Blur

Formed as shambolic art-punk four-piece Seymour whilst attending London’s Goldsmiths University, the rechristened Blur released their debut album Leisure in 1991, marking them as promising indie upstarts in thrall to the voguish sub-genres of baggy and shoegaze. Following a radical stylistic shift on sophomore LP Modern Life Is Rubbish, Blur became a UK household name in 1994 upon the advent of their era-defining Britpop masterpiece Parklife. A year later, the infamous chart battle with arch-rivals Oasis marred number one single ‘Country House’, but they changed direction again on fifth album Blur - a grungier affair that yielded the transatlantic smash hit ‘Song 2’. Though guitarist Graham Coxon departed during sessions for seventh album Think Tank, the original foursome reunited in 2009 for a series of triumphant comeback shows, culminating in the unexpected release of 2015’s Hong Kong recorded The Magic Whip. A restlessly inventive group to file alongside other eclectic British artists such as The Beatles, David Bowie and Queen, this book explores every Blur album in detail, including all singles, B-sides and selected rarities - a comprehensive guide to one of the 1990’s most successful and iconic rock bands.