Parklife

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Parklife · Blur had sold only modestly with Modern Life Is Rubbish and were short of money. So in August 1993 the group quickly went back into the studio, at Maison Rouge, with producer Stephen Street. Recording went smoothly, except for This Is a Low. Label owner David Balfe was not pleased and said it was a mistake. Shortly afterwards he sold Food Records to EMI. Years earlier Damon Albarn had promised that the third record would make the group the English band of the nineties.

Albarn called the record a loosely connected concept album about the travels of a lager drinker. The styles vary widely: synth-pop in Girls and Boys, an instrumental waltz in The Debt Collector, punk in Bank Holiday and strange space sounds in Far Out. The sleeve shows greyhound racing. Parklife was well received, topped the British chart and is regarded as the Britpop record.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Girls and Boys4:51Apple Music ↗
2. 2Tracy Jacks4:20Apple Music ↗
3. 3End of a Century2:46Apple Music ↗
4. 4Parklife3:05Apple Music ↗
5. 5Bank Holiday1:42Apple Music ↗
6. 6Badhead3:26Apple Music ↗
7. 7The Debt Collector2:11Apple Music ↗
8. 8Far Out1:38Apple Music ↗
9. 9To the End4:05Apple Music ↗
10. 10London Loves4:15Apple Music ↗
11. 11Trouble in the Message Centre4:09Apple Music ↗
12. 12Clover Over Dover3:22Apple Music ↗
13. 13Magic America3:38Apple Music ↗
14. 14Jubilee2:48Apple Music ↗
15. 15This Is a Low5:17Apple Music ↗
16. 16Lot 1051:19Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗