Reccomended Blur listening...

[nyrkickazz1]

My sister just gave me a big box of her old casettes, and inside were three Blur tapes - Self Titled, 'Modern Life is Rubbish', and 'The Great Escape'.

Any idea which I should start with? I've never listened to them before.

[no_happy]

theres a greatest hits out which is a good place to start

my fave albums are 13 and blur but there more recent and not the brit pop blur sound

i think with that era you cant go wrong with parklife

[no_happy]

ah and out those tapes id start with the great escape followed by blur then the modern life

[Frinky]

Blur = the big changing point for the band. It's a fantastic rock record, there are some really amazing tracks on there, and, overall, my favourite Blur record.

Modern Life Is Rubbish = second Blur album... and much, much better than the first. This is the album that defined Britpop! You can't argue with the quality of some of the tracks on there. Some will take time to grow, others are just flat out amazing.

The Great Escape = Thier last Britpop album... it's a tough one. It's pretty good, nothing hugely special, there are some nice character study songs but, without sounding rude, I'm not sure how well you'd take to it, being American? It's a very British album, more so than the others.

I'd start with Modern Life and go onto Blur - that way you get a good introduction to Old Blur, the self titled one gives you Newer Blur, then go hunt down 13 when you get the chance. Blur changed loads over every album, so it's hard to know what to suggest.

I know this: Blur are my favouritst band of all time, and I love them to bits.

When you get the chance, download (you cant find it anywhere over there), Popscene. Greatest song ever.

[heroin]

13 is my all round fav.
I suggest listening to them all for the love of new music, to take you in exciting new directions, then figuring out what you liked from that experience and pursue that album/style/thought etc.
Like I like how you are getting into new music or just wanting the firmist grasp on an important band, but somehow asking people on a forum sounds like the wrong way to go about it.

[fiveways]

The Great Escape is my favourite out of the albums you listed.

[duluxdog]

I'd start with old then move to new. Since the old is what they are most famed for and is mostly instantly accessible jangly-brit-rock. Parklife is a good starting point, then The Great escape, maybe. I prefer The Great Escape out of the two, Damon's comedy lyrics swinging the balance for me.

Self Title album (Blur) and 13 get sort of obscure in parts but contain ass-loads of interesting sounds. You need to listen to these two last, and are probably best-described as being 'albums you have to sit down and listen to through your headphones'.

I haven't considered the others 'cause I don't own them. Especially not the newest one released with the new guitarist.. Coxon really was the man.

Absolute classics to look out for throughout these 4 albums (Parklife, The Great Escape, 13, Blur):

Parklife:

Parklife
Girls and Boys
End of a Century
Magic America
Jubilee

The Great Escape:

Stereotypes
Country House
Charmless Man
Mr.Robinson's Quango
Dan Abnormal

Blur:

Beetlebum
Song 2
Country Salad Ballad Man
Theme From Retro
Death of a Party
Essex Dogs

13:

Bugman
Coffee & TV
Battle
Trailer Park
Optigan 1



Actually, all the albums are really good so just ignore my list and give them all a really good listening. You're bound to find something you like. I found so much that I liked that Coxon became one of my favourite guitarists, if not my favourite.

[coldbuggin]

great escape and then get parklife.

[spongemonkey]

I'd listen to them in order of release like others have suggested.

If you like the first two you should definitely get "Park Life", which is their best "brit pop" album. If you like Blur best you should get "13" and "Think Tank".

If you don't like any of them you should probably buy an Oasis album

[FL301-DX]

I reckon Modern Life is Rubbish and The Great Escape are both very British records. I don't think many of my non-Anglophilic friends really cared for either of those.

Their self-titled record is unabashedly influenced by all sorts of American Indie stuff. Strangely it might be might least favorite of their records, although I can't deny a few of the great songs on it.

Really you can't go wrong. They're on cassette? Listen to side ones of The Great Escape, Blur, Modern Life. And then side two of ... actually I have no idea where side two picks up...maybe Great Escape, Modern Life and then Blur.

Too fun. I wish I could uncover a stash of records that I'd never heard before.

[monkeyspunky]

i agree with graham coxon on the great escape being their weakest yet perhaps most accesible effort

i'd start with the greatest hits

and work through from the beginning

avoid the first album really

[entrada]

Modern Life Is Rubbish and Parklife are my two favorites. So many great songs between those two.
There is an Australian import 2-pack that contains both of these classics at a super low price. $20.99 at Vrigin Megastore.