Blur B-Sides

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 6:17 am

Someone started a thread on the other board about Blur b-sides and I'm so grateful. My poor Blur CD singles have been just sitting collecting dust for years. I even sold one or two of them. It is so amazing to hear the b-sides to Beetlebum again, not remembering a damn thing about them and not having heard them for a full 9 years. I've got other CD singles of them, too. This is great fun. I've been told there's a box set or double or triple CD you can buy that just has all the Blur b-sides on it. WOW! That sounds like so much fun. They don't make Brit bands like that anymore, they really don't. Blur could do just about any style you threw at them to try, and they did it well. British music the good old fashioned way, etc.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 6:20 am

Also, for the layman "B-Sides" means tracks that appear on the b-side of singles, in this case, tracks that didn't appear on any Blur album, only on their singles.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:53 am

I've now got very nearly all the Blur b-sides in one folder on my computer. It turned out that the box set of these is going for a shitload of money ($725 on Amazon, I'm not kidding) and it's just got singles in it anyway so you'd still have to be bothered putting one after the other into the CD player. Fuck that.

Anyway so many of these b-sides just kindof go by me and I don't notice them (b-sides are known to be throwaways, so not surprising) but then every once in awhile, I'll hear something I really like that jumps out.

So far I'm impressed with the Alex Bugman remix...jeez, who said they couldn't do straight techno dance music? Blur could do anything, I told you. They could do any style at all. "Beard" is another one I like, it's just late 60's jazz, no vocals, just total jazz. You wouldn't expect that at all from them would you? I told you they could do anything.

"Red Necks" is a fantastic silly piss-take with cheap Casio- like dinky keyboard sounds and some fake American accented guy talking. Funny and delightful.

I also like "Es Scmecht" (I realize that isn't the correct German spelling but I'm not sure if they spelled it right or not at this point I mean it was either a typo when I saw it or they really did spell it like that, I have no way of knowing)

"The Man Who Left Himself" is another one I liked. And "Young & Lovely" has a stunning tune to it, made me exclaim "Damn! That's some good old fashioned Beatles stuff there!"

Currently "Mellow Jam" is playing and yeah I really like this one, too. Spacemen 3 would like this one I feel.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:56 am

Perhaps needless to say, the other board is down. You guys are just going to have to put up with me.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:57 am

One of the best things in the world is to switch from beer to white wine.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:05 am

Hearing another one of those Bugman remixes now, this one is Damon's I think. Really fucking good. I'm going to find out which single of theirs this appeared on. Was it Coffee & TV? Yeah that sounds right, actually.

There's even one single that has a bunch of songs they performed live at John Peel's house circa '96 (aka 'Peel Acres', not that it was as grand as that sounds - Peel just called anywhere he lived that, much like McC should talk about the Bottle of Blue I think) I found this rather interesting as I would have assumed Blur were far too popular a band for Peel to associate himself with by that time. Normally he didn't really bother with bands once they'd got successful. Must have been some personal bond there. I think they said Damon gave him a gift that meant a lot to him. I can't remember what it was now. An autograph of someone. Yeah, that's it.

Anyway it helps to refer to this list, though it does leave out some songs of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_10_Yea ... ry_Box_Set

I wish the other board was up so I could thank the guy who gave me the idea to investigate their b-sides in full. It's just a fantastic idea that I never would have thought of on my own at all.

"Tame" is playing now. Woah, god this one kills me. Oh yeah. Now that is the shit.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:10 am

Jesus fucking christ, it's like they're doing a Pixies impression with that one! Pixies have a song called Tame too and wow...it really is like they swiped just a tiny bit from the Pixies song, almost on purpose. Then the verses are Beatlesy and gloomy. I am smitten. Best one I've heard so far. That is so fucking cool. A Pixies tribute song by Blur. Love it.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:12 am

Listen to the production on "French Song"!!! Am I in the 60's? Are we using the word "Groovy" and calling men "Cat"? I think we are! In fact, look at the girl in a mini skirt dancing with a beret and dark sunglasses in the corner! Isn't she groovy, man? You dig?

No seriously that song makes me feel like I am in the 60's. I think they even have organ in it. Yes they do. Oh god.

I told they could do anything! Even transport me back to the 60's.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:16 am

It's the mellow vibe, man, you know? The mellow vibe, bro. Free and Easy. Groovay.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:25 am

ARRGH! Now it's "I'm Fine"!!! This has been my favourite b-side of theirs ever since it came out but then I was ignorant of a great number of their other b-sides. I've loved this song for a long time. More likely to pull it out than any other Blur thing at all. I still feel it is the ultimate Beatles pastiche, even surpassing XTC's Skylarking album as far as that goes, which is saying an awful lot. I just feel the Fab 4 in my veins when this song plays.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:29 am

But it's not all good. I'm misleading you if I say it is. "Ludwig" is pretty awful.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:32 am

Jesus, they gave it their all for that Peel Acres gig, though, wow. "M.O.R." sounds so much more spontaneous and raw. Punk even.

Now it's "My Ark" which has guitar kindof like Jimi Hendrix for a little bit.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:38 am

"I've got time/to build you up so high/you won't fall down on me"

What a lyric. I dig it.

marky · Post by **marky** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:44 am

"People In Europe" is inane, however. Far too lightweight. I'm going to skip it in fact.