The Ballard of Darren (BLUR)

darthed1981

@guitartango ; - changed your opinion or still not a fan?

guitartango

darthed1981 said:

@guitartango ; - changed your opinion or still not a fan?

After playing the album everyday in the car, the album has grown on me. Not many catchy tunes but still enjoyable.

LPManic

Let's all be friends @Chuffola and @darthed1981 ;

darthed1981

LPManic said:

Let's all be friends @Chuffola and @darthed1981 ;

Never considered you otherwise old chap!

Chuffola

Nor me!

guitartango

darthed1981 said:

LPManic said:

Let's all be friends @Chuffola and @darthed1981 ;

Never considered you otherwise old chap!

But he doesn't like Blur, put him in the stocks and make him listen to Sam Smith!

darthed1981

guitartango said:

darthed1981 said:

LPManic said:

Let's all be friends @Chuffola and @darthed1981 ;

Never considered you otherwise old chap!

But he doesn't like Blur, put him in the stocks and make him listen to Sam Smith!

Oh god, that's horrible, nobody deserves that!

guitartango

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

monquixote

guitartango said:

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

Excellent!

I love Tape Notes and the new Blur album so I'm looking forward to this

darthed1981

guitartango said:

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

Thanks will definitely give that a listen.

guitartango

monquixote said:

guitartango said:

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

Excellent!

I love Tape Notes and the new Blur album so I'm looking forward to this

Some good home demo's on there, worth checking out

LPManic

guitartango said:

darthed1981 said:

LPManic said:

Let's all be friends @Chuffola and @darthed1981 ;

Never considered you otherwise old chap!

But he doesn't like Blur, put him in the stocks and make him listen to Sam Smith!

It's true I don't like Blur but I do have a soft spot for Beetlebum and End of a Century. #Imissthe90s

darthed1981

LPManic said:

 #Imissthe90s

Wis!

Wonderful time from British rock music, not just the "Britpop" big four (Oasis, Blur,Pulp, Suede) but the other genuinely legendary British rock acts who came along... Radiohead, the Manics, Supergrass, Placebo, Ash, The Verve, OCS...

monquixote

guitartango said:

monquixote said:

guitartango said:

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

Excellent!

I love Tape Notes and the new Blur album so I'm looking forward to this

Some good home demo's on there, worth checking out

I have now listened to it and can confirm that it's excellent. 

Something that hits home is how important all the members of the band are to the sound.

Damon's demos are great and could very easily form the basis of a decent solo record, but it's not until the others are added that it elevates and becomes a "Blur record"

Graham especially is hugely impressive. Something like "St Charles Square" is a bossa nova ballady thing in demo form. When I hear a song that has such a powerful riff I always assume that's how it started and the song was constructed around it, but to be able to write something so fresh and powerful in the context of an existing song that changes the context of the whole thing is really impressive.

english_bob

guitartango said:

@darthed1981 ;

Nice podcast on here 

TN:119 Blur & James Ford - Tape Notes

Damon is also on the latest Sodajerker on Songwriting podcast.

darthed1981

monquixote said:

Graham especially is hugely impressive. Something like "St Charles Square" is a bossa nova ballady thing in demo form. When I hear a song that has such a powerful riff I always assume that's how it started and the song was constructed around it, but to be able to write something so fresh and powerful in the context of an existing song that changes the context of the whole thing is really impressive.

Funnily enough was saying to Mrs Ed the other day (she wasn't listening, but I did say it) that one of the most likeable things about Blur is that when Damon leans towards the trite, like on bits of The Great Escape, you always have Graham to pull it back.

As you correctly point out, it isn't just Graham of course, but a song like "Stereotypes", which is the definition of trite as far as Damon is concerned (it's just "the middle classes are twats" and he had recorded that 20 times at this point) is turned from something mediocre into something very special with the addition of Graham sawing through it.

stickyfiddle

I was always more an Oasis kid but love the top stuff from Blur on a good day. I haven't enjoyed this one yet though after a couple of listens. Only the closing track really clicked

english_bob

monquixote said:

Graham especially is hugely impressive. Something like "St Charles Square" is a bossa nova ballady thing in demo form. When I hear a song that has such a powerful riff I always assume that's how it started and the song was constructed around it, but to be able to write something so fresh and powerful in the context of an existing song that changes the context of the whole thing is really impressive.

On the Sodajerker podcast, Albarn mentioned that the original demo of "Song 2" was a bossa nova too. 

darthed1981

Just bought an old second hand copy of Blur's first "Best Of" from the late 90s.

Unlike the DVD version of same it didn't have all the singles on, and unlike "Midlife" their later comp, it doesn't have album track classics like "Blue Jeans" on.

However, it's just banger after banger after banger.

Blur really are and were, very, very good indeed.