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CD Review by Mark Hamilton BLUR The Best Of Blur (Food/EMI) · Greatest hits compilation released in celebration of Blur’s 10th anniversary · Follows a limited edition 22-CD box set and a London art gallery exhibition of artifacts and artwork · Limited edition two-CD set includes a live disc from the Singles Night performance in which all of the band’s singles were played in chronological order at Wembley Stadium late last year Ten years ago, Blur was just yet another one-trick pony vying for a place in the so-called baggy explosion. After the realization that they were on the way to Onehitsville, Damon Albarn took control of the reins and developed Blur into one of the most consistently entertaining and intriguing bands of the past decade. The accomplishments are monumental – six albums, 23 singles and, at last count, at least four different incarnations, each one as appealing as the last. Compiling 10 years onto a single disc is sure to leave out a few high points – there’s no "Chemical World," the brilliant B-sides have been left untouched altogether, and Albarn’s amazing contributions to the Ordinary Decent Criminal soundtrack still dwindle in obscurity. However, none of the missing tracks are any match for these 18 note-perfect pop nuggets (minus the embarrassing "Charmless Man"). Albarn is such a fascinating figure partially because he’s never decided exactly what he wants to be. Whether he’s celebrating the past in British pop trickery, stumbling over the pavement with his own unique brand of fuzzed-out indie rock, or experimenting with the limits of sound and song structure, the results are always worthwhile. His trip is one of the best going, and if the voodoo jazz of "Music Is My Radar," the sole new track included, is any indication, there’s little chance he’s slowing down. 5/5

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