The Best Of Blur
by Blur
  • Record Label: Virgin
  • Release Date: Nov 21, 2000
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. AllMusic
    80
    And "dazzling" isn't really hyperbole -- based on these 18 songs, Blur isn't just the best pop band of the '90s, with greater range and depth than their peers, they rank among the best pop bands of all time. The Best of Blur illustrates that, even as it misses some of their best moments -- omissions that prevent it from being the flat-out classic it should be. Even so, it's pretty damn terrific, particularly for the unconverted.
  2. Pitchfork
    86
    The Best of Blur serves as a document for an astonishingly consistent career full of hits over in Britain.... As with any retrospective, the track listing isn't going to please anyone.... Still, it's hard to argue with the material that made it to this record. The disc, though not sequenced in chronological order, covers all facets of Blur's career.
  3. Mojo
    80
    It's all pretty essential stuff.
  5. Q Magazine
    80
    Blur have had many more than 18 hits; certainly there are sufficient omissions to form the bulk of a second disc.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    The band has quietly crafted some of the best singles of the '90s...
  7. Billboard
    80
    The only disappointment is the one new song, "Music Is My Radar," a rather pallid foray into disco.
  8. Sonicnet
    80
    The only complaints involve omissions. Four of five singles between '92 and '94 (among them the minor American hit, "Bang") aren't here, which bypasses the band's crucial early development and leaves only one song from Modern Life, the punchy "For Tomorrow." On the other hand, the disc could easily have shed at least one of its five offerings from Parklife -- most noticeably the title track.
  9. Wall of Sound
    86
    Musically, the group goes way beyond Britpop, a movement largely of its own invention, to survey Burt Bacharach-style suavity on "The Universal" and "To the End," hedonistic dance pop on "Girls and Boys," and Lennon-esque soul-baring on "Tender."
  10. Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
    91
    Reduced to a tuneful 18-song essence that watches too much television, their mildness seems diverting and their Englishness definitive.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 79
  3. Negative: 4 out of 79
  1. MaxGuitarFan
    Sep 5, 2014
    10
    The album title is great, because in fact, this is the best of Blur. Here you have everything you need to start with Blur, the best band ofThe album title is great, because in fact, this is the best of Blur. Here you have everything you need to start with Blur, the best band of the 90's. So, if you don't want the individual albums just pick this one.… Full Review »
  2. j30
    Dec 7, 2011
    9
    This is a great introduction, however, individual albums such as Parklife, 13, and Think Tank are albums you must hear.
  3. rextree
    Feb 19, 2019
    9
    A great collection of singles. It really shows how well the band covers the musical spectrum in terms of creativity.
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