Ranking The Blur Discography
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Parklife one of my favorite albums of all time a a huge defining moment for britpop and the 90s in general, I'm ranking all the Blur albums so far. It wasn't easy given how much I love this discography but after spending sometime on it I think I'm comfortable with my rankings.
8. Blur - 1997
The self-titled album lands here at 8 as the least "Blur" album of the bunch. The attitude is here as sharp as ever but the mock grunge music and high octane pacing conflicts pretty hard with Blur's usual sound. There are some tracks here like Song 2 and Beetlebum that can maybe help us reimagine Blur as an edgy american 90s rock band, but there's a reason that's not who they are.
7. Think Tank - 2003
Despite being released 12 years apart Think Tank was the trial run for Blu's next album and retrospectively it looks a little bit less meditative and veteran than it initially may have. Despite having some great moments that highlight Damon's growth as a song writer Think Tank doesn't have the deep cuts that the rest of the Blur albums make their lane out of.
6. Leisure - 1991
The always underrated Leisure comes in at #6, Blur's first album and one of the most inherently pop oriented is bright but has its sincere moments. Songs like There's No Other Way and She's So High are as catchy as tracks like Sing and High Cool are stylish and the variety of execution across this album is impressive. This album is the mark of a band that's already good and looking forward they're only gonna get better.
5. The Great Escape - 1995
Blur's 4th album lands here at #5 despite getting off to one of the best starts of any album in the 90s full stop. Stereotypes is a sharp class analysis piece with a killer hook, Country House is a jangly piece of pop rock that stands out in the crowded Britpop 90s and Charmless Man was Blur's farewell to britpop by describing it's essential character in all the snarky and unlikable detail. But the real gem here is what may be Blur's best song The Universal, the tune;s reflection of modern life and the direction it's going in is poignant and exquisitely performed, this may be the true music fans favorite Blur moment. If the consistency of the first half of this record had extended to the second it would likely be in conversation for the bands best.
4. The Magic Whip - 2015
Blur's huge comeback album The Magic Whip was a veteran move 12 years in the making. After releasing the brilliant single Under The Westway it was clear that there was a lust for the mature songwriting and meditative performances of an experienced Blur. That manifested itself in the many unique soundscapes they explore across this album. The dancy grooves of Lonesome Street, the ghostly synths of Pyonyang are some of the highlights but tracks like the surprise hit Ghost Ship and the fantastic ballad My Terracotta Heart round out a tracklist that is as no frills as any of Blur's projects.
3. Modern Life Is Rubbish - 1993
At #3 we have one of the best albums, and all of the top three records came out in the 90s, Blur is amazing. Modern Life is the real breakout moment for Blur as the album executed nearly an hour of sharply written, hilarious and perfectly placed songs that skewer the whole of British culture. At the forefront of Britpop was an album that adopted its sound just to criticize track after track the mockery the band felt had been made out of Britain in the tabloid era. Whether its love in For Tomorrow, waste in Chemical World or media in Advert the band isn't afraid to take anything on and they do it with brilliant songwriting and the eccentric mix of Damon's vocals and Graham's killer guitar work.
2. 13 - 1999
13 is the record that proved to the world that Blur was capable of SO much more than just Britpop. It features some of their most patient and momentous songwriting and demands to be heard on it's own terms, the hallmark of a band who knows how good they really. Coffee And TV became a big hit, performed and written by Graham Coxon, as well as Damon's love letter to choir vocals Tender. But 13 does to much more to add to these highlights within its tracklist. Songs like Mellow Song, No Distance Left To Run and Bugman are essential Blur moments that come at points you wouldn't expect. 13 is one of the most unique and ahead of its time rock albums of the 90s, but when you get right down to it, Blur wasn't who they were because they were ahead of their time.
1. Parklife - 1994
Very few albums in history are so perfectly an encapsulation of the culture surrounding them, Parklife is where Blur became a household name in England. Whether it's their perfect critique of class culture in the albums title track, the shipping industry in This Is A Low, nationalist lust in Magic America or the media's fascination with mystery in London Loves. Every song here serves a purpose to critique and indulge the exact time it takes place in and that's how its relevancy became timelessness. It's no surprise at all that Parklife never took off overseas because moment for moment on thus album is all about British life, songs like Girls And Boys and End Of A Century were artistic peaks that the country had been building to since The Beatles. There will never be another Parklife and it's importance to British music in the 90s can't be overstated, but sitting down and listening to it track for track, even in 2019, it's more than clear that Blur assembled one of the sharpest and best selections of tunes ever on this album. It's a clear #1 in so many categories.
Thanks for reading! Comment your favorite Blur songs or albums!
