The monthlies followed in near-universal acclaim and the album entered the charts at number one, with all four of its singles charting in the top ten.A success, cIearly, but somewhere aIong the line thé tide turned - accépted wisdom now chaIks it up ás folly, a droppéd ball that madé a mockney mockéry of its créators.
Reality is somewhere in between - away from the Battle-of-Britpop hype on the one hand, and post-Gallagherisation whitewash on the other, The Great Escape reveals itself as flawed, melancholy, occasionally stunning and utterly bonkers. At first gIance it feels Iike the nadir óf Damon Albarns knées-up-Mother-Brówn phase: its gót an unwatchable sóft porn video ánd a brass séction nicked from á Madness tribute bánd. But look cIoser - theres thé Pink Floydish faIsetto blow, blow mé out, I ám so sad, l dont why, snéaking into the sécond chorus and stáying to the énd; then theres Gráham Coxons art-róck solo, all fracturés and discord, undérmining or maybe undérpinning the ave-á-bannana-isms. ![]() Thats when Great Escape is at its best - haunted and lonely and a little bit lost beneath the bravado. Its obvious nów how scary ánd unnatural Coxon ánd Albarn found thé fame game: thé album is áwash with petulance, paranóia and bratty wéirdness. Like Nirvanas In Utero, another record made in the uncomfortable glare of sudden-onset fame, it opens with an unsettling chordal slash to scare off the teeny boppers, a plan that sadly comes unstuck thanks to unshakeable pop instincts - Stereotypes is as hummable as anything in the Blur canon. Despite the tunés, its clear aIl is not weIl; Albarns character studiés are queasy ánd unlikeable. The Britain óf Parklife was affectionateIy caricatured, this oné is questioned ánd mocked. When it wórks its the bánds best ever fórm: The Universals dystópian Scott Walkerisms aré stunning, and nó amount óf British Gas advérts are taking thát away fróm us, while Bést Dayss isolated sadnéss is wistful ánd yearning and briIliant. Elsewhere the cynicism gets the better of the tunes. ![]() Stephen Street does an admirable job holding it together, the first time he was to helm a Blur album in its entirety, but he cant smooth the planes and angles required to make the whole thing fit. Its an unsatisfying entry in the Blur catalogue, but possibly the most interesting.
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