|
Modern Life Is Rubbish
|
List Price: $11.98
Our Price: $10.99
Your Save: $ 0.99 ( 8% )
Recent Price Activity
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
 *Eligible orders over $25 ship free
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0077778944225
Label: Virgin Records Us
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
Number Of Discs: 1
Publication Date: 1993
Publisher: Virgin Records Us
Release Date: 1993-11-16
Studio: Virgin Records Us
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Until this album, Blur was just another English dance-pop band recycling '60s guitar licks and that tired Manchester beat (dugga-dugga-cha, dugga-dugga- dugga-cha). But Modern Life is Rubbish turned out to be the weirdest and most endearing head-rock album since the Flaming Lips' Transmissions from the Satellite Heart. The 17 songs revel in strange chord changes, bizarre sound effects, off-kilter beats, gonzo lyrics, and English eccentricity, bringing to mind Ray Davies, Syd Barrett, and Julian Cope jamming together under the influence of what Blur calls the "Chemical World." Songs like "Colin Zeal," "Pressure on Julian," and "Sunday Sunday" boast killer hooks amid the chaos, making Modern Life Is Rubbish valuable trash indeed. --Jim DeRogatis
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Modern Life Is Rubbish
Comment: Leisure, the debut album, was nothing special, save for the astonishing "Sing." Blur were not a band anyone was keeping a particularly close eye on in 1992, when they released a stand alone single titled "Popscene." It bombed, despite massive amounts of critical praise, but it trumpeted a new creative wave within both the band and within all of England. "Popscene," included on the U.S. release of Modern Life is Rubbish as "Pop Scene," is the single responsible for all of Britpop.
When Modern Life is Rubbish came out, Blur showcased everything that was great about "Popscene" over the course of 16 (17 in the U.S.) mostly-stellar tracks. They had a new lyrical acuity. Damon Albarn, the lead singer and the songwriter, had started writing about the world around him, instead of writing trite throwaway lyrics which were merely made to sell records. The results were a guitar album which wasn't quite like anything before, and has managed to remain quite unlike anything sense. Parklife, the subsequent release, would be a better album, with an overall stronger set of songs and more varied styles, but it doesn't come close to matching the urgency and energy behind this last-ditch effort by Blur to save their careers. It could have been suicide. It ended up being a master stroke.
Customer Rating:
Summary: something valuable from the past
Comment: Most of the people try to get everything new and fresh, ignoring things that are old now. One of those "old" things is Modern Life Is Rubbish, one of the best albums ever made. Because it wasn't really around in US in 1993, it didn't gain enough popularity and is not well-known here today. It's bad. Bad, because it is so good. The album is not recycling the classic british groups' music-it builds on it, gives many new musical ideas, styles, and the result is what will be in your head if you will put "Sunday Sunday", "Turn It Up", "Oily Water" and "Miss America"(tracks from the album) in a mixer, make a cocktail out of them and drink it. It is not "just britpop", it is alternative, progressive, very british rock-what's not to like? And, by the way, Modern Life Is Rubbish is a name so good, it must be on your shelf.
All you people looking for things all-new, stop right now and look in the past. There will you find good-old Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish album. Get over yourself and pick it up-you won't be dissapointed.
P.S. And, if you like only american music, then you should expand your musical horizon and try something new.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fantastic second album, better than the first.
Comment: Does Modern Life Is Rubbish suffer the ill-fated sophomore curse that have plagued many great bands? No. It is actually the superior album. From the beginning of the first song "For Tomorrow" you can tell this will have a different kind of sound than Leisure. Then "Advert" starts playing and you can tell this song has a different feel to it as well. By the time "Intermission" has finished, you really can't help but be surprised that the band that used the tired shoegazing style of Leisure is the same band that created this bizarre album full of strange sounds and complex music compositions. But the fun doesn't stop there. Even the second half of the album, though has a few soft songs, continues the slightly psychedelic rhythms and sound effects all the way to "Commercial Break"..... And it still doesn't end there. Two bonus tracks close the album at tracks 68 and 69. "When the Cows Come Home" is fun little song that could have fit in nicely within the rest of the album. "Peach" is the weaker of the bonus tracks, but it is worth listening. Modern Life Is Rubbish is, in my opinion, Blur's first great album. I'm not saying I don't like Leisure, but since I enjoy bands like Gorillaz, Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, and early Genesis, Leisure sounds a bit boring in comparison.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This album is far from rubbish
Comment: The grandeur of this album didn't quite dawn on me until the second time I listened to it, and thank goodness I gave it that second chance! Included on this awesome C.D. are many varying guitar patterns, many of them being largely catchy and enjoyable. Horns accompany some tracks, as well as piano and occasional television samples. The only real negative feature of this C.D. is that the lyrics are sometimes mildly corny, such as in "Villa Rosie" which has the line "so tasty" repeated about eight times, or in "Turn It Up" where the listener is permitted to hear the awkward phrase "kazoo, kazoo" on multiple instances. Despite this unfortunate factor, though, most of "Modern Life Is Rubbish" is great listening. Track #8, "Intermission", is a sprightly song which includes a humorous recurring piano pattern that is somewhat circus-like. The pattern gradually accelerates as percussion and hard guitars are added in. This C.D. has plenty of rockin' tracks that are vital for the Blur fan to hear. I would recommend it with enthusiasm and present it proudly with five shinin' stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Best Blur album...
Comment: I think this is Blur's best. It has more rocking songs on it, later Blur albums get a bit too arty and weird. "Colin Zeal" is my favourite, its kind of a Bowie influenced song, and it rocks hard. Oily water" is second best, I love the ending.
By the way, the Gorillaz suck hard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
