Blur [1997]

[Kailey]

Discuss the songs, cover art, inside booklet, etc of Blur's self-titled fifth album.

[marilynroxie]

No replies in this one yet? D: I *love* this album sooo...it is a bit of a shame that Blur seem to just be primarily known for "Song 2" and, to some extent, this album, but hey, it's better than no Blur, and this is a great album! "Beetlebum" is perfect, "Death of a Party" has been a staple on my Halloween mixes for ages, "Strange News From Another Star" is epic and beautiful...!

[prettyengland]

i love this album so much, beetlebum kills me and strange news gives me shivers

[ezer57]

i saw a video clip by blur that showed the band sitting on a sunken lounge with producers while women in vinyl suites and black helmets dance around them but i missed the name. can anyone help out with a name and album ? i was told it's called song 3 but im not sure.

[notsomanicnow]

Yes, I like this album overall. I think 'Song 2' got a bit too much attention at the expense of other tracks. Though I understand its mainstream commercial value and see why it is popular for TV soundtracks, sporting events and why it broke them in the USA. 'Beetlebum' was quite a departure from the previous Blur sound and the album pointed towards a musical maturity whilst still retaining a good dollop of Blur quirkiness. A personal favourite is 'On Your Own' which was reminiscent of mid 70s music such as by David Essex and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel in both its production and the way Damon sings it in his "mockney" accent. But by the time it became a single in the mid-summer, important changes in the 'Britpop' landscape were on the horizon.

Were these changes precipitated in the good traditional Blur song that is 'Death Of A Party'? Did it refer to the 'Britpop era' coming to an end? I think thats what Damon might have been hinting at. Had they achieved what they had set out to do and was the buzz wearing thin?

The Labour Party under the leadership of Tony Blair and his deputies Gordon Brown and John Prescott had been courting Blur and Oasis (and the 'Britpop' movement in general) as they sought to come to power in the run up to the 1997 General Election. This relationship had been building up over three years, and in fact the seeds of it were sown at around the time that 'Britpop' first emerged. The Labour leaders saw 'Britpop' as a new upsurge of youthful energy that could be mutually beneficial to both factions. It would improve the profile of the British music industry, and the politicians would gain from the youth vote. Labour were in fact reaching out to work with the creative industries in general and the media termed the relationship as 'Cool Britannia'.

There was not normally any suggestion of politics in 'Britpop' lyrics (unlike the new wave bands of two decades earlier), but the relationship was there with the politicians attending music industry events, and the artistes (or their management) being invited for meetings at the political headquarters. After Labour reached power a function was held at no. 10 Downing Street and Noel Gallagher attended with Creation Records manager Alan McGee and their wives. Damon Albarn was invited but declined. To many observers it looked like the politicians had now achieved their aims. They would be in power indefinitely and their artistic friends were either now part of the mainstream, or were disposable.

Was it a recipe for decline? It coincided with the release of the overblown 'Be Here Now' which stagnated creatively and Britpop singles in general began to miss the top ten. A year later the genre had fizzled out.

[denton83]

I love this album. Beetlebum and Song 2 i played over and over when the album first came out.