Blur

As part of the loose-knit Britpop movement, Blur could (and often did) battle with Oasis for the title of the leading U.K. band of the '90s. The band came together at Goldsmiths College in the University of London, where childhood friends Damon Albarn (vocals) and Graham Coxon (guitar) met bassist Alex James. Joined by drummer Dave Rowntree (the only non-Goldsmiths student in the band), they began playing out as Seymour, but the UK label Food insisted on a name change when signing them. Blur's first singles, "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way," were modern-sounding and club-friendly. sporting the then-fashionable blend of pop hooks and heavy dance rhythms; both were British hits and the second got U.S. airplay as well. Yet their tastes were already drifting away from the club world. Beginning with the single "Popscene," they took on stronger '60s influences, responding to Seattle grunge by embracing their Englishness. That move continued on their second album, Modern Life is Rubbish, which flaunted its roots in the Kinks and Small Faces (and was nearly produced by a latter-day pop figure, Andy Partridge of XTC, until tempers flared at the first sessions). They refined that approach on 1994's Parklife, styling themselves as modern-day Mods. The title song even featured a spoken part by Phil Daniels, star of the Who's "Quadrophenia" (1979) film. The following year brought Blur's most public battle with Oasis, as the two bands purposely released new singles on August 14, 1995. Blur won that round, going to Number One with "Country House" while Oasis' "Roll With It" stalled at Number Two. Blur's commercial peak was yet to come: Their self-titled fifth album was conceived as a break from Britpop, and an embrace of American influences such as Pavement and Beck. Nonetheless, the first single "Beetlebum" was an obvious homage to the Fab Four, and a U.K. chart-topper. That was eclipsed worldwide by the manically catchy "Song 2"-- probably the shortest hit song of its era, at a tidy 2:02. Though it raised Blur's profile once again, it signaled another round of changes: For the next album 13 they recruited electronic producer William Orbit (best-known for working with Madonna), dropped some of the mid-'60s references and got into longer, headier jams. By now band members were drifting apart, with Coxon making solo albums and Albarn launching Gorillaz. Coxon was largely absent from the next Blur album, 2003's Think Tank, whose electronic slant would have been unthinkable in "Song 2" days. Though fans were largely friendly to the new direction, Blur quietly disbanded after the followup tour, but were already talking reunion by 2005. It took another three years to finally happen, but in 2008 Blur (again with Coxon) did two nights at Hyde Park in London. They'd continue with high-profile shows, including the 2012 Summer Olympics and Coachella the following year. The first post-reunion album, 2015's The Magic Whip was another success, recorded in a mere five days when cancelled tour dates stranded them in Japan.