Title: Parklife
Artiste: Blur
Genre: Britpop
Familiarity: Who doesn't know Blur? Mind you, I've never listened to one of their albums all the way through...
Recommended by: TechnicLePanther
Expectations: If it's all like the title track then it should be pretty enjoyable. Not expecting too much in the way of surprises.
1. Girls and boys: I know this one of course, one of their big hit singles. Very new-wave feel to it I feel, though this was ten years too late for that.
2. Tracy Jacks: It's ok, but a bit limited I feel. Good fun, certainly but a little of a comedown after the opener. Is that violin at the end?
3. End of a century: Oh this has a very Oasis feel to it. Which is to say, I guess, Beatles.
Sounds like they filched part of the melody of “Our house”... Much better though.
4. Parklife: Always loved this; the spoken word part, the chorus, the imagery of a sleepy English town on a Sunday. Quintessential.
5. Bank holiday: Almost punk in its speed and energy, another good fun track with a great guitar line. Short though.
6. Deadhead: Nice brass intro, ticks along nicely, sort of relaxed, certainly compared to the last track! Very Robbie Williams though.
7. The debt collector: Hmm. Sounds like we've gone to the carnival!
8. Far out: Indeed. This is a weird little track.
9. To the end: This one is nice. Like the strings keyboard line.
10. London loves: Certain amount of funk in this; synth is very 80s new wave though. Meh, it's all right I suppose.
11. Trouble in the message centre: Again, I hear totally new wave here. It's a good song but nothing terribly special I feel.
12. Clover over Dover: It's a nice upbeat song with a good melody. It's okay.
13. Magic America:Let's go plunder The Beatles' catalogue again, huh?
14. Jubilee: Good to hear them getting back to the guitar rock. Bit late though as we're near the end of the album. Still, this is a far better track than anything I've heard in the last half hour or so.
15. This is a low: Nice laconic acoustic guitar, laidback track, like it.
16. Lot 105: Awful, crappy, silly closer. Good god.
End result: In general I'd have to say I'm disappointed. There were some good tracks, sure, but how this passes as one of the classic albums of the time is beyond me. I just don't get it. Mind you, I'm kind of more an Oasis guy anyway. But even though I tried to like a lot of the stuff here I just couldn't get into much of it. As I said to TLP at the time I was listening to this, give me Deacon Blue over this any day of the week. Or Prefab Sprout. Or Westlife. Okay, not Westlife. But there are a whole lot better British or even Irish acts that can piss all over this so-called classic. Meh.
So, Love or Hate? I won't Meh it but I can only raise a weak
Like really.