Firstly im not saying they've had anywhere near as much success or even reached the mania that beatles had, just that they are the closest thing to the beatles of the modern day bands.

Im just wondering what people thought of these guys they were the first band i ever got into during the whole blur vs oasis thing, it was always made out that Oasis where The Beatles to Blur's The Kinks.

I never agreed with that and saw it more as Blur were The Beatles/The Kinks and Oasis where The Rolling Stones ?, anyways the reason i ask is they showed a lot of versatility and were constantly reinventing themselves with each album and sometimes from each single like The Beatles.

Songs from there Modern Life is Rubbish album could easily have passed for tracks on Revolver/Rubber soul, Parklife which is meant to be there SPLHCB ?, also with songs like Tender that could have easily have been a Abbey Road song right along side George's Here Comes The Sun.

They probably the best modern day day british songwriter in Damon Albarn who has also wrote hits for his side projects the Gorillaz and The Good The Bad And The Queen.

Alex James is right up there with some of the best indie bass players with superb basslines like Girls and Boys and Beetlebum and many more.

Dave rowntree who is a solid drummer in all the ways Ringo was.

Graham Coxon Probably the best modern day guitarist " Who could do things with guitar that even Johnny Marr couldnt do" - Stephen Street (Blur and The Smiths Producer) on how Graham was the best guitarist he had ever worked with.

What do you guys think of them?

Though I think Blur has a good sound, I think that there are bands that are more underground and not as well known that have a more similar sound to the Beatles. Though none carry a torch to the Beatles, those bands have a few very Beatle-esque songs.

I always prefered Blur than Oasis, they were much more outragious in their music
& moved in different directions which was always interesting.
I've got some of their albums (Parklife, Leisue, Modern Life s Rubbish & Great Escape)
but never really liked the later stuff much from Blur or 13.

I think they should have been more popular over here. As it is, the only song every played by them is Song 2.

I think they are similiar to the Beatles in that they experimented and evolved. Not too many bands seem to do that anymore. It's like they find a sound that works and then they beat it into the ground. I'm dying to hear Blur's new album and I haven't felt like that about a band in years. I hope it does well. It still amazes me that they weren't more popular here. I can't stop listening to them. Beetlebum just gives me the chills everytime I listen to it. Which is a lot lately. That, Parklife and Charmless Man at the moment. What a voice Albarn has. It's gonna take me a while to get through all their stuff cuz I picked up on them so late. It pisses me off that I didn't get the opportunity to hear them back in the 90's. I don't remember them ever getting air play on the radio.
Now saying all that, I don't think any band comes close to touching the Beatles. They had four front men and at least 2 and a 1/2 geniuses in the band. They were a unit that didn't rely on just one person to come up with all the innovation. It was a four for one deal. I'm not sure how Blur works, but it seems like Damon is the dominating force. And for sure he's a genius, but when it's just one guy there's risk of burn out. I mean, look at U2. They have had a great run, but I think Bono's well is starting to run dry.


Great song. Love the video too. Lots of GREAT close ups.  

But the Charmless Man video is the greatest. It's hysterical. Great British humor.

I used to do Beetlebum in a band...loved it. Graham Coxon is a talented solo performer in his own right. Alex James retreated into writing newspaper columns & gardening I believe. End Of A centuryand To the end are another 2 classics.

damon albarn is a genius in the songwriting department but most of his songs are written on paper and piano, and they would never be the songs you hear today without coxons genius on the guitar, so in one way albarn writes the main song with lyrics and chords,  coxon then works on arrangements for them and writes the killer hooks and riffs, and alex james is half a genius as he is a great bass player and wrote vindaloo

tbh its probably more   albarn/lennon  and coxon/mccartney in that coxon isnt a great lyrical writer but has a way with sounds and melody and is always thinking about the sound and albarn is just  with lyrics and general songwriting

cant wait for new album but still no word on the actual recording of it as of yet they have met over lunch but no word on any album

Blur were & still are a fantastic band, i've always prefered them than Oasis.
They always branched out into other areas, but somehow Oasis couldn't.
I found Blur's much more entertaining & funny. they seemed to be having a good
laugh with what they did, but oasis made it sound all serious to me. i was never
into either of them during that Oasis vs Blur thing. it's only a few years later that
i realised how great Blur's songs were. & of course Oasis.

Oasis is much more derivative of certain sixties bands. Blur seem to be completely original. But I'll never understand why the two are constantly compared. They're nothing alike other than they came out around the same time and both are classified as Brit Pop.  

Quoted Text

tbh its probably more   albarn/lennon  and coxon/mccartney in that coxon isnt a great lyrical writer but has a way with sounds and melody and is always thinking about the sound and albarn is just  with lyrics and general songwriting

Thanks for explaining how they work. Interesting. Although I think McCartney wrote some amazing lyrics at his peak. The kind that stay with you. Don't let the simplicity fool you. It isn't easy to write like that.

ohhh no sorry i know that both were capable of doing both things to a high standard, McCartney wrote fantastic lyrics and that lennon wrote some great melodies and music alone its just in the whole that is where both there skills lie more

Heh, my first instinct is to defend Paul. It's come from the years of revisionism and listening to people talk about how awful he was compared to the almighty Lennon.

They are also on the same record label, arent they? Parlophone.

yeah they are both part of emi parlaphone blur  are on food records

Is it big news in the UK that they've reunited? Cuz over here you don't hear anything. It's like nothing is happening at all.  

not really it has a tiny bit in top corner of the middle of the newspaper, its a slightly bigger deal in the music magazines.

if it had been oasis that had split and were reforming it would be front page but thats because oasis have always been front page news with there antics.

blur are a little more boring in media sense as  they aint totally nuts and thats what sells ?

maybe theyll make a bigger fuss when they actually get closer to releasing something and it aint just a coffee

I think it's got something to do with the fact that they never split up! Coxon left, but the band carried on, and actually made a very good album without him - Think Tank.

Coxon is constantly on UK tv these days. He's bought a farm, dresses like a country squire and is making speciality cheeses.

Quoted from Kevin

Coxon is constantly on UK tv these days. He's bought a farm, dresses like a country squire and is making speciality cheeses.

Then his motive for rejoining Blur is probably money.

lol alex james is the cheese making farmer, hes actually the one all for blur reuniting and is the middle man

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I think it's got something to do with the fact that they never split up! Coxon left, but the band carried on, and actually made a very good album without him - Think Tank.

yeah but as good an album as it was many have said and i agree that battery in youre leg, was the standout track and was the only song on the album to feature coxon on it.

Quoted from fendertele

yeah but as good an album as it was many have said and i agree that battery in youre leg, was the standout track and was the only song on the album to feature coxon on it.

True. Blur are a better band with Coxon. But I think that Albarn has proved that he doesn't need him, to be successful. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, but I don't think Blur will ever be anything more than a part time thing for Albarn.

yeah albarn is a great songwriter on his own as is morrisey, but there partners really emphasise how good they are.

unless coxon agrees to do the album there wont be another blur album as albarn says he hated touring think tank without him onstage with them and playing old songs brought it back a bit.

gorillaz gave him global success and big sales.

but parklife captured a whole generation and formed a whole music movement and gave them a record breaking 4 brits on one night, he may look upon blur as an old side project but it will be blur that he will be known for most

Quoted from Kevin

Coxon is constantly on UK tv these days. He's bought a farm, dresses like a country squire and is making speciality cheeses.

My mistake. It's Alex James.

I thought you were talking about Paul McCartney.

Quoted from Bobber

I thought you were talking about Paul McCartney.

http://www.blurcast.tv

great site with loads of live blur concerts stored on it to watch( Streaming high qaulity) need to sign up but it is well worth it if you like watching blur videos (live,interviews..)

Blur used to be very good, but are they still together? What about the Guerrillas element, has it destroyed them?

Quoted from Jane

Blur used to be very good, but are they still together? What about the Guerrillas element, has it destroyed them?

they are still gr8 but no longer together, and  the gorillas thing has finished as well, he has a new band called The Good The Bad and The Queen now (albarn that is).

Coxon has a solo career, Rowntree has a designing company with which he had a tv show on channel 4 and is also a mp, and james has a farm and cheese