What you need to know:
It’s been 30 years since Blur released ‘Parklife’, their third studio material considered by many to be the best of their career.
When you hear the word britpop or 90s, there is automatically a name that comes to mind: Blur. This group led by Damon Albarn arrived together with Oasis to become the banner of this genre inspired by the music of the 60s and 70s in the United Kingdom with bands like The Beatles or The Kinks, and above all, to define it in its entirety.
Since its beginnings, Blur became an important exponent of music, but in 1993, let’s say it had a “fall” due to the little success it had Modern Life is Rubbish, his second study material. However, all this changed exactly one year later, when On April 25, 1994, he launched parklife, their third production considered by many to be Blur’s best.
The story of ‘Parklife’, Blur’s most important album
At some point when they started, Damon Albarn said in a press conference the following: “When our third album is released, our place as the quintessential English band of the 90s will be secured. This is a simple statement. I plan to write it in 1994.”
And he was not wrong. In that year and after a series of sessions that they recorded for Modern Life…Blur told different stories that reflected life in England at that time, used various musical genres and even brought to the table a collaboration with Laetitia Sadier, from Stereolab, for the song “To The End”.
That’s how they finally put the pieces together. parklife, an iconic album that served to define the band itself, but also, according to the story told by NME to celebrate the anniversary of this plaque, it also served to pay an important debt.
“They had to come to the studio so they could eat. I think the only time they ate was when they were on tour and in the studio. “They could only eat with Per Diems (the money that record companies gave to bands to tour or record albums)” account Stephen Streetformer producer of The Smiths (whose style is highly reflected “Clover Over Dover”) and the person in charge of helping Blur redefine their sound in Modern Life…, but also, the visionary who found in some demos the possibility of creating a new album. , he added.
Today the story is very different. Today Blur is world famous and is loved by many generations.. So much so that its own members are aware of this situation and enjoy it in their own way. Or that’s what he told us Graham Coxon on his most recent visit to Mexico as a soloist.
“I love playing with Blur. Because when Blur gets together we travel to very nice places, we stay in good hotels, and we give a very big concert, we eat really good food, and we have a very nice and smiling audience in front of us. My job there is easy. I mean I have to make a lot of noises on the guitar, I have to sing a little bit so there is a little bit of effort but, for the most part, I just enjoy the incredible spectrum of the moment, enjoy the atmosphere and playing well and loud with my electric guitar”.
With simple ones like “Girls & Boys”, “Tracy Jacks”, “End of a Century” and of course, “Parklife”, this material came to be disdainful, fun, moving and the reflection of a youth aware of its environment, creative, but at the same time nihilistic. This is precisely why at the time so much parklife like Blur meant a lot to young people around the world.
