Leisure is the debut album by English alternative rock band Blur. The album was released on 26 August 1991 in the United Kingdom via Food Records, and peaked at number 7 in the UK Albums Chart.
The album was released during the waning days of the Madchester period in the UK. As a result, Blur and Leisure were seen as catching the end of a trend. Also apparent is the influence of shoegazing, in tracks such as “Sing”, “Repetition”, “Birthday” and “She's So High”.
Review:
“She's So High” and “There's No Other Way” were auspicious debut
singles, alternately trancy and melodic, suggesting how shoegazing and baggy
beats could be incorporated into pop song structures. Both songs suggested that
Blur was capable of a striking debut album, but Leisure wasn't it. Mired by
directionless soundscapes and incomplete songwriting, Leisure was nevertheless
full of promise. Whenever the group tread close to the warped psychedelia of Syd
Barrett, their compositions sprang to life, and “Sing” was an eerie,
entrancing minor-key drone reminiscent of the Velvet Underground's “Venus in
Furs.” Those moments, however, were few and far between on Leisure, since much
of the record was devoted to either naïve pop like “Bang” or washes of
feedback and effects. From Leisure, it appeared that Blur was only capable of a
pair of fine singles, which is what made the complete reinvention of Modern Life
Is Rubbish such a surprise. [For the American release of Leisure, SBK Records
lopped off one of the album's best songs, “Sing,” and shuffled the running
order for no apparent reason other than having “She's So High” and
“There's No Other Way” appear first.]
All Music Guide – Stephen Thomas Erlewine