1999 studio album by Blur
13
|
---|
|
|
Released
| 15 March 1999
|
---|
Recorded
| June ? October 1998
|
---|
Studio
|
|
---|
Genre
|
|
---|
Length
| 66
:
50
|
---|
Label
|
|
---|
Producer
|
|
---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13
is the sixth studio album by the English
alternative rock
band
Blur
, released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the
Britpop
sound of the band's early career,
13
explores
experimental
,
psychedelic
and
electronic music
.
Recording took place from June to October 1998 in London and
Reykjavik
. The album marks a departure of the band's longtime producer,
Stephen Street
, with his role being filled by
William Orbit
, who they had chosen after the release of the remix album,
Bustin' + Dronin'
(1998). Relationships between the band members were reported to be strained, with members frequently missing from the sessions. Lyrically, the album is significantly darker and more innovative than Blur's previous efforts, being heavily inspired by
Damon Albarn
's breakup with long-term girlfriend,
Justine Frischmann
, which followed an increasingly strained relationship. This album was the last for over a decade to feature the original line-up as Coxon left the band during the sessions of their next album
Think Tank
(2003), before returning for
The Magic Whip
(2015).
13
was released on 15 March 1999 and entered the
UK Albums Chart
at number one, making it Blur's fourth consecutive studio album to reach the top spot. The album was later
certified Platinum
.
13
also reached number one in Norway and charted within the top 20 in many other countries. The album produced three singles ? "
Tender
", "
Coffee & TV
" and "
No Distance Left to Run
" ? which charted at number 2, number 11 and number 14 respectively on the
UK Singles Chart
.
13
met with favourable reviews and received a nomination for the
Mercury Prize
, as well as for Best Album at the 2000
NME Awards
.
Background
[
edit
]
Blur's previous studio album,
Blur
(1997), had seen the band move away from the Britpop movement and take on a more
alternative rock
-influenced direction, primarily under the suggestion of guitarist
Graham Coxon
. The press and the industry had feared that the change in style would not be taken well with the public, and therefore the album would be commercially unsuccessful as a result. Despite these concerns,
Blur
was an unexpected success, particularly in America, where the album was certified gold. However, the band still wanted to innovate, so they decided to embrace a different sound.
Bassist
Alex James
stated, "I think you just have to keep changing. That sort of thinking was, sort of, key."
[7]
The band's leader
Damon Albarn
had been in a long-term relationship with
Justine Frischmann
, of the Britpop band
Elastica
. Their relationship was highly publicised, the couple being described by John Harris as "proto-
Posh
and
Becks
for the indie-rock constituency."
[8]
However, their relationship became strained over time, stated reasons including Albarn's desire to have children as well as Frischmann's continued friendship with ex-boyfriend
Brett Anderson
of
Suede
, who had shared a musical rivalry with Albarn.
[9]
Albarn's lyrics and attitude had reflected this in the eyes of the other band members, with Coxon pointing out, "I didn't have much of a clue that things were going wrong between Damon and Justine but it was probably easy to guess."
[7]
After one last holiday together in Bali in late 1997 in an attempt to rekindle their relationship, the couple finally split.
[9]
[10]
Albarn later commented, "That relationship just absolutely crashed. I mean, it really was a spectacularly sad end."
[7]
After his breakup, Albarn started sharing a flat with artist
Jamie Hewlett
whom he had met through Coxon.
[11]
[12]
Around this time, Albarn had started to broaden his musical output. Whilst he was working on
13
, there were various reports that he and Hewlett were working on a secret project, which turned out to be
Gorillaz
, a
virtual band
.
[13]
Albarn also started working on film soundtracks, including
Ravenous
,
Ordinary Decent Criminal
and
101 Reykjavik
.
[14]
[15]
Recording
[
edit
]
13
is Blur's first album without longtime producer
Stephen Street
. Instead the band "unanimously" decided that they wanted
electronic music
artist
William Orbit
to produce the album after being impressed by his remix of their track, "Movin' On", included on the remix compilation,
Bustin' + Dronin'
(1998).
[11]
[16]
Albarn commented that "it was such a personal thing going on, we needed to have someone who didn't really know us". He also described Orbit as being "like a
psychiatrist
". When asked if his replacement had come as a shock, Street stated, "I just think they wanted to stretch out a bit more and, having made five albums with me, the best way to do that was to work with someone different who would approach the project in a different way. I understand that perfectly and certainly wasn't offended. I did five albums with the band and I must admit I thought each one would be the last because they were bound to want to try something new."
[16]
Albarn described the decision to not work with Street as "difficult", going on to say "he'll be forever part of what we are, and ironically, he gave us the tools we needed to go it alone."
[17]
Tension in the studio ran high during the recording sessions. In Orbit's words, "There was a battle between Damon's more experimental direction, and Graham's punk one, and Graham prevailed. If that tension had been growing on previous LPs, it came to a head here."
[18]
"Things were starting to fall apart between the four of us," drummer
Dave Rowntree
later revealed. "It was quite a sad process making it. People were not turning up to the sessions, or turning up drunk, being abusive and storming off."
[7]
"I had songs,"
Alex James
remarked. "I played them to William. He liked them. But I was sulking. I didn't play them to the others... Now I know how
George Harrison
felt."
[19]
Coxon admitted, "I was really out there around
13
, which made for some pretty great noise but I was probably a bit of a crap to be around."
[7]
"1992" had originally been recorded as a demo in 1992 and was lost until Albarn found it again on a tape six years later. "Mellow Song" was demoed as a jam session known as "Mellow Jam" that was later included as the B-side of "
Tender
".
Musical style and composition
[
edit
]
13
sees the band moving further away from their Britpop past into more cerebral and denser musical territory. Some of the songs, however, are evocative of songs from their previous efforts, such as "Bugman", "
Coffee & TV
" and "1992". "Bugman" has an
industrial rock
sound. The instrumental closer "Optigan 1" was created using an
Optigan
optical organ. The album is in the style of a loose concept album, much like other Blur albums, in this case about life and relationships. Much of the album was inspired by Albarn's breakup with
Elastica
singer
Justine Frischmann
. Two of the singles, "
Tender
" and "
No Distance Left to Run
", describe Albarn's love for Frischmann and his struggle to move on. The album features several short hidden tracks at the end of songs, stretching the playing time out; examples of this are "Coffee & TV", "B.L.U.R.E.M.I.", "Battle" and "Caramel", the latter of which features two hidden tracks. The album is named after the band's recording studio as well as the number of tracks on the album (bar the hidden tracks).
Artwork
[
edit
]
The cover is a portion of an oil painting by
Graham Coxon
called
Apprentice
. The album's singles also have cover art by Coxon. The numbers 1 and 3 have been painted so they also form the letter "B" ? revealed on the back cover to be for
Blur
. This was not present on the original
Apprentice
, nor was the "shine" on the figure's head, which appears on
13
. These additions were made long after the original
Apprentice
, which was painted in 1996. The band's logo does not appear on the album in any form, aside from a sticker on the CD packaging. The logo is also absent from the single covers.
Release and reception
[
edit
]
13
holds an overall approval rating of 79 out of 100 on online review aggregator
Metacritic
based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[20]
Tom Doyle of
Q
called
13
"a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album",
[2]
while an enthusiastic Brent DiCrescenzo of
Pitchfork
stated that "Blur have finally found a sound to match their name."
[26]
PopMatters
'
Sarah Zupko praised Blur's new musical approach and wrote that "proving they have the goods of a truly exceptional band, Blur has done what the greats have done before them?evolved."
[31]
Rob Sheffield
of
Rolling Stone
called the album "their sloppiest, most playful set, spiking the mix with church organ, electric piano and shambling drum loops."
[28]
Record Collector
'
s Jason Draper described
13
as a "masterpiece" that stands as arguably the band's "greatest work".
[32]
In a more mixed assessment, Heather Phares of
AllMusic
felt that "the group's ambitions to expand their musical and emotional horizons result in a half-baked baker's dozen of songs, featuring some of their most creative peaks and self-indulgent valleys."
[21]
Keith Cameron of
NME
concluded that
13
was "Blur's most inconsistent and infuriating statement thus far. Infuriating, because divested of four solid-gone clunkers
13
could pass muster as the best of Blur."
[25]
Robert Christgau
gave the album a three-star honourable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure", and remarked that "halfway there, it sits down in the middle of the road and won't budge."
[33]
The
music video
for the hit single "Coffee & TV" cemented Blur's reputation as a cult band in the US with its protagonist Milky. The video gained heavy airplay on many modern rock channels in America.
Accolades
[
edit
]
13
was nominated in the Album of the Year category at the 2000
NME Awards
, losing to
The Soft Bulletin
by
The Flaming Lips
.
[34]
[35]
[36]
13
was also nominated for the 1999
Mercury Prize
, being Blur's second album to receive a nomination. The award was eventually given to
Talvin Singh
for
OK
.
[37]
[38]
The album is ranked number 773 in
All-Time Top 1000 Albums
(3rd edition, 2000).
[39]
Track listing
[
edit
]
All lyrics are written by
Damon Albarn
, except where noted; all music is composed by
Blur
Title
|
---|
1.
| "
Tender
" (lyrics written by
Graham Coxon
and Albarn)
| 7:40
|
---|
2.
| "Bugman"
| 4:47
|
---|
3.
| "
Coffee & TV
" (lyrics written by Coxon)
| 5:58
|
---|
4.
| "Swamp Song" (
[note 1]
)
| 4:36
|
---|
5.
| "1992"
| 5:29
|
---|
6.
| "B.L.U.R.E.M.I."
| 2:52
|
---|
7.
| "Battle"
| 7:43
|
---|
8.
| "Mellow Song"
| 3:56
|
---|
9.
| "Trailerpark" (
[note 2]
)
| 4:26
|
---|
10.
| "Caramel"
| 7:38
|
---|
11.
| "Trimm Trabb"
| 5:37
|
---|
12.
| "
No Distance Left to Run
"
| 3:27
|
---|
13.
| "Optigan 1" (instrumental)
| 2:34
|
---|
Total length:
| 66:50
|
---|
Disc 2: 2012 special edition
Title
|
---|
1.
| "French Song"
| 8:21
|
---|
2.
| "All We Want"
| 4:33
|
---|
3.
| "Mellow Jam"
| 3:56
|
---|
4.
| "X-Offender" (
Damon
/Control Freak's Bugman Remix)
| 5:38
|
---|
5.
| "Coyote" (
Dave
's Bugman Remix)
| 3:50
|
---|
6.
| "Trade Stylee" (
Alex
's Bugman Remix)
| 5:58
|
---|
7.
| "Metal Hip Slop" (
Graham
's Bugman Remix)
| 4:16
|
---|
8.
| "So You"
| 4:11
|
---|
9.
| "Beagle 2"
| 2:54
|
---|
10.
| "
Tender
" (Cornelius Remix)
| 5:23
|
---|
11.
| "Far Out" (Beagle 2 Remix)
| 3:58
|
---|
12.
| "
I Got Law
" (demo
[note 3]
)
| 2:43
|
---|
13.
| "
Music Is My Radar
"
| 5:29
|
---|
14.
| "Black Book"
| 8:31
|
---|
15.
| "Caramel" (remix; Japan exclusive bonus track)
| 4:54
|
---|
- Notes
- As well as having 13 tracks, Coxon also uses '13th' chords on several of the tracks including "Bugman", "Coffee & TV" and "B.L.U.R.E.M.I."
[
citation needed
]
Personnel
[
edit
]
Blur
[
edit
]
- Damon Albarn
? vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesisers, acoustic guitar, melodica, backing vocals on "
Coffee & TV
"
- Graham Coxon
? lead and rhythm guitars, banjo, saxophone, lead vocals on "
Coffee & TV
" and co-lead vocals on "
Tender
", backing vocals
- Alex James
? bass guitar, backing vocals, double bass on "Tender"
[45]
- Dave Rowntree
? drums, percussion
Additional musicians
[
edit
]
- The London Community Gospel Choir ? vocals on "Tender"
- Jason Cox ? additional drums on "Battle"
- Produced by William Orbit and Blur, except "Trailerpark" produced by Blur
- John Smith, Jason Cox, William Orbit ? engineering
- Gerard Navarro, Arnþor "Addi 800" Orlygsson and Iain Roberton ? additional engineering
- Sean Spuehler, Damian LeGassick ? Pro Tools programming
- Mastered by
Howie Weinberg
at Masterdisk, New York
[46]
Production
[
edit
]
All tracks produced by William Orbit, except "Trailerpark" produced by Blur and "I Got Law" (demo version) produced by Damon Albarn
Charts and certifications
[
edit
]
Weekly charts
[
edit
]
|
Year-end charts
[
edit
]
Certifications and sales
[
edit
]
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"The Life of Blur", by Martin Power ? "13 is further evidence that Blur are deadly serious about reinventing themselves as a challenging, experimental art-rock act, melding US noise with European-noir Electronica"
- ^
a
b
c
Doyle, Tom (April 1999).
"Blur: 13"
.
Q
(151): 92?93. Archived from
the original
on 25 January 2000
. Retrieved
2 September
2018
.
- ^
"Britpop is dead, long live Blur"
.
The Telegraph
. 11 March 1999. Archived from
the original
on 2 September 2018
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"テンダ? | ブラ?"
[Tender | Blur] (in Japanese).
Oricon
. Retrieved
26 November
2023
.
- ^
"New Releases ? For Week Starting 28 June, 1999".
Music Week
. 26 June 1999. p. 25.
- ^
"New Releases ? For Week Starting 15 November, 1999: Singles".
Music Week
. 13 November 1999. p. 27.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
No Distance Left To Run
. Pulse films. 2010
- ^
Harris, John (13 June 2009).
"It's been strong medicine the last few weeks"
.
The Guardian
: 1.
Archived
from the original on 20 June 2012
. Retrieved
2 September
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Indie soap opera: Justine Frischmann, Damon Albarn and Brett Anderson".
The Guardian
. April 2003.
- ^
Smith, Andrew (10 March 2002). "Elastica limits".
The Guardian
.
- ^
a
b
Patterson, Sylvia (February 1999). "Which One's Your Favourite?".
The Face
.
- ^
Maconie, Stuart (August 1999). "The Death of a Party".
Select
.
- ^
"Gorillaz Interview".
Q
. 2001.
- ^
Long, April (7 July 1999). "Blur Q & A ? The Fannish Inquisition".
NME
.
- ^
"Damon Albarn".
The Telegraph
. May 2001.
- ^
a
b
Sillitoe, Sue (August 1999).
"STEPHEN STREET: Producing Blur, Cranberries & Catatonia"
.
Sound on Sound
.
Archived
from the original on 29 October 2013
. Retrieved
3 September
2012
.
- ^
Eccleston, Danny (March 1999).
"There Was No Other Way..."
Q
.
Archived
from the original on 13 December 2013
. Retrieved
9 December
2013
.
- ^
Hasted, Nick (July 2009). "From the life of Leisure to inside the Think Tank".
Uncut
.
- ^
Male, Andrew: "A Life Less Orderly",
Select
, September 1999, p56
- ^
a
b
"Reviews for 13 by Blur"
.
Metacritic
.
Archived
from the original on 23 October 2012
. Retrieved
29 December
2008
.
- ^
a
b
Phares, Heather.
"13 ? Blur"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Brunner, Rob (26 March 1999).
"13"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Sullivan, Caroline (5 March 1999). "Down and outstanding".
The Guardian
.
- ^
Ross, Peter (4 March 1999).
"Blur: 13 (Food)"
.
The List
(354): 42
. Retrieved
31 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Cameron, Keith (10 March 1999).
"Blur ? 13"
.
NME
. Archived from
the original
on 17 August 2000
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
a
b
DiCrescenzo, Brent (23 March 1999).
"Blur: 13"
.
Pitchfork
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Zoladz, Lindsay (31 July 2012).
"Blur: Blur 21"
.
Pitchfork
. Retrieved
2 August
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Sheffield, Rob
(1 April 1999).
"13"
.
Rolling Stone
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Walters, Barry (May 1999).
"Mess Is More"
.
Spin
.
15
(5): 145?46
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Gundersen, Edna
(30 March 1999).
"Blur sharpens focus on '13'
"
.
USA Today
. Archived from
the original
on 31 October 2016
. Retrieved
5 July
2017
.
- ^
Zupko, Sarah.
"Blur: 13"
.
PopMatters
. Retrieved
18 November
2015
.
- ^
Draper, Jason.
"Blur ? 21: The Box"
.
Record Collector
. Retrieved
26 January
2017
.
- ^
Christgau, Robert
(2000).
"Blur: 13"
.
Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s
.
Macmillan Publishers
.
ISBN
0-312-24560-2
. Retrieved
15 August
2015
.
- ^
"Blur's award hat-trick"
.
BBC News
. 1 February 2000.
Archived
from the original on 1 December 2008
. Retrieved
11 November
2012
.
- ^
NME Awards History
Archived
10 May 2014 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
The awards Blur have won or got nominated for
Archived
12 October 2013 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Nationwide Mercury Prize"
. Nationwide Mercury Prize. Archived from
the original
on 7 February 2011
. Retrieved
11 August
2008
.
- ^
"Talvin Singh: Closing the divide"
.
BBC News
. 8 September 1999.
Archived
from the original on 27 January 2007
. Retrieved
10 June
2009
.
- ^
"Rocklist"
. Retrieved
30 November
2018
.
- ^
Masley, Ed (31 December 1999).
"The Best of 1999/Pop CDs"
.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
. Retrieved
31 December
2016
.
- ^
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Getting_High/92EXBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover&bsq=swamp
- ^
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Getting_High/92EXBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oasis%20blur%20swamp%20song&pg=PT373&printsec=frontcover
- ^
Hiatt, Brian (19 March 1999).
"Blur Plan Three North American Promo Shows"
.
MTV
. Retrieved
15 May
2015
.
- ^
Wade, Ian.
"Blur Blur 21: The Box Review"
. BBC
. Retrieved
12 May
2015
.
- ^
James, A, 2007. Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography. 1st ed. London, UK: Hachette Digital.
- ^
Blur ? 13 ? liner notes
Archived
16 December 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Australiancharts.com ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Austriancharts.at ? Blur ? 13"
(in German). Hung Medien.
- ^
"Ultratop.be ? Blur ? 13"
(in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- ^
"Ultratop.be ? Blur ? 13"
(in French). Hung Medien.
- ^
"Blur Chart History (Canadian Albums)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"Dutchcharts.nl ? Blur ? 13"
(in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- ^
a
b
c
"Hits of the World"
.
Billboard
. Vol. 111, no. 15. 10 April 1999. pp. 48?49.
ISSN
0006-2510
.
- ^
"
Blur: 13"
(in Finnish).
Musiikkituottajat ? IFPI Finland
.
- ^
"Lescharts.com ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Offiziellecharts.de ? Blur ? 13"
(in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts
.
- ^
"Tonlist Top 40"
(in Icelandic). DV
. Retrieved
8 June
2017
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Hits of the world"
.
Billboard
. Vol. 111, no. 14. 3 April 1999. p. 59.
ISSN
0006-2510
.
- ^
"13 | ブラ?"
[13 | Blur] (in Japanese).
Oricon
. Retrieved
16 October
2012
.
- ^
"Charts.nz ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Norwegiancharts.com ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Swedishcharts.com ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Swisscharts.com ? Blur ? 13"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Official Albums Chart Top 100"
.
Official Charts Company
.
- ^
"Blur Chart History (
Billboard
200)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 ? 1999"
. Official Charts Company
. Retrieved
8 September
2021
.
- ^
"Canadian album certifications ? Blur ? 13"
.
Music Canada
. Retrieved
17 October
2012
.
- ^
"Japanese album certifications ? ブラ? ? 13"
(in Japanese).
Recording Industry Association of Japan
.
Select
1999年3月
on the drop-down menu
- ^
"New Zealand album certifications ? Blur ? 13"
.
Recorded Music NZ
. Retrieved
11 June
2021
.
- ^
Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005).
Solo exitos: ano a ano, 1959?2002
(PDF)
(in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid:
Fundacion Autor/SGAE
. p. 950.
ISBN
84-8048-639-2
. Retrieved
23 September
2022
.
- ^
"British album certifications ? Blur ? 13"
.
British Phonographic Industry
. Retrieved
17 October
2012
.
- ^
"Guitarist Coxon Exiting Blur?"
.
Billboard
.
Prometheus Global Media
. Retrieved
31 July
2013
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
Studio albums
| |
---|
Live albums
| |
---|
Compilations
| |
---|
Singles
| |
---|
Other songs
| |
---|
Video albums
| |
---|
Related groups
| |
---|
Related articles
| |
---|
|