The group released the single " Popscene" to coincide with the start of the tour. Britpop years, 1992–1995 īlur's Britpop rivals of the 1990s, Suede (top) and Oasis (bottom)Īfter discovering they were £60,000 in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses. Although the resulting album Leisure (1991) peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, it received mixed reviews, and according to journalist John Harris, "could not shake off the odour of anti-climax". Blur attempted to expand their musical sound, but the recording of the group's debut album was hindered by Albarn having to write his lyrics in the studio. Andy Ross and Food owner David Balfe were convinced Blur's best course of action was to continue drawing influence from the Madchester genre. The band's third single, " Bang", performed relatively disappointingly, reaching only number 24. NME magazine wrote in 1991, " are acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam." As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented the Syndrome club in London dubbed " The Scene That Celebrates Itself". The resulting single release, " There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight. The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the single " She's So High", which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart. įrom March to July 1990, Blur toured Britain, opening for the Cramps, and testing out new songs. Food Records finally signed the newly christened band in March 1990. Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the group decided on "Blur". The only concern held by Ross and Food was that they disliked the band's name. In November, Food Records' A&R representative Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label. ![]() The group performed live for the first time in summer 1989 in the goods shed of the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. Already in the band were drummer Dave Rowntree, who had joined in October, and guitarist Graham Coxon, Albarn's childhood friend from Essex, who was studying at London's Goldsmiths College along with Albarn and James. History Formation and Leisure, 1988–1991 Īfter their original name Seymour was rejected by Food, the band chose "Blur" from a list of alternatives the label drew up.īlur were formed in December 1988 when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, Circus, and they changed the name to Seymour after J. The group were largely on hiatus between the end of the Magic Whip tour and the announcement of a series of concert dates for 2023. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British chart. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. ![]() In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon back in the band and embarked on a European reunion tour. Coxon left the band during early recording sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the end of the album's associated tour, with the members engaged in other projects. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was also shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn. Its single " Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".īlur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |