Parklife
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
You'd have to stretch back to 1967 to London's psychedelic underground (a time and a place that Blur is admittedly fond of) to find a band that revels as much in its Britishness. And on its third album, Blur takes 30 years of cool English rock, throws it into an art-punk Cuisinart, and ends up with a masterpiece of timeless hooks and Cockney attitude. Like the Kinks at their satirical best, Blur paints warm and funny portraits of quintessentially English characters ("Tracy Jacks," "Parklife," "The Debt Collector"), delivering them with early Small Faces swagger, wiggy Syd Barrett-via-Julian Cope production, XTC circa "Respectable Street" vocal hooks ("ooh-we-ooh"), and a cynical Buzzcocks detachment. The band members are mods, of course, borrowing fashion tips from the pre-glam David Bowie, tempos from the Jam, and actor Phil Daniels (the star of Quadrophenia!) for a vocal cameo. "Magic America" is the best bored with the U.S.A. song since the Clash, Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier sings backing vocals, the Pet Shop Boys remixed the single, and the members of Blur love Wire so much that they hired that band's old road manager. But enough namedropping: Parklife is the album on which Blur proves that it's a force to be reckoned with on its own terms, described by front man Damon Albarn as a nocturnal travelogue of London; the only time the album leaves the Motherland is on its lead track, the unbearably catchy single, "Girls & Boys," which follows randy English youth on holiday to Greece. --Jim DeRogatis --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: "Girls and Boys (Remix)". --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Average customer rating:
- Dislike Infectious Music that's Well Made? Stay Away.
- My first Blur album
- MR ALAN WILLIAMSON IS BRILLIANT!!
- I don't like this album
- Not Blur's best album like many say
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
 General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Indie Rock
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Dance
| Alternative Styles
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Dance & DJ
| Styles
| Music
General
| Dance Pop
| Dance & DJ
| Styles
| Music
Britain
| British Isles
| Europe
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Blur
- Modern Life Is Rubbish
- The Great Escape
- 13
- Leisure
ASIN: B000002TQB
Release Date: 1994-06-14 |
Tracks:
- Girls & Boys
- Tracy Jacks
- End Of A Century
- Parklife
- Bank Holiday
- Badhead
- The Debt Collector
- Far Out
- To The End
- London Loves
- Trouble In The Message Centre
- Clover Over Dover
- Magic America
- Jubilee
- This Is A Low
- Lot 105
Amazon.com essential recording
You'd have to stretch back to 1967 to London's psychedelic underground (a time and a place that Blur is admittedly fond of) to find a band that revels as much in its Britishness. And on its third album, Blur takes 30 years of cool English rock, throws it into an art-punk Cuisinart, and ends up with a masterpiece of timeless hooks and Cockney attitude. Like the Kinks at their satirical best, Blur paints warm and funny portraits of quintessentially English characters ("Tracy Jacks," "Parklife," "The Debt Collector"), delivering them with early Small Faces swagger, wiggy Syd Barrett-via-Julian Cope production, XTC circa "Respectable Street" vocal hooks ("ooh-we-ooh"), and a cynical Buzzcocks detachment. The band members are mods, of course, borrowing fashion tips from the pre-glam David Bowie, tempos from the Jam, and actor Phil Daniels (the star of Quadrophenia!) for a vocal cameo. "Magic America" is the best bored with the U.S.A. song since the Clash, Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier sings backing vocals, the Pet Shop Boys remixed the single, and the members of Blur love Wire so much that they hired that band's old road manager. But enough namedropping: Parklife is the album on which Blur proves that it's a force to be reckoned with on its own terms, described by front man Damon Albarn as a nocturnal travelogue of London; the only time the album leaves the Motherland is on its lead track, the unbearably catchy single, "Girls & Boys," which follows randy English youth on holiday to Greece. --Jim DeRogatis
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: "Girls and Boys (Remix)".
Customer Reviews:
Dislike Infectious Music that's Well Made? Stay Away........2007-01-10
Parklife is a fantastic album, it really is. The songs are all impeccably well-crafted, the lyrics are clever without being full of themselves, and the playing is peerless. Opening track "Boys & Girls" is a wonderful dance track, finding the mid ground between Britpop and Hip-Hop (Kind of. I just liked how they rhyme). The only downside to the album is a matter of location. Starting with their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, blur were known for their ability to capture the feelings and emotions of the time and place where they were. Parklife is revered as Mid-90's England captured in song, and while I like the album very much, I feel like I missed something because I didn't hear it in it's own time. A small grief, but a grief none the less.
My first Blur album.......2006-11-24
Hailed by many as Blur's best album, "Parklife" was my first sampling of them. After many years of being a huge fan of 90's alt/rock, I decided to check this band out. What do I think of this album? read on...
I was familiar with the first song on this album, "Girls & Boys" from seeing the video on Vh1 classic late one night. This song was the reason I got the urge to check this band out, a very catchy tune. The album continues next with "Tracy Jacks," and the comparisons to the Who and the Kinks come to mind with this certain song. "End of the Century" is one of the albums highlights. This song should be up there with the likes of Radiohead's "High and Dry." The next song, "Parklife" is more fun brit-pop, I'm not much for spoken word, but this song comes through with its catchy chorus.
The next four songs bring down the album just a tad bit, "Bank Holiday" is a quick punky song. "Badhead" is a great mellow song, but it seems out of place between "Bank Holiday" and the instrumental "Debt Collector." "Far Out" is a short, more experimental song. I like this song, it reminds me of the psychedelia of Syd Barret, and early Pink Floyd. Its a shame the song is so short.
The album picks up again with "To the End," this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Its a very british song, and I love the chorus. This song has a more epic feel, which I like.
The rest of the album is hit or miss. "Clover Over Dover" is one of my fav's from the album. More of a downer of a song with its depressing lyrics, and thats what I like. "This is a Low," the longest song on the album, and its many peoples favorites. I have to agree because its a very well written song, and its a good way to close out the album.
Blur's "Parklife" was better than I expected, and I'm ready to dive deeper into Blur's other albums. It's a great start if your a blur noobsause like me.
Blur's "Parklife" - Final rating: 77%
MR ALAN WILLIAMSON IS BRILLIANT!!.......2006-10-04
OK. So I was duped. Alan Williamson--see The Stone Roses review--is the funniest man alive! Thinking he was serious, I got all riled up and blasted him a new one over this Stone Roses album and ended up sounding like a complete arrogant putz in the process. Bravo, sir! His reviews are hilarious and well worth searching out, especially the Beatles REVOLVER and the one (S) about Kelley Clarkson and womens shoes! Very funny stuff.
Want to know who he really likes? The ones with only 1 star!
This album is one of the greatest debuts ever, by the way...JUST IN CASE YOU WERE READING THIS TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT I THOUGHT OF PARKLIFE! Not as good as he OST from the Pagemaster movie staring a very young Mr. Culkin, but not bad at all!
(wink wink)
I don't like this album.......2006-06-15
When Mike and the Mechanics ushered in the Britpop era with Looking Back Over My Shoulder, it was only a matter of time before these dopes attempted to jump on the bandwagon. How they won so many Brit awards with this rubbish is beyond me. It must have been rigged!
Not Blur's best album like many say.......2006-01-23
I own all of Blur's CDs, and actually I would say this is one of the lesser issues (the least being the band's debut album). At this early point in Blur's history, there is much less application of the neat sound effects evident on the albums "Blur" and "13", and the majority of the melodies have little catchiness. Not to say that Parklife isn't a good CD, though, because it certainly is. Parklife is very commendable for its plainspoken variety, with a wide variety of musical styles that venture from moseying tracks like "Parklife" to succinct scrambling pieces like "Bank Holiday". In addition to this, there are interesting factors such as a guest appearance of the Stereolab vocalist, organ sessions (which cannot be found on other Blur albums), and video game noises in the song "Jubilee". This CD also features one of Blur's more prominent pieces, "Girls & Boys". This track contains an odd yet decidedly memorable chorus, electronic patterns, and a highly entertaining vocal rhythm throughout. Parklife establishes itself apart from other Blur albums in that it contains a lot of organ, much usage of a specific electronic sound effect, synthesizers, and the occasional violin and horn, yet is mildly comparable to my second favorite Blur CD: "The Great Escape" with the majority of its rhythms. All in all, Parklife is a fine album and I would consider it essential in at least any Blur fan's collection.
Average customer rating:
|
Nightshade EP
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0007D90AG |
Product Description
5 Tracks: 1. Haunted 2. Just Making Things Right 3. Better off dead 4. Break 5. All Furies Down
Average customer rating:
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: Pid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B000005K1N
Release Date: 1997-08-05 |
Customer Reviews:
Track Listing.......2003-12-22
Two singles were released for the track "Parklife" from the 1994 album Parklife. The track listings were as follows:
CD1 (CDFOODS53):
1. Parklife
2.Supa Shoppa
3. Theme From An Imaginary Film
CD2 (CDFOOD53):
1. Parklife
2. Beard
3. To The End (French version)
All B-sides were not released on the original album.
Average customer rating:
|
To the End (IMPORT)
Manufacturer: Food Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000BWNPMW |
Product Description
UK Import Single with 2 unreleased studio tracks not on any LP. Tracks: 1.To the End 2.Threadneedle Street* (Unreleased) 3.Got Yer!* (Unreleased)
Average customer rating:
|
Lonely Eyes & Amsterdam
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000FTKHZ4
Release Date: 2003-05-13 |
Tracks:
- Butterflies and Hurricanes
- President's War
- Gone In October
- San Jacinto
Average customer rating:
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000LYQQKS |
Average customer rating:
- Dislike Infectious Music that's Well Made? Stay Away.
- My first Blur album
- MR ALAN WILLIAMSON IS BRILLIANT!!
- I don't like this album
- Not Blur's best album like many say
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Indie Rock
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Indie & Lo-Fi
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Dance
| Alternative Styles
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Dance & DJ
| Styles
| Music
Britain
| British Isles
| Europe
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Dance & DJ
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Blur
- Modern Life Is Rubbish
- The Great Escape
- 13
- Leisure
ASIN: B000006ZFF
Release Date: 1994-06-02 |
Tracks:
- Girls & Boys
- Tracy Jacks
- End of a Century
- Parklife
- Bank Holiday
- Badhead
- Debt Collector
- Far Out
- To the End
- London Loves
- Trouble in the Message Centre
- Clover Over Dover
- Magic America
- Jubilee
- This Is a Low
- Lot 105
- Girls & Boys
Amazon.com essential recording
You'd have to stretch back to 1967 to London's psychedelic underground (a time and a place that Blur is admittedly fond of) to find a band that revels as much in its Britishness. And on its third album, Blur takes 30 years of cool English rock, throws it into an art-punk Cuisinart, and ends up with a masterpiece of timeless hooks and Cockney attitude. Like the Kinks at their satirical best, Blur paints warm and funny portraits of quintessentially English characters ("Tracy Jacks," "Parklife," "The Debt Collector"), delivering them with early Small Faces swagger, wiggy Syd Barrett-via-Julian Cope production, XTC circa "Respectable Street" vocal hooks ("ooh-we-ooh"), and a cynical Buzzcocks detachment. The band members are mods, of course, borrowing fashion tips from the pre-glam David Bowie, tempos from the Jam, and actor Phil Daniels (the star of Quadrophenia!) for a vocal cameo. "Magic America" is the best bored with the U.S.A. song since the Clash, Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier sings backing vocals, the Pet Shop Boys remixed the single, and the members of Blur love Wire so much that they hired that band's old road manager. But enough namedropping: Parklife is the album on which Blur proves that it's a force to be reckoned with on its own terms, described by front man Damon Albarn as a nocturnal travelogue of London; the only time the album leaves the Motherland is on its lead track, the unbearably catchy single, "Girls & Boys," which follows randy English youth on holiday to Greece. --Jim DeRogatis
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: "Girls and Boys (Remix)".
Customer Reviews:
Dislike Infectious Music that's Well Made? Stay Away........2007-01-10
Parklife is a fantastic album, it really is. The songs are all impeccably well-crafted, the lyrics are clever without being full of themselves, and the playing is peerless. Opening track "Boys & Girls" is a wonderful dance track, finding the mid ground between Britpop and Hip-Hop (Kind of. I just liked how they rhyme). The only downside to the album is a matter of location. Starting with their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, blur were known for their ability to capture the feelings and emotions of the time and place where they were. Parklife is revered as Mid-90's England captured in song, and while I like the album very much, I feel like I missed something because I didn't hear it in it's own time. A small grief, but a grief none the less.
My first Blur album.......2006-11-24
Hailed by many as Blur's best album, "Parklife" was my first sampling of them. After many years of being a huge fan of 90's alt/rock, I decided to check this band out. What do I think of this album? read on...
I was familiar with the first song on this album, "Girls & Boys" from seeing the video on Vh1 classic late one night. This song was the reason I got the urge to check this band out, a very catchy tune. The album continues next with "Tracy Jacks," and the comparisons to the Who and the Kinks come to mind with this certain song. "End of the Century" is one of the albums highlights. This song should be up there with the likes of Radiohead's "High and Dry." The next song, "Parklife" is more fun brit-pop, I'm not much for spoken word, but this song comes through with its catchy chorus.
The next four songs bring down the album just a tad bit, "Bank Holiday" is a quick punky song. "Badhead" is a great mellow song, but it seems out of place between "Bank Holiday" and the instrumental "Debt Collector." "Far Out" is a short, more experimental song. I like this song, it reminds me of the psychedelia of Syd Barret, and early Pink Floyd. Its a shame the song is so short.
The album picks up again with "To the End," this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Its a very british song, and I love the chorus. This song has a more epic feel, which I like.
The rest of the album is hit or miss. "Clover Over Dover" is one of my fav's from the album. More of a downer of a song with its depressing lyrics, and thats what I like. "This is a Low," the longest song on the album, and its many peoples favorites. I have to agree because its a very well written song, and its a good way to close out the album.
Blur's "Parklife" was better than I expected, and I'm ready to dive deeper into Blur's other albums. It's a great start if your a blur noobsause like me.
Blur's "Parklife" - Final rating: 77%
MR ALAN WILLIAMSON IS BRILLIANT!!.......2006-10-04
OK. So I was duped. Alan Williamson--see The Stone Roses review--is the funniest man alive! Thinking he was serious, I got all riled up and blasted him a new one over this Stone Roses album and ended up sounding like a complete arrogant putz in the process. Bravo, sir! His reviews are hilarious and well worth searching out, especially the Beatles REVOLVER and the one (S) about Kelley Clarkson and womens shoes! Very funny stuff.
Want to know who he really likes? The ones with only 1 star!
This album is one of the greatest debuts ever, by the way...JUST IN CASE YOU WERE READING THIS TO ACTUALLY SEE WHAT I THOUGHT OF PARKLIFE! Not as good as he OST from the Pagemaster movie staring a very young Mr. Culkin, but not bad at all!
(wink wink)
I don't like this album.......2006-06-15
When Mike and the Mechanics ushered in the Britpop era with Looking Back Over My Shoulder, it was only a matter of time before these dopes attempted to jump on the bandwagon. How they won so many Brit awards with this rubbish is beyond me. It must have been rigged!
Not Blur's best album like many say.......2006-01-23
I own all of Blur's CDs, and actually I would say this is one of the lesser issues (the least being the band's debut album). At this early point in Blur's history, there is much less application of the neat sound effects evident on the albums "Blur" and "13", and the majority of the melodies have little catchiness. Not to say that Parklife isn't a good CD, though, because it certainly is. Parklife is very commendable for its plainspoken variety, with a wide variety of musical styles that venture from moseying tracks like "Parklife" to succinct scrambling pieces like "Bank Holiday". In addition to this, there are interesting factors such as a guest appearance of the Stereolab vocalist, organ sessions (which cannot be found on other Blur albums), and video game noises in the song "Jubilee". This CD also features one of Blur's more prominent pieces, "Girls & Boys". This track contains an odd yet decidedly memorable chorus, electronic patterns, and a highly entertaining vocal rhythm throughout. Parklife establishes itself apart from other Blur albums in that it contains a lot of organ, much usage of a specific electronic sound effect, synthesizers, and the occasional violin and horn, yet is mildly comparable to my second favorite Blur CD: "The Great Escape" with the majority of its rhythms. All in all, Parklife is a fine album and I would consider it essential in at least any Blur fan's collection.
Average customer rating:
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Dance
| Alternative Styles
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| CD Singles
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B0000571H8
Release Date: 1999-12-28 |
Tracks:
- Parklife
- Beard
- To the End [French Version]
Average customer rating:
|
Parklife
Blur
Manufacturer: Food
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Britpop
| British Alternative
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
Alternative Dance
| Alternative Styles
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| CD Singles
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B0000571GU
Release Date: 1994-01-01 |
Tracks:
- Parklife
- Supa Shoppa
- Theme from an Imaginary Film
Average customer rating:
|
Parklife
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B0009OAUOI
Release Date: 2006-09-12 |
Music:
- Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
- Polishing the Stone
- "I Promised"
- Radiophonic Oddity
- Reaching for the Love
- Rock Animals
- Rootical Vibrations
- Sandinista!
- Selections Circa 1990-2000 [Import]
- Smell of Female
Music
music
Music
Franz Ferdinand
Ivan Moravec Plays Mozart
In Denmark I Was Born
SGB0029 (Karaoke CD&G)
Movie Star [Import]
Passion Flute
Jazz 'Round Midnight: Sarah Vaughan
Hindemith/Britten/Penderecki: Trauermusik/Lachrymae/Konzert
Legend: The Classic Recordings [Import]
Montreux '77 [Live]
Let It Be [Original recording remastered]
Jazz Rocket Science
Gran Reventon Gran, Vol. 3
Live From Budapest
The Art of the Song