I have made a decision

I now officially have a favourite band, I promise not to change it…soon.

It took great conscious effort to make a decision, the first step being the arduous task of ensuring it was an informed choice. This was most necessary with Kraftwerk but Blur also presented a slight challenge. After this it was a simple matter of time, conscious listening isn’t good for this so casual intake was nescisary.

So…the result! In the end the decision was just as tough as expected. I have the utmost respect for Kraftwerk and love a lot of their music. there is however a lot of crap and it is hardly every-day listening. Queen are good but produced a good deal of average music. The Kaiser Chiefs were eliminated early as were Guns N Roses. Daft Punk were tough to discount but ultimately they aren’t all that talented or pure and inhabit a world dominated by substandard offerings that make their work look good. The Smiths I like, a lot, but ultimately there are better fans out there and I am a plastic. Gorillaz fell early due to be decidedly average and Ian brown’s work pales into insignificance when you allow the words Stone or Roses to enter your mind. As for Radiohead – I am depressive but…no…simply no. As for Abba, good music but it doesn’t come in hetro.

The two serious contenders were, predictably, Blur and The Stone Roses. Two bands of immense talent whose music is a major fixture in my daily routine. Both have some immense songs and picking a favourite track is difficult enough (Made Of Stone vs Coffee & TV at present)

The Stone Roses are lyrically stunning and far more traditional in sound with a basic lineup of Vocalist, Percussionist, Bassist etc etc. Their music is undoubtedly superb. Blur, with Coxon, had a very deep varied sound as a result of Coxon’s incredible ability with a range of instruments. This is very clear in tracks such as Country House, a song with a very ‘big’ sound that is frankly overbearing. Without Coxon the music became more subdued and I feel better. Albarn saw his loss as the death of the band but I feel that Think Tank was their best album by a long way, and it had Parklife to beat! To quote Damon Albarn: “If Coxon won’t return then I’ll be playing guitar but it’ll just be fast, punk songs. Why don’t I get another guitarist? Because there’s none better than Coxon.”

As ever the music is not the only factor here. For starters I have been a fan of Blur longer than I have TSR and I am far more knowledgeable about them. Ask me to name the members of TSR and I am stuck at Reni and Ian Brown. Blur I can reel off as Damon Albarn, Dave Roantree, Graham Coxon and Alex James and I have a database of factoids about the latter.

Both are crap live, TSR due to Ian Brown’s vocal uselessness and Blur due to the fact that Blur cannot be Blur in one go – far too many members are multi-instrumental, Coxon especially. However both were originally really rather good live and have deteriorated over time. Blur’s setup, although not conducive to live performance, does facilitate the production of a great range of music and this is clear when you look at the likes of The Universal alongside Parklife and B.L.U.R.E.M.I

I own more Blur than TSR, but Blur produced 5 more albums! This is something I try not to factor in but I am very aware of how good I am as a fan, how deserving I am, whether I am good enough to be graced by such brilliance.

Ultimately, the music must decide. And, although this would be heavily disputed by many given the chance, Blur win through. The likes of Made Of Stone and Waterfall are incredible pieces of music, I would never doubt that, but Think Tank is an album that will never be surpassed. Nothing by TSR is particularly emotive or moving and the same was true of Blur until that time.

Listen to Battery In Your Leg and try telling me I am wrong