h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I must say that I have to disagree with your views on the later albums, most notably 'Blur'. This album was the band saying 'f**k the record company, let's try something different', and was supposed to be as anti-commercial as possible. Ironically, it's their best-selling album to date. Yes, Graham was the driving force musically behind 'Blur', but he only wrote one song for it - 'You're So Great' - and Damon was still the one in charge.

'Blur' was a fantastic album in the sense that the band did change musical styles and had more say so in the production; they started to become unhappy with Stephen Street's 'polished' style and so they started fiddling with the controls themselves, doing away with him for '13' and having William Orbit let them experiment, then pull out the best bits.

'13' was basically Damon's breakup album, but still innovative; because Orbit sat back and let Blur go crazy in the studio (something they never quite managed with Street) some fantastic new material and styles came out of that. The improvisations between tracks really do add to that already raw feeling coming from the songs - the interlude before Trimm Trabb, for example (Trimm Trabb in my opinion is the best track on the album).

Anyway, I won't go on (once I get started about Blur I can't stop) but I thought I'd put my opinion in, for what it's worth.

Like Kid A drew me to Radiohead, 13 got me into Blur. Er I mean blur. Strange that.

you say blur, I say Blur...

Yeah, I think the last two are the best ones. On 13 you can hear their musical influences being stretched to breaking point. Hard to imagine this band being responsible for "Park life"

What I love about Blur though is their ability to successfully reinvent themselves, OK it means Parklife but who's never sang along to Parklife or Girls and Boys?

Altogether now! Girls who are boys who like boys......

But seriously, you're right - people buying 13 or Blur and who are interested in Blur's back catalogue must get a bit of a shock when they discover Parklife and TGE!