Product Description

In 1991, long before they were splashed over the British press for their fabled feuding with Oasis, long before they pulled off the remarkable feat of attaining revered alt-rock status while having one of their tunes ("Song 2") blared at American football games, Blur released their debut, LEISURE. An unassuming record, LEISURE fit snugly within the Manchester sound of the time. While the album didn't break barriers or expand boundaries, it was a thoroughly engaging, often hypnotic record featuring unforgettable modern-rock singles.
LEISURE (the US version, anyway) opens with the one-two punch of "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way", its two indisputable classics. The former exudes an overwhelming sense of longing with a beautifully overlapping chorus and spiraling guitars; the latter boasts an extraordinary, understated guitar riff and perfectly disjointed lyrics (even scoring the band a minor American radio hit). LEISURE is full of adolescent yearning lingering into adulthood, a literate interpretation of failed quests that cleverly glorifies human shortcomings. While the record is certainly not as experimental as BLUR or as consistent as PARKLIFE, LEISURE is an impressive debut for a quartet who would become one of the most important UK bands of the '90s.

Track Listing

1. She's So High
2. Bang
3. Slow Down
4. Reptition
5. Bad Day
6. Sing
7. There's No Other Way
8. Fool
9. Come Together
10. High Cool
11. Birthday
12. War Me Down

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15807 in Music
• Released on: 1991-08-27
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Oft remembered as a false start before Blur's eventual ascension to the position of Britpop spokesmen, 1991's Leisure belongs to a very different age. Much of it is fairly lightweight: a naive dance-rock hybrid, and not a million miles away from EMF. Leisure certainly has its moments, though, and when they come, they're quietly stunning: "Sing" (later revived for the Trainspotting soundtrack) is a crystalline clatter, guided through huge psychedelic rain clouds by Alex James' wandering bass; even today, it sounds one of Blur's most beautiful moments. "There's No Other Way" is equally deserving of note; powered by a titanic baggy beat, it stands as one of the greatest indie disco floor-fillers of the 1990s. Despite its faults, Leisure is an occasionally great album; it's questionable, though, that many of Blur's "Song 2" converts would even recognise it as the same band. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Stood the test of time better than many would of thought
One thing i would like to make clear from the outset. This album is from the tail end of the baggy era. Four years before the Britpop explosion some reviewers have lumped it in. Containing three great baggy anthems and some great shoe-gazed tinged pop Blur seemed to be in the right place at the right time with this album. The album also shows glimpses of their darker songwriting style that would return with more prominence several albums down the line. This is a stronger album than many people credit it for. No classic...but good.

Two ridiculously infectious reasons...
Ignore all the hype and mis/preconceptions about Blur's early work and buy this album for two excellent reasons: "She's So High", a wonderfully addictive slice of guitar-driven, echo-laden atmosphere, and "There's No Other Way", an amazing mix of choppy, syncopated beats overlaid with perfect Syd Barrett vocals that's, without question, the most exciting track to come out of the whole "Britpop" era. Like the Stone Roses at their peak, both are infused with the infectious enthusiasm of the "60s" transformed into something that's so much better. Brilliant...

Leisure
This is, undoubtedly, Blur's weakest album but it's by no means a bad album as some people make out and there are also some fantastic songs on here.

1. She's So High - 6.5/10
2. Bang - 6.5/10
3. Slow Down - 6/10
4. Reptition - 5/10
5. Bad Day - 7.5/10
6. Sing - 8.5/10
7. There's No Other Way - 10/10
8. Fool - 6/10
9. Come Together - 6/10
10. High Cool - 6/10
11. Birthday - 5/10
12. War Me Down - 5/10

Overall, it's definitely worthy buying if you're a Blur fan or if you want to hear Sing and There's No Other Way.