On a more personal note, this album is the first CD I ever bought. Song 2 was all the rage and I was sucked in. At the time, I had a quick listen, wrote off the other 13 tracks as "too wierd" and then played Song 2 to death. Many years later, I grew up...
... and discovered an album full of diverse styles and great storytelling. Beetlebum is pretty similar to their previous stuff, and of course Song 2 is a non-sensical high-energy romp. But the rest of the album is a series of musical snapshots into various characters' lives. Brilliant. Despite the pommy accents, somehow the album feels like a road trip across America. It travels from the rural porch of Country Sad Ballad Man, to a struggling suburb of Detroit in Death of a Party, to a quirky New York City in Look Inside America. For me, the only downer is Theme From Retro, which would be cool in a movie sequence, but to me doesn't make any sense as a standalone artwork. Overall, though, this CD is full of brilliant storytelling.
In this day and age, it doesn't seem all that experimental, but following Blur's previous 4 albums it must have sounded like something from another star (sorry, terrible pun!). Despite the claims of stripped-back rawness and lo-fi pride, I think it's a pretty polished effort. Sure, the guitar sounds are pretty raw, but the band gels tightly and the layering and composition is wonderful. So the sophistication is nothing to be ashamed of.
This album isn't one I often get the urge to listen to, but every time I do, I'm pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
Funny you mention it sounds like it is a romp across America. Song 2 was written by Graham Coxon (don't worry, had to look it up) because he wanted to experiment with the American rock music of the day, despite it being sung in a Whitechapel accent. I've not a doubt that the rest of the album is influenced in some way by it too.
ReplyDeleteI find today I hate listening to Song 2. It is far too commercial for me to take seriously because it came out at a time when everyone jumped on board the Calypso (by Spiderbait) bandwagon and didn't know a single song off the rest of Ivy and the Big Apple. Probably also because I really really like the Britpop genre. I got right into Oasis and interestingly enough, was more Oasis-oriented and not Blur. Not to say I didn't like Blur, I just didn't really get into them.
Nowadays, I find I really enjoy listening to Blur's music. I think Beetlebum is a pretty awesome song, despite the lyrical content ('beetlebum' being slang for 'heroin').
Do you listen to any other Blur stuff? Their Greatest Hits album probably showcases their discography well.
Speaking of misheard lyrics, even since I knew that "beetlebum" was a drug reference, I prefer to think of it as being a nickname for a crazy friend.
DeleteThis is the only Blur album I own, but someday I might expand my Blur horizons. Funny you should mention Oasis, I never really got into them at the time, but these days I enjoy the stadium rock epicness when I occasionally here their songs.