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The Great Escape
Studio album by Blur
Released	11 September 1995
Recorded	January 1995 – May 1995
Genre	Britpop Indie
Length	56:56
Label	Food, Virgin
Producer	Stephen Street
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Blur chronology
Parklife (1994) The Great Escape (1995) Blur (1997)

The Great Escape is the fourth album by Blur, released on 11 September 1995. The Great Escape received glowing reviews and was a big seller in its initial release, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom album chart (outselling the rest of the Top 10 put together) and was their first to crack the US charts (even if at a lowly # 150).

When Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? outsold The Great Escape, Blur appeared to lose face in their well-publicised rivalry. Nonetheless, the album continues the run of inventive hit singles: "Country House" (their first #1 single, which notably beat Oasis' "Roll With It"), "The Universal", "Stereotypes" and "Charmless Man".

The album is in the style of a concept album, that is, most of the songs are linked by a similar theme—loneliness and detachment. Ten of the tracks have a distinct reference to being lonely. Damon Albarn subsequently revealed that most, if not all the songs on The Great Escape were about himself, in some form or another (i.e. "Dan Abnormal" is an anagram for "Damon Albarn"). However, dissension over musical direction between Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon would result in a stunning change in style for the next release, 1997's Blur. Albarn himself recently stated ""I've made two bad records. The first record, which is awful, and The Great Escape, which was messy." ^[1]

Main article: The Battle of Britpop

All tracks were written by Damon Albarn.

1. "Stereotypes" – 3:10
2. "Country House" – 3:57
3. "Best Days" – 4:49
4. "Charmless Man" – 3:34
5. "Fade Away" – 4:19
6. "Top Man" – 4:00
7. "The Universal" – 3:58
8. "Mr. Robinson's Quango" – 4:02
9. "He Thought of Cars" – 4:15
10. "It Could Be You" – 3:14
11. "Ernold Same" – 2:07
12. "Globe Alone" – 2:23
13. "Dan Abnormal" – 3:24
14. "Entertain Me" – 4:19
15. "Yuko and Hiro" – 5:24
    • Contains an untitled hidden track

The Japanese release includes "Ultranol" and "No Monsters in Me" (also released as B-sides to "The Universal"). The French release includes "To the End (La Comedie) (with Françoise Hardy)", a comedy of "To the End" (also released as B-side to "Country House"). Another (much less lush) French-language version was released as a B-side to "Parklife".