Blur: The Death of a Party + Acoustic Demo

Listen/Download:
"Death of a Party"
"Death of a Party" (Early Acoustic Version)
[Band Wiki]

Blur: Gene by Gene

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Live:

The Dead Flowers Best of Britpop Mix

Let's face it: any jerk can put some Pulp and Elastica on a CD and call it a Britpop mix. The recent Brit Box? Good intentions, but kind of boring. In the end, only one person could put you inside the head of a University of Michigan sophomore studying abroad in London in '96. Only one person could pick the music that would evoke day trips to Manchester on Smiths pilgrimages, or evenings spent sipping Newcastle and watching the band whose first release just got Melody Maker's "Single of the Week". That person is Dead Flowers' resident Britpop expert, Phil. For a year I've been pestering him to put together a mix like this, and he's finally delivered. Here's a track-by-track rundown:

1. Echobelly - Insomniac
Phil's Comment: Sept. 1994, Echobelly and Oasis both sell out the same venue, same capacity on different days in ny (wetlands). alas, quite different paths after that.


2. Gene - London, Can You Wait?
P: Never given their due/respect!
Mike (Dead Flowers)'s comment: I agree. Taken in small doses, Gene were quite good.

3. Blur - Chemical World
M: One of my favorite Blur tracks. Amazing guitar, and the lyrics would set the template for Britpop songs to come.


4. Oasis - Whatever
M: There's nothing better than a great non-album single. Sure, this apes The Beatles, but it does it in a classy way. Liam's voice would never sound better.


5. Suede - We are the Pigs
P: Best song intro in the britpop era.
M: While most latter-period Britpop bands would draw on mundane events like soccer championships and elections to find inspiration for their anthems, Suede had it right from the beginning: bad drugs and JG Ballard novels.

6. Tricky - brand new you're retro
P: I guess some trip-hop needs to be thrown in.
M: Sure, it sounds really dated. But it's interesting to hear what passed for 'cutting-edge' back then.

7. Salad - Granite Statue
P: Even the lesser players at the time were still quality
M: At first I thought this song was crap, but I've had it stuck in my head for the past few days and I can assure you it's top-notch. The girl can't sing, but only half of the Britpop singers could anyways.

8. The Auteurs - Lenny Valentino
P: Also criminally underrated, Luke Haines' post-auteurs stuff was never topped.
M: Haines really looks like Paul Banks in this video. Brilliant track.


9. Morrissey - Hated for Loving
P: Still the godfather of british pop

10. Marion - Time
P: Obligatory Manchester-based, smiths-heirs-to-the-throne-but-never-were band.

11. Sultans of Ping - Where's me Jumper?
P: The unofficial anthem of britpop.. bar-none
M: I think Art Brut heard these guys.


[Download The Dead Flowers Best of Britpop Mix]
[Use Winrar to unpack the file]

Listen to "We are the Pigs" by Suede:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Blur: Parklife Demos (Part V)

"Peter Panic":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Badhead":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Trouble":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"One a Minute":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Debt Collector-Waltz"

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Part I]
[Part II]
[Part III]
[Part IV]

Blur: Parklife Demos (Pt IV)

"Never Clever":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Seven Days":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Jubilee":

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Part I]
[Part II]
[Part III]

Blur: Parklife Demos (Pt III)

"Tracy Jacks":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Far Out":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"Bank Holiday":

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Part I]
[Part II]

Blur: Parklife Demos (Pt: II)

Listen to "Clover Over Dover" (Demo):

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "To The End" (Demo):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Part I]

(Thanks to "trevordewane" on the Libertines.org forum)

Blur: Parklife Demos

Listen to "Parklife" (Demo):

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Girls and Boys" (Demo):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Part II]

(Thanks to "trevordewane" on the Libertines.org forum)

Paul Weller and Graham Coxon: This Old Town

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Live on Jonathan Ross:

Alex James: The Cheese Diaries

The Guardian Writes:
From Blur bassist to farmer, Alex James has now turned to his first love - cheese. Watch the trailer and subscribe below to our free vodcasts to follow him on his voyage of cheesemaking discovery...



[Subscribe to the vodcast]
[Original Story on how James started making cheese]

Listen to "Good Song":

[Download the MP3 Here]

Paul Weller, Graham Coxon, Zak Starkey & Mani: This Old Town (Live on Jonathan Ross)

Seven Ages of Rock: British Indie

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Part IV:

Part V:

Part VI:

Part VII:

Part VIII:

Part IX:

Bit of a Blur, Reviewed

In the Guardian:

In this tenth anniversary year of the New Labour government, the mid-1990s present themselves as a time when the champagne flute was always half-full. In Cool Britannia, London was swinging and, on the evening after Blur mimed their breakthrough hit 'Boys and Girls' on Top of the Pops, Vic Reeves and Jonathan Ross led their bass player to the Groucho Club for the first time. No one personifies that period quite like Alex James and it was in the Soho club that he did some of his best work as part of a different triumvirate leading the never-ending party.

t was supposed to be the brothers Gallagher rather than their ostensibly more fey rivals who ramped up the decadence; while it skirts around the Britpop wars, this effervescent memoir proves otherwise and also emerges as the most fascinating, as well as hilarious, document to date of those times. James cites Jeffrey Bernard as one of his idols, when des Esseintes might be more appropriate; either Huysmans's 19th-century decadent creation or, failing that, a member of Motley Crue. Put bluntly, there is an awful lot of shagging in Bit of a Blur.

On the band's first North American tour he strays from his childhood sweetheart for the third time when a journalist from Canadian Elle proffers a handjob by way of an interview; in New York he is led to bed by a model whose face he then recognises on the cover of Vogue. Later he will make a pass at Marianne Faithfull (rebuffed) and sleep with Courtney Love (recommended, apparently). 'I was an outlaw, a rebel,' he reflects. 'If I rationalised my decadence, I'd tell myself it was the duty of rock stars to indulge themselves beyond reasonable limits. If I couldn't be reckless and extreme, I wasn't doing my job properly.'

His 29th birthday ends with him soused in a balthazar of champagne, naked on his hotel bed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the five prettiest fans he has picked up in the lobby. 'You need five girlfriends when your bottle is that big,' he notes.

[Read the Whole Story]

Blur: Sing (Original + Rare Alt Version)

Listen to "Sing":

[Download the MP3 Here]

Listen to "Sing (To Me)":

[Download the MP3 Here]

The End for Gorillaz?

NME Reports:

Damon Albarn has confirmed that Gorillaz will release no more studio albums.

The Blur singer said that the only project left for the cartoon band will be a film featuring a score composition, that has previously been linked to filmmaker and 'Monty Python' mastermind Terry Gilliam.

Speaking to BBC Radio 2, Albarn said: "We're trying to make a film next, starting in September hopefully. It will be a film score. There won't be another pop record."

Reports suggest that the cartoon band members will act as alternative characters, as opposed to playing themselves.

Listen to "Dirty Harry":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"El Manana" Promo:

Damon Albarn and Mali Music: Spoons (MP3)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Interview with Damon Albarn on making "Mali Music"]
[BBC Article on the album]

Live performance of "Sunset Coming On" from the album:

Bit of a Blur

Blur Talk Reports:

For Alex James, music had always been a door to a more exciting life: a way to travel, meet new people and, hopefully, pick up girls. But as bass player of Blur – one of the most successful British bands of all time – his journey was more exciting and extreme than he could ever have predicted. Success catapulted him from a slug-infested squat in Camberwell to a world of private jets and world-class restaurants. As ‘the second drunkest member of the world’s drunkest band’ life was always chaotic, but Alex James retained a boundless enthusiasm and curiosity at odds with his hedonistic lifestyle. From nights in the Groucho with Damien Hirst, to dancing to Sister Sledge with Bjork, to being bitten on the nose by the lead singer of Iron Maiden, he offers a fascinating and hilarious insight into the world of celebrity. At its heart, however, Bit of a Blur is the picaresque tale of one man’s search to find meaning and happiness in an increasingly surreal world. Pleasingly unrepentant but nonetheless a reformed man, Alex James is the perfect chronicler of his generation – witty, observant, frank and brimming with joie de vivre.

"Ambulance" Live:

TGTBATQ: Live on NPR

Listen:

[Download the MP3 @ the NPR website]

Recently Overheard on TheLibertines.org Forum...

Blur to reform? Alex James Says So. According to Calicowall:

York Hall Last Night
Really good gig. Bit of a weird venue as York Hall is normally used for sporting events like boxing and that.

Simonon was as cool as ever and the sound was ace. Played the record from start to finish in order then the Herculean b-side with the rapper on it (he came out and did his bit).

Was talking to Alex James for a bit who told me that Coxon is definitely going to play on the next Blur record and that one of the songs on the GBQ record was written by Damon for Marianne Faithful. I dont know why I was so surprised at how amiable a chap he is but he is very polite and friendly.

Unreleased Pete Material? The infamous "Katie Bapples" claims she has loads of four-track stuff. Here's the link:
[http://www.esnips.com/web/KatieBapplesandglove]

Listen:

06 Track 6.wma

[Katie Bapples on Myspace]

TGTBATQ: Opposing Viewpoints

I said:

"It's an understated collection of well-crafted songs that deserves to be listened to in its entirety, both for its compelling musical and lyrical themes."

Phil (aka Big Boots) said:

"I like tracks 2, and 6.. not really looking for social commentary from that twat in the 'Live Forever' documentary."

In other news, the band was featured recently on BBC 6 Music. They sat down for interviews, played some records, and recorded an acoustic set. More info is [here]. Listen to interview highlights [here].

The acoustic set went like this:
1. History Song
2. Kingdom of Doom
3. Bunting Song
4. Nature Springs
[Download the BBC 6 Acoustic Session in MP3 Format]
(Link from thegoodthebadandthequeen.net)

Thoughts on: The Good, The Bad & The Queen

As hard as it is for this Radiohead fan to admit, while everyone was looking elsewhere, Damon Albarn established himself as Britrock's most consistent and innovative artist. His motives may have been questioned since he told us that there's no other way, but the results speak for themselves: the Blur behemoth, obviously, but also Gorillaz--a hugely popular group that manage to remain indie in the best sense of the word. Albarn's voice and melodies now have an instant familiarity that make his albums the aural equivalent of comfort food. In other words, he's become the Sting that doesn't suck.

Now comes "The Good, The Bad & The Queen", ostensibly an Albarn solo album with the help of an all-star cast (Danger Mouse on production duties, Tony Allen on drums, etc.). Beneath the album's pleasant melodic exterior, there's a darkness to Albarn's lyrics that make this a fitting soundtrack to 2007.

When one sees the fervor over Steve Jobs' keynote and the accompanying iPhone eclipse the fact that people are dying in a bloody war half a world away, it's a painful and embarrassing reminder of the fact that "reality" today has a lot more to do with escapism than with hard facts. Albarn addresses this uncomfortable truth: on "Kingdom of Doom" he sings about how people "Drink all day cause the country's at war." Likewise, on the stunning "Green Fields" he sings:

Before the war and the tidal wave
Engulfed US it’s true
How the world has changed
And I was learning how to change with you

This is an album that, unlike Blur and Gorillaz, doesn't shine through on its singles. It's an understated collection of well-crafted songs that deserves to be listened to in its entirety, both for its compelling musical and lyrical themes. Damon Albarn has done it again.

Verdict: Buy the CD

Listen to "History Song":

[Download Their BBC Show]
Watch "Green Fields":