Parklife
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| Parklife | ||
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| LP by Blur | ||
| Released | April 25, 1994 | |
| Recorded | October 1993-January 1994 | |
| Genre | Britpop | |
| Length | 52 min 39 s | |
| Record label | EMI | |
| Producer | Stephen Street | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Rolling Stone | 7 out of 10 | (6/30/94, p.73) (http://www.buy.com/retail/proreviews/product.asp?sku=60136030&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Allmusic.com | 5 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB040402061702081566&sql=Asudsyl1oxpvb) |
| Spin magazine | Highly Recommended | (8/94, p.87) (http://www.buy.com/retail/proreviews/product.asp?sku=60136030&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Q | 5 stars out of 5 | October 2000 (http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=131838&resource=131838&fixture_artist=145646) |
| Blur Chronology | ||
| Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) | Parklife (1994) | The Great Escape (1995) |
Parklife is a Britpop album by the band Blur, released on April 25, 1994 (see 1994 in music). The album, along with Oasis' Definitely Maybe, launched the Britpop revolution in music in the UK and elsewhere. The bands' sketches of British life among ordinary men and women prompted many reviewers to compare the band to The Kinks. Another probable influence, especially on the title song, is The Small Faces. A surprising influence on the lyrics of "This Is a Low" is the BBC's Shipping Forecast. The songs themselves span many genres, such as the Pet Shop Boys-esque hit single "Girls And Boys", the jazzy interlude of "The Debt Collector", the Oi! punk of "Bank Holiday", and the hard rocking "Trouble In The Message Centre". Despite this, many believe the album remains cohesive, and it is sometimes regarded as one of the best albums ever. At the time of its release it acquired full-on cultural phenomenon status in Britain, particularly in the context of the young middle classes' adoption of Estuary English (several newspaper articles about this tendency appeared during the singles chart run of the album's title track).
In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Parklife the 20th greatest album of all time.
| Contents |
Track listing
All tracks by Damon Albarn/Graham Coxon/Alex James/Dave Rowntree.
- "Girls & Boys" - 4:51
- "Tracy Jacks" - 4:20
- "End of a Century" - 2:45
- "Parklife" - 3:05
- "Bank Holiday" - 1:42
- "Badhead" - 3:25
- "The Debt Collector" - 2:10
- "Far Out" - 1:41
- "To the End" - 4:05
- "London Loves" - 4:15
- "Trouble in the Message Centre" - 4:09
- "Clover over Dover" - 3:22
- "Magic America" - 3:38
- "Jubilee" - 2:47
- "This Is a Low" - 5:07
- "Lot 105" - 1:17
Personnel
- Damon Albarn - Synthesizer, Strings, Harpsichord, Organ (Hammond), Programming, Recorder, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Melodica, Moog Synthesizer, Vibraphone
- Simon Clarke - Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone)
- Graham Coxon - Guitar (Acoustic), Clarinet, Guitar, Percussion, Guitar (Electric), Saxophone, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Phil Daniels - Trombone, Horn, Narrator
- Richard Edwards - Trombone
- Louise Fuller - Violin
- Kevin Godley - Director
- Stephen Hague - Piano, Producer, Engineer
- Alex James - Guitar, Vocals, Noise
- Richard Koster - Violin
- Roddy Lorimer - Trombone
- Ivan McCready - Cello
- John Metcalfe - Arranger, Viola
- Leo Payne - Strings
- Mark Pharoah - Violin
- Chris Pitsillides - Strings
- Audrey Riley - Strings
- Dave Rowntree - Percussion, Drums, Programming, Noise, Crowd Noise
- Laetitia Sadier - Vocals
- Tim Sanders - Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
- John Smith - Producer, Engineer
- Stephen Street - Keyboards, Programming, Sound Effects, Producer
- Bob Thomas - Photography
- Chris Tombling - Strings
- Brunskill - Photography
Chart positions
United Kingdom - album
1994 Parklife No. 1
United Kingdom - singles
1994 Girls and Boys No. 5 1994 To the End No. 16 1994 Parklife No. 10 1994 End of a Century No. 19
Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album
1994 Heatseekers No. 6
Billboard (North America) - singles
1994 Girls and Boys The Billboard Hot 100 No. 59 1994 Girls and Boys Modern Rock Tracks No. 4 1994 Girls and Boys Top 40 Mainstream No. 40 1994 Girls and Boys Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 21 1994 Girls and Boys Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 23