Parklife | 
| Artist: Blur
Label: Virgin Records Us
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy Used: $0.98
You Save: $11.00 (92%)
New (45) Used (61) Collectible (2) from $0.98
Rating:  96 reviews
Sales Rank: 8405
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5.4 x 0.4
MPN: 29194
UPC: 724382919421
EAN: 0724382919421
ASIN: B000002TQB
Publication Date: 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Girls & Boys | | • | Tracy Jacks | | • | End of a Century | | • | Parklife | | • | Bank Holiday | | • | Badhead | | • | Debt Collector | | • | Far Out | | • | To the End | | • | London Loves | | • | Trouble in the Message Centre | | • | Clover over Dover | | • | Magic America | | • | Jubilee | | • | This Is a Low | | • | Lot 105 |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
You'd have to stretch back to 1967 to London's psychedelic underground (a time and a place that Blur is admittedly fond of) to find a band that revels as much in its Britishness. And on its third album, Blur takes 30 years of cool English rock, throws it into an art-punk Cuisinart, and ends up with a masterpiece of timeless hooks and Cockney attitude. Like the Kinks at their satirical best, Blur paints warm and funny portraits of quintessentially English characters ("Tracy Jacks," "Parklife," "The Debt Collector"), delivering them with early Small Faces swagger, wiggy Syd Barrett-via-Julian Cope production, XTC circa "Respectable Street" vocal hooks ("ooh-we-ooh"), and a cynical Buzzcocks detachment. The band members are mods, of course, borrowing fashion tips from the pre-glam David Bowie, tempos from the Jam, and actor Phil Daniels (the star of Quadrophenia!) for a vocal cameo. "Magic America" is the best bored with the U.S.A. song since the Clash, Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier sings backing vocals, the Pet Shop Boys remixed the single, and the members of Blur love Wire so much that they hired that band's old road manager. But enough namedropping: Parklife is the album on which Blur proves that it's a force to be reckoned with on its own terms, described by front man Damon Albarn as a nocturnal travelogue of London; the only time the album leaves the Motherland is on its lead track, the unbearably catchy single, "Girls & Boys," which follows randy English youth on holiday to Greece. --Jim DeRogatis
Album Description
Japanese Version Featuring A Bonus Track: "Girls & Boys (Remix)".
Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: "Girls and Boys (Remix)".
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| Customer Reviews: Read 91 more reviews...
 A genuine cultural and musical masterpiece March 14, 2000
M. D. Lewis (Ravenstown, Maryland)
23 out of 27 found this review helpful
It does, in some ways, bother me to give five stars to a Blur album (my self-admitted favourite band is Oasis, after all), but this CD is simply magnificent. Nowhere, not even on the best Oasis album, is 1990's Britain best captured in song. These are the best non-personal lyrics penned by Damon Albarn (his best lyrics being found on last year's "13") and this is Blur at their musical best (coincidentally, or perhaps not, at their most "British"). Some songs are better than others, yes -- "Parklife", "End of a Century", and "To The End" sit on the classic side, while "Far Out", "The Debt Collector", and "Lot 105" are somewhat strange, and in isolation would be simply weird...but all are so very necessary for "Parklife" to be what it is! This is unassailably brilliant music -- and this is coming from an Oasis fanatic. Take that as you will...
REALLY CLASSIC February 25, 2000
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Oh man, this is just one of the BEST albums! I have to say that I'm always going back and forth between the album "Blur" (The one with the "woo-hoo" song on it) and "Parklife" for my favorite Blur album. I really wish they got more attention over here and more radio play because they always kick out great songs. "Parklife" is thoroughly enjoyable. I especially like "Tracy Jacks," "End of a Century" and "Girls and Boys." And of course that ubiquitous title tune, "Parklife." Damon Albarn isn't afraid to sound silly and really plays up that whole quaint-but-cocky British thing. This album is really a fun piece of work; you need to own it and love it! One more note: I saw Blur back in 1997 in this tiny lame club in Seattle (I'm sure they were humiliated because they place was so small and filled with teenyboppers) but they put on a GREAT show, the best live show I've ever seen. They're teriffic showmen and just darn fine musicians. Get "Parklife" and everything else they've done, they are great!
Stunning March 4, 2000
Richard Sedgley (Cornwall, Great Britain)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Parklife is in my opnion, Blur's best all-round LP. MLIR, and 13 may be stunning albums, but they do not showcase ALL aspects of Blur's strengths quite as well as Parklife. From the pop genius displayed on "Parklife", "Girls and Boys", and "Trouble in the Message Centre", to the psychedelic greatness of "This Is A Low", the LP shines all over, without showing weakness. After grunge died with Nirvana (at least in the UK), it was an LP which sums up 1994 better than any other. The social comment by Damon Albarn on this album shows signs of improving from MLIR. This is unquestionably one of the top 10 British albums of all time.
 My first Blur album November 24, 2006
P. S. Lane (Illinois)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Hailed by many as Blur's best album, "Parklife" was my first sampling of them. After many years of being a huge fan of 90's alt/rock, I decided to check this band out. What do I think of this album? read on...
I was familiar with the first song on this album, "Girls & Boys" from seeing the video on Vh1 classic late one night. This song was the reason I got the urge to check this band out, a very catchy tune. The album continues next with "Tracy Jacks," and the comparisons to the Who and the Kinks come to mind with this certain song. "End of the Century" is one of the albums highlights. This song should be up there with the likes of Radiohead's "High and Dry." The next song, "Parklife" is more fun brit-pop, I'm not much for spoken word, but this song comes through with its catchy chorus.
The next four songs bring down the album just a tad bit, "Bank Holiday" is a quick punky song. "Badhead" is a great mellow song, but it seems out of place between "Bank Holiday" and the instrumental "Debt Collector." "Far Out" is a short, more experimental song. I like this song, it reminds me of the psychedelia of Syd Barret, and early Pink Floyd. Its a shame the song is so short.
The album picks up again with "To the End," this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Its a very british song, and I love the chorus. This song has a more epic feel, which I like.
The rest of the album is hit or miss. "Clover Over Dover" is one of my fav's from the album. More of a downer of a song with its depressing lyrics, and thats what I like. "This is a Low," the longest song on the album, and its many peoples favorites. I have to agree because its a very well written song, and its a good way to close out the album.
Blur's "Parklife" was better than I expected, and I'm ready to dive deeper into Blur's other albums. It's a great start if your a blur noobsause like me.
Blur's "Parklife" - Final rating: 77%
A Great Pop Band Comes Into Its Own With 'Parklife' March 11, 2003
Sandro Battaglia (New York, NY United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Perhaps the greatest pop album of the 90's, and maybe then some. Beautifully decries the apparently burgeoning materialistic spirit of England's youth with 15 wonderful, memorable tracks. Too many great songs to mention, this album both invites and commands repeated listenings. Brings to fruition the themes and potential exhibited in Blur's two preceding discs, 'Leisure' and 'Modern Life is Rubbish', both of which are hardly at all uneven and terrific albums on their own.
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