Blur
“”Blur: The Best Of””
EMI Records

A

After six albums and more than a handful of hit songs, Blur has finally released “”Blur: The Best Of.”” The album provides 18 tracks of Blur and their growth from their 1991 release, “”Leisure,”” through their most recent release in 1999, “”13.””

For those of you whose knowledge of Blur doesn’t go beyond the techno-casino sounds of “”Girls & Boys”” and the familiar “”Whoo-Hooo!”” of “”Song 2,”” then this album will open your eyes to the music that is distinctively Brit-pop.

Blur was first known as Seymour and started out playing their style of art-punk in various places around London in the late ’80s. In 1989 they changed their name to Blur, signed to Food Records and released “”Leisure,”” which included hits like “”She’s So High”” and “”There’s No Other Way.””

“”Modern Life is Rubbish”” was released in 1993 and it pioneered the Brit-pop sound of the early- to mid-1990s. The lush My Bloody Valentine-esque guitar work with Beatles-esque harmonies and the use of string and brass sections achieved a witty collection of songs.

Their first No. 1 album, “”Parklife,”” continued Blur’s collection of hit songs including “”Girls & Boys”” and gave them four Brit Awards.

With the release of their next album, “”The Great Escape,”” Blur became part of a media-created rivalry with Oasis. “”The Great Escape”” reached No. 1 in the British charts and sold 1 million copies in Britain.

Their self-titled album, “”Blur”” was released early in 1997 and they were instantly known stateside with their two-minute hit simply titled, “”Song 2.””

“”Song 2″” also found its way into commercials, movies and other promos. Largely ignored were songs like “”M.O.R.”” and “”Beetlebum.””

Their most recent studio album, “”13,”” was lyrically direct and emotional with beautiful musical textures. Blur songwriter Damon Albarn wrote about his painful break-up with Elastica’s Justine Frischmann and used the brilliance of William Orbit to produce the album.

Their “”best of”” album collects all of the songs that define Blur and their career. Classics such as “”Parklife”” and “”Charmless Man”” are included with the light melodies of “”Country House”” and “”To the End.”” The bonus disc includes 10 songs from their concert at Wembley Arena.

“”Blur: The Best Of”” is a fantastic way to open your eyes to more than just the American radio hits and it’s a great way to start the foundation of your Blur collection.