it.

Previously rated: #116 - Blur (3/5) #922 - Modern Life Is Rubbish (3/5) *************************************** Album #936 Another Blur album. Fine. It's just so annoyingly Bri'ish innit? Best track: End of a Century (?)

Pretty good britpop album, not my favorite but definitely a fun album.

great britpop

Really did not like this. I'm not a Blur hater by any means, but I thought this album would be much better given it's relatively widespread acclaim.

A slightly mental album that I can't help but like for the most part. It's all over the place, energetic and playful, with some truly standout moments. Despite the positives though it feels too long and filled with some really forgettable moments. A good listen overall but it's left me feeling confused as to why the album is regarded as one of the best Brit-Pop albums, and feeling that anyone comparing Blur to Oasis need to give their head a wobble.

Girls & Boys: sploinky a little bit. the chorus is so cunty, I love the queerness of it. I've never listened to Blur before so I wasn't sure what to expect but this is a lot of fun Tracy Jacks: love the snare. it's not bad but it's kind of repetitive. End of a Century: weird chord progression on the verses (positive). I like this song but I wish the chorus gave a little more. Parklife: title track(!) so much fun, it had me smiling. really charming. Bank Holiday: goofy lil punk song. nothing incredible but it's a super fun cut and it makes me excited for other left-turns on the record. Badhead: inoffensive and mid-tempo The Debt Collector: polka? oh it's actually just polka for real Far Out: this is so funky, what an odd track. acoustic circus alien? I can't think of any direct comparisons which is pretty cool. To The End: it's alright but it's a little hokey. I like the chorus. shoutout to the circus music break during the bridge London Loves: ooooooo what is this? LOVE the way it comes in. really liking the sound/vibe of this one. catchy. Trouble in the Message Centre: super duper cool. I want to say it sounds like DEVO but I don't actually know what they sound like Clover Over Dover: this shit sounds like the Goosebumps theme song. I don't feature the verses but the rest is interesting Magic America: I like it but I was already starting to get sick of the chorus by the end of the song so I'm not sure how replayable it is. Jubilee: midpoint between punk and dad rock. chorus hits This is a Low: psychedelic + moody. this one eats Lot 105: roller coaster tycoon reggae. cartoon theme music. ending the album with this is so funny like what was the reason ___ SCORE: 7.5/10 ADDED TO PLAYLIST: Girls & Boys, Parklife, London Loves, Trouble in the Message Centre, Jubilee, This is a Low

Always enjoy blur!

Streets like a jungle on which the herd travels to Greece. On holiday, on a sunny beach, a paranoid girl likes boys who like boys who beat girls who do boys like they’re girls who do girls like they’re boys - always should be someone you really love

Loved at the time and still holds up today. One of those bands who weren't a favourite but I had all the albums.

Terrible album

I wouldn’t say I’m much of a Blur fan and this record didn’t fix that. I don’t know what it is but none of the chords or notes just really hit? There’s some nice guitar play but the use of electronics, brass sections and the overal vocale just feel a little to whimsy for me. There are some sick moments, but in general I just cringe.

Tämä bändi on erittäin tuttu, kuten myös levy. Kokonaisuus ei yllä Blurin parhaimmistoon, mutta ”Parklife” on kullä itselläni bändin Top 10:ssä.

Okay. I'm a sucker for BritPop, and for my money, Parklife knocks it, well, out of the park. Not groundbreaking. Not genre defining. But damned solid and immensely listenable.

Surprisingly good. Plenty of songs that I liked on their own, and the whole album was varied enough to stay interesting the whole time.

I really loved this album in the 90s. I still do!

Groupe connu de nom uniquement. Rien d’interessant dans cet album trop long, les morceaux sont mous et très ennuyeux. Quelques morceaux plus dynamiques le sauvent de la note minimale, pas assez pour me donner envie d’y revenir. =>2/5

I've been on a run of great music for over a week now. All types of eras and genres from the 50s to the 90s, I've moved my feet to salsa and blissed out to ambient, but this is the first album of that run I really know inside out. Parklife was one of the first albums I ever bought, on cassette, at the height of Britpop. I've enjoyed other Blue albums down the years but I do think this is their peak and I knew without listening it was almost certainly a 5 for me. However, I put it on and even noticed some new things that hadn't really stood out before like the exquisite harmonising on the backing vocals in End of a Century or that Damon shouts 'A-G-A-I-N' in Bank Holiday, I always heard the first two letters but thought he was just making random 'Ay Ay Ay' noises after that or the weird clicking buried in the Clover Over Dover mix. Although the bigger hits are on the first half of the album I actually think it gets better as it goes on, with the run through the underrated London Loves through to This Is A Low among the best sequences of the decade. It's prompted me to go back and listen to their comeback record The Ballad of Darren again and while that doesn't get close to this, it has it's moments too. I know this charmed run will have to end soon, eventually my greyhound will come in last with something I just don't want to listen, but for the time being, I'm just enjoying it, because it's giving me an enormous sense of wellbeing. Parklife!

Amazing!!

3.5 rounded down, I don't know why. There are some good tunes here but it's not what I was expecting. How were these guys feuding with Oasis on the charts?! They're so different!

Aight

Never was a huge Blur fan as compared to Gorillaz, but I really enjoyed this one.

This was an enjoyable 90s British pop album.

First song was great. The rest was pretty meh.

Quintessential 90s brit alt rock/shoegaze, Damon Alban has a great voice and the music is super accessible. I feel like the US knows them as a OHW for Song 2, but they have a lot more to offer. All that said, it didn't blow me away, honest 3.

Lame. Et par kule her og der.

Not bad. If any of these songs came on a station or Playlist I'd listen.

Basically a punk record put through a charming, British filter. On paper it could be awful but albarn and co created something distinctive, cohesive and at times hilarious. For me the pinnacle of Britpop. Girls and boys is timeless, this is a low is a lesser known masterpiece.

più attivo

Think the 90s might be taking the lead

A couple upbeat tracks, some nice variety. But this could have been a shorter album. I checked out for the last few tracks.

Good stuff, obviously as I probably said in the other blur album its weird having my introduction to Damon Albarn be Gorillaz, which I suppose is probably the wrong way round. But I think this is more guitar based than the other one, and I think that's both good and bad, because there are some quite basic songs on here, whereas there were some interesting creative sounds on the other one, but there are some really amazing guitar songs on here, with good guitar tones and parts etc. The more straight-up pop songs on here are a bit hit and miss, not sure I like girls and boys, but parklife and to the end are good, there are also some really catchy choruses which aren't really hits, like the London Loves song. Obviously Damon Albarn is a great singer, even if he's not technically speaking the best singer, and all the other instruments are good. I probably like this the same (if I remember correctly) if not a bit more than the other album. Favourite songs: Tracy Jacks, end of a century, parklife, bank holiday, to the end, London Loves, trouble in the mess, this is a low, lot (this one is a really funny goofy ending). Overall around 7/10

Neat listen and first time hearing the whole album. I'm a big Damon Albarn fan from Gorrilaz and some other Blur work. He gives me Beck vibes where he's just a wealth of sounds and musical knowledge. Lotta ideas to put down and I think 15 or 16 tracks. Didn't have the generational bangers but some good ones and covers a lot of sonic ground.

I do not get this one at all. It started super poppy, and stayed mostly poppy, but felt like it thought it was more serious that than. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. Like, why is there carnival-esque music sometimes? Is it because we're in a park and carnivals can be in parks and that's #parklife? A lot of it felt dumb and other parts snobbish. It's honestly hard for me to articulate why it turned me off so much. Best I can do is say it sounded like something I would like if I had no personality. I guess there were two or three songs that I did enjoy, but the album was 16 songs (and 52 minutes) long. I found the rest bland, boring, and/or lame. While this isn't a list of 1,001 "cool" albums to listen to, I would expect the albums on it to have more style than this. Or, at least, be better. Overall: 1.9/5

The line for Brit Pop from the Kinks goes straight through Blur and I am totally here for it. Love this so much.

Ending with Lot 105 is funny. High 4, big fan of blur and this album

3.5/5 was really into this band for a brief period during middle school, because i was really into gorillaz and i had discovered that damon albarn was a part of this band on accident. They had a couple of really catchy songs but overall it doesnt hold up as well as I remembered. its just overly british fav tracks - this is a low, girls and boys

Fun britpop. I like britpop. I have nothing else to add

I only knew one Blur song prior to this. Very solid 90s Britpop. Pretty much every song is good or interesting in some way. Moves through a lot of different styles while still managing to sound cohesive throughout. This album is dripping with British influence, from the Beatles to the Who to the Kinks to David Bowie. You can hear it all.

The definitive Britpop album, overflowing with sunny and infectious melodies and unabashed in its pure Britishness - from the accents to hanging out at parks and drinking tea. Blur is one of my favorite bands - something of a latter-day Kinks - and while this isn’t my favorite Blur album it is in many ways their signature statement. A classic.

Yeah Blur is fine.

A curious mixture of classics and mostly meh and forgettable. 3/5

1994 brit pop is an era I lived through and haven't spent much time revisiting. Some of the songs on this album are national consciousness level, which doesn't always bode well for a sit down album listening experience. In the end I'd say this is a mixed bag.

If DEVO made a punk-lite album.

Surprising how little I liked this. I guess I prefer their other albums

It was fine

Great - reminder of how much I liked this the first time round. Tempted to give 5 stars but not sure I love it enough to come back to it again and again.

Kinna sick

Plenty that I recognised, a classic from my past.

I know everyone, including Ray Davies himself, are willing to give Blur credit for being the Kinks of the 90s, but you can leave me out of it! I've always hated how you can hear the sneering at people unlike them in songs like "Girls & Boys", "Tracy Jacks", or the title song. It's not even that they're so nasty about it (like, the Kinks come off homophobic in songs like "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "A Well Respected Man"), it's that they're not even funny about it. Like, "Girls & Boys"' much-parodied chorus sounds like nothing more than it does some right wing talk radio guy trying to make fun of liberals and their 27 genders. The only good thing I have to say about this album is that at least it's not Oasis, you know?

Sweet

Very original and influential, especially on early 2000s British indie rock. Not exactly my cup of tea but a nice listen.

Fine.

Decent album on a decent day of birth

more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop more britpop

Without the fond memories of being a teenager and listening to this album on my friend’s Walkman on the bus (we had a earbud each), I’ll admit the title track would be an little annoying. However, the rest of Parlikfe holds up so well. Forget the whole Britpop/Blur v Oasis bollocks - This Is A Low and End of a Century are just incredible songs.

Didn’t have the highs of Blur but also didn’t have the lows. Pretty solid stuff, so a 4….I think….I don’t even know anymore.

Low 4.

Good clean fun

Close to a 5. Quite a few classics just a couple too many tracks I would want to skip

Fantastic. Fav songs: girls & boys, parklife, bank holiday and this is a low. First half was 5/5 but it got a bit weaker as it went on. This is a low saved the second part and put it at a 4/5 in total.

Very solid (brit)pop album

This was OK. I'm wasn't in love with it though, I feel it's one of those 'you'd have to be there at release' to get the hype

I found the album strong but start to lag in the middle but To the End weirdly got me and I relistened to it a few times. Feels definitive for what it is.

Damon Albarn can construct very good pop songs. This album lost it's way at some point. Could have been a tighter 40 minute album.

I was raised on a diet of Britpop!

vocals missed me

First time listening all the way through, absolute banger album!

Great album. Catchy pop tunes. Not sure Britpop deserves its own genre, but everyone should have this in their collection.

i truly don't like Brit Rock

an album i knew before and love! big blur fan (not their best album tho) fav song - to the end

Solid. Fun.

1994 I liked it in '94, I'm not so keen now. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ❌️ no need Revisit 🫳 We've all moved on ★★★☆☆ (6/10)

This album includes some classics I’d give it a 4.5 it’s not quite a 5 for me

Really fun and catchy!

No thanks

Blur is the gold standard of britpop to me

Not for me

It's 94 and Britpop certaintly had it's momentum,but though i really liked Britpop bands i was more into Oasis,Verve stuff never really a Blur fan. So i never really heard an entire album only the hits from the radio. Listening to this i liked the following songs excluding the singles: Tracy Jacks(the repetition annoyed me at first but as it progressed it was really nice), End of a century,Badhead,Far out(second favourite),To the end is a moody,60's influenced dreamy number very different to the others,very beautiful, London Loves is great fun with nice guitars but the end could be shorter, Trouble in the Message center is more agressive my top favourite out of this album left me wondering why this wasn't a single, Clover over Dover which i don't know what this means but i really loved it's sound, This is a Low is a hypnotic song with such beautiful tones and guitar playing. Overall is a good album of a great era and a great band that their singles didn't do justice to what they were capable of.

Covers a lot of ground in terms of its influences—disco, punk, pop, new wave, early-era Pink Floyd. The results are hit and miss. Damon Albarn envisioned this as a concept album, but the concept doesn’t come across as having been fully worked out. The short bits don’t bring any value to the record, and there’s an attempt at a love song that doesn’t quite get off the ground. But Blur always seemed like they were having more fun than most of their Britpop brethren; and on the few tracks where they throw caution to the wind (‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Parklife’, ‘This Is A Low’), the record is better for it.

I thought I liked Blur, but I didn't like this album.

Naw

Tbh idt it’s quite a 5 but I’m feeling generous

Great album, original, fun, but not really my thing.

Didn’t really like it.

I’ve never really listened to anything but the singles from Blur, but this is a solid Britpop album. An enjoyable listen.

I was never bothered to enter the Oasis v Blur debate. But if I was pushed I did prefer the Northern English gritty sound over the southern cheeky chappie cockney which I identify Blur has. That’s not to say that I dislike Blur. In fact I do own this album. It’s not a favourite but thought it worthwhile having in my collection due to it’s popularity and high ratings by those in the know. Like most Blur albums I am familiar with there are one or two good songs but these and interspersed between fillers which revert to the aforementioned “Cor blimey guv, I’ll have a jellied eel with me auld man” type. Blur are/were great musicians but these sound they produced never entirely resonated with me. 3/5 17/9/25

An album that starts big but tails off heavily towards the end. A couple of songs that sit permanently in the public zeitgeist, so impossible to not see the contribution here. Am happy to leave the album fillers along and just listen to the classics, so overall, a bit mid.

A couple of clear bangers that far exceed the rest, which just bob along nicely but don't do a huge amount. The bangers are elevated by the nostalgia attached to them.

Enjoyable britpop. Tails off towards the end of the album

Overall as an album it is ok. Clearly some big songs in terms of Parklife and Girls & Boys and some other highlights in there as well. But there is some filler. It is a good album and good for the background.

I don't think I've ever listened to a Blur album outside of greatest hits - generally I don't think I was missing too much but credit where it's due there's some fun bits on here. Much more variety of sounds than some of their Britpop peers. Oompah

Is it possible to be an Oasis fan and a Blur fan? I say yes as I'm a fan of both, although I do give a slight edge to Oasis. I love this album, lots of fun songs. Favorites: Girls & Boys, Parklife, London Loves, This Is a Low Would I listen to it again: Yes

1. litt kul 2. meh 3. litt kul, kmf 5. nei.

lett, luftig, føles sommerlig samtidig som det er litt futt og aggresjon i det Liker Blur, men blir litt mye med et album kanskje. Digger noen låter, men på nåværende tidpsunkt litt ensformig. Generelt mye trøkk og litt stemning. INtressant i kontekst av sin samtid

This album has a little bit of everything which makes it so incredible that as a whole it's cohesive. Highlights include "bank hokiday" "London loves" "jubilee"

Not too shabby, think they have better stuff

It's alright some good songs. But not enough. Stand out song - London loves

One of my all time favorites.

The album starts off strongly and after a few tracks it feels like it goes downhill. The opening track and the title track are both good and this is a solid album, it just doesn’t maintain the quality it starts with the whole way through

6,81

As a Gorillaz fan who knows next to nothing about Britpop outside of a handful of Oasis songs, I was excited to check this out. It didn’t disappoint! Catchy songs all over the place, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out I already knew a couple. Standouts: Bank Holiday, London Loves

j'ai passé un bon moment mais c’était pas wow non plus, je le réécouterai sûrement pas.

Britpop. Another category I totally missed. This is one of the reasons I enjoy this list so much. Without going into specifics, I just enjoyed this album very much. Very refreshing. I look forward to exploring their other albums.

Boys & Girls is a straight banger. Every other song is just okay though.

Meh. Back half of the album is much better than the front half but I only liked about half the songs on the album anyway. I don’t get the hype.

Horrible histories ahh. Most of this seriously sounded like something you would hear on CITV (especially bank holiday) It was ok at best and way too long for not a lot of good songs but there are a few highlights which at least made it worth a listen. The guy’s vocals were kind of annoying, especially when he was trying to hit high notes., the instrumentals were sometimes punky, sometimes poppy, I liked the electronic dance effects in some songs (like the first one despite the overall cheesiness of the song), the other instruments were nothing special bar a few guitar riffs and licks which were nice. I think in summary the album definitely suffered from them sounding like they weren’t taking themselves seriously enough but when they did it was good which I think reflects in my favourites from here. Favourites: The debt collector, Trouble in the message centre, Clover Over Dover and This is a low. Overall, 5/10.

This was fun! Judging an album by its cover it automatically got 5 stars from me, but after listening I toned it down.

more of an Oasis guy, but i did like a lot of this album. Blur sure did have their moments.

I was not truly familiar with Blur’s game before listening to this album. I’m not convinced they’re THE “quintessential” Brit-pop band but i would say this is an essential Brit pop album. Took a few tries to get into it, but once I did, I found myself really enjoying the back half more than the front half. Would listen again probably.

Really fun couple of listens. Ended up liking this album a lot more than anticipated. You can hear the classic British influences on (what at the time was) the next generation: elements of The Beatles, The Kinks, Elvis Costello, and The Who with posh, modern flair make this album a perfect snapshot of 90s working class England. Both scathing in its criticism and Pythonesque in its humor, this is a band I didn’t give much of a chance the first time around, but am definitely going to revisit their discography.

I don't love the majority of Brit Pop but I have a soft spot for Blur. They are both the ideal example of the genre, as well as exhibiting a healthy amount of diversity to keep the sound from getting too repetitive. "Parklife" really demonstrates this with songs influenced by synth-pop, punk, new wave, and Syd Barrett-style psychedelic rock. Throughout it, the spirit of 90s London is strongly felt, which might be either charming or annoying, depending on who you ask. For me, "Parklife" is a great album and a sign of what was to come for Damon Albarn. There are hints of Gorillaz in the eclectic nature of this album. Their previous album "Modern Life is Rubbish" is a better complete album, but this one has some of Blur's best ever songs. The first four tracks are possibly the strongest run of songs the band ever made. The excellent "To the End" features Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab which is a great bonus.

Not digging it.

Girls & Boys is so queer I love it I also like when girls do boys like girls

Pure fun! A lot of songs that deliver joy and smiles

Really liked Girls & Boys favorite song on that album

Jag "missade" egentligen Britpop-vågen, men visst är det bra grejer! I Blurs Parklife finns flera bra låtar, även om jag inte placerar de som "ikoniska"

This was such a fun listen - much sillier than expected!

Goddamn this is a fun album. It loses a bit of steam in the second half but at least these guys sound like they are having fun being in a band. Personality goes a long way.

Cool but seems like the pop version of the clash

Mot da best from blur but good

Es mi album favorito de Blur, junto con The Great Scape...asi que estoy encantada con la elección

Good

Some songs are really good and some times Blur are so annoying. Sometimes sounds like they had writers block and made some weird noises

Good album. Loved the first song lead singer also with Gorillaz

Stinky stinky stinky. So grating to listen to. A few redeemable tracks... London Loves and Trouble in the Messaging Center are fine

pretty good

Indie pop perfection

Still holds up well although maybe dips a little too much into novelty/knees up for me. This Is A Low fantastic although I tend to look elsewhere for my Blur fixes these days, mainly chunks of MLIR or dips into their two later more experimental released.

1001 This album is as iconic a Britpop moment as you can get. It’s the sound of an evolving band, balancing commercial popularity, art, and fun It’s definitely a bit too playful in places, with VERY British references and humour which many outside this sceptered isle would inevitably miss. The mod influence on Blur at this time wee both visual and audible. I can frequently hear the album leaning into the Ray Daviesesque social commentary which dominated their previous release. I was a massive fan of the mod sound and scene at this time and was all in on retro trackie tops, cordouroy trousers as well as being the proud owner of a pair of second-hand Adidas SL72 trainers which were like gold dust in Camden but I’d found for £5 in Neath market 😂 The album is fun enough, yet a trifle inconsistent, although Damon Albarn also delivers some of the quality slower work he later went on to master A fab weekend listen. Sentimentally it’s a 5, but rationally evaluated it’s a flawed but still hugely enjoyable listen.

Can't believe this list has four (4)(!!!!) Blur albums on it. Not to tell too obvious of a joke, but these songs really blurred together with all the rest of their stuff.

Toooooooooooo looooooooong

Boring britpop mostly, but there were a few interesting songs sprinkled throughout to keep me entertained.

Yes. For an American I have an unnatural love of Blur.

Great album! Highly recommend!

This is a superb album. A must for any collection

Pretty fun the whole way through! Lots of compelling twists and turns.

too long and too british

Brit rock rockksss. Blur a bit less straightforward rock.

Like this better than the other Blur album, I’m actually surprised at how much I’m enjoying this. So far Girls& Boys is a highlight, I also strangely really like To The End

Good players and music I like, seemed to lack a little soul to me.

Fascinating! The first few tracks on the album really cought my attention. I hear a spectrum of British bands, The Kinks, XTC, Reckless Eric, and more. They are an homage to so that and they have their own sound. However some of the experimental pieces didn't capture me and I lost interest about half way through. I'll have to come back to this album.

Didn't really connect with it.

Parklife is one of my favourite songs from that decade so I had high expectations going into this. To the end is definitely up there. How have I not heard this before?? The second half of the album isn't as good as the first but maybe it'll grow on me

I'm a fan of blur, and knew some songs from this album, but never listened to it start to finish. It's definitely a vibe. Not actually what I was expecting, but still great. Knowing now that the singer went on to form the gorillaz, I really do hear some early similarities.

Not a vibe, kinda ew

Albarn's vocals are particularly annoying here. Not a single stand out track; produced well enough

I had a blast listening to this. I was already familiar with Blur and have listened to some of their famous tracks. I really enjoyed listening to a full set of tracks from them. It's my kind of music and I can see myself replaying certain tracks for a while. This was my favorite album for this week.

Inte riktigt min smak

This was very British. Not in a bad way, just not my cup of tea... Get it? Lolz. 3 stars

music for children

Somehow I missed Blur in the '90s. This hits so many of my sweet spots, tho. Definitely gonna revisit it.

I was working at a bar at Alex James Big Feastival music festival and he had a range of drinks he wanted us to push called “Britpop”. I casually mentioned to him that we were probably the only two people there old enough to remember Britpop. He copped the strop and flounced off in a huff! Still this is probably Blurs best album and his festival was fun to work at.

Every song reminded me of an early 2000s comedy

Dang, I guess I just like Britpop. Great songwriting, melodies, lyrics, production, etc. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

not as good as their self titled album but theres some good songs on this.

I like blur, weird that they came up for the first and second time in such quick succession, but okay. This album doesn't hit nearly as well for me though. It does establish a 'signature sound' for the band. But the content just hasn't blown me away at 2/3rds through the album. This is a Low was a good song though.

Good

One of my faves

Eh

I liked this album! Like many of the other commenters have hit on, this list has so many britpop groups… most of which I am unfamiliar with. This was an easy listen. The genre influences definitely bounce around. I also love the album cover of the greyhounds. I think the first half of the album was stronger.

Happily surprised that I really, really like this. The record sounds fun, loads of variety in songs and vibes, great sound. Really good!

very britty

This was kind of cool. Seems innovative for the time.

Decent Brit Pop

The best britpop band. Lovely album, i prefer Modern Life is Rubbish only out of nostalgia 93/100

Didn‘t find it interesting soundwise. At least the text is progressive.

made it through the first 4 songs. gg

Not a big Blur (or Britpop) guy, but Parkife, Badhead, To the End, Magical America (great chorus!) and This Is a Low are great songs. Besides that the album mostly swings between annoying and irrelevant.

Good listen

Decent

It was okay 3/5

Ight. Just ight

there's no battle at all

Досі мене дивує той факт, що Blur якийсь час йшов нога в ногу з Oasis по рівню популярності та продажам в UK. З однієї сторони це якась містерія, а з іншою це максимально британський альбом. Якщо порівнювати його з тим, що відбувалось в в 94 в штатах, то він буде здаватися альбомом з минулої епохи. Альбом досить різноманітний, є хіти, є ще більше філерів. Є дуже цікаві гітарні партії та й різноманіття стилістичне теж присутнє.

Ех, дитинство, фіфа-98 і сонг2 яка грає по колу. Так я вперше почув blur. Нещодавно Алберн сказав ніби ту бритпоп "війну" таки виграли оазіс - і якщо брати популярність, хітовість пісень і так далі - мабуть воно так і є. Ноель Галахер це геніальний сонграйтер, який може взяти ідеальні 4 акорди і написати пісню яку буде співати стадіон. Тоді як Blur пішли іншим шляхом і писали музику набагато більш цікаву - саме з точку зору композицій, аранжувань ітд, але все ж менш хітову і все ж менш масову (хоча все одно мали шалену популярність). Parklife пройшов випробовування часом і зараз слухається свіжо й гарно.

British punk, not my jam but not bad

Some interesting bits, especially the songs I’ve never heard before. Also some Costello-esque boredom.

Yet another generic 80s/90s rock album

This was one of the most British albums I've ever heard, and I didn't even hate it. The record opens with a Euro-trash anthem that gets stuck as an ear worm, and is probably the worst track on the entire album. The rest was solid. I loved the variety of sounds and styles that Blur put on display all within a single album. They produced a good amount of range than I had originally thought they would be able to pull off. This was a treat to listen to, and I will easily listen to this one again.

Pleasantly surprised by this album. There was a wide-ranging pallet of musical styles and ideas that really kept me on my toes. I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did.

# Playlist Track - Girls & Boys # Notes - Very solid start! Opening track is killer! It sadly loses momentum after 6-7 tracks and it's a bit disappointing towards the end. - It is a pretty good britpop album, but it's still britpop.

An album I initially rated 1/5 - for the longest time, I couldn't stand it, mainly because of bad past associations and experiences that songs from it had soundtracked. Damon Albarn's voice and mockney-isms also require a fair bit of getting accustomed to, which I had initially dismissed as being entirely silly. All of a sudden, a year or so later, I felt it necessary to reappraise my lowest rated albums, and this suddenly clicked into place for me, particularly when I paid closer attention to the lyrics. There is a notable drop off towards the second half of the album, which does prevent me from awarding it any higher than a 3.

Jag hade jättesvårt att veta hur jag skulle betygsätta denna. Efter en genomlyssning så lutade jag mot en tvåa eller trea. Det är många bra låtar men vissa är lite tråkiga och hänger inte riktigt ihop så bra, exakt så jag känner kring Damon Albarn och gorillaz. Men när jag lyssnade på den igen och verkligen lyssnade så älskade jag verkligen den. Riktigt dunderskiva. Saknar dock den här konceptfeelingen som krävs för en högsta betyg i min mening. Allt måste verkligen hänga ihop. Men älskar verkligen sån här musik och kanske ändrar mig till högsta betyg i framtiden.

3.5

Whiny Brit pop mixed with carnival music or something. Second half was better than the first. Better than Modern Life is Rubbish but still not really hitting for me.

3.5

Un gran álbum de brit pop y uno de los fundamentales, creo qué la primer mitad del álbum es muy buena pero en la segunda vuelta pierde fuerza, también creó qué es demasiado 16 canciones para un álbum con tanta redondez y poca fuerza, mi favorita fue London loves, le doy un 6.7 por qué en realidad no creo qué sea un gran álbum.

Fun. Eclectic. Love the energy and diversity. Understand if someone rates this a 5, but not me. Except for Girls&Boys none of the songs really make me want to live in the sonic world that it creates.

Part of the so-called Brit Pop moment in time, these were the infinitely more talented alternative to the tosswits called Oasis. Parklife remains probably their best work in a totally solid canon

Weird fishes, nude and all I need are exceptional

Amusant! J'aimais les singles de Blur, j'avais jamais pris le temps d'écouter un album complet... trop bon. Complexe, presque prog des fois dans les formes, mais jamais plate. J'adore les vocals de Damon Albarn, il sonne comme personne d'autre. Les backs aussi, très 60s

Albans songwriting chops are on full display in this record, containing some fun and catchy britpop songs but the album does drag on a bit too long and too varied in focus

Pretty enjoyable. I'd only heard Song 2 before by them, which i had heard wasn't exactly representative of their sound, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Some fun weird guitar solos in there. Not sure if I'll ever revisit it intentionally, but i wouldn't mind hearing it again. Looking forward to whatever other albums of theirs will come up

A little long but an enjoyable listen with some of their biggest hits.

Album kind of goes by in a blur, in that it wasn't particularly memorable after one lesson. Some interesting mix of rock/electronic elements for an early 90s album

Banger first song. The rest felt a little boring for me

nice but feels too outdated now! surprised at how much i already knew of it.

I like the songs that switch to more of a spoken voice commentary. -2.5/5

Grade

PAHKLOIFE Blur was never as good as Oasis, plain and simple. Oasis had a knack for creating catchy tunes that whisper sweet nothings in your ear with its ambiguous lyricism. Blur is just fun! I like Blur.

They’re so British

Honestly, I was expecting a little more from blur... I can definitely feel the early gorillaz sound that Damon Albarn was trying to cultivate, but it felt way to brit-pop for me. Give me this album and I'll just wish it was a Green Day album, but I can appreciate the opening track which is timeless, and London Loves for what they brought to the table and are the only reason I would give this a 3 and not a 2, though this may be harsh because I had high expectations for stuff Damon Albarn has had a hand in.

i think i prefer damon albarn as a horrible little cartoon freak

Title track is absolutely amazing, the pinnacle of britpop.

well I have a tattoo of this album cover so I think I like it

Generally speaking, the 1990s is my vibe and I’m a fan of most Britpop ( although this tends to be the less well known Britpop brands rather than the big hitters like Oasis and the ghastly Blur. I don’t care how Kinks tinged this album is, I don’t like being shouted at by cockneys, even if he was in Quadrophenia.

Definitively britpop, however has some weirdness about it that does not really heard on other groups. No wonder this guy went and created Gorillaz, heh, so much creativity.

J - 4/5 Best Track - "Parklife"

No me ha gustado

This is a very different album from something that I would generally listen to. It's very British and pretty fun. It isn't my favorite on this list but it was fairly enjoyable for the most part.

Even after 30 years, 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 still sounds remarkably fresh. It’s a sharp, cheeky, and deeply British portrait of 90s urban life — half pop record, half social satire. Damon Albarn’s character sketches and Graham Coxon’s inventive guitar work make each track feel like its own little world, whether it’s the hedonistic dancefloor of 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 & 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 or the quietly devastating melancholy of 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐𝘴 𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘸. The stylistic range is bold without feeling disjointed: Britpop, punk, music hall, synthpop — all filtered through Blur’s knowing wit and restless creativity. It’s an album that laughs, sighs, and shrugs all in the same breath. A cultural time capsule that still speaks fluently to the present.

A fun album, but not consistent in quality - it's a little bit of a roller coaster, moodwise.

+ Damon + also there are dogs on the cover

Good Rock, good listen. Don’t have it on repeat but did add a song or 2 to my likes

Great album. Not a bad song on it. Most are perfect. I should play this more often.

3.5 rounded up, way easier listen than I was anticipating!

Really easy and fun listen! Wasnt sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

There are a bunch of great songs on here. "To The End" is maybe my favorite, or "End Of A Century," or "This Is A Low", though obviously the big hits (Girls & Boys, Parklife) are fantastic too. I really like Coxon's guitar so in "London Loves." Lots of reviews here saying, in effect, "I guess you had to be there." Well, I was, and this is a five.

It's one of the classic albums from that whole britpop era, featuring some of the best Blur tracks. Not everything is great but it is a very solid listen.

Loved this when it came 9ut still holds it own.

Of it's time but still a fine record. Nostalgia boosts my appreciation, they were fun times

This is such a comforting album, for me, as it has been on such heavy rotation in my house.

Iconic artwork. Nostalgia for the hits, but sadly several misses. I like they could be experimental and playful under the potential commercial pressures of maintaining that Britpop success, but some of the tracks fall a bit flat. 3.5

I've always thought of myself more of an Oasis fan than Blur, with the occasional catchy tune, a couple from each album or so. (See my music collection for only owning Blur's greatest hits.) I think this is the first entire album I've listened to of theirs. Besides the kitschy tunes here & there, it's a solid album. Favorite songs I've never heard prior to today are "London Loves" & "Trouble In The Message Centre". Solid 4/5.

Most of the songs are very decent but there wasn't anything fantastic enough in here for me to call it an outstanding album. It's very close, though. I don't think I have one problem with this disc and it's very enjoyable.

Hasn't aged especially well, a few good tunes.

I have always considered Blur to be a great singles band but never a solid album band. The first half of this had me convinced I was wrong, everything after To the End helped me realise I was right. The thing is, there isn't a bad song on this album, but there are a lot of songs that feel like waffle or haven't stood the test of time. On the other hand we have some of the greatest pop rock songs of all time here. Girls and Boys is one of the greatest songs ever written, super basic synths, a bass line on the cusp of being too busy, some of Graham Coxon's best guitar playing and fx usage, all tied together with an absolutely droll performance by Damon climaxing with one of the catchiest choruses of all time. Tracy Jacks, great song. End of a Century, great song. Parklife, I never need to hear it again in my life but absolutely great song. Bank Holiday was a pretty enjoyable little punk tune. Skip along to To the End, one of the first moments in the Blur catalogue where they aim high and deliver on a beautiful ballad, some of their best songwriting. Everything after is eh to mid level enjoyable. So not quite a 5, but a strong 4 and enjoyable listen.

Enough bangers to salvage the weirder/less well put together album-tracks. Mostly strongly written, well produced, and memorable. Shout out to Graham Coxen’s lovely guitar work which, while not the focal point of the many songs, is probably the elevating instrument on the album. Girls and Boys (10/10) Tracy Jacks (7/10) End of a Century (10/10) Parklife (10/10) Bank Holiday (7/10) Badhead (7/10) The Debt Collector (N/A) Far Out (5/10) To the End (8/10) London Loves (8/10) Trouble in the Message Centre (7/10) Clover Over Dover (9/10) Magic America (7/10) Jubilee (6/10) This is a Low (8/10) Lot 105 (7/10) 7.7/10

Absolutely awful. Parklife was okay, and that's as good as it got. I couldn't even finish it and gave up after To the End.

Was okay, found myself a bit bored in the middle of the album.

Few Good famous songs

First half - 5/5 Second - 3/5 Overall pretty cool!

Love this shit. It's 4 stars but I'll give it 5 because I love it.

I am beginning to hate Britpop, but I do like Blur. It’s fun. It’s easy. It starts to run out of gas near the end, but not too bad.

I gave it two chances. There was only One song i loved, which was Clover Over Dover. The others were also okay, but I didnt LOVE the album.

I enjoyed it, especially the first song, but do not feel the band settled into a musical style that was clear and identifiable. At times they sounded like Bowie, and than got very :poppy", and over the course of the album I started to drift as I could not center on the bands perspective and where they wanted to go with their music. With that being said, the first song is catchy and a lot of fun.

Some okay, most terrible

Not my favorite of Blur’s work but a decent album nonetheless

KÓZKA!!!!!!

3.5

The most british 90's pop rock I have ever heard. A fine listen just not for me

I liked it more than I expected, but not my taste generally. I wonder how future generations will find Brit Pop. Growing up in the states I wasn't exposed to much of it in the 90s so I have no nostalgic connection. In a vacuum, it's a good album that takes some nice risks, but simply not my genre of choice.

Not my thing. I find the vocals incredibly irritating and the instrumental are nothing to write home about. Girls and Boys is a pretty good song but nothing else really stands out. I was not a fan of this album.

Great band, great album, great hits. Just love the general vibe of this record. Maybe just a bit too long and the second half isn't as good as the first. 8/10 fav songs : Parklife & Jubilee