In 1993 and 1994 it was all a bit 'cor blimey guv' and catchy upbeat sing-a-long numbers driven along by the classic sounds made by a line-up consisting of singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer.
Things had changed a lot by 1997....
To be fair, Blur released a lot of great songs in 93 and 94, many of them being introspective and sad ballads, hat have aged a lot better than the likes of Parklife and Country House. And yes, it wasn't always down to the use of the guitar-genius of Graham Coxon to make these songs memorable - some of their best and catchiest used keyboards - e.g. Girls and Boys.
But very few fans were prepared for the self-titled 1997 LP. It sold less in the UK than more recent albums but sold far more in other countries. Blur and Britpop had parted forever....indeed their turning their back on the sound and movement that had brought them immense fame and fortune was the beginning of the end. That and it being endorsed by politicians.
I was thinking all this the other day when a stunning remix of one of the tracks on Blur came on the i-pod shuffle. The song that to me was their sign-off from Britpop. Something that I had not quite forgotten how good it was, but for the first time I was listening with a decent pair of headphones and I turned it up loud. Sorry it's the usual shitty mp3 low-fi quality on offer. But you should get the drift:-
mp3 : Blur - Death Of A Party (12" Death)
It's taken from a Japanese CD called Bustin and Dronin' although it may well be available elsewhere. As I said, it's stunning.....it's more than 7 minutes long ....it's a mix by Adrian Sherwood and it's miles from the poppy stuff - it's almost reminiscent in places musically of Ghost Town - and it has a chorus Mozza would have been proud of:-
Another night
And I though well well
Go to another party
And hang myself
Gently on the shelf.
Feel free to sing along boys and girls.
2 comments:
Lots of buzz over about Blur possibly playing some festivals in the US next year. I have not been lucky enough to see them when Coxon (guitar hero of mine) was in the line-up and I'd pay my rates to see a show with him in it. Out here in California there's a 3-day outdoor festival called Coachella every April. I see there's a Blur gig scheduled in Europe shortly afterward, so perhaps the stars will align...
Another fun post, JC. I like Blur because they've continued to evolve without compromising their unrelenting...Britishness, for lack of a better word.
That's a great one. I've really enjoyed the 2012 2-cd reissues of their albums this year, but mostly due to the b-sides included on the 2nd disk. For the most part they're almost as good (in some cases, better) than the songs on the original album. Have to disagree, though, on Parklife (the song) aging badly. It may have been overplayed in England, but here it still sounds fresh. To me, that's like saying Waterloo Sunset has aged poorly, or Texas Fever has aged badly.
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