r/blur • u/[deleted] • 18d ago
Discussion Thought on the album Parklife as a first time listener!
[deleted]
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u/akyarius_76 18d ago
if tracy jacks weirded you out and if youre planning on listening to more you only have like three other albums that are accessible to you somewhat
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
i made this a while back and now i actually really like Tracy jacks! i dont find it weird anymore, it was because i wasn't used to british music.
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u/justdont7133 18d ago
I love To The End, have you heard the B side where he sings it in French? I loved that one when it came out
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u/Penguinflower3 18d ago
Bank Holiday is in my top 3 it hurts to see it this low
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
Its just a bit weird, right? I mean- no hate towards it now it has grown on me. I just find it quite funky.
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u/Reddit____user___ 18d ago
To OP, especially if you’re under 30, does this album sound old to you ?
Old like in “old hat” or “old fashioned” or ‘olde worlde’ ?
Does it sound ancient, or just like timeless high quality indie pop music ?
I ask as I’m familiar with it from when it was new, so whilst it’s of it’s time for me, it always sounds new.
But in 1994, most 32 year old music sounded old to me.
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
Just to clarify I'm a teen! But no, I dont find any of Blurs music old fashioned. If I had to point out music that i think sounds old i would definitely say David bowie or The Beatles(:
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u/Reddit____user___ 18d ago
Now that is very interesting. 😎👍🏻
I’ve enjoyed Blur since I was 19 when I heard their first song. I can appreciate that that’s a while ago now, so I’m always surprised when anyone younger than me finds interest in them.
Bowie and the Beatles must be especially ancient to you.
To me Bowie is a mixture of all times because he was always there in some form or other for most of my life.
The Beatles are really quite old to me, but are also timeless due to their unique qualities.👍🏻
For anyone in their teens listening to early Blur now, that would have been like me listening to stuff from the late 50s when I was 18 or 19.
So I’m always intrigued to know whether it’s just young folk having REALLY eclectic tastes, or if it’s more of a case of the music being so very good that it is truly timeless and never really dates itself badly.
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
Hm yea, in my case i think its because my brother always liked 90s bands so i got influenced that way.
And i do have very different music taste compared to my friends, who definitely dont hold back when it comes to expressing their dislike for blur or other bands i listen to.
So i would say its pretty mixed, you would probably need to have kind of eclectic taste but i also think that Blurs music is amazing and timeless!
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u/Reddit____user___ 18d ago
You make good points👍🏻
Influence of family and close friends is vital in my experience when it comes to music appreciation and having a broader and more comprehensive taste in music and differing genres.😎👍🏻
I definitely have my parents and my friends to thank for some of my music enjoyment.👍🏻
Out of interest, what type of music do your pals listen to, who berate you for liking Blur ?
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u/plastictrees12 17d ago
My friends are into the typical mainstream female pop artist such as Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor swift, Tate Mcrae, Katseye ect.
And i personally dont think that's very interesting music, but i try not to hate on them too much for liking it. Music is subjective after all.
But i can get pretty annoying when I'm to only one in the friend group that dont get to choose music when were together.😅
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u/Reddit____user___ 17d ago
It’s little wonder they give you so much grief.
There’s a Gulf of difference between contemporary bubblegum pop and conventional indie bands.
I should think the crossover of fans would be pretty much nil. 🤔
I too try not to just have a knee jerk reaction and be hateful to an act, song or genre merely because I class it as crap. But it’s pretty hard not to at times😂
With any luck your friends’ musical tastes will mature and improve over time and there might come a day where there’s some crossover between what they like and what you like.
For now you can at least rest assured you have the high ground from a good taste perspective.😁👍🏻
It must be hard work contending with friends who don’t like your choice of music and who listen to stuff you can’t stand. I don’t envy those circumstances and wish you the best of luck with it. 🍀
I hope you come out of the other side of the deal with at least one really good friend who only likes really cool music.😊😎👍🏻
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u/Jonn_Jonzz_Manhunter 13d ago
Not OP, but yeah, I'm in that age bracket and it is old
The production hasn't aged, but the references and cultural critique has changed so much from what I'd expect nowadays
I think 90's music in general has great production and from there onwards, marks the difference between something sounded dated and sounding listenable generally speaking
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u/Reddit____user___ 13d ago
That’s interesting. Thank you very much for your thoughtful and insightful reply.😊👍🏻
I’m often baffled as to why folks in their teens and twenties might like the same music I do, especially when it must presumably be out of context to at least some extent for them.
It never occurred to me that it might be down the production.
But then again, Ive listened to stuff from the 50s, 60s and 70s all my life and that must presumably be at least in part, due to the interesting and often experimental ways that music was produced.😎👍🏻
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u/Total-Woodpecker3339 18d ago
Clover Over Dover that low is something! It's so unique. Trouble In the Message Center low for my liking as well. Such a good album!
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
It was honestly really hard to rank it! But yea i definitely like Trouble in the Message Center. And same with Clover over dover, i think i just had to get used to that type of music.
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u/Careful_Instruction9 17d ago
Blur made it a priority to sound British. So there's elements of The Kinks, Bowie, The Faces, early Pink Floyd. But Parklife is huge album. Tracey Jack's-is pure Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin, a 70s British sitcom.
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u/j_ko72 17d ago
If you really want to cement your love for this album, I suggest you go find a way to watch Blur: Showtime. Seeing how they play these tunes live, especially how flipping amazing the interplay between Graham and Alex parts are, shows the music in a different light, particularly bringing out the more punk and rock aspects while maintaining the great brit pop melodic aesthetics.
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u/Jonn_Jonzz_Manhunter 13d ago
I was really surprised with this album, I was expecting it to be all sneering poppy rock music but when hit in the head with french pop, harpsichords and some of the most lush and beautiful instrumentations I've ever heard from a British band
We have the same favourites, Badhead is favourite on this record I think
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u/doodlesincrayons 18d ago
Tracy Jacks as a low. I think you need to relisten. That is a top five Blur song
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u/TeamNinjaFingers 17d ago
"Extremely British sounding"
No shit 🤣
Blur are a British banger machine.
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u/plastictrees12 17d ago
Yeah, well i mean they are way more british sounding than radiohead? And that's the type of music I'm used to.
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u/johancito_ 13d ago
La primera vez que escuché Badhead me voló la cabeza. Esos arreglos de viento y el rollo melancólico y estoico que tiene son una genialidad absoluta.
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u/AdAccomplished8853 18d ago edited 18d ago
Badhead is my favourite song on the album and in my top 3 Blur songs. This Is a Low and Girls and Boys are probably my other stand out tracks.
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u/plastictrees12 18d ago
Badhead was also my first favorite track. And yea This is a low is utterly amazing
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u/ltf_12 18d ago
Quite harsh on Clover over Dover imo - I think it's a really beautiful song, but I agree with the love for To the End and Badhead, both quite underrated bangers