Leisure - Blur

Advantages: Decent debut album, bags of potential, some decent tracks
Disadvantages: A few weak tracks but nothing too major

Before the Brit Pop battles with Oasis and breaking off to form Gorillaz, Blur first broke onto the British music scene back in 1991. The first album from the boys from North East London, Leisure, was released at the end of August and passed without much of a fan fare. There was no groundbreaking sound to the album and it fitted in nicely with the new Indie sound coming out of Manchester at the time. There were comparisons with EMF and the kings ...
...this debut was considered to be a pretty safe album. It was a time when all was happy in the Blur household and the band were just enjoying making music and having fun. There is quite a lightweight sound to a lot of the tracks and they just seem to float by without much fanfare. With the help of Stephen Street, a producer who would go on to produce a lot of Blur material, and a few other producers this is a capable debut album. Unlike most bands ... Read review

Advantages: she's so high
Disadvantages: a bit repetitive

This is the sound of a band trying to search for a musical driection of their own. Much of it is average, sub-Stone Roses fare, although there are plenty of good tunes around. The opening 'She's So High' is one of the better tracks, but soon the typical baggy drumming patterns on the opening salvo of tracks becomes a little repetitive, although maybe nostalgic. Blur's abilities with tunes manages to show its head through the style problems - much ...
...No Other Way', the song that broke them, is still a superbly cathcy tune, although when they perform it live it is better still, again another production problem. Perhaps the track which most ably demonstrates Blur's potential for the adventurous is 'Sing' also to be found on the 'Trainspotting ' soundtrack. It is a little repetitive, and perhaps goes on too long, but is a genuinely mournful gem, in amongst this airbrushed mess. This is the only ... Read review

Advantages: Some good tunes
Disadvantages: Some rubbish tunes

Leisure is not Blur's best album to date. The band seem to oppose fashion and made a record which went against the norm for rock in the early 1990s. Therefore a hit it wasn't. With the advent of Blurs more popular current albums throughout the 1990s, fans took to buying the whole collection which included Leisure, only to find it wasn't as good as they thought it would be, but at least it was better than Modern Life Is Rubbish. As a debut it contains ...
...room for improvement. Here is an album which shows a band with potential to make it big...and of course they did. Leisure is the first Blur album and is the beginning of a story about 4 blokes who want to be different from the rest in their era. ... Read review

Advantages: A Couple Of Great Songs
Disadvantages: Slightly Inbalanced Track Mixture

This album is a pretty interesting attempt at a first album with some great songs and some average songs. Here's the playlist: 1. She's So High 2. Bang 3. Slow Down 4. Repetition 5. Bad Day 6. Sing 7. There's No Other Way 8. Fool 9. Come Together 10. High Cool 11. Birthday 12. Wear Me Down Opening track She's So High, stands out on this album, along with There's No Other Way and Bang. All on the album are very well written, with both ...
...High Cool are a little weak, but not overly annoying to the album. This album probably set the Albarn/Coxon song composing pairing up, although not as experimental as Blur or 13, is a perhaps ideally composed album to set the tone for the rest. This is one of Blur's better albums, so therefore this would be a valued addition to any music collection. ... Read review

Advantages: A trio of classic songs...
Disadvantages: ...afloat in a sea of cack.

Blur have gone through several image changes in their career, which is probably a good thing judging by the evidence on this album. "Baggy" may have been the hot muscial sub-genre around 1991 but Blur obvious hadn't quite got the hang of it. Although there are at least three classic songs, "There's No Other Way", "She's So high" and "Sing" (reappraised thanks to its inclusion on the Trainspotting soundtrack), contained here within, the rest smack ... Read review

Advantages: the best of one of the 90s' best bands
Disadvantages: 'Music is My Radar'

...:05) This is a love song about a dangerous girl who sleeps around. Damon sings, 'There's nothing wrong, she turns me on,' but also, 'She's a gun.' This is a great start to the album. It has an strong beat that is good for walking or running to. Damon displays his vocal range at the end as he croons, 'He's on, he's on, he's on it...' which also implies that the song is about drugs. There were rumours that Damon broke up with Justine because of her drug use. 2. 'Song 2' (from 'Blur') (2:02) Blur packs a whole lot of power into this two-minute rocker. You gotta love the 'woo-hoo's, but honestly, I don't know exactly what this song is about. But, it sure is fun. 'I got my head checked By a jumbo jet It wasn't easy But nothing is' I once got to sing the 'Woo-oooh' parts with a cover band. 3. 'There's No Other Way' (from 'Leisure')(3... Read review

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Advantages: Some early promise, interesting to look back on
Disadvantages: Very rough and amateur, weakest songs on any Radiohead release

...than, for example ‘Leisure’ by Blur or Nirvana’s debut ‘Bleach’, but it when judged against other albums of the same vintage, such as ‘In Utero’ or ‘Grave Dancers Union’ by Soul Asylum and it cannot compete either. I would give this album as a two star rated one if I were to rate it in retrospect, but I will be fairer and judge it for its time. I wouldn’t recommend this album to the casual buyer, but if you are intrigued by their past, you may find something far less instant ‘The Bends’, far less innovative than ‘OK Computer’ and far less quirky than ‘Kid A’ and the songs you may have heard from ‘Amnesiac’. This is a conventional rock album that has little in common with the genius that was to follow. My final instalment... Read review

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Advantages: Some Great Songs
Disadvantages: Some Weak Songa

...After a relatively good first album, I was expecting good things from Blur on this album, I was slightly disappointed. Songs aren't nearly as endearing as on Leisure, but there are still some splatterings of the Blur we all know and love and some inspiring lyrics. Here's the playlist: 1. For Tomorrow 2. Advert 3. Colin Zeal 4. Pressure On Julian 5. Star Shaped 6. Blue Jeans 7. Chemical World 8. Sunday Sunday 9. Oily Water 10. Miss America 11. Villa Rosie 12. Coping 13. Turn It Up 14. Resigned Plus there are 2 instrumental bits called 'Intermission' which is between Chemical World and Sunday Sunday and 'Commercial Break' which is after the last track Resigned. Like I said although this is probably not as good as Leisure , songs like Miss America and Chemical World are perhaps classic Blur, with good lyrics... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful