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 ...
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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, Rovi
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Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $6.00, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Food/SBK.
Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $6.89, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Parlophone.
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Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $10.99, like new condition, Sold by auntminniesbooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from KINGMAN, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Food/SBK.
Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $11.98, like new condition, Sold by GoPeachy rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Parlophone.
Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $19.79, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Virgin Records Us.
Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $12.99, like new condition, Sold by ARI Garage Sales rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Orlando, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Parlophone.
Add this copy of Parklife to cart. $18.32, Sold by Entertainment By Post US-KH rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Indian Trail, NC, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Food/SBK.
