Is The Great Escape the worst Blur album?

[stephen]

blur were always good with their choruses, tender has a catchy infectious chorus and it was probably worthy of a single in my eyes when you look at the rest of the album...ok maybe coffee and tv could have been the lead. I believe it was only beaten to number one by britney spears which was a massive hit single

[tom_cas1]

It seems I’m in the vast minority of people who LOVE Mr. Robinson's Quango. Why do others hate it so?

[TripleJay97]

It seems I’m in the vast minority of people who LOVE Mr. Robinson's Quango. Why do others hate it so?

Nah, I'm with you! That noisy guitar stuff towards the end is too awesome to be dismissed like that.

[semi]

I've always found Mr Robinson's like blur trying to be too much britpop. Like, "we need another character for another song". It's not their worst song, but I skip it a lot when I'm listening TGE.

[Styopa]

I've always found Mr Robinson's like blur trying to be too much britpop. Like, "we need another character for another song". It's not their worst song, but I skip it a lot when I'm listening TGE.

I agree. I think it strays into self-parody. It's certainly less subtle and nuanced than some of the other character songs from that period and I think less interesting for that. It also sounds peak Britpop, not peak as in Britpop's finest moment (which arguably was TIAL) but peak as in maximum, unadulterated, brassy, bombastic, Blur britpopiness right at the height of the Britpop era. There's nothing wrong with that per se - in fact it's kind of interesting for that reason- but it does sound very much of its time. I suppose Country House Charmless Man are a bit like that too but are better songs. By way of contrast some of the other character songs Blur did like Colin Zeal and Tracy Jacks retain a timeless quality whilst also encapsulating the sound of that era.

[Rubi]

It seems I’m in the vast minority of people who LOVE Mr. Robinson's Quango. Why do others hate it so?

Because it's a Village People song.

[Rubi]

I never understood Tender properly until I witnessed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB8_8tsmg2Y

The most magical moment of any performance I've witnessed. Still brings me goosebumps just thinking about it!

I knew that was the Glastonbury performance before I clicked. Magical performance. But then this extended version started getting redundant as they started to perform it in every gig afterwards.

[Mark72]

It seems I’m in the vast minority of people who LOVE Mr. Robinson's Quango. Why do others hate it so?

Love it too.
The White room performance is sublime.

[blurfansince97]

I never understood Tender properly until I witnessed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB8_8tsmg2Y

The most magical moment of any performance I've witnessed. Still brings me goosebumps just thinking about it!

I knew that was the Glastonbury performance before I clicked. Magical performance. But then this extended version started getting redundant as they started to perform it in every gig afterwards.

That was indeed a magical performance. But what made me realize what a classic Tender is, was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVmffdNYi-A

[bushmonkey]

That was indeed a magical performance. But what made me realize what a classic Tender is, was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVmffdNYi-A

I've not seen that before. That's really cool! Were you there?

[blurfansince97]

That was indeed a magical performance. But what made me realize what a classic Tender is, was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVmffdNYi-A

I've not seen that before. That's really cool! Were you there?

I wish!

[Mallard No. 22]

Rubi - 'Bang' is maybe not the most under-rated Blur song ever, but it was certainly a great inie song of the time, accompanied by an immediate video.

I don't mind 'Mr Robinson's Quango', and I understand Styopa's point that it epitomises Britpop at its height.