The former Blur frontman Damon Albarn while speaking to Far Out Magazine, dismissed not one but two albums by the era-defining Britpop group.
Damon Albarn named the albums
It has been noted that Damon’s favorite cut from Leisure – which he later described as “awful” – was ‘ She’s So High’ , a murky blend of vaguely psychedelic UK pop. Damon’s lyrics are devoid of personality, and the album failed to make a significant impact on the UK charts, peaking at number 48. That being said, it did cement Albarn as the charismatic face of “The Scene That Celebrates Itself”, a huddle of English bands – Chapterhouse, Stereolab and Swervedriver – who regularly played at London’s Syndrome Club.
In addition to this, Albarn was equally dismissive of Blur’s 1995 album The Great Escape, which features some of the group’s most famous tracks, including ‘Charmless Man’, ‘The Universal’ and the Battle of Britpop single ‘Country House’. In 2007, Albarn confessed: “I’ve made hundreds of mistakes. I’ve made two bad records. The first record, which is awful, and The Great Escape, which was messy.”
When Blur released Leisure, they were suffering from a lack of identity. However, by 1995, they were experiencing the exact opposite problem. The Britpop explosion and the death of grunge had allowed them a degree of comfortability. As a result, they crafted an album devoid of the sneering intensity and wit that had defined Parklife.
