Blur

The Early Years

Originally called Seymour, the band were formed in Colchester, Essex in 1989. The band consisted of Damon Albarn (vocals/keyboards), Graham Coxon (guitars), Alex James (bass) and Dave Rowntree (drums). They recorded an EP and played a small number of gigs in London before they were signed to Food records. Food was a part of EMI, run by former Tear Drop Explodes keyboardist Dave Balfe and journalist Andy Ross. It was these two who suggested the name change. 'Blur' was picked from a list, and the band's journey to stardom began.

'She's So High', their first single under their new guise staggered into the Top 50, where second release 'There's No Other Way smashed into the Top 10. 1991 saw the release of their first album Leisure, though it had mixed reviews. Some percieved the band as belonging to the waning Manchester pop scene, and consequently achieved a reputation for being insincere charlatans. Others, however, deemed the album a pioneering feat.

Blur's Musical Reformation

Undefeated, the band went away to rethink their style, and 1992's 'Pop Scene' revealed a new, brash approach to music. This demonstrated a desire to be taken seriously as a band, though the single was misplaced amongst the British pop scene and America's fixation on grunge. Still undeterred, the group turned their attention to the production of their second album.

Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in 1993, on the back of singles like 'Chemical World' and 'For Tomorrow'. The band were asked to re-record the album with producer of Nirvana's famous Nevermind album Butch Vig, in order to appeal to the American market, but Blur refused. Consequently they failed to make any impact with the album in America, despite it being recieved well in Britain, reaching number 15 in the charts.

It was the band's third album Parklife in April 1994 which catapulted the band to superstar status. By the start of 1995 the album had gone triple platinum, though the band had already turned their attention to recording their next LP. It was the release of the first single 'Country House' from forthcoming album The Great Escape that sparked the chart battle between Blur and fellow superstars Oasis. It was Albarn who had the release date for the single put forward to coincide with Oasis' 'Roll With It'. Although 'Country House' got to number one, the release of (What's The Story) Morning Glory? stole the limelight from the band's successes. Although The Great Escape did reach number one in Britain, by 1996 Blur were old hat.

All Just a Blur

For Blur, Oasis were a dangerous enemy in their great struggle for power: together the bands symbolised a great cultural battle. They represented the North/South divide, the working classes versus middle class snobs, and most of all, Oasis appealed to American audiences in a way that Blur never did. Blur decided to take a year off, and returned to the studio with fresh ideas in 1997, where fifth album Blur manifested.

This album demonstrated an attempt to incorporate grunge elements that were missing from earlier works, and they eventually achieved success in America with the anthemic 'Song 2', which was also a massive hit in Britain. Album number six 13 came along in 1999, though by 2003's Think Tank, it was clear Blur had lost their musical identity, displaying a bizarre mish mash of genres that no longer appealed to the British public. The group disbanded and began to concentrate on solo projects, in particular Albarn who has so far recorded two very successful albums with Gorillaz, and Coxon, who has thus far recorded five solo albums.