Think Tank (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Think Tank | ||
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| Studio album by Blur | ||
| Released | 5 May 2003 | |
| Recorded | Spring and Autumn 2002 | |
| Genre | Alternative, Electronica | |
| Length | 49:16 (excl. "My White Noise") 55:58 (incl. "My White Noise") |
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| Label | Parlophone, Food, EMI | |
| Producer(s) | Blur, Ben Hiller, William Orbit, Norman Cook | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Blur chronology | ||
| Blur: The Best Of (2000) |
Think Tank (2003) |
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Think Tank is the seventh studio album by English rock band Blur, released in May 2003 (see 2003 in music). It represented a major musical change for the group and also gave them their highest charting album in the United States.
[edit] Album information
Instead of the catchy pop tunes of their early career or the alternative rock Blur made in their previous albums, Think Tank was filled with brooding, atmospheric, heavy electronic sounds, a testament both to Albarn's increasing interest in electronica and his control over the group's creative direction. The album was recorded after Coxon quit the band; because of this, it features almost no electric guitar in the style of Blur's earlier albums, largely relying on backing vocals and other instruments to fill the void. Coxon's absence also meant that the album was almost entirely written by Albarn.
Think Tank was recorded in Morocco with Fatboy Slim contributing to two tracks; supposedly his presence as producer was a contributing factor in Graham Coxon's departure from the group. Coxon's only significant contribution to the record was a guitar line on the last track, "Battery In Your Leg". The album was nominated for Best British Album at the 2004 Brit awards, and won the Q Album of the Year award.
Like Blur's breakthrough album, Parklife, Think Tank is a loose concept album, in that its songs all deal with similar themes without a definite story arc or continuous characters. Most of the songs are concerned with a sense of paranoia and alienation in British club culture. The album is rumoured to have almost been called Darklife. This is probably helped by the secret track, "Me, White Noise", featuring "Parklife" narrator Phil Daniels; "Me, White Noise" can be found by rewinding at the start of "Ambulance".
A special edition of the album was released in a red booklet. The enhanced CD included four live videos. The artwork for the album was produced by the graffiti artist Banksy. The album's cover art sold at auction in 2006 for £62,400. [1]
In 2004, the album was packaged with 1999s 13 in a limited edition box set as part of EMI's "2CD Originals" collection.
The outro track "Battery In Your Leg" featured Graham Coxon and was the only song Damon Albarn had written about the band (or at least the only song written about the band in such a direct manner).
This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions.
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by Damon Albarn, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree, except where noted.
- "Me, White Noise" (Albarn, James, Rowntree, Phil Daniels) – 6:48
- Hidden track which requires manual rewinding before Track 1.
- "Ambulance" – 5:09
- "Out of Time" – 3:52
- "Crazy Beat" – 3:15
- "Good Song" – 3:09
- "On the Way to the Club" (Albarn, James, Rowntree, James Dring) – 3:48
- "Brothers and Sisters" – 3:47
- "Caravan" – 4:36
- "We've Got a File on You" – 1:03
- "Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club" – 3:03
- "Sweet Song" – 4:01
- "Jets" (Albarn, James, Rowntree, Mike Smith) – 6:25
- "Gene by Gene" – 3:49
- "Battery in Your Leg" (Albarn, Graham Coxon, James, Rowntree) – 3:20
[edit] External links
- Blur 'Think Tank' Track By Track - interview with Damon, Alex and Dave talking about Think Tank track by track at Xfm Online
| 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 |
