Blur tracks Poll

No need for nominations, just pick your favourite Blur tracks from any of the albums or singles or whatever. Choose your top twenty-two (why not?) tracks and they'll score as follows:
1:40, 2:36, 3:33, 4:30, 5:28, 6:26, 7:25, 8:24, 9:23, 10:22, 11:21, 12:20, 13:19, 14:18, 15:17, 16:16, 17:15, 18:14, 19:13, 20:12, 21:11, 22:10.
Please send your ballot to: nasty brutish n short (AT) gmail.com (except obviously without the spaces and using the @ symbol) by 25th May.
In the meantime, use this thread for bigging up tracks you want people to vote for.

"Yuko and Hiro" for the win or gtfo

Somehow I suspect you're going to be disappointed again

not sure if i like 21 other tracks enough to fill in a poll

"out of time" is like the only Blur song I like

that's one yes

Ballots will be accepted with less than 22 songs

Tracy Jacks
out of time
coffee and tv
you're so great

The rest are shiteo

don't forget about Peach!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJrFoFLUyk

are there any instrumental ones without that stupid fake cockney accent?

bump

Ok, then....

People might find this http://www.vblurpage.com/info/songlist/all.htm helpful.

Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur

Hope you all remember to vote for Blue Jeans again this time.

are there any instrumental ones without that stupid fake cockney accent?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1azYJ8xEbI4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDWEsOqL5ng

Done. Forgot 'The Wassailing Song' but hey - I'm sure I enjoyed seeing a wrecked Dave Rowntree belting through it on a tour bus on one of their videos somewhere.

Done. Pretty uncomplicated tbh.

Trimm Trabb, death of a party and also yuko and hiro get neglected as well and they're great.

Never liked Yuko & Hiro at the time - love it now.

I did not neglect "Yuko and Hiro"

I've made up my mind. Excluding "this is a low" I'll vote exclusively for non-singles.

All-together--

(That wasn't a single either)

I mean: Essex Dogs, Blue Jeans, Tracy Jacks, Caramel, You're so Great... many of these are way better than the actual singles.

Choosing my list is giving me overwhelming nostalgia pangs. Feels like the whole of the nineties happening all at once. I felt like this at Glasto when they reformed - I think I nearly cried.

(You can all stop feeling sick now).

Coffee and TV, Sing, Trimm Trabb and the Universal (well, almost - the chorus bugs me sometimes)

Badhead is the one I'd rep for.

Three ballots in already and I haven't even started to think about my own one yet.

Had to cut a whole load of things and it breaks my heart, but here's my ballot in order:

Coffee & TV
Battle
This Is A Low
Sing
One Born Every Minute
Chemical World
Best Days
Intermission
Polished Stone
Theme From An Imaginary Film
To The End
Young And Lovely
When The Cows Come Home
Trimm Trabb
On Your Own
Out Of Time
Peach
Country House
Country Sad Ballad Man
Supa Shoppa
Sweet Song
There's No Other Way

Funny that my two faves are 13 tracks.

Don't post it here!

oooooooooooooops!

sorry, i was too excited!

That's the spirit

going through this i find that i rate 'modern life is rubbish' and 'blur' the highest. Think Damon's vocals on the self titled album sound the best of all periods of blur.

arghh! Thought I was done but then remembered 'No monsters In Me'. lalalala

I mean: Essex Dogs, Blue Jeans, Tracy Jacks, Caramel, You're so Great... many of these are way better than the actual singles.

― ◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝◦ ⃝ (Moka), Thursday, May 12, 2011 7:01 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

Never realized that TJ wasn't a single, esp. since there were quite a few from the album iirc. A missed opportunity, that.

I'm glad I was never a completist collector when it came to singles. I mean, I was w/ certain bands.. but then the age of multiple versions rose and it got really goddam expensive to keep up (esp. for those of us who had to shill out for vastly overpriced UK imports). The internet has made the exercise seem all the more absurd. Still, I always made mixtapes from my friends' Blur singles -- they were one or the more consistent bands for that at the time (1990s generally, which is saying a LOT considering the general quality of UK indie b-sides from that era).

Six ballots in already. I'm listening to everything again at the moment as I whittle down my choices. It's difficult, because the Modern Life / Parklife / Great Escape stuff sounds so different to the Blur / 13 / Think Tank stuff it's weird to compare them. Two songs I've always liked that I don't expect to do well*: Caravan and Country Sad Ballad Man. One song I haven't listened to for ages, but realised tonight that I like (but probably not enough to get into the top 22): Best Days.

I also have a strange love of Magic America.

it's a tune

basically i like the bleak but not maudlin ones, or bleak looking out rather than bleak looking in

It's been a pleasure revisiting these tonight, thanks nbs for the excuse. I've voted for the right tracks I think, but every time a new one comes on I realise I got the order wrong.

I dimly recall Select or some other rag running a Revolution In The Head style track-by-track series for them, presumably at the height of britpop. I'd really like to be reading that just now.

That was in the summer of 1995, iirc.

underrated album track: he thought of cars

Ismael Klata - it was called the Compleat Blur and it came in the first issue of Select I ever bought and happened to be one of the most interesting features I ever read. I was sent, a very long time ago by an ilxor, some scans of these and i might even have them stored somewhere.

I'm glad I was never a completist collector

Trying to keep up with Blur releases around "Blur" time was ach.

Jap only albums, US only eps, and looking at that website I was all "BeetleBum Instrumental????" even now...

No love for "The Universal"? At one point it was my favourite all-time Blur single.

booooooring

also British Gas long ago fucked over whatever charm it had

basically i like the bleak but not maudlin ones, or bleak looking out rather than bleak looking in

I like Miss America and Mellow Song - would you put them in the latter category?

"Miss America" is outrospective i think - the narrator and the title character feel like portraits - but "Mellow Song" is introspective. Usually draw the line between Great Escape and what comes after. Lot of people hated that apparent contempt for "the norms" in the first few records but i think it's expressed as much in terms of self-loathing and a recognition of trappedness that i v. much buy into.

Having said that I realised that "Out of Time" is totally introspective and i love that so

Sent. Turns out I've got no Think Tank love, which surprised me tbh.

No love for "The Universal"? At one point it was my favourite all-time Blur single.

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 13 May 2011 07:53 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

booooooring

also British Gas long ago fucked over whatever charm it had

― wanking on the moon (Noodle Vague), Friday, 13 May 2011 07:56 (1 hour ago) Bookmark

I liked it when I first got the album - the strings on the intro are lovely, and the horn solo in the coda is nice too, but yeah it's boring and has been used so much on TV adverts it may as well not exist.

I was surprised to find there are at least three Think Tank tracks I don't just like, but love. Looking at Great Escape's tracklist, I'd say a generous slice of it is dud and it's only held up by a handful of particularly good tracks. Stereotypes and Charmless Man were released at the height of Blurmania and yet they are fucking dire. Then you've got the double dip nadirs of Dan Abnormal and Ernold Same (the latter a poor man's Debt Collector trying to be Parklife but failing dreadfully).

I quite like Dan Abnormal.

Pet Shop Boys 12" Girls & Boys remix up in this!

My 22 tracks had to be whittled down, obv, and "Fade Away" was eliminated at the final hurdle.

Stereotypes is interesting, to me it sounded like:

The verses deal with a pair of cliched characters, and the chorus is admitting that the song's being written on autopilot and suggesting that at some point the songwriter is going to produce something more worthwile, so stick around.

Maybe?

The verses of Stereotypes work quite well with the Rolling Stones' Play With Fire:
The suburbs they are dreaming
They're a twinkle in her eye
She's been feeling frisky since her husband said goodbye
But don't play with me, cause you're playing with fire
She wears a low cut T-shirt
Runs a little B&B
She's most accomodating when she's in her lingerie
But don't play with me, cause you're playing with fire...

'The Universal''s a special case for me. I adored it on release, thought it was one of the best things ever, loved its video - but couldn't even be bothered to listen to it last night. Not sure if it's dullness or saccharinity and I'd be reluctant to admit of either, so maybe I'll go with the gas adverts too (though I've no objection to those either). It could be just too perfect, like 'There She Goes' I'd never need to hear it again, it never does the unexpected. I still voted it highly though, fond memories are a big part of this poll.

Hmmm ... didn't know that "The Universal" had been in so many adverts! (non-UK resident here)

I've been refreshing my memory on Youtube and a) "Think Tank" still sucks (except "Out of Time"), b) still don't get "Coffee and TV", c) most of their videos are horrible ("No Distance Left to Run", which I'd never seen before, was a nice surprise), d) they aged about ten years between "The Great Escape" and "13".

luvin end of a century lately

I never really liked The Universal as a single, but on the album it's just fine and in the right place.

xpost yeah, "End of a Century" transcends "Parklife" more than any other song on that album

Think Tank has "Sweet Song" on it. Ambulance isn't bad either.

Stereotypes always felt weird because it shares the name of a famous Specials song that kind of does the same thing, lyricwise, except rather than a young alcholholic nutjob it's a bored middle aged couple - maybe the same ones from End Of A Century?

Sweet Song, Out of Time and Battery in Your Leg are all-time for me, though the rest of Think Tank has palled somewhat.

^Caravan is classic also imho

Badhead ftw.

I am a big fan of both Badhead and Caravan, btw.

I will need blurbs off people when the time comes as I am almost completely incapable of writing about music, beyond saying "this one's good" or "I don't like that one."

i didn't wanna blurb when i voted cos it wd've took too long but i think time to have a little argue between each place in the results thread is a good way to go with that sort of thing

^^^

Not too fond of Think Tank either yet it does contain one of my favorite songs by them:

Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoO8J_oYRS8

The bassline is one of the most memorable ones they ever did, the guitar solo is breezy and they hommage (rip off?) Kraftwerk on the synth break.

I'm fine with the 'space, not blurbs' masterplan.

I have nine ballots in so far and will be adding my own to that...

That's not enough.

I'm good for one sometime this week.

This is a ridiculous idea...that I love. Will push a ballot your way soon.

Should I specify when I vote for "Me, White Noise" that I prefer the Albarn vocal version to the Phil Daniels one?

That won't be necessary

Didn't know there was a Phil Daniels version.

Daniels version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJaUu7IyEf0

Albarn version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0V3HoxKoik

One is a 'rewindie' on Think Tank, the other is on a freebie "observer" Cd.

Yeah, the Phil Daniels version the hidden Think Tank track, the Albarn version was a pre-release freebie (and later a b-side).

Eleven ballots in so far, 90 different tracks voted for.

i'm going to try and do this, as i own just about everything Blur has done. problem is i haven't listen to much Blur lately so feel i need to listen again before voting. which seems like a daunting task...maybe i should just do albums tracks.

I considered only album tracks for the most part, because I never owned/heard a lot of the b-sides. The only non-album single I voted for was "Don't Bomb When You're the Bomb" because I love it greatly.

just voted. at least one track off every album, plus one non-album song. but my ballot is heavily weighted towards the 1993/4 MLIR/Parklife era.

Three more ballots in since last night and (SLIGHT SPOILER) I'm relieved to find I'm not the only person who likes 'Bugman'.

I am here to big up DIZZY! sending my list in soon.

I ended up having to make some difficult cuts, sob! but my list was:

Dizzy
Long Legged
Mixed Up
Never Clever
Red Necks
Theme From An Imaginary Film
Young & Lovely
Uncle Love
Essex Dogs
Far Out
Headist/Into Another
Explain
End of a Century
All Your Life
Beetlebum
Me White Noise
Miss America
Lot 105
I'm Fine
Clover Over Dover
Swallows in a Heatwave
Tell Me Tell Me
Sunday Sunday
Trimm Trabb
Daisybell

ah shit, maybe I wasn't supposed to post here. well. we all know Dizzy won't win but at least I threw it some points!

By the way - that's 25 tracks, so the bottom three didn't score any points

iirc only 3 out of those 25 are in my list. i guess everyone has their own Blur?

My Blur was a lot more midtempo/ballad heavy than I realized.

Double reading comprehension fail :( sorry!

i guess everyone has their own Blur?

They do, but Finefinemusic's Blur is more unique than anybody else's

Never a band well served by remixes but this is definitely going in my list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Bo9XKtz18

Sixteen ballots in so far. It seems pretty clear what the top three will be now, but there's a lot of jostling for the other positions. 108 different songs chosen. By the way - there's no need to specify (as some people have) which remix or version of a song you prefer, I'm lumping them together. And Johnny Fever - you left off your 22nd favourite track so still have one more vote if you want it.

I'll think of one more and send it along.

Looking at Finefinemusic's list and comparing it to mine which also features quite a few b sides it's clear I must have given up buying singles/12"s around great escape cos there's quite a few tracks on their list I don't recognise at all. Probably gave up when the whole 2 cd singles per release became prevalent. 'Uncle Love' is great however.

It seems pretty clear what the top three will be now

So pleased for "Yuko and Hiro"

Odd and totally selfish request: I'll be traveling all day on May 26, so could you delay a day to start rolling off the results?

I have no idea why I chose 25th May for the end of voting. I'll be quite busy with work on 26th and 27th anyway, so even if I get started on the results then I'll only trickle out a few. And 28th May is the European Cup Final, so my mind will be elsewhere. All will be revealed by the end of May, though. Probably.

The REM one took about a year to unroll iirc, so the bar is set quite low.

I'll be away too. Ah, fucky.

Me too!

Blur fans be world travellers!

Two days left to vote...

Theme from an Imaginary Film
You're So Great
Coffee + TV
Tracy Jack's
Globe Alone
Sunday Sunday
Beetlebum
Charmless Man
Swamp Song
On Your Own
Magic America
For Tomorrow
Chemical World
Fade Away
Trimm Trabb
Dan Abnormal
Battle
The Debt Collector
There's No Other Way
When the Cows Come Home

oh EMAIL, righto

http://cdn2.knowyourmeme.com/i/6516/original/polar-bear-face-palm_thumbnail.jpg

Just voted, really looking forward to the results.

Even though most of my list was made up of slower Blur songs these are two I would really like to big up.

http://youtu.be/nN10znMjM_8

Never seen them do Message Centre live and it seems to be one of the forgotton songs on Parklife but I love it. This performance is brilliant.

at least I'm compiling a handy list of people who haven't voted for "Yuko and Hiro"

Umm... I listened to Yuko & Hiro the other day. I never liked it when I was a teenager, but now? Holy jeez, might be a contender for top 5. The guitar work alone...

"A drink in the evening/It helps with relaxing/I can't sleep without drinking/We drink together" - maybe one of Damon's most poignant lines, miles ahead of "Tender is the ghost/The ghost I love the most".

and "..oooh, I'm a naughty, naughty boy!"

that has a deep and meaningful lyrical subtext, obviously.

Mr Robinson's Quango really has to win the worst Blur poll right?

I'm not exactly a big fan of Mr Robinson's Quango but I really don't think that's the worst song on The Great Escape, Top Man would get my vote.

Top Man is okay in my book - I like the little Arabian Nights vamp that comes in on "On a Camel Light" and the "Ohm, Ohm" refrain. The songwriting's a bit trite, but Damon was always so hit and miss with lyrics, especially at this point in his career.

might have a go at this. finding it a bit daunting tho. they were my favourite band from about 97 to 03. i'm liking how lots of bsides are coming up in these lists.

Was never that into 'Yuko & Hiro' until I heard the version on Live At The Budokan when it suddenly came together for me.

Should I consider 'Intermission' to be a separate track from 'Chemical World'?

Yes. Well I do.

Just sent my ballot.

Haven't heard that one. Is it on Think Tank?

Which one?

Ballot sent, cheers brutish.

Just over 24 hours left to vote...

Blue Jeans, Out of Time, End of the Century

I'll rep massively for 'Parklife' now, even though I don't think I actually voted for it myself. Just the sound of it really, the extra top-end things in the mix give it a lot of jaunty life without unbalancing it at all. Great production, basically. And it's a good laugh, and lovely chorus to shout along to.

I think we all think we hate it, but really it's impossible not to like.

anyone ever wonder what alternative universe we'd be living in now if blur had released the original mix of MLIR with Oily Water, Mace, Popscene, Badgeman Brown, Resigned, Garden Central, Hanging Over, Into Another, Peach, Bone Bag, Never Clever, Coping, My Ark and Pressure on Julian.

The Andy Partridge effort? Or was that just a handful of tracks?

the andy partridge sessions were even earlier than these i think. they never made it out of the vaults, Seven Days was one iirc.

this was the first draft they showed to the record label who hated it and told them to go back and write some hits. they were probably right, it would've been a dirgey mess and blur prob. would've been lost to the sands of time. although tbh, I'm quite a fan of dirgey messes. most of these turned up as bsides.

here's "My Ark" aka "Funeral Dirge (Let's Party!)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bwxlrlwPM

Record company otm IMO

Dunno, I'd have to CDr it together and see.

I'd safely assume "For Tomorrow" etc would have come out eventually.

Yeah, I'm gonna do this. My Ark does sound like a leisure outake though, and the intro is massively long and boring.

It might work in context...

I do have that nice "Never Clever" on the Food 100 CD.

I'm going to close voting at 10pm London time (i.e. in about 3 hours) so that I can start a results thread tonight. Possibly.

I have been listening to Blur daily since I put together my list. Thank you for re-awakening that!

NBS, can you add "Parklife" to my ballot in 22nd place? I meant to really dig around and find an underloved song to put there, but in the end I'd be happier with that one.

Can do.

Dammit I forgot to include "he thought of cars" in my ballot. The Observer's 10th Anniversary ep is probably the best collection of Blur songs I've ever seen, I'd take "she's so high" and change it for "tracy jacks" or "sing" but it's still pretty much perfect:

Tracklist:

1. Trimm Trabb
2. Country Sad Ballad Man
3. He Thought Of Cars
4. This Is A Low
5. Blue Jeans
6. She's So High
7. Beetlebum

Also forgot to vote "country sad ballad man" goddamn it voted too soon...

Oh hey, turns out I did vote for 'Parklife' and quite high too. Not sure why it sprang to mind last night as some kind of forgotten gem.

I wore a tracky top into work last week a la Damon in the video (out-of-hours, I'm not that bold)

You want to cut down on your pork life mate, get some exercise

A slow roll out will slowly begin over here:
Blur tracks poll - the RESULTS thread

I actually ctms (chuckled to my-self) over that lame pun, Ismael.