The Great Escape (album)

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The Great Escape
The Great Escape cover
Studio album by Blur
Released September 11, 1995
Recorded January-May 1995
Genre Britpop
Length 56:56
Label Food/EMI
Producer(s) Stephen Street
Professional reviews
Blur chronology
Parklife
(1994)		 The Great Escape
(1995)		 Live at the Budokan
(1996)


The Great Escape is the fourth album by Blur. It was released in 1995, with high expectations, as the follow-up to the much-adored Parklife. The Great Escape received glowing reviews and was a big seller in its initial release, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom album chart and was their first to crack the US charts (even if at a lowly # 150).

When Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? outsold The Great Escape, Blur appeared to lose face in their well-publicised rivalry. Nonetheless, the album continues the run of inventive hit singles: "Country House" (their first #1 single, which infamously beat out Oasis' "Roll With It"), "The Universal", "Stereotypes" and "Charmless Man".

The album is in the style of a concept album, that is, most of the songs are linked by a similar theme- loneliness. Ten of the tracks have a distinct reference to being lonely.

Damon Albarn subsequently revealed that most, if not all the songs on The Great Escape were about himself, in some form or another (i.e. "Dan Abnormal" is an anagram for "Damon Albarn"). However, dissension over musical direction between Damon and guitarist Graham Coxon would result in a stunning change in style for the next release, 1997's Blur.

The closing track "Yuko and Hiro" is a melancholy song sung from the point of view of a Japanese office worker. Part of the song is sung in Japanese (the Japanese lyrics being translations of Albarn's English lyrics).

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree.

  1. "Stereotypes" – 3:10 (song sample, 200KB)
  2. "Country House" – 3:57
  3. "Best Days" – 4:49
  4. "Charmless Man" – 3:34
  5. "Fade Away" – 4:19
  6. "Top Man" – 4:00
  7. "The Universal" – 3:58
  8. "Mr. Robinson's Quango" – 4:02
  9. "He Thought of Cars" – 4:15
  10. "It Could Be You" – 3:14
  11. "Ernold Same" – 2:07
  12. "Globe Alone" – 2:23
  13. "Dan Abnormal" – 3:24
  14. "Entertain Me" – 4:19
  15. "Yuko and Hiro" – 5:24
    • Contains an untitled hidden track, which has been rumoured to be called "A World Of Change", but it might actually be "A World Of Difference", as the booklet's second page shows the tracklisting, then the words "A World Of Difference" in a box below the tracklisting.
  • Japanese release includes "Ultranol" and "No Monsters In Me" (also released as B-sides to "The Universal").
  • French release includes "To The End (La Comedie) (with Françoise Hardy)", a comedy of "To The End" (also released as B-side to "Country House"). Another (much less lush) French-language version was released as a B-side to "Parklife".

[edit] Personnel

Blur
Damon Albarn | Alex James | Dave Rowntree
Graham Coxon
Blur discography
Albums: Leisure | Modern Life Is Rubbish | Parklife | The Great Escape | Blur | 13 | Think Tank
Compilations: The Special Collectors Edition | Live at the Budokan | The 10 Year Limited Edition Anniversary Box Set | Bustin' + Dronin' | Blur: The Best of
Singles: See Blur Singles
Related articles
The Ailerons | Britpop | Fat Les | Food Records | The Good, the Bad and the Queen | Gorillaz | Stephen Street | Simon Tong | WigWam
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