Parklife (album)
Parklife is a
Britpop album by the band
Blur, released on
April 25,
1994 (see
1994 in music). The album, along with
Oasis'
Definitely Maybe, launched the Britpop revolution in music in the UK and elsewhere. The bands' sketches of British life among ordinary men and women prompted many reviewers to compare the band to
The Kinks. Another probable influence, especially on the title song, is
The Small Faces. A surprising influence on the lyrics of "This Is a Low" is the
BBC's
Shipping Forecast. The songs themselves span many genres, such as the
Pet Shop Boys-esque hit single 'Girls And Boys', the jazzy interlude of 'The Debt Collector', the
Oi punk of 'Bank Holiday', and the hard rocking 'Trouble In The Message Centre'. Despite this, the album always sounds cohesive, and is rightly regarded as one of the best albums ever.
Track listing
- "Girls & Boys" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 4:51
- "Tracy Jacks" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 4:20
- "End of a Century" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 2:45
- "Parklife" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 3:05
- "Bank Holiday" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 1:42
- "Badhead" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 3:25
- "The Debt Collector" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 2:10
- "Far Out" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 1:41
- "To the End" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 4:05
- "London Loves" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 4:15
- "Trouble in the Message Centre" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 4:09
- "Clover over Dover" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 3:22
- "Magic America" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 3:38
- "Jubilee" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 2:47
- "This Is a Low" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 5:07
- "Lot 105" (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree) - 1:17
Personnel
- Phil Daniels - Trombone, Horn, Narrator
- Damon Albarn - Synthesizer, Strings, Harpsichord, Organ (Hammond), Programming, Recorder, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Melodica, Moog Synthesizer, Vibraphone
- Simon Clarke - Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone)
- Graham Coxon - Guitar (Acoustic), Clarinet, Guitar, Percussion, Guitar (Electric), Saxophone, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
- Richard Edwards - Trombone
- Louise Fuller - Violin
- Kevin Godley - Director
- Stephen Hague - Piano, Producer, Engineer
- Alex James - Guitar, Vocals, Noise
- Richard Koster - Violin
- Roddy Lorimer - Trombone
- Ivan McCready - Cello
- John Metcalfe - Arranger, Viola
- Leo Payne - Strings
- Mark Pharoah - Violin
- Chris Pitsillides - Strings
- Audrey Riley - Strings
- Dave Rowntree - Percussion, Drums, Programming, Noise, Crowd Noise
- Laetitia Sadier - Vocals
- Tim Sanders - Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
- John Smith - Producer, Engineer
- Stephen Street - Keyboards, Programming, Sound Effects, Producer
- Bob Thomas - Photography
- Chris Tombling - Strings
- Brunskill - Photography
- Far Out - Guitar (Bass), Crowd Noise
- John Smith - Engineer
Chart positions
Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album
1994 Heatseekers No. 6
Billboard (North America) - singles
1994 Girls and Boys The Billboard Hot 100 No. 59
1994 Girls and Boys Modern Rock Tracks No. 4
1994 Girls and Boys Top 40 Mainstream No. 40
1994 Girls and Boys Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 21
1994 Girls and Boys Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 23
