Blur

Blur is a group English of Pop music/Rock originating in Colchester.

Composition

Biography

Damon Albarn met Graham Coxon with Colchester, Essex, England, in Stanway Comprehensive School whereas they were old only 15 years. They were left more since. Graham met Alex James with London (Goldsmith Art School), which, meanwhile Dave Rowntree met. And all that gives Seymour , which repeats for the first time She' S So High around December 1989. Then all is held rather quickly, they sign at Food Records which requires of them to change the name of the group. Blur is adopted and She' S So High leaves fine 1990. The album Leisure arrives beginning 1991 and their second individual There' S No Other Way reaches honourable an eighth place in the charts. The third individual one, Bang , Blur prefers to forget it.

In 1993, Blur leaves its second LP, Modern Life Is Rubbish which is a success rather relative vis-a-vis the grunge mode that Blur combat with vehemence.

But the recognition arrives with Parklife, which leaves in 1994, being posed as a leader of vagueness Britpop. It is the dedication: four Brit Awards (Best Individual: Parklife, Video Best: Parklife, Best Album, and Best British Band), record which will make date.

In 1995, The Great Escape is in the middle of a war shingling with Oasis where the rivals fight with blow of increasingly sulfurous declarations in the press. Blur will not leave unscathed this period, where the group failed to separate… It is still quite difficult to say, even today, to which it is necessary to allot the victory; because so at the time, Country House crushed Roll With It , Wonderwall is still on all the lips. But whereas Oasis leaves its new album, with the festival of Reading (08/1999) Beetlebum was stressed by crowd at the same time as Damon, and whose intensity exceeded Pa systems (pregnant).

Beetlebum thus leaves in first individual Blur, album éponyme which marks the revival of Blur, which moves away from the Britpop to approach an alternative sound in a style a little American. the USA adopt then Song 2 like new anthem of youth and Blur finally succeeds in boring the market on the other side of the Atlantic. In leaving the world tour, the group publishes on February 25th, 1998 Bustin' + Dronin' , a hybrid disc made up of remixes technoïdes of pieces of the preceding album and a digest live of the group.

In 1999, 13 continuous to transform Blur , which, for the circumstance, changed producer by replacing Stephen Street by very general-purpose William Orbit. If one listens to successively Bang and Caramel , one can include/understand this fantastic revival of Blur for which it will have taken ten years to explore with brilliance several kinds of music and this at various levels. One can thus say that Blur constantly knew to be renewed, while remaining faithful to his public and his fans. 13 counts only three individual: Tender , Coffee & TV (sung by Graham), and No Outdistances Left To Run .

And even if Blur stopped the “interminable” rounds, Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave continue the concerts, which was worth besides to them “Q Award” for “Best Live Act in the World”.

Very concerned by the image, Blur always granted much importance to the visual aspect of its work. The experimental character of the group encouraged it to collaborate with artists such as Damien Hirst, Tomas Vinterburg, Sophie Muller or Julian Opie, whose portraits of the musicians illustrated Blur: The Best off in 2000.

All the members of the group also could express themselves via other projects: Alex is become again a pop star with Fat Them while Dave was devoted to the computer animation. They became also pilots and support the project British Unmanned Probe. As for Damon, it published “Mali Music”, in collaboration with musicians African, and been once again success with the virtual group Gorillaz. As for the guitarist Graham Coxon, he preferred to continue his career on his side and to form his group where he will be able to sing all with his ease.

In 2003, the musicians are in a hurry to test their new configuration (the group will be increased by a saxophonist, a percussionnist, chorus-singer and others surprised). Result? Think Tank, seventh album and first in trio. It is essential like the disc more groovy of the career of the group, characterized by an eclecticism of rates/rhythms, textures and melodies. In 2007, Damon Albarn is implied in the creation of a new project: The Good, the Bad and the Queen.

At the beginning of October 2007, Blur will turn over in studio in company of Graham Coxon, for a one week session. If the results are convincing, the group could take action pursuant and record a new album to it.

Discography

Albums Studios

Compilations & Live Albums

Individual

  • She' S So High (October 15th, 1990)

  • : #48 UK
  • There' S No Other Way (April 15th, 1991)
  • : #8 UK
  • :#5 US Modern Rock
  • : #15 US Dance
  • Bang (July 29th, 1991)
  • : #24 UK
  • :#40 US Modern Rock
  • : #40 US Dance
  • Popscene (March 30th, 1992)
  • : #32 UK
  • For Tomorrow (April 19th, 1993)
  • : #28 UK
  • Chemical World (May 10th, 1993)
  • : #28 UK
  • :#27 US Modern Rock
  • Sunday Sunday (October 4th, 1993)
  • : #26 UK
  • Girls And Servant boys (March 7th, 1994)
  • : #5 UK
  • :#4 US Modern Rock
  • : #21 US Dance
  • To the End (May 31st, 1994)
  • : #16 UK
  • Parklife (August 22nd, 1994)
  • : #10 UK
  • End Of has Century (November 7th, 1994)
  • : #19 UK
  • Country House (August 14th, 1995)
  • : #1 UK
  • The Universal (November 5th, 1995)
  • : #5 UK
  • Stereotype (February 12th, 1996)
  • : #7 UK
  • Charmless Man (April 29th, 1996)
  • : #5 UK
  • Beetlebum (January 20th, 1997)
  • : #1 UK
  • Song 2 (April 7th, 1997)
  • : #2 UK
  • :#6 US Modern Rock
  • One Your Own (June 16th, 1997)
  • : #5 UK
  • M.O.R. (September 15th, 1997)
  • : #15 UK
  • Tender (February 22nd, 1999)
  • : #2 UK
  • Coffee + TV (June 28th, 1999)
  • : #11 UK
  • No Outdistances Left To Run (November 15th, 1999)
  • : #14 UK
  • Music Is My Radar (October 15th, 2000)
  • : #10 UK
  • Out off Time (April 14th, 2003)
  • : #5 UK
  • Happy Crazy (July 7th, 2003)
  • : #18 UK
  • :#22 US Modern Rock
  • : #1 US Dance
  • Good Song (October 6th, 2003)
  • : #22 UK

Clips

  • She' S So High (1990)
  • There' S No Other Way (1991)
  • Bang (1991)
  • Popscene (1992)
  • For Tomorrow (1993)
  • Sunday Sunday (1993)
  • Girls And Servant boys (1994)
  • Parklife (1994)
  • Country House (1995)
  • The Universal (1995)
  • Stereotype (1995)
  • Charmless Man (1996)
  • Beetlebum (1997)
  • Song 2 (1997)
  • One Your Own (1997)
  • M.O.R. (1997)
  • Coffee + TV (1999)
  • Out off Time (2003)

Videos

Rewards

Brit Awards

  • Better group British 1995

  • Better album British 1995: Parklife
  • Better individual British 1995: Parklife
  • Better clip British 1995: Parklife
  • Better film 1997 original soundtrack: Trainspotting

NME Brat Awards

  • Better group 1995

  • Better album 1995: Parklife
  • Better clip 1995: Better Parklife
  • " Live Act" 1995

NME First Awards

  • Better group 2000

  • Better individual 2000: Tender
  • Better clip 2000: Coffee & TV

Q Awards

  • Better production 1994: Stephen Street

  • Better album 1994: Parklife
  • Better album 1995: The Great Escape
  • Better production 1999: William Orbit
  • Better album 2003: Think Tank
  • Group of the year 2003

Smash Hits Awards

  • Better group 1994

  • Better album 1994: Parklife

Ivor Novello Awards

  • Better authors 1996

MTV Europe Music Awards

  • Better clip 1999: Coffee & TV

Music Week Cad Awards

  • Better Pop clip 2000: Coffee & TV

British Awards Animation

  • Better clip 2004: Good song

FOCAL Awards

  • Better promotion video 2004: Out off time

Gaffa Awards

  • Better international group 2003

  • Better international singer 2003: Damon Albarn

South Bank Awards Show

External bonds

  • Official site of the group
  • French Site on Blur
  • History off Blur

Simple: Blur

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