Blur

Too screams and technoy - hard on the ears

Seems like a band short on ideas, yet they managed to find Song 2 in among it all and that's obviously a classic.

Don't believe the hype.

Skulle fått en trea om de bara varit lite vänligare mot en viss kanadensare… #justsayin Nä men annars också så ja feelar att dehär har int såsen ja minns att flera gånger under albumet tänkte ja att dehär sku kunna gå hårt om de bara hade lite mer twang Eller typ just på dom mer ”hårda” sångerna så nåde dom int rikit fram så att säga att de funka bättre me dom mera mellow yellow sångerna

Good first listen. Enjoyable. I know the one song, the rest was new. 2.5/5

Out of all of the "Britpop invasion" trash that never really took off, this is probably the best. I appreciate the radical style change as well as the emotion and feel of the album. Still not a great sound, not much 'new' about it, not very catchy for 'pop' and, apparently, still today, overhyped. The Brits have done great things in music, but this whole thing was a low point for that whole damn country

Meh.

2 stats for No. 2

je pensais pas mais mal de crâne un peu

Blurin huonoin levy, jota en ole ikinä ymmärtänyt. Bändi on ainakin itselleni aina elänyt hittibiiseistä, ja ne taiteellisemmat pläjäykset ovat olleet aina täysin yhdentekeviä tai jopa ärsyttäviä. Normaalisti hittien tai edes rock-biisien osuus levyllä on ollut merkittävästi suurempi, mutta tällä levyllä asetelma on kääntynyt päälaelleen. Ainoa omien Blur-suosikkieni listalle mahtuva kappale tältä viritelmältä on mainio Beetlebum. Toivottavasti listalla kuullaan vielä jotain aidosti merkittäviä Blur-levyjä.

+0.5 punktu za Song2

a little too much "noise"

Song 2!

whoo-hoo. whoo. hoo.

I could have gone without this one, not my cup of tea

Just ok. Nothing special. "Song 2" holds up well, though it has been overplayed and overused over the years. But nothing else really stood out. Several songs were standard, perhaps even boring Britpop. What was most interesting about the album was how many hints of the Gorillaz's sound that could be found here. That got me thinking about Gorillaz, and how Damon Albarn's music evolved from early Blur, to this album, to the Gorillaz. So then I looked to see what Gorillaz album or albums were on the 1001 list. There are no Gorillaz albums on the list!!! What!? Their debut used to be on the list, but was removed in more recent editions. Gorillaz were refreshing and interesting and even groundbreaking. Every other British album ever made is on the list, so why not Gorillaz? I can't decide whether to dock this album a star (from a baseline of 3) due to my anger at the list, or to give at extra star because that first Gorillaz album is a 4 or 5 start album and I have nowhere to rate it.

Oh Blur, there are some moments where I like the music and then you go and ruin it with something I actively dislike. You could be so much better.

I heard Song 2 a bunch in college. I’m pretty sure until today it’s the only Blur song I’ve ever heard. I now know why it’s called Song 2, which shouldn’t have been tough to figure if I had thought about it. There really isn’t much else exciting on here other than On Your Own. Apparently the band changed musical styles somewhat on this album and became “more aggressive.” There is not very much aggressive about this album to me. The ambling Essex Dogs is almost interesting except for the spoken word delivery (boring!) and being way too long.

The 90s feel, which I like, doesn't counteract the absolute ass vocals which are creaky and sound like they're being sung through a dehydrated hangover.

After I wrote in my review of Parklife a week or so ago that Blur was the 90s version of XTC, I found out that the band actually sought out XTC front man Andy Partridge to produce Modern Rubbish, the album preceding Parklife, so apparently that was what they were going for. Yuck. Supposedly, their self-titled album was Blur's attempt to break away from the Britpop style they pioneered after the genre imploded. The result is reminiscent of a chameleon changing colors. Blur is the same creature as it always was underneath, but on Blur (1997), it's taken on the protective coloration of Indie rock's stylistic quirks, i.e. grungy guitars, noise experiments a la Sonic Youth, Stephen Malkmus' vocal yelps, Pavement's deconstructive strategies, warped electronics, et al. This could be read as a cynical strategy to stay relevant, and it probably was, but damned if they don't do a convincing job of it, making the cloying Britpop at the core of their sound more palatable. Unfortunately, the most thorough transformations are front loaded, so as the album grinds on, Blue reverts to its shallow, twee Britpop roots. Look, there's a lot of craft and skill on display here, but it's in the service of what is ultimately a pretty vacuous take on British pop. You can polish a turd to a high gloss, but well, you know what I mean.

Another overall disappointing album from Blur. But it does have Song 2 (and to a lesser extent, Beetlebum and On Your Own) on it. Like the other Blur records on this list, beyond the singles it is pretty forgettable. 2.5/5 (a bonus 0.5 for Song 2).

Song 2 was probably once good but now reduced to nothing from overexposure. Pretty annoying voice. Silly. Don't really know what they sounded like before so can't see why this was a change Theme from reto is pretty ok Death of a party drums Chinese Bombs good Can see how this fits into 1997 Essex Dogs good

Уныленько и неинтересно. Всё ещё не понятно, как их можно сравнивать с Oasis, это же вообще разные вещи. ... Окей, возможно что-то интересное и есть, например Death of a Party ---- Буду ли я это переслушивать? НЕТ

Woo hoo! All I knew about this album prior to listening was Song 2, and it set me up for disappointment. Genre hopping is fun and all, but none of the journeys went anywhere particularly good...

Levy ratsastaa kahden hyvän biisin maineella

Meh, don't particularly like the singing got the WoHoo song: Song 2

meh.

Kind of boring honestly, and when it wasn't it was just irritating.

all over the place stylistically

Not really appealing Music takes to long + no crescendo 2/5

I only liked Song 2 :(

I was only familiar with one song. I am kind of indifferent on the album as a whole.

Eh, this is the most I haven listened to this band. Song 2 was always fun, but I doubt I ever have a desire to listen to much more of their stuff.

Not too offensive but not my type of alternative rock (i.e. there's lots of alt rock that I think is better than this).

Mja, ik was toch meer van Oasis in die tijd. Hoewel ik het bij Gorillaz minder storend vind, trek ik die stem van Albarn hier toch minder goed. Song 2 ken ik natuurlijk maar dat is het dan ook wel.

Sikkert kult men ikke helt for meg

Bof..

Blur is not that good

Was cool, the latter 80% was forgettable though

I've always wanted to enjoy this album a lot more than I do, and I know I should rate it higher. "Song #2" is of course a blast. Much of the record is good-ish and seems like it would be something I enjoy, but I get a bit impatient with the songs partway through most of them.

WOOOOOO hoo

I listen to this and feel nothing. Strange, cuz I really enjoy their other work.

Quite generic songs, poor tracklist arrangement. The whole album went by like a blur :P

1-3 good songs rest is just experimental indie that sounds dreadful.

Not the greatest

Kinda okay album. I didn’t find it particularly interesting. I did enjoy the song beetlebum a lot tho.

Tracks 1& 3 weird noise - meh lyrics. Song 2 - great track, that's why it was so big You're so great, best track yet though trying too hard to give that "old record sound" most of the others it sounds like the guitars were recorded waay too loud. Most songs are just noise, not really structured. maybe was not in the mood for it? Sound more like songs that would be fun to go see live but not on an album

It was alright. Song 2 is a banger for a reason but I didn't think there was anything else special about it

Of the entire track list, only Song 2 and On Your Own made it into my everyday listening.

meh

Wasn’t a fan then, still not now. Don’t get it. Very hard listen

I had to talk myself back into finishing this three times...

Awful singing.

Some decent songs I guess. I’ve definitely heard Song 2 before, but that’s about it.

Really disappointing- annoying and whiny. They can do so much better so they only get a one

This album was not my vibe.

No me ha gustado ninguna excepto Song 2, obviamente. Mucho Fifa. Luego me enteré de que hicieron esta canción como crítica al rock and roll de este estilo como Nirvana, diciendo que era muy fácil y que cualquiera podía hacerlo. La única que me ha gustado. Un 1 por Song 2

Hate it

Awful

If someone asks you the question, "Oasis or Blur?", the answer should be a resounding "fuck off you cunt".

Just didn't like it.

Damon Albutt has a fucking awful voice. Who listens to this shit? Fucking Oasis vs Blur? Holy Christ listen to Radiohead if you want “innovative sound”. Fuck this band.

I really tried to come to this with an open mind but it is SO boring… dreadful

Too boring, safe and does nothing for me. Nothing wrong with the music, but it's not for me.

Something about this album gives me a headache

The only song worth listening to on this album is song 2, the rest of this album is an in-cohesive mess, I actually had to pause it multiple times during Essex Dogs it was that bad to listen to Would give this a zero if I could

One star because you are making me review it.

Ugh. This started out okay, but it got more and more painful as the album continued. I no longer wonder why I never heard any of this album except for Song 2. If I want to listen to Hüsker Dü or Pavement, I would just put them on and actually enjoy what I was listening to.

favs: song 2 country sad ballad man strange news from another star rating 1/5

We don't like Blur in this household. Rude, self-important, pretentious Brits thinking they were making waves when it was just a drop in a lake. Rude to interviewers, rude to fans, rude to producers. This album has their one famous song that elevated their ego to astronomically unrealistic levels. Ironically, their best and most popular and famous song was them trying to poorly imitate and make fun of American rock music of the time. Little did they know that their poor mockery would be better than the rest of their entire anthology. The whole album is a stepped in wet shit. 1/10.

GOING IN: Not fussed really LISTENED WHILE: moving furniture FAMILIARITY: Know the artist, not the album SKIP RATE: Gave up entirely REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: Strong start, tailed off VERDICT: Waste of my time BODY'S VERDICT: Statue mode FAVOURITE TRACK: Beetlebum My Rating: 1

Did not finish, didn’t really get into it. Wild sounds.

Boring

The instrumental components are kinda listenable (though mostly "why bother", verging on tedious/fatuous) but the vocals (lead and backing) are wildly off-putting, and the lyrics (unintelligible from audio, foolishly I looked them up) are IMHO shit. Too many songs I had to skip on first listen (couldn't make other people in the room put up with them), and found painfully tedious on second attempt. 1/10 is as low as my scale goes. (I hope the generator doesn't ask me to listen to anything worse than this ... fingers crossed.)

Snooze

What a fucking joke. On it’s own merits an album like this can’t rate higher than a 2, but when you realize this bunch of vacuous twats have 2 albums on this list when bands like Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Yes rate 1 you’ve really got to question the validity of the whole project. One, for spite if nothing else.

Did not buy what they were selling, couldn’t make it to song 3

Niet echt mijn smaak dit ga ik niet vaker luisteren. Zet hiervan ook geen nummers in afspeellijst.

not a fan. it was boring imo and did not bring much to the table that i was seeking. maybe im jn a bad mood. but i jUst wanted it to end

One recognizable song with an unrecognizable name = Song 2. Lots of skips for me. 1/5

Plodding, uninteresting, depressing. Sometimes I think the scope of my musical interests must be incredibly narrow because I find the majority of the albums on this list not to my liking. People have told me I'm a musical snob. Probably true. On the other hand, I'm always listening to music of one sort or another. I listen to rock, jazz, classical, country, bluegrass, and much more. A lot of the music presented here just bores me. Still, it exposes me to music I wouldn't have otherwise paid any attention to. Is it giving me exposure to different types of music or am I just wasting my time? I don't know.

Did not finish, didn’t really get into it. Wild sounds.

This list loves its Brit Pop. Too bad so much of it's shit--this is no exception. Would I listen to again? Heck no.

This album contains some evidence that Blur were trying to move on/break away from/transcend the Britpop sound, and I can give them a point for that. But it still proves the conclusion I’ve come to over the course of this list — Britpop bands were all just trying to copy the sound and attitude of David Bowie’s 70s career. “M.O.R.” and “On Your Own” literally sound like Bowie ripoffs. And the ones that don’t sound like demos. You know, the farther I get into this album the less grace I want to extend. I take back my point. This sucks.

55

Honestly I try to be positive about the albums I listen to, but..... This apparently marked a new musical direction. It may be a new direction but it is hardly musical. I can't give any more than 1 star

Going through this project is just listening to a battle between Radiohead and Blur, and they're trying to figure out who can make the most drab sounding crap. I'm not sure who's winning, but I'm definitely on the losing end. 1 star.

The fact that this album was included makes me think the book came out about the same year. One hit wonder.

Meh. A pretty high chaff to wheat ratio. I'm not into this much. It would've gotten a higher rating if I'd never listened to it.

Already rated this and didn’t like it. Too abrasive but I liked some of the songs

I think this album only was justified to be on this list because of one Song 2. And i don’t think that song is good enough carry that weight.

Too abrasive. Liked some of the songs a lot though. Didn’t listen to the last 1/4

This is dogshit. Incredibly bland and mildly annoying. Not sure i can bring myself to fini. sh it

Didn't like it when it came out, don't like it now

liked the other blue album way better this one wasn’t good at all

As a guitarist this offends me

I just didn’t vibe with this at all (would accept partially because of my preoccupied mental state) so maybe 1/5? I just didn’t care for it

Not a fan

This had one song that was good the rest was a “blur”, ahhh get it But seriously was shit

Worthwhile as a warm-up to the far suprerior Think Tank, but seriously did not dig this. Why does it feel like Damon isn't trying to sing? Pandering to the American market methinks - successfully at least.

Not my thing

not my jam

Song 2 struck a nostaligic chord for a sports video game of my past. The rest of the album seems to lack like Parklife did. 2/10

I love when a band puts thought into the order and the flow of the album. This was a mess and all over the place.

Art school in-jokes, lad pub grim, headache all the way down. Music for radio rotations, warm lager festivals and corporate fairgrounds.

Wow I strongly disliked this album. It sounds like random garage metal that didn't fit together and often vaguely/strangely reminded me of other songs I've already heard of.

Worse than Oasis, not one good song. Still this horrible mix that destroys the dynamic range.

I don't want to spend more time on this than I already have. Its whatever. Some songs were annoying, some were eh. Only decent song was Death Of A Party. Best song: Death Of A Party

with the exception of Song 2, mostly uninterested

Other than track 2 - this album was not my vibe! Song 2 seems to be an outlier to the entire album.

I guess someone thinks this is spectacular? I couldn't even get through it.

I poked around, and I think the NAM version of Blur is Pavement. This album played long after my enjoyment for it ended. The only song I didn't hate on this album was Song 2, and I didn't love it.

I actively did not like this album. I kept looking at the song list and thinking "is it over yet?" The first 2 songs started off okay, and I thought "Maybe I was wrong about Blur". Nope. Same opinion. What would this be equivalent to in North America, since this is considered "Brit-pop"? Green Day? Third Eye Blind? Or is more along the lines of Nirvana, Soundgarden? Anyway, this is a terrible album.

An unappealing blur is the best way to describe Blur. Overly long with one song worth listening too.

noniin vhidoinkin täyttä paskaa, vähän menny yläkanttiin viimeaikoina arvostelut. woo-hoo. tällähän ei ole ollenkaan arvoa musiikkimaailmassa, ei pahemmin kun kävellä ohi ja ivailla vähäsen kun tämmöstä näkee. woo-hoo. kammottavintahan on se että vielä yksi albumi tältä porukoilta tulossa ja pelottaa, pelottaa pimeät yöt tämän takia. woo-hoo. blurs unique and unmistakable sound, niin pari sanaa voisi sanoa tuosta mutta ehkä kävelen vaan ohi ja pikkasen ivailen mielummin kun tuhlaan tätä rajattua aikaani mitä täällä nyt sattuu olemaan. woo-hoo. haista blur paska olet turha bändi hyödytön ja tylsä, kuuntelijanne ovat vain pehmeitä päästä ja unohtaneet miltä oma olemus tuntuu ja seuraavat kavereita esittävät kiinnostuneita niin paljon että vakuuttavat itsellekkin että mukamass tykkäävät tästä. woo-hoo. thme from retro

No listening pleasure, unspectacular and boring.

Nah

I'd rather not, just like nirvana sounds like band practice of any angsty teenage band, shit, out of tune, lackluster musical talent

Too British, too much trying to act cute, all of the instruments blend together like a pavement song but not cool

Não consigo gostar de brit pop. Enjoa-me profundamente

Meh

Really not a fan

Day 5 - Blur's Blur This was fine. None of the tracks impressed me, and I only found a couple that I wanted to skip. I was starting to get really bored by the end. Song 2 is an old favorite, so I'm biased for that. But I still have to give it a 1/5 because that's the only song I particularly enjoyed out of the 14.

Oo song 2

Painfully long (and I'm talking about the shorter, original version, not the Special Edition - - why anyone would want over 2 hours of this drivel is beyond me). First song was okayish, second is well-known but that doesn't make it "good", the rest was just awful

Was mediocre at best, not my taste

> song2

No thanks. I don’t understand this album being one of the 1001 albums.

I can't even describe how bad this is. 1 star F-.

angole, jeden popularny utwor z fify i reklam i to by bylo na tyle

I can do without this album.

i dont really like blur tbh

Noisy

that gorillaz guy sounds really congested beetlebum

Irgendwie nicht. Gleichzeitig langweilig UND irritierend.

boring

Look, it’s not that I don’t get it, I just genuinely do not like it.

vocals are awful. Sounds like these "musicians" are playing different songs at the same time; no flow, no balance, nothing cohesive in what I was willing to listen to. There isn't a Zero Star rating so I guess I'll have to go with 1 Star sadly

Not for me

Did not like

Yikes

quite forgettable you could say it was a blur

i forgot that Damon Albarn is the frontman for Blur. i am actually usually a huge fan of his music, but he gets 1 star because of the shady shit he said about Taylor Swift. i will only pirate his music from now on.

I sure am glad that hour of my music listening is over 👎

Even though I recognized one song (Song 2), it’s not a song that I’d at as a favorite and the rest of the album isn’t something I’d consider re-listening to.

Its just not that good. Song 2 is great ofcourse

I never listen tot he actual album. a surpise to find the first track on the album a homage to Beetles (admitedlhy, if it werent for this lits I'd barely know the Beetles). Woo hoo for song 2. but the rest ? it is bitish shite rock whine... and some gjuitar noise.

A couple of the songs here are fun, but this album is a mess. It feels like they just said 'let's do a 'punk' one now'; 'Oh, now let's do Sonic Youth'. The only thread through this is Damon's mockney warbling. It's pop music - please stop pretending it's anything more. Yes, especially you, Mr Albarn.

“Beetlebum” was a catchy song to start on. “Song 2” is a dumb name for a song even if it is the sEConD sOnG oF tHe aLBuM. SO F*CKIN BRITISH. “You’re so Great” was not so great. I wish this album went by in a BLUR but at this point I still have seven songs to go. Why are there SO MANY??? The last song “Essex Dogs” was just 8 minutes of Damon whispering sweet nothings into my ears. Would not recommend to a friend. 2/10.

Stop giving me absolute mid euro rock. Song 2 is just ok. The rest I literally skipped through.

Did not enjoy other than their famous song.

"Beetlebum" seems to invoke The Beatles' sound. "Country Sad Ballad Man" is reminiscent of Beck. Is this what the English listen to? I found the lyrics to he mostly immaterial or unrelatible, the music simple, and the vocals boring... what I imagine Jack White's catalogue must sound like. "Strange News from Another Star" reminds one of what Bowie's take on Soundgarden's "Blow Up the Outside World" might have sounded like, and is a nice chuck of gold amongst pyrite.

One grest song does not a good album make. Song 2 is steeped in nostalgia of listening to Much Music's compilation album Big Shiny Tunes 2 in middle school. Other than that song, this whole album is a steaming pile of shit. I almost didn't get through it today. I had to listen in sections because it was just so truly awful. Overall, utter trash. No redeeming qualities. 1 star for Song 2. Favourite songs: Song 2 Least favourite songs: I'm Just a Killer for Your Love, Theme from Retro, Chinese Bombs, Strange News from Another Star, Movin' On, Essex Dogs 1/5

I really hated this album. Blur is not my thing. This album sounded like if the Gorillaz were bad. I literally didn't like one song on it.

Didn’t enjoy this album.

Ну чёт вообще никак... 4/10...

biisi 2 copied??.. heard somewhere else... song 6 good too..... Album.. shit...

I don’t remember ever hearing of this group. I don’t really like this type of music but for some reason the beginning of “Song 2” was really familiar to me. But I don’t know why or where/when. Couldn’t stand to listen to the whole album. Sorry, Blur…

I paused the album to listen to rammstein's keine lust. that's a great song. listen to that instead. -55 minutes/5 song 2 oasis is way better

gave it one star only because zero isn't an option

3 keer niks, wat heb ik toch (over het algemeen) een hekel aan punk.

Boe Boe Boe

Bad. They have their One Hit Wonder song on this album, and it really is the only hit on here. I like this genre but it seems... Lazy? It's just not for me.

While this album may have had some impact when released, it is entirely unremarkable and certainly does not belong amongst the top 1001 albums.

Blur is the prime example of how most Britpop actually sucked, but record labels couldn't help themselves after Oasis hit it big. A full fucking hour of this shit. And fuck Damon Albarn - Gorillaz fucking sucked too. 1/5.

Wish I could say WOOHOO to this album, but what a snooze fest. One memorable track, but was bored the rest. Nothing popped out memorable at all

Blech. Very generic.

SHITE LIIIIIIIIFE

This music did not touch me. I have no connection or reference point to it.

i didn’t like a single song on this album… sorry. actually maybe one but it was so unmemorable and amidst all the other terrible noises it does nothing to redeem itself. it sounded like they chunked a whole bunch of god awful noises together to make a song. just no.

In retrospect, this was a load of old pump, wasn't it? The most half-finished, half-baked sounding album encountered on this app so far, despite it dragging on for an hour.

Song 2 is the only song I liked. The rest just seemed to whine on and on. I would put blur in the one hit wonders mix.

This album was difficulty to listen too. I can not believe that this album should be on this list or that this band influenced music some how. I thought "Song 2" was an Offspring song. It was the only song I recognized or could understand, but this is not saying much as I though it sucked then and now.

Listened to this first time since my mid-late teens. It's been a struggle to not skip certain songs. Based solely on this album - I don't enjoy Blur. Don't have any songs I've enjoyed listening to either, it all seemed like white noise to me.

I was hoping that not the whole album would be as annoying as the obnoxious "Song 2". That hope didn't come true. It's chaotic, noisy, senseless and really pretty much without redeeming qualities. I gave up halfway through the fifth track.

Bande kojarze, ale kto nie zna bandy od muzyki znanej kazdemu od znawcow kina, graczy fifki, czy ogladaczy reklam, bo song 2 byl chyba wszedzie i juz samo uslyszenie tego utworu wywoluje odruch wymiotny, o ile jestem fanem innego projektu wokalisty blurowego, goryli, to tak ten albumik mi strasznie nie lezy, granie jak u punkow, spiewanie jak w popularnym roku, no i brytyjskie akcenty, az ciezko mi cos dodac na plejliste, ale dodam country sad ballad man, bo chyba tam najbardziej slysze obecny styl damona, czyli 2D

Els Blur sempre m'han semblat un grup de bons singles, però d'àlbums més aviat discrets. Aquest cinquè disc no n'és una excepció. Va ser el més exitós de la seva carrera, en bona part gràcies als dos temes inicials, "Beetlebum" i sobretot "Song 2". El primer és per mi una de les seves millors cançons, em sembla molt inspirada i en el seu moment va resulta sorprenent venint d'ells. En tot cas, un cop passada la sorpresa inicials d'aquestes dues composicions inicials, el disc cau en picat i no aconsegueix remuntar el vol. S'agraeix l'intent de dotar de més protagonisme a les guitarres, inspirant-se en el rock independent dels EEUU, però l'àlbum es fa llarg i molt, molt pesat, com gairebé sempre em passa amb ells. Si no fos pels dos primers temes, seria un disc oblidable.

You gave up quick

1/21/21

4 stars