Leisure - Blur

LEISURE is the title of British band Blur's debut album from 1991. The album features 12 tracks which i will review. The opening track is SHE'S SO HIGH which highlights the band's talents with Damon Albarn's vocals great from the off and the backup music providing superb support. BANG is a fast paced track that really comes alive when the guitar kicks in to add a burst of energy. SLOW DOWN brings a mellow feel to proceedings and relies on the soothing vocals to bring a calming influence. REPTITION is a song that grew on me after hrearing it a few times. An under rated track. BAD DAY starts slow and builds ...  Read the complete review

Before the Brit Pop battles with Oasis and breaking off to form Gorillaz, Blur first broke onto the British music scene back in 1991. The first album from the boys from North East London, Leisure, was released at the end of August and passed without much of a fan fare. There was no groundbreaking sound to the album and it fitted in nicely with the new Indie sound coming out of Manchester at the time. There were comparisons with EMF and the kings of the time, The Stone Roses, but all in all this debut was considered to be a pretty safe album. It was a time when all was happy in the Blur household and the band were just enjoying making music and having fun. ...  Read the complete review

Blur debut saw the dawn of an extremely creative Indie group in Blur. This first album sees a creativity somewhat subdued however... She's So High was allegedly spawned by record bosses requesting of Blur they produce a single in the same vein as the Stone Roses and sure enough... The guitar riff is quite similar to that of Waterfall and the echo laden vocals are certainly Stone Roses tinged... The backwards guitar solo whilst not an original touch is nice and whilst the song is by any means an innovative compositon is a nice single. Perhaps slightly long though. There's No Other Way feels similar to She's So High. Repetitive guitar riff is ...  Read the complete review

Released in 1991, Blur's first album provides little sign of the eclectic, lyrically strident band they would eventually become. At the time they were lumped in with the "baggy" movement that included the likes of The Happy Mondays and The Charlatans, although Damon Albarn has always insisted "We were never baggy". LEISURE is nevertheless made up mainly of the kind swaggering dance-pop that characterised much of the British alternative music scene at the time. Several of the tracks are unremarkable, but the shimmering melodies of the singles 'She's So High', 'Bang', and 'There's No Other Way' help to make it a ...  Read the complete review

"Leisure" is the debut album released by Blur in 1991. When recording this album Blur have said that they felt pressured by their record label to do what the record label wanted them to do rather than what they wanted to do, and although it does show (as it is not as strong and emotional as their other albums), it is still a very strong debut album. "She's So High" Kicks off the album (as it did in the gig I saw in Wolverhampton the other week) and it is a very strong opener, with personal lyrics "To see her face, everyday, it doesn't help me" and an anthemic singalong chorus. Other highlights include "There's No Other Way", one of ...  Read the complete review