Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Forgotten Gem: Blur - 'There's No Other Way'

In keeping the 90s Britpop hit parade alive, today we present the video to Blur's 'There's No Other Way.'

'There's No Other Way' was Blur's second radio single, was released in 1990, and reached Number 5 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts.  (The single reached the overall Number 8 slot in the band's native Britain).  Contrary to the band's later work, 'There's No Other Way' was emblematic of the Manchester-based "Baggy" or "Madchester" subgenre of raucous dance-influenced music popularized by other Britpop bands such as The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses.

The video to the single is entertaining, showing an angry Gen-Xer (Damon Albarn) sitting at the family dinner table, brooding and scowling the entire time.  Juxtaposed with the peppy melody, the video's visuals sharply depart from the happy-go-lucky feel of the immediate musical surface.

Blur, of course, went on to record a number of mega hits in the next two decades following the release of 'There's No Other Way,' and they went on to rival Oasis for the crown of European Kings of Rock in the 1990s.  And following the dawn of the new millennium lead vocalist Damon Albarn established Gorillaz, and the rest, as they say, is history.

You can watch the video to 'There's No Other Way' in the video player below:


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