It's been awhile, but I'm finally back with a new Top Ten List. This one is for Blur, great stalwarts of the 1990's Britpop Wars.
From Wikipedia:
The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed "The Battle of Britpop". Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis ultimately decided to release their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten. At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single. The Great Escape was released in September 1995 to rapturous reviews, and entered the UK charts at number one. The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational". However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in America), the media quipped that "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war." Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused".
I always was on the side of Oasis in these battles, but to be fair, Blur was (is?) a great band too. The Britpop Wars were one of the most fascinating periods in rock history, and it was great to be able to have been a part of it. When I finally hit the British shores in the summer of 1999 (to attend the University of Cambridge) I came prepared to pick up loads of import discs. It was as if I finally got a chance to be a part of the culture that I felt most attached to.
I preferred Blur's softer, more "English" side - English in the way that the Kinks, the Jam, the Smiths, the Stone Roses, etc. were quite English.
So, without further ado, here is my Top Ten Blur Songs.
10. Tracy Jacks
9. Parklife
8. Coffee & TV (awesome video)
7. To The End
6. This Is A Low (killer live version
5. She's So High
4. No Distance Left To Run (one of the greatest break up songs of all time)
3. Beetlebum
2. The Universal (amazing Kubrick inspired video)
1. Tender
From Wikipedia:
The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed "The Battle of Britpop". Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis ultimately decided to release their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten. At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single. The Great Escape was released in September 1995 to rapturous reviews, and entered the UK charts at number one. The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational". However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in America), the media quipped that "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war." Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused".
I always was on the side of Oasis in these battles, but to be fair, Blur was (is?) a great band too. The Britpop Wars were one of the most fascinating periods in rock history, and it was great to be able to have been a part of it. When I finally hit the British shores in the summer of 1999 (to attend the University of Cambridge) I came prepared to pick up loads of import discs. It was as if I finally got a chance to be a part of the culture that I felt most attached to.
I preferred Blur's softer, more "English" side - English in the way that the Kinks, the Jam, the Smiths, the Stone Roses, etc. were quite English.
So, without further ado, here is my Top Ten Blur Songs.
10. Tracy Jacks
9. Parklife
8. Coffee & TV (awesome video)
7. To The End
6. This Is A Low (killer live version
5. She's So High
4. No Distance Left To Run (one of the greatest break up songs of all time)
3. Beetlebum
2. The Universal (amazing Kubrick inspired video)
1. Tender
