Late 1992. Rumours are flying that Blur are about to be dropped by Food Records partly as recording sessions with Andy Partridge of XTC hadn’t gone as planned and there was now a delay on getting a new single and album out for public consumption in the run-up to the important Christmas market. There had been nothing since Popscene back in March, and so everything was now riding on the results of their sessions with Stephen Street, probably best known at the time for his work with The Smiths/Morrissey.
It took until 19 April 1993 before anything further was heard, but contrary to the music paper rumours, it came out on Food and was announced as the lead track from what was going to be the band’s second album, due to hit the shops in May ’93:-
mp3: Blur – For Tomorrow (single version)
It’s one of those songs whose status would really grow in the years to follow. It wasn’t a huge hit, hitting #28 on the first week of its release and not budging from there the following week. But it would come to be seen as the early roots of what came to be called Britpop, with UK bands, many of which were based in and around London, being held up as making music that was different from the then all-powerful grunge/rock that was predominantly coming across the Atlantic.
Damon Albarn has said that For Tomorrow, and indeed many of the songs on the album Modern Life Is Rubbish were inspired a great deal by the poor reception the band had experienced on a tour of the USA. They felt they would enjoy and prefer writing and recording material that was reflective of their own surroundings and environment and which leaned heavily on the music of what could be termed the classic English pop writers of days gone by.
As will be seen over the next few weeks of this series with the other singles taken from Modern Life Is Rubbish, there was no great critical or commercial acclamation for what Blur were trying to do. History would, however, end up being re-written….and dare I say it, deservedly so!
For Tomorrow was released on 2 x CDs as well as 12″ vinyl. The single version, which was supplied to radio stations, was only available on CD2 and is some 100 seconds shorter than what was called ‘Visit To Primrose Hill extended’ and which also proved to be the album version.
CD1
mp3 : Blur – For Tomorrow (Visit To Primrose Hill extended)
mp3 : Blur – Peach
mp3 : Blur – Bone Bag
CD2
mp3 : Blur – For Tomorrow (single version)
mp3 : Blur – When The Cows Come Home
mp3 : Blur – Beachcoma
mp3 : Blur – For Tomorrow (acoustic version)
12″
mp3: Blur – For Tomorrow” (Visit to Primrose Hill extended)
mp3: Blur – Into Another
mp3: Blur – Hanging Over
The fact that seven songs were offered up as various b-sides, none of which would be included on the subsequent album, illustrates just how much material had been written. It’s also interesting just how different sounding the b-sides were – Blur could certainly not be accused of just standing still.
JC