BLUR SELF-TITLED ALBUM POLL (1997)

No, do not get your coat. It is good.

So many good ones, but I had to go with my teenage love: Essex Dogs. If I had two votes, I'd also throw something up for CSBM, which I adore..

track ten is the zero vote magnet, right?

'on your own' for sure.

On Your Own, far and away their best song.

whoa whoa tap the brakes there fella

on your own - highly underrated and great fun!

On Your Own IS great, but the video was terrible. At least M.O.R. gave us Sabotage-style pseudonyms! Morgan C. Hoax! AJ Sexmeal!

nice to see some love for OYO actually, and I loved the video. I remember specifically seeing it the first time I went to Cambridge Strawberry Fair and I have the two intrinsically linked in my mind.

I always thought Song 2 was fun, if a little, well, obvious even for Blur. Country Sad Ballad Man is great too. I sold all my Blur albums shortly after they went supernova. On Your Own won them back for me.

I hated MOR.

"On Your Own" is fabulous for the guitar effect alone. This record is now a damn good 4-song ep for me, Beetlebum, Song 2, On Your Own, Strange News From Another Star.

Have not listened to it in ages but On Your Own is the song that jumps clear back into memory so it's got to be that really.

I remember that the cardboard booklet for this album had a particular smell that lasted until about 2001.. my copy no longer smells of new Blur album, sadly.

Essex Dogs was my favourite song FULL STOP for a couple of years. So, that. Still Blur's finest moment and one of the great truly experimental forays by an erstwhile pop band.

I'd love to hear what anyone else has to say EXCEPT clueless Americans who say "I only liked 'Song 2'" who can frankly go suck on several hot dogs.

Hope you're listening, milo z.

Clueless Americans will say, "I only liked 'Whoo Hoo.'" Just for the record.

"great but what happened to Song 1?"

this album is actually gr8

beetlebum IS a contender but i need to give this a whirl first

That's weird. I'm sure I posted to this thread about ten minutes ago and it's vanished. Anyhoo - 'Beetlebum' narrowly beating 'Country Sad Ballad Man' for me.

Clueless Americans will say, "I only liked 'Whoo Hoo.'" Just for the record.

Yeah, you've outdone me, here. OTM.

"Song 2" is the only track that isn't awful

LOL

Beetlebum. This album was pretty much my gateway into "indie" music, and I bought it right after catching the Beetlebum video on 120 Minutes, so there's probably no other single song that has had as big an impact on my musical taste. And it's still my favorite on here.

Easily "Beetlebum". While this album was a step in the wrong direction in a lot of ways, it still had several great songs on it. But none as great as the wonderful pop song that was "Beetlebum".

I can understand the love for "On Your Own" too though. Would have been my second pick here. I do not understand the love for "Song 2" however - only beaten by "Chinese Bombs" for the worst song here!

ahahaha geir.

"Beetlebum" was sort of spoiled for me because it immediately brought the Spike Jones "horse race" skit to mind.

(the nag in it, which eventually wins, was called beetlebum, as DAlbarn well noes)

There's nothing wrong with Song 2. Some of us had the album well before Song 2 was either released or popular, and can see it for what it is above what the pleb masses made it.

Anyway, You're So Great is beautiful. Only just pips Beetlebum and On Your Own. Only just. The whole album (like 13) is magic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXRj9lSnJnI

damnit, this is the only 'version' youtube has. I have this on an old VHS in the loft, proper performance, horse racing film and all.

representing for Movin' On, Chinese Bombs a close second.

i can't recall the beetlebum video - what happened in it?

the band are playing in a room while all seemingly high on drugs, then they stop playing and all lie on the floor and the camera starts whirling around, flying out the window and then doing a sort of pendulum pan up into the morning sun over the coda

Then the speccy one moans about All Saints for 5 minutes.

thanks bimble, for starting this poll! so excited to be listening to this album again, no matter how bizarre it feels to love it. country ballad man is pretty fuckin awesome but i'm still listening :D

I have about seven or eight different version of singles from this album, all based around "MOR" or "On your own" with differing content: Peel Acres sessions, Other radio shows, Remixes, etc...

i voted!! beetlebum.

"Beetlebum" was sort of spoiled for me because it immediately brought the Spike Jones "horse race" skit to mind.

(the nag in it, which eventually wins, was called beetlebum, as DAlbarn well noes)

-- Mark G, Thursday, 17 July 2008 09:40 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Link

this represents a plus point in my book. Thank-you music lovers was one of my favourite childhood albums.

The whole album (like 13) is magic.

It is of course way better than the disaster that was "13". But the only "magic" Blur albums were "Parklife" and "The Great Escape".

Even though they were dragged down by "Bank Holiday" and "Globe Alone" respectively. Both horrible.

I have about seven or eight different version of singles from this album, all based around "MOR" or "On your own" with differing content: Peel Acres sessions, Other radio shows, Remixes, etc...

-- Mark G, Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:41 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

The shittiest thing about the end of Blur's career was the lack of new b-sides: we still got some, but yeah - lots of Peel sessions, Buddokan stuff, etc etc.

I've got all the albums (and Bustin'+Dronin')...are the B-sides worth it? I love all the phases of their career but prefer the experimental stuff (13 is their crowning achievement IMO).

I only really collected the b-sides up to Blur so I can't comment on the (sparse number IIRC) of 13 era b-sides... but I have always found that their b-sides are just as strong and sometimes much more fun than their album tracks - they weren't afraid to be even more goofy, dramatic, etc. Their early b-sides are full of indie guitars and punky vocals, and their mid-career stuff was sort of Parklife II.

I think the b-sides from the last few albums tended toward being Radioheadesque digital jams

^^^must hear these

13 wasn't THAT Radioheadesque at all, though, it was lovely and rangy and spazzy and barely-controlled. Fucking awesome, in other words.

Off the top of my head, I can think of.. Beagle 2 and Optigan... I didn't say 13 was Radioheadesque but the b-sides (I only heard them once or twice, to be fair) were closer to that than Parklife!Blur..

LJ otm. 13 needs a lot of time to settle in, but when it does... wow.

I remember first wanting to hear 13 because I heard "Tender" somewhere and loved it. The first few times I listened to the album, I would listen to "Tender" and then avoid the rest. Then one day I gave the rest a go. Nowadays I start with "Bugman" (one of the most genuinely amazing songs released by any British band in the 90's) and play on through from there. :D

Yes! It sounds like a mess until you give about 30 spins.

They played "Woo-hoo" as soon as I walked inside my gym today. I lol'd.

Aw you make me want to go through every track extolling its delights but uh-oh I already did so once and that spawned enough memes. :(

Suffice it to say that nobody else has done anything quite like it, in terms of multi-layered, micro-managed electronic guitar-rock. More dance producers should tackle adventurous avant-indie bands, you might argue, but the chemistry here was perfect, the climate just right for awesome sonic hi-jinks that actually worked themselves into a coherent-yet-completely-varied whole. The real argument is that more bands should just let go completely.

Okay, woah, woah, woah. Doesn't the first part of "Theme From Retro" remind you of the first part of Dead Kennedys' "Holiday In Cambodia"????

your points are intriguing but irrelevant, since Song 2 is the answer... COME ON OF COURSE IT IS!

I think the one-way ILX discourse of "lol limey retards" needs a reversal, at times.

even limey retards know this one, tho.

limey retards and only limey retards

"limey retards" is redundant, amirite? :)

I'm willing to bet that every song will get a vote except "theme from retro" and the bonus.

Theme From Retro is probably in my top 5 album favourites. Shame if it gets 0.

Dear Americans, Song 2 is rubbish. You are all cheap thrill-junkies with no feel for the possibilities of music. Thank you! :)

Hahaha LJ to the rescue again in a single bound!

poor, poor, poor.. ouch Song 2

All I know it's it's fucking 6:45 AM here and I was just about to fall asleep at last when Parklife the title track came on and wowowow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Great, that "Death Of A Party" somehow got 6 votes, thought I was the only one who voted for it.

shocked no one voted for "country sad"! good track.

That was the main thing I noted, too, Zeus, that "Death of A Party" placed so highly. I was really pleased about that.

Blimey, lots of love for "Country sad" but no votes!

Although I never liked it much.

huh!

this album is still good. On Your Own is top 5 Blur

as a transitional album, it shows Blur experimenting with new influences and certain songwriting hallmarks that Damon would later capitalise on further.

Songs like 'I'm Just A Killer For Your Love' and 'The Death Of A Party' are proto-13, proto-Gorillaz, although I didn't realise it at the time: swampy, downbeat and groove-based without much in the way of lyrical depth.

I never need to hear Song 2 ever again.

MOR was a strange choice of single: other than some cool guitar FX, it's wholly unremarkable. Moving On is also unnecessary filler.

P much everything else is worthwhile though. Definitely the start of a sound I would find myself enjoying less, but retaining Damon's interest in pop melodies which he would later shake off

"you're so great" is the best song coxon ever wrote

I really like Coffee + TV personally

One of the criticisms I've heard leveled at Blur is that they were bandwagon jumpers, and often late to the party with it. That, or that they were merely a jumble of influences with no ideas of their own.

Even if this were the truth, it misses the point. I don't think Blur's core audience in the 90s really gave much of a shit. If anything, Leisure opened me up to shoegaze. Parklife opened me up to bands like Wire. Great Escape was a primer for getting me into the second Specials album. I'd not bothered with Pavement until I heard the self titled album. I was young with a library card and a copy of Select magazine. Hearing these influences which I didn't realise were influences all on one CD was perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n8k0fB82nU&ab_channel=GrayGuitars

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n8k0fB82nU&ab_channel=GrayGuitars

FUCK

I was young with a library card and a copy of Select magazine.

The front line of every revolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n8k0fB82nU&ab_channel=GrayGuitars

This album meant so incredibly much to me around the time it came out, and now I feel like I struggle to remember how any of these songs went. It was such a time and a place, and that time is gone and I no longer live in that place.

has anyone made the "Country Bad Salad Man" joke yet?

Man I love this album. Not really a Blur fan otherwise, parts of 13 notwithstanding. Love the sound of this thing

would’ve voted death of a party probably. theme from retro is rad, Essex dogs is rad.. mor is rad... oh man

blur seem to do trip hop rather well? see also: trailerpark

As a wee American I was sorta perplexed by blur before this album came out. It seemed like.. extremely English music by English people for English people or something.. a real stark contrast to Oasis’ thing (the only context I ever heard mentioned pre-97 was on MTV re oasis beef). idk this is probably gibberish.

Not much of a fan, but I love "You're So Great."

country sad ballad man deserved a vote!!

I haven't really listened to this album in the last 20 years, but I still often come back to All Your Life and Dancehall, both much better than anything on the LP imo.

my favorite part of the album is probably the outro to “beetlebum”... the way Graham bends the third note of his guitar part and how it meshes with each chord in the progression.. really sets my heart a flutter

Polished Stone is also a fantastic B-side from this time

“uh oh what’s that device right there”