930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: brennser on May 01, 2007, 11:34:00 am
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getting back together (http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=31010)
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I asked Damon a possible reunion when he played here with the GB&Q and he was tight-lipped saying something about how he couldn't talk about it at this point in time, but he said it with a twinkle in his eye. I'm not surprised, I think they still have some good music left in them. Every era of Blur has something to offer, even their less-than-great LPs. "Beetlebum" still gets regular play...and I know I'm probably in the minority, but I have a major soft spot in my heart for Leisure.
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I've been reading about this too, and I'm glad about it. I think Blur's most interesting records have been their last three, and I've never been much interested in their Parklife/Escape sound. That said, I've also read that Damon's next step was a new (and final) Gorillaz album. And he's still touring with GB&Q isn't he? Jesus, he's a busy man.
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yay yay yay
i'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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coachella 2008, no doubt!
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i still listen to leisure all the time, but always loved MLIR :)
and a blur reunion would be great.
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I was never one to label some group of individuals as my "favorite" band, however....
I think the odd thing is that for every one of Blur's seven albums, you'll find a group of people who think it's their best. I mean you'll be hard pressed to find many people who think "Pablo Honey" is superior to "OK Computer" but with Blur, all seven have their supporters.
Put me in "The Great Escape" camp. I can't even describe (to me) the pop genius it contains. Billy Corgan stole the title. THAT album should have been called "Zeitgeist." A record about Prozac and the lottery....
Brian
P.S. And it has "Country House" on it.
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Funny, I didn't care much for the Great Escape when it came out, but there are about 3 of Blur's best songs on there: "The Universal", "Country House", and "Charmless Man". But after Parklife, I thought that some of the melodies were a bit contrived and it was the downside of Britpop. Which is why I loved it when they went all Pavement-esque a couple of years later and did stuff like "Beetlebum" and "I'm Just a Killer For Your Love". (I didn't care much for "Tender" either until they played it in concert in 2003 and then I was blown away by it.)
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ohhh tender is perhaps one of my favorite blur songs.
and is it super sad that i still get giddy and excited when blur comes on during britpop at the black cat?
:p
Originally posted by bearman:
Funny, I didn't care much for the Great Escape when it came out, but there are about 3 of Blur's best songs on there: "The Universal", "Country House", and "Charmless Man". But after Parklife, I thought that some of the melodies were a bit contrived and it was the downside of Britpop. Which is why I loved it when they went all Pavement-esque a couple of years later and did stuff like "Beetlebum" and "I'm Just a Killer For Your Love". (I didn't care much for "Tender" either until they played it in concert in 2003 and then I was blown away by it.)
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The Great Escape is good but I'm a Parklife guy. I actually really adored Think Tank. It's #2 or #3 for me.
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Im with Bearman on The Great Escape. I ended up buying the single to Country House and that is brilliant. Although in general I think each album has a gem or two :)
For me, MLIR is one of the few albums I can play all the way through thinking its pure genius. 13 tales from urban bohemia (from the dandy warhols) also has that same effect on me :)
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I thing I really love about them (and the main reason I love ANY artist, really) is their versatility. Their ability to master any pop form with panache. (Is it any wonder I also love Elvis Costello?)
I mean just look at the singles from "Parklife:"
Neo-disco club anthem ("Girls & Boys"),
Bond-theme torch ballad ("To the End"),
Knees-up terrace sing-a-long ("Parklife"),
and REM/Beatles resigned rumination ("End of a Century.)
Most bands don't cover that much ground in a CAREER.
God bless Blur.
Brian
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Funny how back around like 1995 a band like Blur (and Britpop in general) seemed to really be snubbed, even though they had a minor hit with "Girls and Boys". I think there was a bit of a backlash against their Anglo-ness. Oasis changed that of course, but they were kind of an anomaly. Supergrass, Blur and Pulp were all huge in England, but in the States they could barely fill places like the 9:30. I guess it takes time for folks to appreciate those types of bands, especially since so many people were listening to Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam back then and Blur was a total 180 from that whole scene.
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Awesome!
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Fucking Coachella... Crowded House had a similar experience in 2007, except they weren't headlining
https://x.com/strwberrynewts/status/1779517413270167869
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Blur didn’t exactly play the most festival friendly set either.. and they weren’t really a headliner either…
But, it would appear by all accounts Coachella is now a gathering of rich influences… and man do I hate that word
Blur definitely faired much better at their warmup gig. As they would at the Anthem show, had it not been for Biden. <shakes fist>
It’s more fun watching Grimes getting dragged by actual DJs. Word is what ever software she uses to auto mix tracks failed on her and she had no backup plan.
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Blur didn’t exactly play the most festival friendly set either.. and they weren’t really a headliner either…
But, it would appear by all accounts Coachella is now a gathering of rich influences… and man do I hate that word
Blur definitely faired much better at their warmup gig. As they would at the Anthem show, had it not been for Biden. <shakes fist>
It’s more fun watching Grimes getting dragged by actual DJs. Word is what ever software she uses to auto mix tracks failed on her and she had no backup plan.
Post like it's 2014?
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What’s the hook? Why would my followers care that I am posting a selfie of me in my cool brand deal outfit at the Blur set? Is Damon Albarn a celebrity judge on a show? Is he in a tabloid relationship? Has any fashionable young superstar publicly said Blur is a big influence? Why would anyone on the Coachella universe care?
If I recall Coachella didn’t give shit about the Stone Roses reunion either.
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Frustrated frontman for rock band that rose to fame in 90s unleashes on Coachella crowd: ‘You’ll never see us again’
https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2024/04/frustrated-frontman-for-rock-band-that-rose-to-fame-in-90s-unleashes-on-coachella-crowd-youll-never-see-us-again.html (https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2024/04/frustrated-frontman-for-rock-band-that-rose-to-fame-in-90s-unleashes-on-coachella-crowd-youll-never-see-us-again.html)
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You want the big festival paycheck suck it up…you should know what you are getting yourself into 35 years into your career.
They could have easily played places like the Anthem with packed houses, good sound and fans drooling over your every word. But Damon wanted the big paycheck for a one off….
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This could've all been avoided by Damon realizing his band(s) suck.
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"i like blur but it’s still funny to see a group of middle aged men realise in real time their music is obsolete to an entire generation lol"
--Random post on Twitter
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Also worth noting Blur were never big in the US. At all. At their Song #2 US peak in 1997 they were big enough to play Capital Ballroom in DC, Roseland in NYC.
Albarn’s legend has grown, but in the US, Blur’s has not, that I am aware of.
They really should be a 4pm in a tent band at Coachella
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Very true…
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So I guess I should count my lucky stars in having seen both Blur and Pulp at what was near to their peaks... Blur in 1995 on the Great Escape Tour when they had a horn section with them. Pulp in 1996 on the Different Class tour.
Now it seems that unless either of these do a co=headlining tour ala New Order/Pet Shop Boys, seeing them live will likely involve expensive travel. A co=headliner tour would likely get us a Blur setlist similar to what they are doing at the moment, which isn't nearly as good as what they did at Wembley.
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So I guess I should count my lucky stars in having seen both Blur and Pulp at what was near to their peaks... Blur in 1995 on the Great Escape Tour when they had a horn section with them. Pulp in 1996 on the Different Class tour.
Now it seems that unless either of these do a co=headlining tour ala New Order/Pet Shop Boys, seeing them live will likely involve expensive travel. A co=headliner tour would likely get us a Blur setlist similar to what they are doing at the moment, which isn't nearly as good as what they did at Wembley.
Don't worry Kosmo. That's when some of my favorite bands were at their best, too.
Apparently, we need to go to a Feelies show.
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So I guess I should count my lucky stars in having seen both Blur and Pulp at what was near to their peaks... Blur in 1995 on the Great Escape Tour when they had a horn section with them. Pulp in 1996 on the Different Class tour.
Now it seems that unless either of these do a co=headlining tour ala New Order/Pet Shop Boys, seeing them live will likely involve expensive travel. A co=headliner tour would likely get us a Blur setlist similar to what they are doing at the moment, which isn't nearly as good as what they did at Wembley.
Don't worry Kosmo. That's when some of my favorite bands were at their best, too.
Apparently, we need to go to a Feelies show.
There is no rational or legitimate reason why the Feelies should be as good as they are now, 40+ years on. It's mind-boggling and though I honestly don't think they'll be doing many/any shows in another couple of years, they know they're still good and they enjoy performing.
With a band like Blur (and I saw them in 1994 with Pulp opening...both were amazing), I really do wonder if they actually enjoy what they do, and if they appreciate and realize what they do best. Looking at that setlist from Coachella, the answer I have is probably not. I think Blur is a really good band. At one point, I thought they had a trajectory like the Kinks or maybe even the Jam...you couldn't be more Anglo, but still find a dedicated and loyal US audience. Maybe not a huge one, but one that appreciated them. What I find odd is that Coachella started off by booking bands LIKE Blur back in 1999. So much has changed in 25 years, and so why would they even bother booking them? That's not an audience that turns up for music anymore. But the fact that only 80% of tickets sold shows to me that Coachella has started to lose its focus. Someone told me where they really make money is on global streaming, but if you don't book the bands that get people to show up, that really doesn't make it a true world-class festival anymore. I stopped going when they made you purchase 3-day tickets. I don't want to be around that many people for 3 days in a row. But to me this year's lineup made me start to question the business sustainability of festivals. Lollapalooza's this year is an absolute joke. Like all things that become a brand, at some point it might be wise to discontinue them instead of trying to reinvent them. You can only do that so many times before it becomes a parody and pale shadow of what it used to be. And it's not just because they're artists I don't care for (or that I don't even know). The social media component of everything is exactly why a Fyre festival happens. It's all about people wanting to be part of something not for the experience, but the perception of it.
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I'm not sure where you're getting the 80% ticket sales number. I think I read the first weekend was sold out and the second weekend was not.
Perhaps they should just make it a one weekend festival, rather than repeating the same festival with the same bands two weeks in a row.
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rather than repeating the same festival with the same bands two weeks in a row.
is that actually what they are doing or is this a Spaceism
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I'm not sure where you're getting the 80% ticket sales number. I think I read the first weekend was sold out and the second weekend was not.
Perhaps they should just make it a one weekend festival, rather than repeating the same festival with the same bands two weeks in a row.
Billboard posted that. I'm just going by what they said.