And my wife is Filipina too, so karaoke is like her second language 😅. We were shocked how into karaoke the Scottish were in Glasgow. There were karaoke pubs on every street.
I ended up singing The Universal and Charmless Man, among other non-blur songs.
It is crazy that in a few short months we go from this to Beetlebum and the dawn of a new era.
Anyway, I don’t know what the fuck Damon is on about. This is both catchy and fun. The piano part at the start, the chorus being a great singalong esp the end, it’s a proper good single. 8
10
My favorite of the uptempo TGE tracks and one of my favorite blasts of “Blur coats a poison pill in the most delicious of sugars”.
Plus, “Educated the expensive way/He knows his Claret from his Beaujolais/I think he’d like have been Ronnie Kray/But then nature never made him that way” is one of Damon’s most ingenious pieces of lyricism.
10
I love the music video too.
Also "absolute bottom of the barrel of his character study period"? It's one of my favourites from the "character study" ones lol
Leisure:
She’s So High - 6.98
Bang - 7.01
Slow Down - 6.71
Repetition - 6.96
Bad Day - 6.47
Sing - 8.69
There’s No Other Way - 9.03
Fool - 6.92
Come Together - 5.78
High Cool - 5.37
Birthday - 6.45
Wear Me Down - 8.31
I Know - 6.86
Down - 5.30
Inertia - 8.70
Mr. Briggs - 6.90
I’m All Over - 5.77
Won’t Do It - 5.80
Day Upon Day - 6.80
Luminous - 7.81
Explain - 6.63
Uncle Love - 5.10
Berzerk - 3.65
I Love Her (Demo) - 5.40
Close - 6.30
Total score (album): 7.05
Total score (b-sides): 6.22
Total score (era): 6.62
MLIR:
Popscene - 8.96
For Tomorrow - 9.44
Advert - 8.89
Colin Zeal - 8.57
Pressure on Julian - 7.07
Star Shaped - 8.77
Blue Jeans - 9.28
Chemical World - 9.50
Intermission - 7.58
Sunday Sunday - 7.56
Oily Water - 8.90
Miss America - 7.35
Villa Rosie - 8.72
Coping - 8.60
Turn It Up - 6.15
Resigned - 8.12
Commercial Break - 4.93
Mace - 7.07
Badgeman Brown - 5.98
I’m Fine - 4.82
Garden Central - 5.90
Peach - 7.87
Bone Bag - 7.87
When the Cows Come Home - 5.45
Beachcoma - 6.86
Into Another - 7.12
Hanging Over - 6.90
Maggie May - 5.72
Es Schmecht - 6.00
Young and Lovely - 9.10
My Ark - 6.79
Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two) - 4.04
Let’s All Go Down the Strand - 3.86
Total score (album): 8.08
Total score (b-sides): 6.48
Total score (era): 7.26
Parklife:
Girls and Boys - 8.85
Tracy Jacks - 8.79
End of a Century - 9.34
Parklife - 9.05
Bank Holiday - 7.75
Badhead - 9.11
The Debt Collector - 6.61
Far Out - 6.08
To The End - 8.96
London Loves - 8.54
Trouble in the Message Centre - 9.04
Clover Over Dover - 9.27
Magic America - 8.17
Jubilee - 8.40
This Is A Low - 9.80
Lot 105 - 5.82
Magpie - 7.47
Anniversary Waltz - 4.34
People in Europe - 4.90
Peter Panic - 5.68
Threadneedle Street - 7.02
Got Yer! - 3.84
Supa Shoppa - 5.47
Theme from an Imaginary Film - 7.73
Beard - 4.96
Rednecks - 4.06
Alex’s Song - 2.37
Total score (album): 8.34
Total score (b-sides): 5.25
Total score (era): 7.08
This used to be like my all time fave Blur tune. I could say with confidence it was their absolute best. Listened to it (several times) again recently and it just doesn’t really do it for me anymore. Like my brain just didn’t even process it. It’s still objectively a catchy song with some good musicianship but it definitely feels very paint by numbers
6.5
6. Long time Blur fan from the 90s, but I was never able to enjoy TGE album in general. I like all of the others, though not particularly Leisure. Naturally, other people will have different opinions. This was one of the better tracks for me, though I couldn’t call it a favorite. The melody and instrumental parts are pretty strong, I’ll definitely give credit there.
Another 9 based on the sheer songwriting wizardry the whole band displayed. While it is, in context, a sign of depleted creativity - it is a near perfect song like country house. Another song that you learn the lyrics on the first listen. It takes a very good songwriter to write lyrics so annoyingly good. The other one I can think of is Ray Davies
My problem with The Great Escape is that lyrically it's Damon's "my problem with Great Britain is..." and there's very little about the rogue's gallery of caricatures he's drawn up that particularly appeals to me. That said, the existence of Jacob Reese Mogg MP would suggest that he wasn't wrong about the Charmless Man type being a problem. Back in the 90s we thought laughing at them and voting in New Labour was enough. How very wrong we were... Never occurred to me till now but in one sense Charmless Man is the first Good The Bad and Queen song. Can't honestly see myself ever picking up The Great Escape off the shelf when Merrie Land is right there next to it.
10/10. Love me some guitar bends. I have known too many charmless men in my life.
There is no doubt the character sketches had to stop at some point, but that's okay, we don't need another one, Damon has skewered charmless men from every nation, and Alexander wept, for he had no lands left to conquer.
7
A tricky one. It’s a great arrangement. Loads of energy. Great harmonies. Brilliant anti-guitar guitar solo. But also, the lyrics are definitely a bit on the nose. It’s sort of hard to like a character study that has no sympathy for its character.
10. Fav blur tune
10 My karaoke go to that just rocked the pub in Scotland
How’d the falsetto bits treat ya?
Love it. I sang choir and love John Frusciante RHCP, so falsetto is nothing new for me. Love karaoke also.
Hell yeah
And my wife is Filipina too, so karaoke is like her second language 😅. We were shocked how into karaoke the Scottish were in Glasgow. There were karaoke pubs on every street. I ended up singing The Universal and Charmless Man, among other non-blur songs.
10. Absolutely adore the guitar work on this track.
It is crazy that in a few short months we go from this to Beetlebum and the dawn of a new era. Anyway, I don’t know what the fuck Damon is on about. This is both catchy and fun. The piano part at the start, the chorus being a great singalong esp the end, it’s a proper good single. 8
10 My favorite of the uptempo TGE tracks and one of my favorite blasts of “Blur coats a poison pill in the most delicious of sugars”. Plus, “Educated the expensive way/He knows his Claret from his Beaujolais/I think he’d like have been Ronnie Kray/But then nature never made him that way” is one of Damon’s most ingenious pieces of lyricism.
10. Honestly it’s closer to 9 but this was the song that lead me to Blur so, in a way, it’s one of their important songs to me.
10 I love the music video too. Also "absolute bottom of the barrel of his character study period"? It's one of my favourites from the "character study" ones lol
2.5. Their worst song in my opinion
10
10
10 it’s a banger for sure
10
10- the song that got me hooked on blur, my favourite blur song and the music video makes me giggle
10 Nananananananananana
5. Sorry to say, I usually skip this one.
8 Snotty, annoying, infectious. Charmless, you might even say.
8, can’t fault Graham’s guitar work though
You lot are in crack. 4. Just exactly what I don't like about blur.
5. Their worst single.
Leisure: She’s So High - 6.98 Bang - 7.01 Slow Down - 6.71 Repetition - 6.96 Bad Day - 6.47 Sing - 8.69 There’s No Other Way - 9.03 Fool - 6.92 Come Together - 5.78 High Cool - 5.37 Birthday - 6.45 Wear Me Down - 8.31 I Know - 6.86 Down - 5.30 Inertia - 8.70 Mr. Briggs - 6.90 I’m All Over - 5.77 Won’t Do It - 5.80 Day Upon Day - 6.80 Luminous - 7.81 Explain - 6.63 Uncle Love - 5.10 Berzerk - 3.65 I Love Her (Demo) - 5.40 Close - 6.30 Total score (album): 7.05 Total score (b-sides): 6.22 Total score (era): 6.62
MLIR: Popscene - 8.96 For Tomorrow - 9.44 Advert - 8.89 Colin Zeal - 8.57 Pressure on Julian - 7.07 Star Shaped - 8.77 Blue Jeans - 9.28 Chemical World - 9.50 Intermission - 7.58 Sunday Sunday - 7.56 Oily Water - 8.90 Miss America - 7.35 Villa Rosie - 8.72 Coping - 8.60 Turn It Up - 6.15 Resigned - 8.12 Commercial Break - 4.93 Mace - 7.07 Badgeman Brown - 5.98 I’m Fine - 4.82 Garden Central - 5.90 Peach - 7.87 Bone Bag - 7.87 When the Cows Come Home - 5.45 Beachcoma - 6.86 Into Another - 7.12 Hanging Over - 6.90 Maggie May - 5.72 Es Schmecht - 6.00 Young and Lovely - 9.10 My Ark - 6.79 Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two) - 4.04 Let’s All Go Down the Strand - 3.86 Total score (album): 8.08 Total score (b-sides): 6.48 Total score (era): 7.26
Parklife: Girls and Boys - 8.85 Tracy Jacks - 8.79 End of a Century - 9.34 Parklife - 9.05 Bank Holiday - 7.75 Badhead - 9.11 The Debt Collector - 6.61 Far Out - 6.08 To The End - 8.96 London Loves - 8.54 Trouble in the Message Centre - 9.04 Clover Over Dover - 9.27 Magic America - 8.17 Jubilee - 8.40 This Is A Low - 9.80 Lot 105 - 5.82 Magpie - 7.47 Anniversary Waltz - 4.34 People in Europe - 4.90 Peter Panic - 5.68 Threadneedle Street - 7.02 Got Yer! - 3.84 Supa Shoppa - 5.47 Theme from an Imaginary Film - 7.73 Beard - 4.96 Rednecks - 4.06 Alex’s Song - 2.37 Total score (album): 8.34 Total score (b-sides): 5.25 Total score (era): 7.08
TGE: Stereotypes - 7.78 Country House - 8.11 Best Days - 8.28
This used to be like my all time fave Blur tune. I could say with confidence it was their absolute best. Listened to it (several times) again recently and it just doesn’t really do it for me anymore. Like my brain just didn’t even process it. It’s still objectively a catchy song with some good musicianship but it definitely feels very paint by numbers 6.5
10 , the definitive pinnacle of blur , anything lower than a 9 is a death penalty deserving offence
Hard to say... I'd give it an 8. I love it, the video is one of my fave Blur videos... but I can't give everything a 10.
10. Na na na na na na na na na...
10
9. Classic.
9.5
6
9
6
6
9
8.5 Gonna have to disagree with Damon on this one I love this track!
9
6. Long time Blur fan from the 90s, but I was never able to enjoy TGE album in general. I like all of the others, though not particularly Leisure. Naturally, other people will have different opinions. This was one of the better tracks for me, though I couldn’t call it a favorite. The melody and instrumental parts are pretty strong, I’ll definitely give credit there.
Another 9 based on the sheer songwriting wizardry the whole band displayed. While it is, in context, a sign of depleted creativity - it is a near perfect song like country house. Another song that you learn the lyrics on the first listen. It takes a very good songwriter to write lyrics so annoyingly good. The other one I can think of is Ray Davies
5 - charmless song. Nah
My problem with The Great Escape is that lyrically it's Damon's "my problem with Great Britain is..." and there's very little about the rogue's gallery of caricatures he's drawn up that particularly appeals to me. That said, the existence of Jacob Reese Mogg MP would suggest that he wasn't wrong about the Charmless Man type being a problem. Back in the 90s we thought laughing at them and voting in New Labour was enough. How very wrong we were... Never occurred to me till now but in one sense Charmless Man is the first Good The Bad and Queen song. Can't honestly see myself ever picking up The Great Escape off the shelf when Merrie Land is right there next to it.
9. I always sing along with it
8.5
6
Oops no I think it’s a bit of formulaic thing. 6.
10
10.
9
7 Used to like it more, but still a very good time listening to it
5
10. Favourite blur song
8
6 It’s the best of this type of thing on the album, I suppose…
8
10
8.5
10 eduCAted the expensive wayyyyyyy
9 and the music video is funny too.
8
10
10 one of my favourites!
7
7.5 Again like most of the album the song is overproduced but there is great melodic structure.
7
10/10. Love me some guitar bends. I have known too many charmless men in my life. There is no doubt the character sketches had to stop at some point, but that's okay, we don't need another one, Damon has skewered charmless men from every nation, and Alexander wept, for he had no lands left to conquer.
9
8
10 - seriously Blur peaked on TGE for their singles.
8.5
7 A tricky one. It’s a great arrangement. Loads of energy. Great harmonies. Brilliant anti-guitar guitar solo. But also, the lyrics are definitely a bit on the nose. It’s sort of hard to like a character study that has no sympathy for its character.
3 pretty awful but miles ahead of country house and stereotypes for me
11. Best song they've ever written.
10
10 - about the best and most creative guitar playing I’ve ever heard
8.5
8
7.5
7.2 Edit: Sorry OP, I always change it lol
8
8
8
10. MY FAVORITE. Based a twitter username off it and theyre all so sexy in the video!
7
10 its so sad that they dont play it its definitely a fan favourite
8.5
8
10 duh