Reviews (page 7 of 14)
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The fun I had listening to this when I was younger. I was like a young Theresa May in a field of wheat. Getting fucked by 6 farmers.
Don't believe the rumours emanating from the Bolton region of Greater Manchester, this is a well put together album not just a hit or two and some filler. It just about manages to stay on the right side of the Mockney geezers schtick that became overwhelming by the time of The Great Escape. And those hits that the Bolton fella is on about, they really are some monster hits aren't they?
Parklife feels like a new record, yet so familiar. Having never heard the album, but familiar with Blur's 'Song 2' it feels worlds apart from that song, yet all cut from the same cloth. Best: Girls and Boys Worst: Trouble in the Message Centre
Excellent album. Girls & Boys (5*) stands out - it is both annoying and catchy. Prefer Auteurs, Pulp and Suede but Parklife is still an album I put on once and a while. Score: 4.49 -> 4.
Great album! I liked this much better than “Blur”. Multiple genres, from disco to punk to polka. Some. Baroque pop elements - really interesting.
It was pretty good. Don't have a strong opinion.
Fun and nostalgic! I’m a 90s kid so remember this well. Made me wanna go thrift shopping and for a pointless drive. Harkens back to the particular 90s snark
Britpop klassiker! Girls and boys er hjernefed. Albarn er nice. To the end er god. Spænder bredt rammer højt!
fremragende
If you ask most people who were around in the 90s to list the top 5 Britpop era albums. This would be on it. Probably deservedly so but there's an annoying amount of filler on the album when listened to as a cohesive work. And for that, I'm knocking a mark off
A classic!
this was more fun than their self-titled album...which was also surprisingly not-bad - you know, apart from That One Song. there were a few times i was surprisingly reminded of some of the early punk rockers & new wavers (title track kinda reminds me of madness; Bank Holiday basically screams oi oi oi; and Jubilee sounds a lot like Bingo Master's Breakout, by The Fall). i also genuinely liked the closing track's mishmash of goofy british seaside kitsch with a beatles nod pasted in there for good measure.
odrobinę alternatywny rok z jeszcze bardziej alternatywnym wykorzystaniem tekstu i wokalu
Rock
Can tell this one is a grower. Some great tunes in here, felt a little bloated on a first listen. Keen to do it again though.
This is a great album - blur make a lot of interesting sounds across a range of genres, and despite the fact that there's a lot of big singles on the album (Girls & Boys, Parklife, End of a Century), it still feels very cohesive and there's a lot of tunes here that really serve the album in a broader sense. I've always rejected the Blur vs Oasis comparison as they've always seemed really different and not comparable beyond the fact that they were British bands around at the same time. But if we're going to look at the merits of the two... it's no contest.
classic, british alt of the 90's. i grew up on this stuff. plus, the awesome greyhounds cover.
More power
Liked it, good britpop. better than Leisure (the only other Blur album i’ve heard)
Huhaj, meine beste albumische from Blurische. Pošto je meni Oasis bolji jer imaju dva albuma koja su mi baš top top, ovo je Blurov album koji je skoro u rangu sa njihova dva. Album sa različitim varijacima pjesama, al svejedno je to skupljeno u brit pop. Definitivno u top 5 brit pop albuma, ako ne i u top 3.
bro I like every song so far !!
Lots of trumpets in the beginning, a bit more orchestral to the end. Not every song is a hit but on the whole completely listenable
Not bad, too much for one sitting. Obvious standout songs but the B material is OK.
Great Brit Pop. Four stars for Boys and Girls alone.
It’s a bit overly long, but this is still a bloody great britpop album
I might have to check out this band more, along with other brit-pop bands.
Superb. London Loves and To The End particularly.
Loved the vocals and the guitars. Real enjoyable instrumentation (trumpets, strings) Parklife (song) is a masterpiece.
Liked this a lot. Nothing quite so good as Song 2, but a very diverse collection of songs in an album that doesn't really show its length. Was a bigger fan of the more toned down and personal songs Saved: End of a Century, Badhead, This Is a Low
Saved Prior: None Saved Off Rip: Girls and Boys, End of a Century, Parklife, Badhead, To the End Cutting Edge: Tracy Jacks Overall Notes: The first half of the album is really really good, but could've cut a couple of songs to keep up the momentum. Super enjoyable regardless though.
I never heard of this album and don't really know any of the songs. Perhaps I was sleeping? I would not describe myself as a synthpop fan but do like the first track Girls and Boys. The next four songs (to Bank Holiday) seem intended to give a bird's eye view of normal everyday life in England. The theme continues a few tracks later with London Loves. They were quite effective painting this picture. The best example (by far) of an album capturing the essence of a location is Lou Reed's New York. When I hear songs like Debt Collector I wonder why? It's a marching tune without lyrics. I can't for the life of me understand why, but the song works. Trouble in the Message Center moves and is also quite slick. These are the songs that fill out the LP between the hits and do so quite well. Overall, the production is top rate and the LP quite enjoyable. We are definitely in the 90s. One of the songs used the German phrase "vorsprung durch technik" which means progress via technological advancement. This phrase summarizes the production effort on this one.
Lovely stuff, hadn’t listened in years. One of my fave bands I still haven’t seen live
I'm not sure it's a great album but lots of great songs. The circus one is still annoying
Enjoyed a few more than others. Some a bit strange.
4.3 + lots of fun twists and turns throughout. Boisterous.
Sóc dels pocs que sempre va preferir 'The Great Escape', potser perquè va ser amb el qual els vaig conèixer. Però 'Parklife' és indiscutiblement la punta de llança del brit pop i una de les obres excelses del pop britànic contemporani. Seria un 5 estrelles de no ser per la durada, excessiva, que dona encaix a uns quants temes que no estan a l'alçada
Me gusta mucho
false
Yup
Classic!
This is quite British and I like it.
huzzah.
4 - Classic
Pretty upbeat, catchy, unique with a real 90s grunge/rock feel 4.1
Weird and wonderful. Very Beatles-esce .
I really like the first track but after that it’s kinda all unfamiliar. It’s pretty good britpop or whatever classification this would be. Hard to hear his voice and not think gorillaz
Modern day Kinks
Love it, like listening to Gorillaz but rock
Super album, veel diversiteit en een paar hits. Niet verwacht dat Blur dit soort muziek maakt
Already liked it. LOts of different vocal timbres and themes present on the album !
I liked it a lot and I think I'll listen to it more than a few times :)
Great album with a good number of bangers on it.
British and fun. Lively rock/pop/misc.
chicche
Engelse pop/rock. Muzikaal fijne mix, met diverse lagen. Ook de nummers onderling verschillen van klank en stijl, zo blijft het album interessant - bijvoorbeeld door een nummer als The Debt Collector.
The lead tracks are brilliant but a couple of fillers so one star off.
Britpop at its finest. 7.5/10
This album is a fucking classic
Enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The album is really fun, and theres a good variety of music. Closer to a 3.7 maybe.
The third and final blur album I am to get on this site. My second favorite on the site too, after the excellent Modern Life Is Rubbish, and before the very annoying self-titled. But is this any good? Well. There’s some good, but not much to my opinion. This is the moment where Blur begins to branch out from just being a pretty awesome Britpop band to being a pretty annoying experimental Britpop band. Don’t get me wrong, they produce some satisfying tunes in this period, such as the iconic “Girls & Boys,” the concretely catchy “Tracy Jacks,” or the jangly, pretty “Badhead.” Sadly, once these songs have run their course there stands a period of the album where they make some forays into other genres: punk, waltzy theatre, what have you. It stands as something very interesting, all tied together by the Britishness of it all, but it’s just not super appealing to me. Don’t get me wrong! I like Blur a lot. For the past 20 days straight I’ve had nonstop communication with a huge blur fan, and has become one of my closer friends. Under her influence I’ve come to adore Modern Life is Rubbish, and the band’s masterpiece, 13. That being said, there exists a disconnect between us concerning this album and the self-titled project. This album isn’t bad, it isn’t good. I can stand it. 6.4/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: sure REASON: significance
Very mixed and much weirder than I anticipated when I bought it.
Ive never delved into blur’s discography but I knew it would be fun. This whole album is so playful and so very British. Britain owes blur money, the way they all made being British cool and fun again. Like Japan has anime as reparations for their war crimes and Britain has blur. (Honestly the British are very lucky they have given us so many talented musicians…) The lyrics are simple but Damon’s voice is so perfect for each song. Theres so much life in this album…also the guitar playing throughout this album is insane too. My favs have to be ‘parklife’, ‘bank holiday’, ‘London loves’ and ‘to the end’…and just to be greedy ‘jubilee’ too
Ah, what many consider the ultimate Britpop album. Does that mean I get to move on to other genres now? 700 records in and sometimes this list feels like 900 Britpop And 101 Other Random Albums To Hear Before You Die. Growing up in the US Blur wasn't ever really very popular. At least not where I lived. Everyone loved Song 2 but I don't think I even really listened to Blur at all until I was an adult. The whole Blur/Oasis debate is pretty funny because it's not like either band is some luminary, once in a generation group. Just look at this list for proof of that. This album is fine, but it really just fades into the background after a while. It is interesting to a point but I feel like there isn't anything that really grabs me and makes me want to listen to it louder. Maybe I just need to give it another shot but I've kind of felt that with all the Blur records I've heard. Or maybe it's because there are so many albums that sound exactly like this and I'm not super familiar with any of them. 3/5
The ying to oasis’s yang
Girls & boys es un masterpiece el resto no las conocia algunas canciones me dan unos vibes malcom in the middle otras muy deprimentes. De 52 min me quedo con 8min max
Ca va un peu bizarre
A solid Britpop offering. Reminds me of the Clash (but not quite as punky), and Oasis (but not quite as iconic). Maybe it will grow on me? 6/10
I liked this well enough, but there are other Blur tracks I prefer that are not on this album. Good background music, but nothing spectacular.
Decent
Some really catchy songs. The more theatrical vocals are less my thing.
- GIRLS AND BOYS!!!! - yes yes now these are bangers - ALL THE PEOPLE !! SO MANY PEOPLE!! - how could this guy do all this and then make gorillaz and almost pretend blur never happened - after the first bangers it gets mid - oasis is better
Has some songs I really like (end of a century, bad head, etc) but just ok for me, I don’t return to their full albums a lot, not my favorite British band of this era
Meh. I really only ever heard Song #2 from Blur which is a much heavier song then anything on this album. This very much had more melodic and slower songs then Song #2. It was very much more a pop album then a rock album. While good, just not as good as what I expected.
Another Britpop album I can take or leave overall but had a few dazzling moments. I really loved the first track in particular
3/5
It’s ok.
I'm a britpop fan, and a Blur fan, but this was too long and had too much filler. Some amazing highs tho. Parklife was my fav song of the album. End of a Century (my fav first listen) and To the End were my other highlights
As this is my first Blur album on the list, I have been waiting to type a little blurb about my impressions of the band before I actually listen to a single song. “Song 2”. That’s it. That’s my entire knowledge of the band going in. I’ve heard it from just about every hockey game I’ve ever watched. I actually thought they were a one hit wonder band, and didn’t realize just how massive they are in the UK. And this is coming from someone who can easily and proudly tell you that one of my favorite bands of all time is the Gorillaz. This is my third Damon Albarn album on the site if I’m keeping track correctly, and the third different Albarn band in general. The dude has so many albums on here under different names, so it’s hard to keep track of them all. Of the Blur albums though, this is my first of 3. I had been patiently waiting to roll one, due in part to being a big Albarn fan. With how much I love the Gorillaz, I’m kind of ashamed in myself that I’m only listening to Blur for the first time now. Unless it’s not great, in which case I’ve been dodging a massive bullet this entire time. This first part of the review was made before I’ve even listened to the album yet, but I’m expecting to enjoy this, and I hope I’m right. Albarn very rarely lets me down, so we’ll see. I also love the album art, mini bonus. Now on to the actual review, post listen. After listening to it a few times, I’m not sure what to think. It’s still got Albarn singing, which I like. In fact, unlike the Gorillaz, he sings on just about every song on the album here. It’s much more of a traditional English band, and for that reason I kind of find it less interesting in general. It’s still very good, but it just doesn’t hit the same. If you’re British, I’m sure you’ll love it, but it just kind of sounds like a million of the other Brit Pop albums I’ve heard for this project so far. It’s not bad, but I would rather opt for a Gorillaz album if I was listening to Albarn. Some things can be too British. This is one of those things. You can listen to an album, not relate to it at all, and still enjoy it, but this is just too British for me. I feel as if it’s a great album with very good production value, phenomenal singing, and plenty of song variety, it just doesn’t really do anything for me personally. “The Debt Collector” for instance, is just circus music. If it’s supposed to sound like something you’d hear at a Park, I just can not relate. It’s skippable. I don’t know, none of these songs really grab me, even though I can hear how good they are. Not sure why this one isn’t really hitting me today. I was expecting to love it. Instead I just kinda like it. Don’t get me wrong, some of these songs are alright. “London Loves” stands out with all the funky synthy goodness I actually expect to hear from Albarn. That song is pretty good. It’s a great blend of both of the bands unique sounds, combining the Electronica of the Gorillaz mixed with the more traditional Rock guitar playing of Blur. My favorite song was the penultimate “This Is a Low”. It perfectly displays Albarn as a singer, and it’s beautiful. More beautiful than I expected. It’s also just got a killer guitar riff in the middle of the song that brings the song together perfectly. A really good song. Ok, so my first experience with Blur wasn’t as amazing as I was hoping for. But it wasn’t bad either, so that’s fine. I could grow to love this band. I’m not counting this album out just yet. I could see myself revisiting this one and giving it a 4. But for now, I’ll keep it as a 3 and move on to something else. 2 more albums to come from Blur.
It’s alright. I don’t have beef with it.
Bastante interesante
It’s got some real heaters, and I definitely like the record on the whole, but not all of it
Enjoyed some, but not all. Already loved "Girls & Boys." Added "Badhead" to my liked songs!
Blur has very high highs, but their lows are also very low. I used to prefer Blur over Oasis, but after trudging through this album which is apparenty Blur's 'best' I think I have to give the crown of Britpop over to Oasis.
Exactly what I would expect walking into a London nightlife hub with live music in the early 1990s...the definition of Brit Pop. Some punk stuff, Beatles threads and that blaring British accent. Liked more than I thought I would!
Don’t even remember it! But I listened!
Usually an oasis v blur thing that people talk about, but this is the first time I’ve given blur a go and they are nothing alike. Catchy, vaudeville, 80s new wave pop dragged into the 90s, some guy Ritchie Raquel UK culture. Lots to love, but also very wierd and hard to love. I love Damon Albarn, park life is a great single. I want to come back to this but I’ve gotta be in the right mood
Enjoyable overall, the titular song is the highlight for me. I expected to like it more than I did.
Fun and easy listen.
Perhaps the most British album on a list full of British albums.
Example of 90's Brit-Pop. The album is cohesive and good with a few standout songs. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #438 Best Songs Girls & Boys Parklife
Some good tunes
Much prefer the later albums when they stop the Chas n Dave stuff and get a bit weirder but still some good tunes here
Not my favourite blur album some good songs
Classic rocket ship album. Started strong and then crashed down
There's a bit too much filler but a lot of these songs are great. The album's first 4 songs are extremely strong and I can see why this was a Britpop staple. Strong 7/10
Pretty fun listen. Instrumentation is vast and quirky. Vibe throughout is playful but never vapid. These guys are geniuses, it feels like they're showing off throughout. Can't believe I'd never heard "Girls and Boys" - don't think I'm getting it out of my head this month. But don't think it'll be a repeat listen - the hooks are too idiosyncratic, and topics a bit too british for me to get into. & Albarn's accent was starting to drive me a bit crazy towards the end
Very early 90s British a few catchy songs but not anything that i will need to revisit.
1st half of the album is good.
Not bad, fun to listen to.
The first half or so of this album is great; I hadn't listened to the title track in ages and it holds up. It's ridiculous and fun and just great sounding. Blur's creativity shines for the beginning of the album and all of the weird stylistic mashups and songwriting quirks come through as you would expect them to. Then it kinda fell apart. I feel like half the tracks on here are filler, or maybe just bad songs. "Trouble In the Message Center" and "Magic America" were the only songs I liked after "The Debt Collector". I don't know why they felt the need to make an album this long when they could've easily released one of all bangers. Anyway the first half makes up for the back half, and it's still a decent listen, just not nearly as well executed as it could have been.
Not bad, but I have to work to like BritPop
I'd not heard this album all the way through. It's alright, I suppose.
They could have trimmed some of the fat off but I love Damon Albarn and it does sound ahead of its time
Decent album, but that’s a first time listen. I won’t give it a second any time soon.
my reaction to Blur is usually "hurry up and be a cartoon guy already" but this wasn't bad
glaub nonie es blut album ganz glost. girls and biys isch en huere coole song. macht spass und isch groovy und irgendwie funny. end of a century au herzig, ich checks langsam. sie hend sich nöd so ernst gnoh und das isch sehr guet achoo noch de grunge era. ich ha s bitz problem demit dass bindem und vielne andere albe vorallem hervorghobe wird wie guet d songs s lebe in england beschriibed und so. ich bin nöd vo england ich schwizer und i guess italiäner. aso s isch cool was blur do macht abet ich chan nöd glich guet relate wie brits halt. to the end mega schöni melodie.
More British rock slop but at least this is halfway decent.
Some good songs on here. I remember the Oasis vs Blur battle and was on the side of Oasis and feel vindicated. This is ok but not ground breaking for me.
3,5. Доволі непогано
If Britain were an album - part like 56. I do like how it sticks to being Anglocentric across different genres. It's a pretty cheeky record so the ballads that are sprinkled sour the vibe a bit. I remember not liking the songs "Bank Holiday" and "This Is A Low" when I listened to it a year and a half ago but they sound tame now with a bit more musical experience. I don't mind most of the songs, the satire just doesn't cut it for me.
Expected this to be just another britpop album, but I like it. Had no idea I'd heard anything from Blur but Song 2 but as soon as Girls & Boys came on I recognized it. Can definitely hear a Beatles influence on them but they have really interesting drums and bass lines. The tracks are all really varied and playful - would definitely listen to this again when I was in the right mood.
Boys and girls is definitely the best song on here. The rest of it is just ok. It's kind of... Jumbled? There's just a lot going on and idk if it really meshes well for me. It's like they're trying to do a 90s beatles thing. Wasn't bad though
eh. i don’t know if i’m really a blur guy i’m finding out. maybe it’s the wrong day, but i don’t find this all that appealing. i think it’s fine. the only song i find memorable is “girls & boys” because i knew it - but i don’t really like it. it is eclectic, i’ll give it that.
Brit pop personified. I mean it with no real malice by saying “meh, it’s fine.”
This album was perfectly adequate. Nothing too stunning, tracks blurred together quite a bit, but it was enjoyable to listen to.
3 Blur albums? This author really loves his Britpop.
Interesting
Good, but better to come.
Classic and entertaining
not bad. first half kind of foreshadows his gorillaz work. too long tho
Solid but not something I need to revisit
Liked this for the most part. Found myself skipping ahead a lot at the end. This is the end should have been the end of the album.
I was an oasis kid, but I now feel I should have been a Blur kid, but I just never gave them a chance. Having listened to this I'm not sure. It had its moments, but so hit and miss, I'm not sure they're as good as they thought they were
Okay, not peak but not bad by any means.
- girls & boys: I’m just vibin’ bro and obviously I’ve heard this before. - Tracy Jacks: I like it, but not enough? I like the vibes though. - end of a century: I like this, and the lyrics too. - parklife: also heard this before and I’m just vibin’ again bro. - bank holiday: I don’t like this. - badhead: this might just be my favourite. - the debt collector: yo I was actually looking forward to lyrics on this, and now this shit just reminds me off when I was younger bro. - far out: no. - to the end: I like these lyrics, but that’s about it. - London loves: I like the instrumentals but about the rest? Idk man. - trouble in the message centre: I like it but it’s not like wow this changed my life. - clover over Dover: why are we in the 1800s? I do like the lyrics though. - magic America: I kind of like this? Nah kind of boring never mind. - jubilee: now I actually like this, this is good. - this is a low: I like the vibes but again I’m getting kind of bored. - lot 105: I feel like I just got laughed at for listening to this and they’re just rage baiting me at this point. And I just got jumpscared okay! ( I don’t know what to think about this! I think I like it more than “blur” but I feel like I shouldn’t compare them to eachother? This album feels like my life? Boring and dull, but the songs are still so catchy, that’s what makes it great )
yws
Kesälevy
No olipa hassu brittipoppilevy. Joku yks tuttu juttu löyty, se nappas aivan ok, mutta muuten ei oikein ollu paljoa kiinnostavaa. Kertakuuntelulla meni aivan okei, tuskin tulee sen enempää pyöriteltyä.
I think Blur is very pedestrian as a band and have never been much of a fan. Boys & Girls is a great song, but the rest of the album is non memorable.
3 out of 5. Started off ok but then fizzled out by the end.
What a unique album. I feel like it has different genres within it. Rock. Punk. New Wave. I was almost convinced this was going to be a 5 (or at least a 4) for me after hearing the first few songs, which were fun. And then it got a little too punk and chaotic for me. And then it redeemed itself with some of the cool synth in the latter songs. I kept thinking how some songs sound very much like Oasis. Same kind of drawn out notes and vibe. But different enough. By the end, I feel like the album is solid. It’s actually quite fun and very British (in a good way), but that one listen was enough for me to soak it in and appreciate it for what it is. I don’t feel the desire to listen it again.
Just another average Blur album.
3.5
Having spoken to many, I infer this is the auditory representation of what went on in the mind of an average Brit in 1994.
I’m slightly confused. This album includes some really great songs white half of them are just to simple, predictable and dull.
Good vibes... reminded me of those bright movies in the early 2000s I used to watch with my Grandmom. Like cheaper by the dozen
Good energy and rhythm. ★★★
Some cool bass stuff. Fine
J’adore girls and boys donc ça commence bien To the end ! L’album est un peu long 7/10
Better than I expected overall, not really my things overall, but I see where they were one of the most popular britpop bands because its a lot better than most of the dreck britpop also included on the list. Skunk Anansie clears this though.
Fun, but nothing to write home about. Only listened to it once through and felt like it was enough.
Listenable but didn't do much for me.
Decent album
bom, tentei deixar meu preconceito com blur de lado ao maximo pra ouvir esse album, e INFELIZMENTE gostei. a faixa girls & boys INFELIZMENTE é legalzinha, assim como o album por um todo também é uma experiencia bacana. esse vai ser nota 7,0 com muita dor no coração
I love albums that offer variety while being cohesive. I didn´t fully love all the tracks separetely, though
It's ok, middle of the road. I prefer other Blur stuff I've listened to. Could probably be worth a second listen down the line but this is how I'm feeling right now.
Britpop! And it was ok.
Classic Brit rock with some timeless singles. Personally a bit too "twee" for my liking, and a bit bloated for what it needs to be.
GIRLS AND BOYS??? It made bop my head Bad Head is very grandpa coded (in a good way) To the End: croissant LAAAA LA LA LA LAAAa: Magic America MKAYYYY, I see myself going back to a few songs from this record. Solid 3
A pretty good album, I liked Girls & Boys, Parklife and The Debt Collector the most.
Doesn’t really stand out
Love Girls & Boys. Some hits and misses on here.
britpop, kind of entertaining, sounds like they're having fun. probably won't listen again ever
This album just flshed past me without making a dent. Some moments sounded cool, others really silly, but nothing makes ma want to revisit sometime soon. 2.5/5 - okay
One of the more decent britpop/rock records I have heard on this list. Not a high bar, because a lot of it has been pretty mediocre. It's fun, playful and has decent instrumentation. I keep forgetting Damon Albarn is in this band so I was kinda shocked to hear his voice randomly pop up.
It is probably one of the very few actually good british 90s albums on here. It combines some pretty neat pop tracks, with intermissions which would feel in a porcupine tree or king crimson album (which I do consider a positive). Simultaneously it does fall off into being quite samey except for those few interludes after the first few songs. This is a typical album where I find myself zoning out because nothing really pulls me back in after the first 4 songs.
I liked the first two, and two in the middle. It lost steam after that..
There’s a lot of genres flying around on this one, but it still very much works. And you can definitely hear influences like the Kinks, Beatles, and even XTC here and there. An overtly Brit-pop sounding album that overall was a good listen. It’s just too long which causes it to drag a little on the back half.
Is this the most British album to ever British? Holy smokes, I knew Damon Albarn had that accent but reeeeeally coming through on this one. But man, props to the dude for creativity. Loves him a keyboard or synth or toy or really anything that makes noise and he can turn into a song. Some of it was a bit repetitive but overall an interesting listen. 3.25
Forgot Girls and Boys is a Blur song. Rest of the album not as strong so rounding down. A wooo hooo. 3.5/5
decent, blur is amazing
full of great basslines and punchy twangy guitars. Classic britpop album
Ok
Not a huge fan of the long instrumentals in some songs, and I wasn't particularly interested in the songs I didn't already know. Doesn't help that i was mid heatwave.
Hmm, a lot of bad tinny pop shite on here. The phony cool britannia on full display, still a couple of decent tracks. But the more it goes on, the worse it gets, Their next one is much better I think. 2.5 rounded up Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes, 87/331 (26%) Will I get: Already have
Thought this was going to be better than it was, pretty boring actually. Maybe I got this on an off day. 2.5/5
Starts out strong but then kinda drops off. Still better than most Brit pop of the era.
Sounds like if someone made Rebel Rebel into a whole album. Seriously just sounds like a Bowie rip off 90% of the time. Totally mediocre and overly appreciated like all Britpop. Still, I didnt want to cut my ears off listening to it
Solid brit pop album. Not my favorite flavor of it tho. Should be either better with its melodies or rock more. IMO caught up in between.
Entertaining more than enjoyable. 2.5/5
brit pop! this is a quintessential british album that totally captures the early 2000s brit pop culture. very fun vibes and timeless tunes.
Fun but not enough memorable songs - may need a few more listens
75
Standard Brit Pop album, not bad. Deep undertones of Beatles influence.
Good fun!
I had hope for this one. Parklife is a great song, so is Girls and Boys. I just don't think I like Blur that much, this is probably the best they're getting out of me. I feel catfished into thinking Blur were good.
nice enough
A good record; though one that leans a bit too much on its influences (Kinks, David Bowie, The Replacements) and needs some of its middling fluff cut out, but has a few notable tracks: "Clover over Dover," "Badhead," and "Girls and Boys."
3/5 I wanna go to London
Trois chansons que j'ai beaucoup aimé, le reste moins
Nett
This opened with one of the more annoying tracks I've ever heard and hit its peak early with Parklife and Bank Holiday, which were the fourth and fifth tracks respectively. There was still a lot of album to go. The rest of the album wasn't bad, it had a fairly upbeat and playful feel to it, but just really wasn't my thing. It felt very repetitive at times and, while I appreciate the experimentalism throughout, some of it just felt like they were being quirky for the sake of being quirky. I thought I was coming around to britpop, but it turns out I might just like Pulp better.
Few classic tracks, not my favourite blur album
Ihan jees britti rokkia. Sopivan erikoista ja monipuolista. Kappaleet ei kuullosta toisiltaan. Enimmäkseen aika hyväntuulista ja muutenkin ei niin totista. Vähän pelleilevää ajoittain. Parhaat: Trouble in the Message Center, Jubilee, This Is a Low
I don't know what it is about the band name Blur that leads me to believe I won't enjoy the music as much as I do. It wasn't my most favorite ever, but it was better than I expected going in to it! "Girls & Boys" is a total banger, and a great way to kick off the record. It was fun, more pop than grunge. I guess I was expecting grunge, it was '94 and this album cover....but I was wrong! Britpop, of course.
Dimery's bias to Britpop strikes again. And a reminder that our friends on the other end of the pond have some weird tastes. Apparently Boys and Girls was a massive hit there? You limeys are strange. Didn't crack the top 25 in the U.S. And no cultural impact on us. None. Wikipedia says this a critically acclaimed. To me, felt pretty generic.
It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special.
This album is somehow a lot better than the other Blur album I had. This somehow feels more genuine, true to their roots, not necessarily trying to appeal to the broader international public. I can appreciate that a lot more. That being said, the album lasts much longer than it needs to.
this is fun! and weird! there were some parts that reminded me of some k-indie bands i like and it made me want something more serious and emotional but then they went back to the fun weird stuff and i liked it all over again. a bit repetitive though fave track: london loves
i quite like Parklife conceptually, in that it reflects the bizarre hodgepodge of too comfortable middle class end of the century Britain directly back at the listener, always playing with several levels of irony and remove, but it's just a bit of a drag to listen to. there's so much Concept behind every bit of it that there's just not much in the way of songs. for the most part, instead of hooks, we get genres or accents - the punk one, the oom-pah one, the one with some french in it. some of those songs are quite good, but the majority of the record had me wondering if it wouldn't have been better off as a short story collection. a completely fine amount of Brit, but only when mixed with adequate levels of pop - this misses the mark, unfortunately, though i do quite genuinely respect its efforts
I liked their fun, different style.
Not as good as their s/t album
A fascinating album of unique sounds and lyrics. Not a top album of all time but definitely worth the listen.
Fun 90s Britpop album. This one was pretty enjoyable, but not something I would seek out to listen to again.
The only song I knew on this album was the first one, which is a fun song, but super repetitive. I was never too much into Blur. I liked Brit pop during that time period, but I wasn't into it as much as I was other styles of music. I thought this album had some really fun songs on it, and then some really boring songs on it. Seemed repetitive and too long. The album was fine, but nothing stood out for me on it.
Decent, but a bit boring.
Det er uka for snille 3'ere. For lang og intetsigende, men av og til glimter de til med noe kult.
Noen av låtene er topp klasse, men litt for mye stallfyll til at albumet er der oppe. Streng treer.
Et par låter man husker, som er fulle av sommerenergi. Men dessverre også en håndfull låter som bare er kjedelige. Gir denne en snill treer.
05/27 Not bad. I just keep hearing Gorillaz even though I know this band came first
white boys take over again i heard from NTS somewhere that this was in response to a more internationally influenced music scene in Britain. White boys were getting scared of african-influenced music (e.g. tricky of massive attack) so they went the other way and went very traditional pop.
So British, good guitar
A little too blur for me
i dont really think im a britpop girl but i did end up liking this one a bit. some songs veered into ska and i felt like that was a little random but otherwise it was okay!! much prefer damon albarn in gorillaz however
Foten går
This is ok, enjoyed some of the weirder moments but thought it was a bit thin on the ground in terms of memorable songs.
Good guitar. Not too into British music. I can appreciate that it’s good for the genre though. I enjoyed some songs a lot.
British REM / reminiscent of early gorillaz. Pretty decent
Too many la-la-la's and not enough woohoo's. I could probably get into it if someone held a gun to my head.
Rating: 7/10 Blur is a pretty good band and this has some of their best songs. There's a clear love for The Kinks and The Beatles, but also a direct line of influence from the British New Wave. And it also sounds so modern suburban (for its time) that really drives the personality of the record. It starts to run a little long but there are back tracks are actually some of the best like London Loves & Clover Over Dover. Girls & Boys is of course some classic Damon Albarn
I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't totally this - funny that the only song I recognized was Girls & Boys. Pretty fun, not bad. Fav songs were To the End and This Is a Low. I'm not itching for more Blur material after this one but I didn't hate it 6.1/10
Creo que hay mejores albumes de Blur, la única buena Girls and Boys
Ello guvna
very very British (in a very good way). overall i enjoyed the album a lot, i knew more songs than i realised. weird tonal shift for one song tho i really liked ‘far out’, ‘tracy jacks’, ‘park life’ and ‘clover over dover’
"girls & boys">>
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 I come from a Blur family, like I might've mentioned impartially in my Oasis review, so this comparatively mediocre rating surprised me—as was, again, the bands' chilling similarities. Both really put the "pop" in Britpop more than I'd naïvely expected (I know, but considering Damon Albarn's later innovations with Gorillaz and Blur's later innovations with albums like 13 or Think Tank), and both really take a little too much from their predecessors (though Blur's Bowie thievery on "Girls and Boys"—hey, didn't LCD Soundsystem also yoink from that one? And St. Vincent?—feels miles more forgivable than "Cigarettes and Alcohol" because at least these Boys and Girls did something different). I'd even say they were thematically similar, though I'm not sure if Blur yoinked that from Oasis, Britpop on Britpop violence style. Ultimately, this one comes out on top because it's already so much more creative and adventurous than I'd expect from a pop record, even if it pales in comparison to what Blur would later do. I found the pop-ness of Parklife to be a little much at times (maybe it was just my mood), but even today I couldn't deny they were having fun. I still downloaded the whole thing—not sure if I'll listen again many times, but I will at least once. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
A couple of fun songs, but not as enjoyable as Gorillaz records.
like parklife, G&B, london loves, not a fan of bank holiday
3/5
Pretty good but nothing stands out to my American ear to explain why this album was so huge. I watched a few music videos on though and they have way more charisma than I would have guessed based on the sort of laid back and generic style in most of these songs. Real bisexual vibe, when I’d always thought of them as more middle of the road suburban rock kinda guys. Overall liked it but unlikely to go back.
Det finns en faktor med Parklife man inte kan bortse ifrån om man vill ha någon vettig behållning av albumet. Den lätt ironiska brittiska tongue-in-cheek humorn. Har man inget begrepp om den så är Parklifes beståndsdelar obegripliga. 90talets indie handlade väldigt mycket om att utesluta folk, på gott och ont, Parklife är ett perfekt exempel på det. Folk som jobbar, åker på semester, flyttar till London, drömmer om Amerika och ser fram emot en långhelg, vanliga människor. Dom är fritt villebråd att se ner på genom just denna humor. När det är balanserat och träffar helt rätt som i "Bank holiday" är det oemotståndligt. Slår det över blir det rent trams som i titellåten eller Pet Shop Boys patischen Girls & boys. Någonstans däremellan lyckas Blur även hitta några vansinnigt fina popmelodier End of a century, Clover over Dover, Badhead, To the end och just det var många mindre nogräknade britpopband faktiskt väldigt bra på. Parklife vill på det stora hela hellre vara lite smartare och lustigare än den vill vara genuint bra, något som drogs ännu längre på uppföljaren The great escape. Stark trea
Låten Parklife är lite av en urban buskis, festlig och tokig, som aningen oförtjänt kommit att definiera vad Blur var vid den här tiden. Men de var också ett popband med fina popmelodier som Badhead, End of the century, To the End, Jubilee, den fantastiskt vackra This is a low och förstås Boys and girls. Lite för många låtar kanske, som ofta i CD:ns guldålder. Jag hade kunnat plocka bort en handfull. Ett plus för att de skrev ut ackorden i texthäftet.
Återvänder texten från förra gången albumet slumpades till mig: Nostalgi påverkar förmågan att bedöma Parklife rättvist. Helt klar många fina poplåtar. Girls & Boys och Parklife är fortfarande trevliga. To The End är briljant. Omväxlande kaxigheter, socialrealism och en del trams som inte åldrats så väl.
Some good songs but not for me overall
Unlike The Verve’s Urban Hymns, this Brit-pop album didn’t feel grating or pretentious. I still have some issues with the genre that make listening feel like a chore, but the hits were considerably better.
I liked the album, I have a soft spot for Britpop and it brought memories from my time living in the UK. The record has so much personality and energy but is not draining. For now I'll leave it as 3/5 as I wasn't enthralled by it and haven't had enough time today to really sit with it but I'll be coming back.
So I wanted to really love this but end up feeling meh. 3/5
So so
I liked it better than the first Blur album I listened to on the list. First half of the album was pretty good, but dragged. I bet a Best Of Blur would be a decent listen.
Liked this a little more in the back half when it became less punk influenced
3.50/5
This includes a lot of their best stuff and also four or five songs that I can’t stand
i wish i liked this more, there's a few good songs on this album but overall i wasn't impressed tbh. probably on the higher end of the britpop album category so far though haha.
Pretty fun at times but it loses its charm by the end
É um bom álbum. Alternative rock com elementos eletrônicos interessantes. KZ D-Fi.
rock punk tranquilo pero copado
Eh this is ok. I’m kinda tired of how much UK pop music is on this list though
A couple of songs are good bit it didn’t blow me away
This one didn't really grip me. It was fine for listening, but I didn't feel like it was that special or interesting Standouts Parklife 3/5
Singles are very good but the rest not so great.
Hitene er hiter, resten er ræl.
Boys and Girls is a great throwback. The rest of this album is missing that same energy and vibe. I want it to be better but it's being carried hard by the big single.
It doesn't hold up does it? Graham Coxon's guitars still sound fresh, but it just doesn't quite hit like it probably did at one point. A few bangers, obviously, but the rest of the album seems like a dearth of enjoyment at times.
Bright and flashy Britpop built on punchy guitars, bouncy rhythms, quirky keyboards, and animated, character-driven vocals darts through scenes with colorful energy. Listening feels like flipping through a lively montage where every moment is exaggerated and sharply lit. The result is catchy and vibrant, and at the same time the surface-level charm feels lightweight.
Endelig litt ordentlig britpop. Fant nettopp ut at Damon Albarn, som jeg hittil kun har assosiert med bandet Gorillaz, er frontfiguren i Blur. Jøss. Uansett; dette er et sjarmerende album med mange gode låter. Synes dog mangler en del her. Derfor tre stjerner, skuffende nok. Top 3: Clover Over Dover, End of a Century, This Is a Low
I just cant take this shit seriously with their ridiculous accents theres no way people sound like that. It would have some bangers otherwise but not one playlistable song.
Eclectic
Badhead
Better than Blur - Blur but still not the best
I like Blur's other work more. In this album I like "Boys and Girls" and kind of like "This is a Low", but the rest is meh.
I like Blur more than most Britpop from this era, owing largely to my interest in Albarn and his career trajectory. That said, they still might be a Greatest Hits band for me, and the 4ish singles here stand out over the rest of the album.
It's funny how Damon Albarn's slightly snotty and nasal vocals don't annoy me nearly as much as the Gallagher brothers. Plus, there's something just more irreverent and fun about Blur generally. Like the other album, I'm a bit bummed that the non-singles don't really stand out much - a lot of 3 star songs mixed in with one or two 4 star hits. The only song that made it to a playlist that I didn't already know was 'Trouble in the Message Center.' Otherwise, it felt like a lot of stuff thrown at the wall that was mostly fine but unmemorable.
soo british😬
pretty good almost made a 4. funky production
3 ett par bangers, men som många säger är det väldigt brittiskt. Graham Coxons riff är helgalna dock
La verdad, creí que lo iba a disfrutar más. Obviamente conocía bien y me gusta mucho Girls & Boys, pero salvo uno que otro track perdido por ahí, el disco no alcanza nuevamente ese nivel. Se puede escuchar, pero se queda en un meh un tanto decepcionante.
Creatively made music, derivative of Beatles and Kinks. It does the job.
Not bad
I think that old britpop is not my cup of tea (pun intended) 5/10 Will I add this album to my library? NO
Альбом остался в памяти заблюренным
Опять бритпоп...
A great slice of Britpop from one of the Big Four bands of the genre! It was a bit front-loaded to my ear, but solid all throughout.
Estaba bien, he sacado alguna canción que me gusta
I really enjoyed the first track, but then I found the rest of the album to be pretty mid. I did not hate listening to it, but it didn't wow me at any point either. Favorite Track - Girls & Boys Least Favorite Track - The Debt Collector ⭐️⭐️⭐️
First half is way better
C'était ok
Amazing first track but that was tough cause I compared the rest of the album to it. Album definitely had a Supergrass sound to it.
Interesting! It sounded pretty good
its an okay album some good songs here and there its not something that calls you
Muy lindo!
Britpop is not my favorite genre, but this album is quirky and creative and clearly deserves to be on this list. I don’t love it, but I can appreciate the musicality. Also Boys and Girls is a bisexual anthem.
A couple of classics on here, but I still don't get the hype around Blur
bien pero ahí
Some really great tracks on here which are then undercut by some out of place instrumentals. Lyrics weren’t anything to write home about but the music grooved. Got a chuckle from the dichotomy of the last two tracks. Looking forward to listening to some more.
Very British
This band (and members) would have better albums. This is a bit lacking (and I like Britpop) but solid enough. Top tracks: "Girls & Boys," “Parklife”
It was fine
Kinda boring
65/100
Too goofy for my taste but , it was fun. 3/5
Yeah
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
Largely unimpresive britpop with a few standouts.
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.
A couple bangers, super influential and a really cool time for music. Not quite my style, but a good record. WOOHOO
classic 90s jam 3.5/5
A very 90s album.
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
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 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.
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.