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Scanning the track listing of this album, it's hard not to conclude that Blur aren't a little embarrassed by their early work. Opening with the chart one-two of "Beetlebum" and "Song 2" (from their eponymous 1997 watershed album) rather than the baggy groove of their debut single, "She's So High," it's apparent that they desire to accentuate their more recent efforts. Running order aside, it's hard to fault the 18 songs which chart the life and times of one of Britain's smartest, most inventive bands. From the tuxedoed ballad "The Universal" through the cartoon Brit-pop of numbers such as "Parklife" and "Country House" to the freshly recorded indie-influenced "Music Is My Radar," their searching intelligence and deft hooks are never less than admirable. --Mike Pattenden