Parklife by Blur - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

Modern Life Is Rubbish established Blur as the heir to the archly British pop of the Kinks, the Small Faces, and the Jam, but its follow-up, Parklife, revealed the depth of that transformation. Relying more heavily on Ray Davies' seriocomic social commentary, as well as new wave, Parklife runs through the entire history of post-British Invasion Britpop in the course of 16 songs, touching on psychedelia, synth pop, disco, punk, and music hall along the way. Damon Albarn intended these songs to form a sketch of British life in the mid-'90s, and it's startling how close he came to his goal; not only did the bouncy, disco-fied "Girls & Boys" and singalong chant "Parklife" become anthems in the U.K., but they inaugurated a new era of Brit-pop and lad culture, where British youth celebrated their country and traditions. The legions of jangly, melodic bands that followed in the wake of Parklife revealed how much more complex Blur's vision was. Not only was their music precisely detailed -- sound effects and brilliant guitar lines pop up all over the record -- but the melodies elegantly interweaved with the chords, as in the graceful, heartbreaking "Badhead." Surprisingly, Albarn, for all of his cold, dispassionate wit, demonstrates compassion that gives these songs three dimensions, as on the pathos-laden "End of a Century," the melancholy Walker Brothers tribute "To the End," and the swirling, epic closer, "This Is a Low." For all of its celebration of tradition, Parklife is a thoroughly modern record in that it bends genres and is self-referential (the mod anthem of the title track is voiced by none other than Phil Daniels, the star of Quadrophenia). And, by tying the past and the present together, Blur articulated the mid-'90s Zeitgeist and produced an epoch-defining record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

1. Girls and Boys

Acoustic Guitar: Alex James; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Guitar: Graham Coxon
Damon Albarn; Performer
Keyboard: Damon Albarn; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Dave Rowntree
Graham Coxon
Alex James
Damon Albarn; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Executive Producer: Alex James
Damon Albarn; Production

2. Tracy Jacks

Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Cello: Ivan Mccready; Performer
Strings: John Metcalfe; Performer
Various Instruments: Blur; Performer
Violin: Rick Foster
Louisa Fuller; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

3. End of a Century

Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Flugelhorn: Roddy Lorimer; Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Damon Albarn
Graham Coxon; Performer
Keyboard: Damon Albarn; Performer
Trombone: Richard Edwards; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Alex James
Dave Rowntree
Graham Coxon
Damon Albarn; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Executive Producer: Alex James
Damon Albarn; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

4. Parklife

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Graham Coxon
Alex James
Damon Albarn; Performer
Keyboard: Damon Albarn; Performer
Narrator: Phil Daniels; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Damon Albarn
Dave Rowntree
Graham Coxon
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Executive Producer: Alex James
Damon Albarn; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

5. Bank Holiday

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

6. Badhead

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

7. The Debt Collector

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

8. Far Out

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

9. To the End

Accordion: Stephen Hague; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Guitar: Damon Albarn
Graham Coxon
Alex James; Performer
Keyboard: Damon Albarn; Performer
Strings: Chris Pitsilledes
Leo Payne
Chris Tombling
Audrey Riley; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Alex James
David Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Graham Coxon; Composer
Engineer: Stephen Hague
John Smith; Production
Executive Producer: Damon Albarn; Production
Producer: Blur
Stephen Hague
Alex James
John Smith; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production
Additional Vocals: Laetitia Sadier; Other

10. London Loves

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

11. Trouble in the Message Centre

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

12. Clover over Dover

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

13. Magic America

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Dave Rowntree
Damon Albarn
Alex James; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

14. Jubilee

Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Guitar: Alex James
Graham Coxon; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Jon Brookes, Martin Blunt, Rob Collins, Tim Burgess
Dave Rowntree
Alex James
Damon Albarn
Jon Brookes; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production
Martin Blunt: Jon Brookes; Other
Rob Collins: Jon Brookes; Other
Tim Burgess: Jon Brookes; Other

15. This Is a Low

Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Drums: Dave Rowntree; Performer
Guitar: Graham Coxon
Alex James
Damon Albarn; Performer
Keyboard: Damon Albarn; Performer
Vocals: Damon Albarn; Performer
Composer: Alex James
Dave Rowntree
Graham Coxon
Damon Albarn; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production
Producer: Stephen Street; Production
Remastering Engineer: Frank Arkwright
Stephen Street; Production

16. Lot 105

Primary Artist: Blur; Main Performer
Composer: Graham Coxon
Alex James
Damon Albarn
Dave Rowntree; Composer
Engineer: John Smith; Production

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

16 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

52 minutes and 43 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 640x640 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

Studio Quality (Hi-Res)

24bit / 96 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Hi-Res/Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

No lyrics found

Synchronized Lyrics

No synced lyrics found

Genres

Pop/Rock, Brit Pop, Brit Rock, Alternative

Label

Parlophone UK

Music Distribution Service

WMG Mora

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No language found

Popularity

Release Date

Apr 24, 1994

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

825646261857