The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

This was my review when I got it the second day of my long forgotten personal project:
This is an album I don't know. I have spent some time with Parklife and Self Titled. I've also really enjoyed Gorillaz and some of Albarn's production over the years (looking at you Bobby Womack). Looking forward to spending some time with this. Starts off with a heavy nod to Bowie. That's a great way to start. In fact, the album does have a sort of lineage of the British Pop history feel to it - which is apropos given the title of the album. This is a fun album, you can see why they became a big deal.
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Which I gave four stars.

Let’s see what I think a 100+ days later…
 
Lee Newman said:
6/22/23
View attachment 175761

Blur - Modern Life is Rubbisj



www.allmusic.com

Modern Life Is Rubbish - Blur | Album | AllMusic

Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur released in 1993. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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My favourite blur album and one of my top 5-10 of the 90s.

This one is just so good. Jaded by the relentlessness of touring America and the sheer horror of the grunge movement they felt bombarded by over fhere blur arrived back in England and the reaction was a sort of hyper Britishness. Inspired by acts such as The Kinks they embarked on what could now be called their British trio of albums.

This one is absolutely full of what would have made cracking singles. For Tomorrow, Sharshaped, Chemical World, Sunday Sunday, Advert, Oily Water and one of my favourite blur tunes, Blue Jeans.

Also as a young lad (5 or 6) I was obsessed with trains and the cover is a painting of the Mallard, the train with the speed record for stream power (125 mph).

Yeah this is an easy 5/5
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
I get what Blur was trying to do with these albums, but they have never clicked with me. 3/5

That said, they are better than Oasis.
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I never really got what the whole ”Britpop”- wars was about back then and it’s even more ludicrous now. Blur is such a totally different band than Oasis, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Oasis broke through on sheer attitude while ripping off Stones, Beatles and (yes to a surprisingly large extent) Slade. Blur was a cut above in the songwriting and wanted something else with their music. I love both bands but Blur has aged better in my opinion, and especislly this album which is stellar! First listen in many years but I instinctively turned up the volume and just danced with my kids during breakfast! 5 stars.
 
Whiteout75 said:
I never really got what the whole ”Britpop”- wars was about back then and it’s even more ludicrous now. Blur is such a totally different band than Oasis, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Oasis broke through on sheer attitude while ripping off Stones, Beatles and (yes to a surprisingly large extent) Slade. Blur was a cut above in the songwriting and wanted something else with their music. I love both bands but Blur has aged better in my opinion, and especislly this album which is stellar! First listen in many years but I instinctively turned up the volume and just danced with my kids during breakfast! 5 stars.
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Some of Blur's albums get some real clunkers, especially towards the back end. However, this and Parklife was pretty great from front to back.
 
dbarila said:
Some of Blur's albums get some real clunkers, especially towards the back end. However, this and Parklife was pretty great from front to back.
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Honestly, I’m a pretty big oasis fan and this is way more true of oasis than blur. Oasis ran out of steam once the cocaine ran out and their last few albums, maybe Don’t Believe the Truth aside, had some decent songs but were often pretty boring and by the numbers.

Blur did at least keep it fresh and there is something new that keeps my attention on every one. In some ways The Great Escape is the blur album I like the least.

All in all Definitely Maybe is, for me, by a long long distance the best thing either did.
 
Whiteout75 said:
I never really got what the whole ”Britpop”- wars was about back then and it’s even more ludicrous now. Blur is such a totally different band than Oasis, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Oasis broke through on sheer attitude while ripping off Stones, Beatles and (yes to a surprisingly large extent) Slade. Blur was a cut above in the songwriting and wanted something else with their music. I love both bands but Blur has aged better in my opinion, and especislly this album which is stellar! First listen in many years but I instinctively turned up the volume and just danced with my kids during breakfast! 5 stars.
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Don’t forget the who and T Rex, who they lifted an entire song from for Cigarettes & Alcohol. And the Coca Cola advert that they lifted another entire song from for Shakermaker…
 
Joe Mac said:
Honestly, I’m a pretty big oasis fan and this is way more true of oasis than blur. Oasis ran out of steam once the cocaine ran out and their last few albums, maybe Don’t Believe the Truth aside, had some decent songs but were often pretty boring and by the numbers.

Blur did at least keep it fresh and there is something new that keeps my attention on every one. In some ways The Great Escape is the blur album I like the least.

All in all Definitely Maybe is, for me, by a long long distance the best thing either did.
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I haven't listened to Modern Life Is Rubbish (I'll try to do that today) but The Great Escape was the first album of theirs that I ever owned, and it's still my favorite.
 
Bohnjaggs said:
I haven't listened to Modern Life Is Rubbish (I'll try to do that today) but The Great Escape was the first album of theirs that I ever owned, and it's still my favorite.
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It’s funny because I always felt blur were at their worst when they veered too far into a sort of obnoxious cockney parody, it never felt convincing to me, and I felt that album was a bit too leery that way. They were after all middle class art school kids from suberbia, not east end barrow boys.

For all that The Universal is a top 5 blur song for me and it’s on there.

Parklife was the first blur album I bought and it’s probably my third favourite of theirs after Modern Life is Rubbish and blur.
 
Joe Mac said:
It’s funny because I always felt blur were at their worst when they veered too far into a sort of obnoxious cockney parody, it never felt convincing to me, and I felt that album was a bit too leery that way. They were after all middle class art school kids from suberbia, not east end barrow boys.

For all that The Universal is a top 5 blur song for me and it’s on there.

Parklife was the first blur album I bought and it’s probably my third favourite of theirs after Modern Life is Rubbish and blur.
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Blur didn't get much airplay in the states until "Song 2" (their only real hit here) but MTV did play "Charmless Man" and "Country House" quite a bit, at least late at night. It was those two songs that got me interested in Blur, and to buy The Great Escape. And I still love them today.
 
Bohnjaggs said:
Blur didn't get much airplay in the states until "Song 2" (their only real hit here) but MTV did play "Charmless Man" and "Country House" quite a bit, at least late at night. It was those two songs that got me interested in Blur, and to buy The Great Escape. And I still love them today.
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I'm sure a good 90% of Blur's notoriety in the US is people hearing Song 2 at sporting events.
 
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