13 (Blur album)

13 is the sixth album by English alternative rock band Blur, released in March, 1999. The album peaked at #1 in the UK Albums Chart and at #80 in the Billboard 200 (US). It also spawned three hit singles: "Tender", "Coffee & TV" and "No Distance Left to Run".

Recording history

13 sees the band moving further away from their Britpop past into more cerebral and denser musical territory. Some of the songs, however, resemble songs from their previous efforts, such as "Bugman", "Coffee & TV", "1992" and "Optigan 1." It is named after the band's recording studio, and also is their first album without longtime producer Stephen Street, rather with electronic producer William Orbit. 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' - presumably for 'Blur'.

Inspiration

Much of the album was inspired by Damon 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.

Release and reception

The album was seen by many as a highly experimental work and received a number of unenthusiastic reviews, but the critical response was generally positive. Of the reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator website Metacritic, the album holds an overall approval rating of 79%.

The music video for the hit single "Coffee & TV" cemented Blur's reputation as a cult band in the U.S. with its protagonist Milky. The video gained heavy airplay on many modern rock channels in America. The track "Swamp Song" was viewed by many as a reference to former arch rivals Oasis, who released a song called "The Swamp Song" as a B-side to their 1995 single "Wonderwall"

In 2004, the album was packaged with 2003's Think Tank in a limited edition box set as part of EMI's "2CD Originals" collection.

Track listing

1. "Tender" – 7:40
2. "Bugman" – 4:47
3. "Coffee & TV" – 5:58
4. "Swamp Song" – 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" – 4:26
10. "Caramel" – 7:38
11. "Trimm Trabb" – 5:37
12. "No Distance Left to Run" – 3:27
13. "Optigan 1" – 2:34Japanese Bonus track
14. "I Got Law" (demo version)

Production Credits

• All tracks produced by William Orbit
• except "Trailerpark" produced by Blur and "I got Law" (demo version) produced by Damon Albarn

Singles

• "Tender" (February 22, 1999, UK #2)
• "Coffee & TV" (June 28, 1999, UK #11)
• "No Distance Left to Run" (November 15, 1999, UK #14)

Notes

"Trailerpark" was originally intended for the South Park album Chef Aid, but was rejected by Rick Rubin. "1992" had originally been recorded as a demo in 1992 and was lost until Damon found it again on a tape six years later. "Mellow Song" was demoed as a jam session known as "Mellow Jam" for the b-side of "Tender". The album features several short hidden tracks at the end of songs, stretching the playing time out, notable examples of where this occurs are "Coffee & TV", "B.L.U.R.E.M.I.", "Battle" and "Caramel", the latter of which features two hidden tracks.

Trivia

• Damon tells Stephen Street that he wants to work with new producer on the this album. Street is dissapointed, but can understand Damon wanting to try something new.
• Titles considered for "13" included "Blue", and "When You're Walking Backwards to Hell, No One Can See You, Only God.
• "No Distance Left to Run" was first recorded during the same session as "Swallows in a Heatwave" and "Optigan 1" in Barcelona in the summer of 1997. These sessions were meant to be b-sides for "M.O.R.", but they decided just to put "Swallows in a Heatwave" on the single. William Orbit re-recorded "No Distance Left to Run" later with the band.
• "Swamp Song" was the last track to be included on the record and was, until, the last minute, an intended b-side to "Tender".
• The second single originally planned to be "Bugman", and then, "Trimm Trabb" due to Graham's unwillingness to sing the "Coffee & TV" at gigs over and over again.

References

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