Amazon.co.uk Review
Oft remembered as a false start before Blur's eventual ascension to the position of Britpop spokesmen, 1991's
Leisure belongs to a very different age. Much of it is fairly lightweight: a naive dance-rock hybrid, and not a million miles away from
EMF.
Leisure certainly has its moments, though, and when they come, they're quietly stunning: "Sing" (later revived for the
Trainspotting soundtrack) is a crystalline clatter, guided through huge psychedelic rain clouds by Alex James' wandering bass; even today, it sounds one of Blur's most beautiful moments. "There's No Other Way" is equally deserving of note; powered by a titanic baggy beat, it stands as one of the greatest indie disco floor-fillers of the 1990s. Despite its faults,
Leisure is an occasionally great album; it's questionable, though, that many of Blur's "Song 2" converts would even recognise it as the same band. --
Louis Pattison
CD Description
In 1991, long before they were splashed over the British press for their fabled feuding with Oasis, long before they pulled off the remarkable feat of attaining revered alt-rock status while having one of their tunes ("Song 2") blared at American football games, Blur released their debut, LEISURE. An unassuming record, LEISURE fit snugly within the Manchester sound of the time. While the album didn't break barriers or expand boundaries, it was a thoroughly engaging, often hypnotic record featuring unforgettable modern-rock singles.
LEISURE (the US version, anyway) opens with the one-two punch of "She's So High" and "There's No Other Way", its two indisputable classics. The former exudes an overwhelming sense of longing with a beautifully overlapping chorus and spiraling guitars; the latter boasts an extraordinary, understated guitar riff and perfectly disjointed lyrics (even scoring the band a minor American radio hit). LEISURE is full of adolescent yearning lingering into adulthood, a literate interpretation of failed quests that cleverly glorifies human shortcomings. While the record is certainly not as experimental as BLUR or as consistent as PARKLIFE, LEISURE is an impressive debut for a quartet who would become one of the most important UK bands of the '90s.