A few things within the post-Britpop sphere are inevitable. Among them: 1) The Gallagher brothers will keep fighting and releasing records that no one cares about; 2) Bobby Gillespie will keep trying to push Primal Scream into making a new Screamadelica and end up with a big-bunch of big-beat bullshit; 3) Jarvis Cocker will keep taking forever to record and end up with a Pulp album that pales in comparison to its predecessor. And while it might not rank up there with the most inevitable events in a post-Britpop landscape, we still should have seen this decade-spanning career retrospective of Blur's coming.
Blur is easily among the best bands to come out of the '90s Britpop scene. Borrowing from their influences (a teaspoon Stone Roses, a healthy dose of the Kinks, a dab of the Beatles, and a sprinkling of the Smiths), they carved out a sound that was uniformly accessible. Though they produced five great albums out of the six they recorded (their debut, Leisure, was lacking), their strength has always been their singles. The Best of Blur might be a little useless to old fans who already own their old stuff, since 17 of the 18 tracks are taken from previous albums. However, if any fans are like me and verging on becoming burnt-out on Blur, the disc is a perfect way to get reacquainted and fall in love all over again.
The Best of Blur serves as a document for an astonishingly consistent career full of hits over in Britain. It's a shame that their success in America has been limited to a three-month span in the summer of 1997, during which teens screamed, "Whoo-hoo!" along to the Pixies-induced parody of American rock, "Song 2." But disappointing as it may be, it's not at all surprising; Damon Albarn's voice is a working class English croon, and his lyrics are decidedly British (example: the use of the word "jackanory" to describe how things are going in "Country House"), something that doesn't play well with this nation's blind patriotism.
As with any retrospective, the track listing isn't going to please anyone. Though much of essential Blur is collected, there are notable omissions. Their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, is underrepresented with only "For Tomorrow" making the cut ("Chemical World" and "Popscene" should have been included, since they're easily among Blur's best). Additionally, b-side-turned-Trainspotting-anthem, "Sing," is six minutes of psychedelic perfection that would have added contrast to many of the jubilant pop songs presented here.
Still, it's hard to argue with the material that made it to this record. The disc, though not sequenced in chronological order, covers all facets of Blur's career. There's the early shoe-gazing days of "She's So High," the bouncy dance beats of "Girls and Boys," the riff-heavy pure pop of "Country House," and the more "experimental" (though completely characteristic) lo-fi crunch of "Beetlebum." The one new song included, "Music is My Radar," warrants an appearance not just as a previously unavailable track, but as truly one of their best. It's minimalist, groovy, and combines the shiny poppy old Blur with the ragged noisy new Blur perfectly. Throw in a bonus disc of 10 live tracks taken from last year's singles show at Wembley Arena, as well as great packaging, and the two-disc set seems more than worth its price.
Blur themselves would probably dismiss the album as shit. Supposedly, none of the members were concerned enough with this release to speak up and say what should be included. Damon Albarn, particularly, has been vocal about taking a dislike to the band's previous material (which led to Blur's branching out on their previous two albums). Additionally, he's recently expressed distaste for the pop music scene as a whole. Latter point taken, the former seems like arrogant self-deprecation. Perhaps Albarn looks back on his past, sees catchy melodies, accessible production, and myriad screaming fans who love not only his music, but his good looks as well. From that perspective, Blur not only perfected Britpop, but also opened the door for boy bands who have helped contribute to the compost heap that is Top 40 radio. Yes, Blur may have been a boy band (and they might very well still be one), but there's no doubt that they're the most clever, likable, and best boy band in the world... Ever!
