The Great Escape - Blur

THE GREAT ESCAPE is not one of Blur's best known albums though it is still good. The album contains 15 tracks from the indie rock, British band. The openeing track STEREOTYPES is a steady song with great guitar work which supports the strong vocals that are often assciated with the band. COUNTRY HOUSE has Albarn's droning vocals sounding good although I thought the rhythm of the music let it down with only the chorus bringing it to life. BEST DAYS has some wonderful lyrics though the music lacks a little energy. CHARMLESS MAN is my favourite song on the album has it has a great tune you can singalong with and some superb ...  Read the complete review

Back in 1995 when 'The Great Escape' came out, it was met with superlative reviews. However, as Oasis' star rose and rose, Blur's popularity seemed to wane and the critics turned against them. They were right the first time round, 'The Great Escape' is maybe Blur's best album and certainly their most interesting. There was much retrospective criticism, claiming that Damon Albarn's third-person character potrait lyrics were becoming lazy and becoming a self-parody. This is not the case, on this album, Albarn manages to create some of the most interesting people ever committed onto record. It is though he has created his own seedy ...  Read the complete review

Mmm, though it pains me to admit it being lovingly biased in the band Blur’s favour this album is certainly not a shining example of their 11 year musical career/back catalogue. Even the cover is naff! It features a holiday brochure style speedboat picture with the band on the back – nothing special. Released in 1995, this was a difficult time for Blur, as the band freely admit, with the pressure of coming up with a worthy follow-up to the blockbusting album “Parklife” and the supposed media-generated battle with Oasis going on. It all takes its toll on “The Great Escape”. Tracklisting: Stereotypes ...  Read the complete review

This album has received a lot of flack but it had a lot to live up too. Blur are one of the most instantly recognizable Brit bands of the nineties and one of the most popular as well. They have a great set-up, as well Damon Albarn is a great singer especially at the type of music Blur play. Alex James is a brilliant bassist and his greatness can best be heard on Song 2 by the great way he uses slides to produce that opening couple of bars. Dave Rowntree is a fine drummer and his rhythm is impeccable. Graham Coxon is just frighteningly talented. While Blur's best album (not including Greatest hits) is Parklife the great escape is definitely a close ...  Read the complete review

Perhaps the great forgotten Blur album, released as it was at the height of Oasis-mania, THE GREAT ESCAPE still showcases the band at close to the peak of their powers. Like its predecessor PARKLIFE, there is again a lyrical concentration on a dysfunctional Britain of bored executives, randy housewives, and lottery fever. The straightforward pop of songs like 'Charmless Man' and 'Country House' do not represent the album as well as the slower, more complex tracks - the mournful 'Best Days'; Scifi epic 'He thought of Cars'; and arguably the greatest ever Blur single, with its tale of a Prozac-infested future society, 'The ...  Read the complete review