Editing Blur (band) (section)

===Reinvention after Britpop, 1996–2000===
An early 1996 ''Q'' magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup".<ref name="select" /> Coxon, in particular, began to resent his bandmates: James for his playboy lifestyle, and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image.<ref name="select" /> The guitarist struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as [[Pavement (band)|Pavement]].<ref>Harris, 2004, pp. 259–60</ref> In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer [[Stuart Maconie]] later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly".<ref name="select" />

Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said.<ref name="select" /> He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to—as Rowntree put it—"work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". After initial sessions in London, the band left to record the rest of the album in Iceland, away from the Britpop scene.<ref name="select" />

The result was ''[[Blur (Blur album)|Blur]]'', the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997. Although the music press predicted that the lo-fi sonic experimentation would alienate Blur's teenage girl fan-base, they generally applauded the effort. Pointing out lyrics such as "Look inside America/She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to [[Beck]], [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years.<ref>Collins, Andrew. "Blur: Keeping It Simple". ''Q''. March 1997.</ref> Despite cries of "commercial suicide", the album and its first single, "[[Beetlebum]]", debuted at number one in the UK.<ref name="melody">Sutherland, Mark. "Altered States". ''[[Melody Maker]]''. 21 June 1997.</ref> Although the album could not match the sales of its predecessors in Britain, internationally ''Blur'' was more successful.<ref name="melody" /> In the US, the album received strong reviews, reached number 61 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and was certified gold.<ref name="b200tlp">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/blur/chart-history/tlp/|title=Blur Chart History (Billboard 200)|publisher=Billboard|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RIAA: Gold & Platinum certifications: Blur |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Blur |website=RIAA |access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref>  The album's second single and second track, aptly named "[[Song 2]]", was also popular on alternative radio, reaching number six on the ''Billboard'' [[Alternative Airplay|Modern Rock chart]] and remaining on that chart for 26 weeks.<ref name="m">{{cite magazine |title=Blur: Alternative Airplay chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/blur/chart-history/mrt |magazine=Billboard |access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref> After it was licensed for use in various media—such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows—"Song 2" became the most recognisable Blur song in the US. After the success of ''Blur'', the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.<ref name="select" />

In February 1998, a few months after completing the tour, Blur released ''[[Bustin' + Dronin']]'' for the Japanese market. The album is a collection of Blur songs [[remix]]ed by artists such as [[Thurston Moore]], [[William Orbit]] and [[Moby]]. Among the tracks, the band were most impressed by Orbit's effort and enlisted him to replace Street as producer for their next album,<ref>{{cite web|first=Sue|last=Sillitoe|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug99/articles/stephenstreet.htm|title=Stephen Street: Producing Blur, Cranberries & Catatonia|work=[[Sound on Sound]]|date=August 1999|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606112835/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug99/articles/stephenstreet.htm|archive-date=6 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> citing a need to approach the recording process from a fresh perspective.<ref name="totalguitar" />

Released in March 1999, Blur's sixth studio album ''[[13 (Blur album)|13]]'' saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit's production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a "variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds" into the mix. ''13'' was creatively dominated by Coxon, who "was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited", by Orbit.<ref name="guardian">{{cite web|first=Caroline|last=Sullivan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,313434,00.html|title=Down and outstanding|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=5 March 2008|access-date=21 July 2008|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174209/http://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,313434,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Albarn's lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with [[Elastica]] frontwoman [[Justine Frischmann]], his partner of eight years.<ref name="guardian" /> The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While ''Q'' called it "a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished [[art rock]] album",<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Tom|last=Doyle|title=Blur – 13 review|magazine=Q|date=April 1999}}</ref> the ''NME'' felt it was inconsistent and "(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Cameron|title=Blur – 13 review|magazine=NME|date=10 March 1999}}</ref> ''13'' debuted at the top of the UK charts, staying at that position for two weeks. The album's lead single, the gospel-based "[[Tender (song)|Tender]]", opened at the second spot on the charts. After "[[Coffee & TV]]", the first Blur single to feature Coxon on lead vocals, only reached number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/393073.stm|title=Blur boss demands chart re-run|work=[[BBC News]]|date=13 July 1999|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Blur at Roskilde Festival 1999.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Blur at the [[Roskilde Festival]], 1999]]
In July 1999, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, Blur released a [[The 10 Year Limited Edition Anniversary Box Set|22-CD limited edition box-set]] of their singles. The accompanying tour saw Blur play the A-sides of the 22 singles in their chronological order of release.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Steve|last=Lowe|title=It's Like The Biggest Encore Ever|magazine=Select|date=February 2000}}</ref> In October 2000, the group released the compilation ''[[Blur: The Best Of]]'',<ref>{{cite web|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-blur-mw0000619855|title=Blur: The Best Of|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-date=7 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407170803/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-blur-mw0000619855|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Richard M.|last=Juzwiak|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/830-the-best-of-blur/|title=Blur: The Best of Blur|work=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|date=21 November 2000|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=20 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820094758/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/830-the-best-of-blur/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Graham|last=Reed|url=http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/2431|title=Blur: Best of + live CD|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101051751/http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/2431|archive-date=1 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> which debuted at number three in the UK<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-best-of/|title=Official albums Chart results matching:the best of|work=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303191837/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-best-of/|archive-date=3 March 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and went 4× Platinum due to 1,200,000 copies being shipped.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/1116-388-2|title=British album certifications – Blur – The Best Of|work=[[British Phonographic Industry]]|access-date=9 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010180606/https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/1116-388-2|archive-date=10 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Dismissed by the band as "the first record we have seen as product", the track listing and release dates of ''Blur: The Best Of'' were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=David|last=Cavanagh|title=A Hard Day's Night|magazine=Mojo|date=November 2000}}</ref> By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on ''Blur'' and ''13''. In an otherwise highly enthusiastic review of the best-of for the ''NME'', Steve Sutherland criticised the band's "sheer disregard" for their earlier work; "Just because these songs embarrassed them once they started listening to broadsheet critics and retreated wounded from the big-sales battle with Oasis doesn't mean that we're morons to love them."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Steve|last=Sutherland|title=Blur – Blur: The Best of review|magazine=NME|date=October 2000}}</ref>