• Band Name: Blur
  • Record Label: Virgin
  • Release Date: Jul 28, 2009
Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: The two-disc set contains some biggest hits, band favorites, and rare singles.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. 100
    What's in here finds the band inventive, unfailingly tuneful, and, rather belying the title, mellowing magnificently with age. [Aug 2009, p.87]
  2. while Midlife could have used a heavier dose of this side of Blur, there's not a bad track here, and the set also brings their glorious, epoch-creating single 'Popscene' back into circulation.
  3. Whether or not Blur ever record together again, Midlife is a satisfying overview for a band that was a cornerstone of a music scene and whose music is still as vibrant and exciting today as it ever was.
  4. At 59 and 48 minutes each, with space left to fill on both CDs, the label’s lack of curiosity about these more obscure sections of the Blur discography seems negligent.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. PatoR.
    10
    A great compilation of, perhaps, the best band of the last 2 decades.
  2. 10
    The best, or at least the most continually adaptive british band of the 90's/00's. From baggy shoegazing swirliness of She's So High, through britpop cheeriness, to stripped down american lo-fi, with some electronic beats and even a bit of Moroccan influence, it's hard to not call Blur at the least, diverse. Containing the classic singles (the addition of Popscene is very welcome), a few specially chosen album additions, such as the peerless This is a Low, all combine to make this a quick guide to a great band. Expand
  3. j30
    9
    This is a great introduction, however, individual albums such as Parklife, 13, and Think Tank are albums you must hear
  4. With Midlife, I had a chance to know about Blur. I am not a brit pop fan, but Bluris actually cool, because of their upbeat songs. They remind of Ramones. I love Parklife, Song 2, Beetlebum, She's So High, etc. Some of the songs are cheesy. If you listen to them, you'll think you're playing Ape Escape. Anyway it's an OK album. It's an OK band. In my oppinion they're not the greatest band you'll ever see. But in these past they've stood out. However, once more, it's an OK band. Expand