On the eve of the release of Parklife (1994), Blur was nothing more than a nice British band. Nobody expected much from Damon Albarn and comrades, despite a number of hits and two well-selling albums. Blur even seemed a bit on the wane, as the debut Leisure (1991) had sold better than its successor Modern Life Is Rubish (1993). The band was not fooled and continued on the set course at Parklife.
The lyrics aimed at English society and the musical references to The Kinks and The Small Faces turned out to be commercially attractive a year later. Parklife made it to the top of the UK charts and the title track and Girls & Boys did excellent singles, also abroad. The album not only had a positive effect on the career of the quartet, it also contributed to the development of the britpop genre. English music history from The Who to Wire to Duran Duran now became mandatory for every British band. This was largely due to Blur establishing itself as an adult band with Parklife. (JE)more
