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Blur have chosen their all-time favourite albums, and some of their choices are interesting, to say the least.
Speaking to itunes.com, the Britpop superstars chose 50 albums between them.The full list can be found here, but the highlights include some excellent stories behind the choices, and insight into the influences of a band who came to define an era themselves.
Damon Albarn's albums, for example, are decidedly intellectual and international. Naming William Walton's Concerto for Violin and Viola, Albarn says: "This was one of the first pieces of 'classical' music I ever connected with. I always get tarred with the English Melancholy brush, but this man swims in an ocean of it. Heartbreaking." In the same list, he names Bobby Womak and David Bowie alongside Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor's 'World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor?' as significant if disparate influences. Of Womak, Albarn outlined how he is "one of the biggest inspirations of my musical life."
In terms of more contemporary albums, Albarn adds Mica Levi's soundtrack to Under the Skin to the list, offering only an oblique anecdote as to his reason: "A very oblique film with hypnotic music. Reminds me of a very messy night I spent with Irvine Welsh, for some reason."
Alex James names what might be considered more playful albums. Chic's C'est Chic is "the record that made me want to play the bass. And dance. And go to New York." Meanwhile, Florence + the Machine's Lungs makes the list, as does The B-52s self-titled debut, because "it’s the sound of young people having fun playing music. Silly and brilliant and simple."
Nonetheless, James' albums aren't all fun and games. The Carpenters' Kind of Hush reminds him of his childhood, and the first track of William Orbit's Strange Cargo reminds him of his wife, so evidently the evocative effect music can have on an individual plays some role, however small. To top it off, Paloma Faith's Perfect Contradiction makes the cut because, in James' words, "She's totally hot."
Interestingly, Dave Rowntree also names The B-52s in his section of the list, along with Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left ("The last great album of the 60s") and The Hives' Veni Vidi Vicious ("Enough energy to power a small city"). Soulful, introspective rock makes up a surprising proportion of the rest of the albums Rowntree names - Radiohead, La Dispute and Manchester Orchestra all feature. It's Ok Computer that makes the cut, although Rowntree says it's "Hard to pick which Radiohead album is the best, as they’re all like old friends."
Graham Coxon finishes the list off, choosing the final fourteen albums. The Kinks are chosen twice, with Coxon explaining ,"this band are so good I can't pick just two", and including The Village Green Preservation Society and Percy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pink Floyd, The Jam and Depeche Mode are included,but more left-field is the presence of The Pretty Thing's Parachute, an album Coxon describes as "like Pink Floyd and the Beatles joined forces."
Blur play Isle of Wight Festival on 13th June, and Hyde Park on 20th June. See below for tickets.
Watch Blur perform Song 2 last time they played Hyde Park below:
