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Blur - Leisure Audio CD

A fair review of the Blur "Leisure" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Blur reviews here, or go back to the Blur tabs.

Blur Band: Blur
Title: Leisure
Rating:
Release Date: 1991-09-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: She's So High 2: There's No Other Way 3: Bang! 4: I Know 5: Slow Down 6: Repetition 7: Bad Day 8: High Cool 9: Come Together 10: Fool 11: Birthday 12: Wear Me Down

Leisure
While by no means a bad album, this is the weakest link in the Blur canon, and manages only twice to surpass mediocrity. Blur have managed to create a stunning catalog over the seventeen years since this album came out, but clearly even the best bands had to have started somewhere.

Keep in mind, this was the first album, and in 1991 Blur did not have their own sound. They fit in with all the baggy bands popular in England at the time. The songwriting isn't particularly impressive, and when one part of a song does excel, the other half fails. The chords for "Birthday" are quietly stunning, but the lyrics are some of the worst Albarn's ever committed to tape.

As mentioned before, there are two moments which raise this album slightly above the level of "For completists only". The first, "She's So High," was one of Blur's first hits. It was the song that put them on the map, and deservedly so. It's a prime slice of shoe gazing music, and worth hearing. But the real masterpiece here, the reason to pick up this album if you find it in the bargain bin, is "Sing. " "Sing" is an early masterpiece from a band with more than a few masterpieces in their repertoire. A monolith, pounding piano progression, a friend of mine once described it as God coming through the keys, and subtle bits of guitar laced throughout, it is a stunning piece of work. That it does not overshadow all that Blur accomplished after is a testament to their unending appetite for change and improvement.


An alright debut, good thing I have the UK version though...
You can still tell that they want to experiment and expand their sound, but it is still limited to that shoegazing style. As Blur's first album, it's alright. Wanting to know which one to get, US or UK version, I was able to hear both "I Know" and "Sing" from start to finish, and I like "Sing" a lot better. For one, "I Know" just fits in too perfectly with this album, that I wanted to have "Sing" to add some diversity. Not to say "I Know" is a bad song, I just like the other one better. So I got the UK version for "Sing. " Now on the album as a whole, it's a good effort, but the music starts to sound the same. The musicians are good with the instruments they are playing, but the music sounds a bit tiresome after a few songs. Not to mention that Albarn sings like he's bored most of the time. Get this album if you must, but I enjoy their later albums for their diversity and bizarre music.


MANDATORY -- One of the Greatest Albums of the Nineties


The professionalism and inspiration here are at the highest level--in the songwriting and in the execution and in the production. This is a TOTAL home run, out of the ballpark--a truly great album that delivers exceptional, perfect songs one after another.

You will play this CD until you've memorized every song and then you'll hum them to yourself for weeks and then you'll get drunk and try to sing them on karaoke night. You'll suck but people will cheer anyway because the songs themselves are so damn great.

And even if for some sick reason you don't care for this style, it's worth buying just for the classic cover picture.


A beginning...
I bought this mainly to complete my collection, I can't honestly say that I listen to it on a daily basis. Compared to the last cd Blur released, you almost can't tell it's the same band. But I gave it 3 stars because in its time, it was interesting, and it is a good, not great start for a great band.


Two ridiculously infectious reasons...
Like the Stone Roses at their peak, both are infused with the infectious enthusiasm of the "60s" transformed into something that's so much better. Ignore all the hype and mis/preconceptions about Blur's early work and buy this album for two excellent reasons: "She's So High", a wonderfully addictive slice of guitar-driven, echo-laden atmosphere, and "There's No Other Way", an amazing mix of choppy, syncopated beats overlaid with perfect Syd Barrett vocals that's, without question, the most exciting track to come out of the whole "Britpop" era. Brilliant.


You can see a complete list of all Blur discography, or go back to the Blur tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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