Going Through Intense Blur Phase

[DavidCrosby]

....the other day me and my friend were talking about them and I hadn't listened to the band in a while so I busted out my copies of 13, The Great Escape, and Parklife and pretty much have not stopped listening to them since....

....I think out of all three Parklife is my favorite even though before the beginning of this week 13 used to be my favorite....I fucking love that song Terry Jacks off of Parklife, the whoohs at the end are incredible, I have come to the conclusion that they are the most British of all the Brit-pop bands to make it big over in America.....

[Penny Lane]

i think they're neck and neck w/oasis in that time period (mid to late 90s) Coldplay and Radiohead later on toppled them all though..(IMO)

[DavidCrosby]

Coldplay and Radiohead later on toppled them all though..(IMO)

....sorry, can't agree with that....I think Coldplay has written one song and they just change the lyrics and call it something else every time.....Radiohead, yes....Coldplay, NO!!!......not trying to start some dumb argument but I really dislike that band, they seem more interested in having matching clothes that go with their "new" record than actually making good music.....

[Penny Lane]

i was not making an argument that coldplay were/are GOOD---just saying that along w/Radiohead, they broke the market over here in a way that blur, oasis, super furry animals, supergrass, gomez--all those bands weren't able to do. i like most of blur's stuff, even 13 (the one w/'tender' right?) just saying that other than a few songs, it's too bad they didn't have a bigger impact--oh man, maybe i'll pull mine out if i can find them--the universal was such a good song--can't remember which album though

i remember back in 1996 (think that's the year) when blur's album came out the same day as oasis (WTSMG) and blur actually beat them...it was kind of the south against the north--but it turns out blur had some kind of marketing scheme where you had to buy 2 or you could get different versions? MJ--do you remember this at all?? it was HUGE--

[DavidCrosby]

i was not making an argument that coldplay were/are GOOD---just saying that along w/Radiohead, they broke the market over here in a way that blur, oasis, super furry animals, supergrass, gomez--all those bands weren't able to do. i like most of blur's stuff, even 13 (the one w/'tender' right?) just saying that other than a few songs, it's too bad they didn't have a bigger impact--oh man, maybe i'll pull mine out if i can find them--the universal was such a good song--can't remember which album though

i remember back in 1996 (think that's the year) when blur's album came out the same day as oasis (WTSMG) and blur actually beat them...it was kind of the south against the north--but it turns out blur had some kind of marketing scheme where you had to buy 2 or you could get different versions? MJ--do you remember this at all?? it was HUGE--

...very true about being popular over in America....I wasn't thinking about it like that, sometimes I wish you could record your voice saying stuff and not just reading what someone typed because the tone comes across snotty sometimes (ie what I said above)....I didn't realize that Gomez was from England, and I can't believe that Blur beat out Oasis, the brothers Gallagher must have hated that soooo much and put a picture of Blur on their dart boards....

[Penny Lane]

it was such an awesome time in brit pop---i was fortunate enough to be living over there the fall of 1997 and i got to see oasis at the GMEX in manchester right when Be here now came out---it was the only show ever where i feared for my life (getting crushed up against the fence in the front). there was no middle ground, you were a working class/northern fan of oasis or you were a student/cockney blur fan (if i recall correctly--maybe dragonboy or something will remember differently) they hated each other---i am/was a huge fan of noel gallagher so i was in the oasis camp--plus i was living in the north so i kind of understood of the slang used in the songs (round our way, the birds are 'mingin') etc...the first cd i ever bought was definitely maybe so i'm definitely more of an oasis fan, nothing beats definitely maybe, WTSMG and all their bsides. they were spitting those out like nobody's business...after be here now, the good songs were few and far between but always enjoyed noel's work w/the chemical brothers and other artists. sorry to turn this off of blur!! (huge digression) 8-) of course around that time OK Computer came out and blew them all away...never been the same

[mjkoehler]

Actually, I agree with DC. Of the Britpop bands that had any success in the US, they were the most "British". I think that turned a lot of American's off they as they had no clue what they were singing about and prevented them from being larger. There isn't too much out of the whole genre that I don't like. The very reason Blur wasn't bigger here is one of the reason I love the whole era. None of them really cared if they appealed to American sensibilities, at least in my opinion.

I'm envious Penny........very envious. I believe you are correct on the O vs. B war. DB wasn't/isn't a Blur fan if I remember from a past conversation.

Oh, and I do not like Coldplay. I actually prefer Snow Patrol over them. Go figure.

[Penny Lane]

i like coldplay's first 2 albums a lot--i just think they had a 2 album lifespan like a lot of bands. chris martin may be able to knock out a few solo hits w/some piano but i think they're done-zo. snow patrol had a couple good songs...but it's kind of a snooze for me (like keane and recent starsailor and travis albums) i'm more into the doves, elbow, spiritualized, that kind of thing...that said, i'm a huge Gorillaz fan

[mjkoehler]

i like coldplay's first 2 albums a lot--i just think they had a 2 album lifespan like a lot of bands. chris martin may be able to knock out a few solo hits w/some piano but i think they're done-zo. snow patrol had a couple good songs...but it's kind of a snooze for me (like keane and recent starsailor and travis albums) i'm more into the doves, elbow, spiritualized, that kind of thing...that said, i'm a huge Gorillaz fan

Snow Patrol's first 2 albums are fantastic...after that same as Coldplay. Never could get into Keane either. You pretty much ran through my Ipod there. Love Gorillaz. Love Elbow. Seldom Seen Kid will be my album of the year. Love Spiritualized

[DavidCrosby]

...in the past year I have really got into the whole Brit pop thing...I love it all, and Penny I am incredibly jealous you got to be in England in the late 90's....I never knew that Blur fans and Oasis fans were bitter enemies, its kind of funny, now I feel like I have to pick a side, I guess I am going to go with Blur though.....

....there is this really stupid bar near where I live called "bluu" yeah it's stupid and you call it "blue" but they way there sign says "bluu" I swear they stole it from Blur (how the name Blur looks on most of their records)....look at the link...

http://www.bluudanbury.com/

[Penny Lane]

...in the past year I have really got into the whole Brit pop thing...I love it all, and Penny I am incredibly jealous you got to be in England in the late 90's....I never knew that Blur fans and Oasis fans were bitter enemies, its kind of funny, now I feel like I have to pick a side, I guess I am going to go with Blur though.....

....there is this really stupid bar near where I live called "bluu" yeah it's stupid and you call it "blue" but they way there sign says "bluu" I swear they stole it from Blur (how the name Blur looks on most of their records)....look at the link...

http://www.bluudanbury.com/

ahhh looks like they could have swiped it!

DC-it was a glorious time in music for me ;-) i was a total anglophile for a while, i would only wear ben sherman, i had the coolest verve and oasis union jack bumper stickers on my car in ohio--i was a fish out of water LOL....i devoured Q Mag and NME--(back then you couldn't get the real Q you were about a month behind!) and yes, there was a HUGE divide...only americans really liked both bands for the most part. eventually my fascination turned from oasis/the verve to the verve/my morning jacket and all things 70s. i love it that you're getting into this stuff! some great videos to start out with are the stone roses famous concert at Spike Island and any of the Oasis docs/videos ("There and Then") you'll get a feel for the times

MJ--i saw elbow back in april at webster hall---GREAT show. i had elbow then 2 verve shows in the same week..can you imagine? i don't think SSK is their best but i still really love it. have you ever checked out embrace, and you will know me by the trail of the dead, kind of in the same vein. i can't wait for the new Doves album. the last broadcast and lost souls should be on everyone's must have list.

[laylow82]

Blur was an interesting band but i never delve to much into them.  I actally love modern life is rubbish which nobody ever talks about.  Parklife speaks for itself but they could never write songs that hit you over the head with a sledgehammer in a way that oasis did.  Defenitly maybe and WTSMG is pretty much perfect in every sense in the word.  I mean the Galighaer brothers were the most cockiest guys on earth and you totally understood because they wrote those songs.  

Bands like radiohead and coldplay did change the dynamic of britpop.     Chis martin and Thom yorke are kinda  the anti-rockstar and the influences of those bands are way different then oasis and blur.  

Speaking of oasis it seems like they are on a verge of restoration.  Im hearing good things about there upcoming album

[MarkW]

Blur > Oasis

Then again I am a southern mockney type, so what do I know?  First single I bought was "There's No Other Way" about 18 years ago.  That makes me feel old.  Wait a moment - I am old!

I'm not sure they've made a bad album.  There are some I like more than others, but overall they're great.

Damon's done alright with Gorillaz since, too.  Not so sure about Coxon, but again he's written some nice tunes.  Alex is now a newspaper columnist and foodie of note in the UK.

No Distance Left To Run regularly moves me to tears.

[DavidCrosby]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSL0cwCCE8Y&feature=related[/media]

[Penny Lane]

Blur was an interesting band but i never delve to much into them.  I actally love modern life is rubbish which nobody ever talks about.  Parklife speaks for itself but they could never write songs that hit you over the head with a sledgehammer in a way that oasis did.  Defenitly maybe and WTSMG is pretty much perfect in every sense in the word.  I mean the Galighaer brothers were the most cockiest guys on earth and you totally understood because they wrote those songs.  

Bands like radiohead and coldplay did change the dynamic of britpop.     Chis martin and Thom yorke are kinda  the anti-rockstar and the influences of those bands are way different then oasis and blur.  

Speaking of oasis it seems like they are on a verge of restoration.  Im hearing good things about there upcoming album

i listened to the new single on itunes--it's pretty good-i just miss Noel's b sides (rockin chair, listen up, talk tonight)

[mjkoehler]

Listened to Leisure and Modern Life the last part of the day and Parklife on the way home.

PS- I love all this Britpop talk here lately. Makes me very happy.

[DavidCrosby]

PS- I love all this Britpop talk here lately. Makes me very happy.

....me too, it's brought out some great discussions lately.....

.....to clarify something from earlier in the thread, I did some reading and when we were talking about how Oasis and Blur were in some sort of contest to sell records, what is was (at least I am pretty sure this is what PennyLane meant) is that in 1995 Oasis and Blur released a new single from each of their new records, The Great Escape from Blur with Country Life and (What's The Story) Morning Glory from Oasis with Roll With It.....they were trying to see who would get the number one slot in the singles chart, and Blur won.... ;D.....I wonder if Oasis had released Wonderwall first instead of Roll With It who would have won, probably Oasis.....



.....so when I went to the google image search to find the above picture I started to type in Oasis vs, and you know how the text box gives you options for the search so you dont have to type it out, well the options are Oasis vs: Jay-Z, Radiohead, Coldplay, and Green Day....I guess there are a lot of fueds with bands and Oasis.....

[DavidCrosby]

...look what Oasis show I just found out about for anyone in the NYC aera....

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/08/oasis_are_playi.html

....thats insane that you have to apply just to be able to buy tickets....

[mjkoehler]

Yep, it was all over who would be numer 1. I think Round 2 went to Oasis if I remember as it was Wonderwall.

But really, we are all the winners.