Blur-tastic! (Awesome 2)

Name: Blurbubble

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Product:	Awesome 2
Date:	20.06.01 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A complete musical history in singles., Very collectable.

Disadvantages: Expensive!

Yes, Blur do it for me in a big way and if you are in any doubt you need to listen to their 10th Anniversary Box Set for the full delight of their wide and varied skills.

A must-have for a Blur-a-holic like myself albeit an expensive must-have at that. It took me a good year before I had the spare cash to spend on this delightful box set and then only thanks to a generous birthday/Xmas cash gift.

This tenth Anniversary Box Set is a delight – 22 CD singles charting Blur’s musical history contains 127, yes, 127 tracks in total – all in original picture covers with an accompanying glossy, colour picture booklet. I think originally the set was available in different packages but mine came housed in a sturdy, black canvas zip up bag sporting the blur logo. I paid £99.99 (gasp!) but I have heard that some places have sold it for around £80. Either way, considering the contents and potential collectability of the set I didn’t mind paying that as a fanatic. Apparently it is also a limited edition but how ‘limited’ I don’t know! (I’ve got number UK01222 if anyone’s interested!)

Released in 1999, obviously to celebrate 10 years of fine Blur music, this obviously does not contain their most recent single, “Music is My Radar” but that is included on their “Best of” CD anyway.

This review could be impossibly long if I attempt to review it all given the extensive content of this box set and my enthusiasm for the band so I will attempt to focus on the key ‘A’ sides of the singles instead.

OK, so this takes us through their 22 singles over that period which are, in chronological order, “She’s so High”, “There’s no Other Way”, “Bang”, “Popscene”, “For Tomorrow”, “Chemical World”, “Sunday Sunday”, “Girls and Boys”, “To the End”,
“Parklife”, “End of a century”, “Country House”, “The Universal”, “Stereotypes”, “Charmless Man”, “Beetlebum”, “Song 2”, “On Your Own”, “M.O.R”, “Tender”, “Coffee and TV” and “No Distance left To Run”.

As you can see there are plentiful chart hits, number ones and classic tracks in that list and that’s just the ‘A’ sides! As I said, I won’t go into the task of listing all of the remaining tracks that make up the full 127 (it would take toooooo long!) suffice to say these include alternative versions of some of the ‘A’ Sides, live versions and the usual hidden-away gems often found on B sides – hours and hours of listening pleasure a possibility.

Just to highlight some of my favourites (an maybe best depending on personal tastes, obviously) “There’s no Other Way” is a catchy semi-dance Indie track with an infectious chorus and broken back-beat. “Sunday Sunday” is a glorious Kinks style romp through an average Sunday with stomp along music and jolly vocals.

Best known are probably “Song 2” – a semi-metal number used on many TV adverts with the trademark “Wooohooo” chorus line, “Parklife” which was there main springboard to fame with Phil Daniels guesting on vocals and “Tender” in a one there ‘come-back’ song after a lean times with a wonderful acoustic, gospel flavour and touching vocals/lyrics. For me “The Universal” is one of their masterpieces – a slower track, with stirring musicianship and Damon Albarn showing his more serious, deeper vocal talents. “No Distance left to Run” is a mournful tug at the heartstrings over sparse musical backing with tired, emotional vocals.

For the beginning I find “She̵
7;s so High” a rather directionless, unmemorable single and “Popscene” is also rather lame in comparison to the bands’ later work although still a good single.

On the whole there’s very little that lets this collection down – even the cover artwork on the singles is colourful and imaginative and I heartily recommend saving up for this set if you are at all partial to Blur!

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