Think Tank (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Think Tank
Type = studio
Artist = Blur


Released = start date|2003|5|5
Recorded = March–November 2002
Genre = Alternative rock
Electronica
Length = 49:16
Label = Parlophone
Virgin
Producer = Blur, Ben Hillier, William Orbit, Norman Cook
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|2|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lqf8zfg3ehok~T1 link]
*Drowned in Sound (10/10) [http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/3331 link]
*"E! (10/10) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/blur/thinktank/ link]
*"Uncut" rating|5|5 [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/blur/thinktank/ link]
*"Mojo rating|4.5|5 [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/blur/thinktank/ link]
*"NME" (8.0/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/blur/7097 link]
*Pitchfork Media (9.0/10) [http://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/15563/Blur_Think_Tank link]
*"Rolling Stone" rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/309955 link]
*"Stylus" (A-) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/blur/think-tank.htm link]
*"Q" rating|4|5 [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/blur/thinktank/ link]
*"Blender" rating|2|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=735 link]
Last album = ""
(2000)
This album = "Think Tank"
(2003)
Next album =
Misc = Extra chronology 2
Artist = Damon Albarn
Type = studio
Last album = "Laika Come Home"
by
Spacemonkeyz vs Gorillaz
(2002)
This album = "Think Tank"
by
Blur
(2003)
Next album = "Demon Days"
by
Gorillaz
(2005)

"Think Tank" is the seventh, and to date the last, album by English alternative rock band Blur, released on 5 May 2003 in the United Kingdom. It represented a major musical change for the group and also gave them their highest charting album in the United States. The "Think Tank" album cover was stenciled by the famous graffiti artist Banksy.

Instead of the pop sound of their early career or the lo-fi music Blur made in their previous two albums, "Think Tank" contained brooding, atmospheric, heavy electronic sounds, an indication of Damon Albarn's increasing interest in electronica and his control over the group's creative direction. Graham Coxon quit the band during the recording of the album, resulting in little of the electric guitar of Blur's earlier albums. Almost entirely written by Albarn, "Think Tank" placed more emphasis on backing vocals and a variety of other instruments.

Recording history

"Think Tank" was recorded in Morocco with Fatboy Slim contributing to two tracks ("Crazy Beat" and "Gene by Gene"); supposedly his presence as producer was a contributing factor in Graham Coxon's departure from the groupFact|date=October 2008. Coxon's only significant contribution to the record was a guitar line on the last track, "Battery in Your Leg".

Like Blur's breakthrough album, "Parklife", "Think Tank" is a loose concept album; its songs deal with similar themes without a definite story arc or continuous characters. Most of the songs are concerned with a sense of paranoia and alienation in British club culture. "Think Tank" is the only Blur album to get the Parental Advisory logo, because "Brothers and Sisters" contains many drug references. Also, the hidden track "Me, White Noise" was one of the few Blur songs to contain an expletive.

Reception

Think Tank was also very well received critically, with a score of 83 on Metacritic [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/blur/thinktank?q=Blur|title=Blur: Think Tank (2003): Reviews] , which equates to a tag of "Universal Acclaim". The album was nominated for Best British Album at the 2004 BRIT Awards, and won the "Q" Album of the Year award.

A special edition of the album was released in a red booklet. The enhanced CD included four live videos. The artwork for the album was produced by the graffiti artist Banksy. The album's cover art sold at auction in 2007 for £75,000. [cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUKL2531915420070425|title=Elusive artist Banksy sets record price|date=2007-04-25|work=Reuters UK|publisher=Thomson Reuters|accessdate=2008-05-09]

Track listing

*UK Release
"Me, White Noise" – 6:48 (Hidden track which requires manual rewind)
#"Ambulance" – 5:09
#"Out of Time" – 3:52
#"Crazy Beat" – 3:15
#"Good Song" – 3:09
#"On the Way to the Club" – 3:48
#"Brothers and Sisters" – 3:47
#"Caravan" – 4:36
#"We've Got a File on You" – 1:03
#"Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club" – 3:03
#"Sweet Song" – 4:01
#"Jets" – 6:25
#"Gene by Gene" – 3:49
#"Battery in Your Leg" – 3:20

*Japanese Release
#"Ambulance"
#"Out of Time"
#"Crazy Beat"
#"Good Song"
#"On the Way to the Club"
#"Brothers and Sisters"
#"Caravan"
#"We've Got a File on You"
#"Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club"
#"Sweet Song"
#"Jets"
#"Gene by Gene"
#"Battery in Your Leg"
#"The Outsider"
#"Me, White Noise"

Production Credits

*All tracks produced by Blur and Ben Hillier
*Except "Crazy Beat" and "Gene by Gene" produced by Norman Cook, Blur and Ben Hillier and "Sweet Song" produced by William Orbit, Blur and Ben Hillier

Exclusive 5 Track CD

A promotional free CD called "Exclusive 5 Track CD" was given away with the 21 September 2003 edition of "The Observer". The CD contained demos and live versions of "Think Tank" album tracks and B-sides. A similar CD had been released to promote "13", it however did not contain any exclusive material. "Me, White Noise (Live)" was recorded live at The Astoria, London on May 12th, 2003. "Out Of Time (Acoustic)" was recorded live for CNN at the Atlanta Tabernacle on July 26th, 2003.

# "Ambulance" – 5:07
# "Don't Be" (acoustic mix) – 2:40
# "Sweet Song" (demo idea) – 3:51
# "Me, White Noise" (live) – 7:46
# "Out of Time" (acoustic) – 3:38

Trivia

*The album was started in November 2001 at 13 studio in London and was finished a year later in a barn on National Trust land in Devon. Recording also took place in Morocco where the band equipped an old barn with a studio. [http://www.vblurpage.com/discography/albums/think.htm]
*The sessions in Morocco produced: "Crazy Beat", "Gene By Gene" and "Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club". [http://www.vblurpage.com/discography/albums/think.htm]
*Graham only appeared on four tracks for the "Think Tank" sessions, "Battery in Your Leg", "The Outsider", "Morricone" and "Some Glad Morning".
*The band approached many producers including The Neptunes, The Dust Brothers and William Orbit to work on the album in July 2002. [http://www.vblurpage.com/info/history/0103.htm]
*"Good Song" was originally called "De La Soul" after the Hip-Hop group. [2003 Think Tank Interview CD]

References

External links

* [http://ixfm.fimc.net/Article.asp?id=6267&page=1 Blur 'Think Tank' Track By Track] - interview with Damon, Alex and Dave talking about "Think Tank" track by track at Xfm Online

succession box
before = "Justified" by Justin Timberlake
title = UK number one album
years = May 17 2003 – May 23 2003
after = "Justified" by Justin Timberlake