Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur
| type = greatest
| artist = Blur
| cover = Midlife blur.jpg
| alt =
| released = 15 June 2009 (UK){{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/may/21/blur-release-comeback-compilation|title=Blur to release comeback compilation|first=Sean|last=Michaels|date=21 May 2009|newspaper=The Guardian}}
28 July 2009 (US)[https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/27/news-ticker-james-brown-meg-white-steven-tyler-blur/ James Brown, Meg White, Steven Tyler, Blur] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531081918/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/27/news-ticker-james-brown-meg-white-steven-tyler-blur/ |date=31 May 2009 }}
| recorded = 1990 – 1998; 2002
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Britpop, alternative rock
| length = 107:46
| label = EMI
| producer = Stephen Street, William Orbit, Ben Hillier, Steve Lovell, Steve Power
| prev_title = Think Tank
| prev_year = 2003
| next_title = All the People: Blur Live at Hyde Park
| next_year = 2009
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Damon Albarn
| type = compilation
| prev_title = Journey to the West
| prev_year = 2008
| title = Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur
| year = 2009
| next_title = All the People: Blur Live at Hyde Park
| next_year = 2009
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
|MC = 86/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/midlife-a-beginners-guide-to-blur|title=Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur by Blur|website=Metacritic }}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1600060|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2score = A{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/blur-midlife-a-beginner-s-guide-to-blur-1798206657|title=Blur: Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide To Blur|website=The A.V. Club|last=Phipps|first=Keith|date=July 28, 2009|access-date=May 8, 2025}}
| rev3 = Digital Spy
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a160752/blur-midlife-a-beginners-guide-to.html|title=Blur: 'Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To'|website=Digital Spy |date=19 June 2009}}
| rev4 = The Line of Best Fit
| rev4score = 90%{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/blur-midlife-a-beginners-guide-to-blur-17675|title=Blur - "Midlife: A Beginners Guide to Blur"|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Down|first=Lauren|date=10 July 2009|access-date=8 May 2025}}
| rev5 = musicOMH
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/blur-2_0609.htm|title=musicOMH review}}
| rev6 = Pitchfork
| rev7 = Q
| rev7score = {{rating|4|5}}At a safe distance from Britpop's glare, Midlife justly represents Blur as national treasures, as emotionally rich and hungry for progress as ardiohead, only catchier. [Aug 2009, p.116]
| rev8 = Record Collector
| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/midlife-a-beginnersguide-to-blur|title=Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide To Blur - Blur|website=Record Collector|last=Draper|first=Jason|date=25 July 2009|access-date=8 May 2025}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/midlife-a-beginners-guide-to-blur-20090622|title=Midlife: A Beginners Guide to Blur|magazine=Rolling Stone |date=22 June 2009 }}
| rev10 = Uncut
}}
Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur is a two-disc compilation album by Blur, released by EMI Records on {{start date|2009|06|15|df=yes}}. It is Blur's second retrospective collection, succeeding 2000's Blur: The Best Of and coincides with the band's 2009 reunion performances.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-26-2009/0005032407&EDATE= |title=Capitol/EMI to Release Career-Spanning Blur Collection, 'Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur,' on... – HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 26 /PRNewswire/ |location=California, England |publisher=Prnewswire.com |access-date=1 March 2012}}
Background
Spanning the breadth of Blur's recorded history from its inception, Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur features a larger sampling of material from 1993's Modern Life Is Rubbish (including the single-only "Popscene" from the same era) than on Blur: The Best Of, in addition to material from 2003's Think Tank.
Track listing
All songs written by Blur (Albarn/Coxon/James/Rowntree), except for "Out of Time" and "Good Song", which were written by Albarn/James/Rowntree.
{{track listing
| extra_column = Original album
| headline = Disc one
| title1 = Beetlebum
| extra1= Blur, 1997
| length1 = 5:04
| title2 = Girls & Boys
| note2 = single edit
| extra2 = Parklife, 1994
| length2 = 4:19
| title3 = For Tomorrow
| note3 = Visit to Primrose Hill extended version
| extra3 = Modern Life Is Rubbish, 1993
| length3 = 6:00
| title4 = Coffee & TV
| note4 = single edit
| extra4 = 13, 1999
| length4 = 5:19
| title5 = Out of Time
| extra5 = Think Tank, 2003
| length5 = 3:52
| title6 = Blue Jeans
| extra6 = Modern Life Is Rubbish
| length6 = 3:53
| title7 = Song 2
| extra7 = Blur
| length7 = 2:02
| title8 = Bugman
| extra8 = 13
| length8 = 4:51
| title9 = He Thought of Cars
| extra9 = The Great Escape, 1995
| length9 = 4:16
| title10 = Death of a Party
| note10 = 7″ remix
| extra10 = Blur
| length10 = 4:15
| title11 = The Universal
| extra11 = The Great Escape
| length11 = 3:59
| title12 = Sing
| extra12 = Leisure, 1991
| length12 = 6:01
| title13 = This Is a Low
| extra13 = Parklife
| length13 = 5:00
}}
{{track listing
| extra_column = Original album
| headline = Disc two
| title1 = Tender
| extra1 = 13
| length1 = 7:42
| title2 = She's So High
| note2 = single edit
| extra2 = Leisure
| length2 = 3:50
| title3 = Chemical World
| note3 = radio edit
| extra3 = Modern Life Is Rubbish
| length3 = 3:53
| title4 = Good Song
| extra4 = Think Tank
| length4 = 3:06
| title5 = Parklife
| extra5 = Parklife
| length5 = 3:07
| title6 = Advert
| extra6 = Modern Life Is Rubbish
| length6 = 3:44
| title7 = Popscene
| extra7 = Non-album single, 1992
| length7 = 3:15
| title8 = Stereotypes
| extra8 = The Great Escape
| length8 = 3:11
| title9 = Trimm Trabb
| extra9 = 13
| length9 = 5:37
| title10 = Badhead
| extra10 = Parklife
| length10 = 3:28
| title11 = Strange News from Another Star
| extra11 = Blur
| length11 = 4:03
| title12 = Battery in Your Leg
| extra12 = Think Tank
| length12 = 3:20
}}
Personnel
=Musicians=
- Damon Albarn – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
- Graham Coxon – guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Coffee & TV", co-lead vocals on "Tender" (not featured on "Out of Time" or "Good Song")
- Alex James – bass
- Dave Rowntree – drums
=Other personnel=
- Blur – Producer
- Jack Clark – Mixing Assistant
- Al Clay – Mixing
- Jason Cox – Engineer
- Tom Girling – Assistant Producer
- Stephen Hague – Producer, Engineer
- Ben Hillier – Producer, Mixing
- Jeff Knowler – Assistant Engineer
- Damian leGassick – Programming
- Steve Lovell – Producer
- Gerard Navarro – Assistant Engineer
- William Orbit – Producer, Engineer
- James Oliver – Design
- Steve Power – Producer
- Iain Roberton – Assistant Engineer
- Andy Ross – Engineer
- John Smith – Producer, Engineer
- Sean Spuehler – Programming
- Stephen Street – Producer, Engineer
Charts and certifications
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Certifications=
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|title=Midlife|artist=Blur|type=album|relyear=2009|certyear=2017|id=10227-388-2}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq6LLq4DHMbuGcLYgG8X9XYLLdENNvBda Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur] at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- {{Metacritic album}}
{{Blur}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur}}
Category:2009 greatest hits albums
Category:Blur (band) compilation albums
Category:Albums produced by Stephen Street
Category:Albums produced by William Orbit