Reunited band Blur to release career-spanning compilation

Blur

Credit: EMI Music

Newly reunited Brit band Blur will be releasing a double-disc compilation "Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur" on July 28 via Capitol/EMI. The set is full of representative career hits, including "She's So High," the unavoidable "Song 2" and dancefloor fire-starter "Girls & Boys." As an added incentive to buyers who may already have all the tracks, "Midlife" contains "Popscene," an out-of-print single from 1992.

Tracks were culled from every Blur album, including 1991's "Leisure," 1994's "Parklife," 1997's self-titled album and the group's last, "Think Tank," released in May 2003.

The collection comes in time for the band's reunion performances lined up for this summer in the U.K. this year. Late last year, Blur co-founder Damon Albarn announced that the group made nice with departed member Graham Coxon, who was booted from the group after recording "Think Tank" turned into a creative tug-of-war.

Coxon kept himself busy with solo releases "Happiness in Magazines," "Love Travels at Illegal Speeds" and this year's "The Spinning Top." He maintained a solo career even before his split with Blur.

Albarn has also distinguished himself outside of Blur as a contributor to Gorillaz.

Blur is headlining the Glastonbury Festival in June and is taking over London's Hyde Park on July 2 and 3; the latter of those dates, the first that was announced, reportedly sold out in two minutes. Blur has also confirmed headlining performances at France's Les Nuits De Fourviere on July 5, Ireland's Oxegen on July 10, and Scotland's T In The Park on July 12. The group has not announced any plans to tour in the U.S. Yet.

Here is the tracklist for "Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur"

CD 1
1. Beetlebum
2. Girls & Boys
3. For Tomorrow
4. Coffee & TV
5. Out Of Time
6. Blue Jeans
7. Song 2
8. Bugman
9. He Thought Of Cars
10. Death Of A Party
11. The Universal
12. Sing
13. This Is A Low

CD 2
1. Tender
2. She's So High
3. Chemical World
4. Good Song
5. Parklife
6. Advert
7. Popscene
8. Stereotypes
9. Trimm Trabb
10. Badhead
11. Strange News From Another Star
12. Battery In Your Leg

Katie Hasty
Managing Editor

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After five years as a columnist and editor at Billboard, Katie Hasty joined HitFix in 2009 for music and film reporting out of New York. The Midwest native has worked as a writer, music promoter and in A&R since 1999 and performs with her band Numbers And Letters.