13 > Modern Life > Parklife > Blur > Leisure > Great Escape > Think Tank
Think Tank was OK but it never really felt like a Blur album. And Great Escape still has Universal despite ALL it's flaws. Can't believe so many have voted for it. I've been there from the beginning too, buying She's So High on release and 13 is their best album. It's genius.
Parklife and not just because I had a good chat with mod Legend Jimmy aka Phil in Walkabout just before his guest appearance at the Centre. This is a Low, End of the Century & To the End are sublime contrasting with the jumpy openers. Saw them at Ally Pally with Pulp & Mile End Park, Centre x 2 (inc night before Radiohead once) & 'surprise' intimate Paradox(or whatever it was) when they kicked off with the most berserk start to a gig I can remember of the vastly underrated duo Jubilee & Charmless Man.
Next time you have 6 minutes spare before you go out stick those two on live & you'll be jumping for the rest of the evening
Happy days
I've yet to vote. It will not be Leisure, nor The Great Escape. The first is a bit baggy-by-numbers and TGE is a bit weak. I really like all the others equally and for varying reasons.
At the time of its release Parklife seemed like nothing else I'd ever heard and I had that album on a loop in my Kenwood discman for the best part of a year. However, as much as I still love Parklife today, I think Modern Life Is Rubbish trumps it overall as an album. It's just slightly more serious a record.
I wasn't as keen on The Great Escape and found the self titled album very hit and miss. 13 had some belters and some weird shit too, then Think Tank I don't really consider true Blur given the absence of Coxon although it does have some great tunes like Good Song.
My personal best of Blur would have probably two tracks from Leisure (There's No Other Way and Repetition), most of Modern Life Is Rubbish, 8 or 9 tracks from Parklife, and then a smattering from the rest including Yuko & Hiro, Strange News From Another Star, Tender, No Distance Left To Run and Good Song.
This thread has reminded me just how much I ruddy LOVE Blur so I'm cranking up the stereo to get me in the mood before the afternoon's disappointment brings me back to reality
Saw Blur 23rd May 1994 at The Event. Bloody briliant. Also 29th July 1995 supporting REM at Milton Keynes. Just found the old ticket stubs! Always very good live, just need to find the rest of my tickets ....