William Orbit leaks his version of new Blur single

Fresh update: William Orbit has posted up his version of Blur's new single 'Under the Westway' for all to listen to. This followed several angry tweets about the band a few weeks ago, where the band and the ex-Blur producer's relationship seem to be on the rocks.

Gigwise reports:

Producer Orbit was working with Blur earlier this year but went his separate ways from Damon Albarn and co. after Tweeting about the secret sessions. It is perhaps ironic (or totally unsurprising?) then that Orbit has shown his indiscretion once more and placed an alternative version to the single on Twitter today.

The version is still recognisable as the song which was premiered via a live online stream earlier this month but features far more electronic production and a less epic, windswept feel.

Speaking to BBC's Steve Lamacq on a show yesterday, Alex James said that the band are on good terms and that they are "not having fist fights anymore". Alex also said that the band's future seems to be going well at the moment, although their future has remained undecided. 

"I've got no idea what happens next, or if it ever happens again," he said. Discussing the way in which he, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree work together, James added that "we click back into it like a family at Christmas."

Currently, Orbit's version of the track is unavailable off Soundcloud. However, many have heard the track and the general review from fans seems to be negative. Perhaps it is the fact that Orbit has publicly made his disappointment (for the band to not choose his track) about Blur's choice, or perhaps it is the auto-tuned vocals which made the song less hymn-like and more "13"/ single like.

Different lyrics, more bouncy chorus, the single is completely changed to a semi-electronic feel. It also has much more heavy sounds than the current version. It is definitely not bad, but the track definitely sounds very different to what the band has released. 

Download the track HERE (Sendspace) and give it a listen. *Note: The file may be unavailable 

Leave a comment below or vote in the poll - do you like this better than the official release, which Damon Albarn decided to self-produced?

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Blur to release exclusive CD of Under The Westway

Members of the official Blur forum have been petitioning for nearly a week for the band to release their new single via an official CD. After nearly five pages of posts filled with fans' excitement and desire for a potential release, the wish has finally been granted.

Blur and their management has announced that 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' will be released in a CD format for all to buy. The CD will be limited to 5000 copies worldwide and is a Blur store exclusive product.

The new CD Cover promo

Furthermore, the CD will include extra bonus tracks. Yes, you read that right - Blur will be releasing instrumental versions of 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan', plus an acoustic version of the leading title track.

It's practically a new Blur EP! 

This new CD will be released on 6th August 2012, in time for the summer Hyde Park live gigs where Blur is leading the London Olympics closing ceremony. Blur released the two new tracks on July 2nd 2012, after performing them live on top of their West London studio, complete with a twitter live video stream. The 7 inch vinyl can also be purchased via the official store.

Click HERE to read the Blur forum thread which led to this rare and exciting development. Blur seems, these days, to be very fan- orientated, which is indeed what people need nowadays.

As it is only available via the Blur store, pre-order your copy of Blur's exclusive new CD (£3.99) by clicking HERE 

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Will the New Blur single top the charts in 2012 ?

BLUR ALERT: A music video for 'Under the Westway' has been released on the 6th July. It features the band in the studio, recording their newest, ballad-esque single, complete with Damon's soothing vocals and piano chords.

But the question we are all asking is - can Blur reach and break into the charts for Top 20 singles? The momentum of this track gave it very positive reviews by listeners so far. The single's chart position on the first day of release was also great, topping at Number 1 in the iTunes Top Rock songs.

Recently it hit Number 6 on the iTunes Italy rock chart, and Number 8 on the Norwegian rock chart. As for Blur's biggest challenge, they seem to have done well initially: 'Under the Westway' peaked in at Number 4 last Tuesday on the top rock singles charts, but have now dropped down to 40. 

'The Puritan' also went to Number 3 on it's first day of release, but soon dropped out of the charts. As of right now, the two tracks doesn't seem to be moving up. Perhaps it really really really could happen. Help push Blur to the top of the charts by downloading the tracks from iTunes. You can also order them on Amazon.com 

Watch the official music video for 'Under the Westway' below.

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Blur chats to Channel 4 about comeback

A small update on a the 'new' Blur - the band spoke to Channel 4 News on the 2nd July 2012 about their twitter live show, future plans and getting back together for the massive London Olympics Hyde Park gigs taking place in approximately one month's time.

The band also avoided answering questions relating to whether they will continue to make music after the summer shows, and skillfully dodged direct questions, insisting that their future is constantly evolving. Nothing surprising here.

On a side note, Damon Albarn also mentioned he didn't have a twitter account. Wait - so what's this? Watch the 20 minute interview below.



Don't forget to check out an interesting article (click here) written by Channel 4's Matthew Cain, who conducted the interview with Blur.

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Blur gives it their all on live rooftop gig - exclusive footage

So, it looks like Blur are back, ready for the Olympics gig and better than ever! The rainy weather and rush-hour timing of the rooftop gig on July 2nd 2012, combined with the fact that the location was not known until a few hours before the show, meant that only few fans were able to travel to the destination to witness Blur's show.

But do not fear- for the fans who have missed the live performances by Blur (July 2nd 2012), footage have been released by Blur's official Youtube channel (click here to subscribe) recorded exclusively on the venue.

The two must-watch videos of the month - footage of Blur premiering their newest single 'Under the Westway / The Puritan' live on the roof of their West London studio.

The track will be released as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl, which you can order HERE.

The studio version of the tracks are also available as downloads from iTunes.

Scroll down below to enjoy Blur's energetic, wonderful and refreshing performance.




Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Blur releases new radical tracks under the Westway

And finally, the wait is over! Blur premiered their new tracks 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' live on top of their West London Studio on Latimer Road, London on July 2nd 2012. This location was of course chosen, as it is literally, under the Westway.

A live twitter video was broadcasted on the official Blur website for all fans to watch. Some of the band also had short interviews with BBC Radio shortly before the host played the studio version of the new songs to the world.

The two songs are the only material Blur released since their 2009 single 'Fool's Day', and both new songs were met with very positive reviews. 

The band performed 'Under the Westway' live first, with cheering fans watching eagerly below on the ground. The track is grand, elegant and sounds extremely like something from the early Blur days. It boasts an animated music video featuring moving lyrics, and also a very Beatles-esque touch.



There was an hour's break in between the first and second song. Blur took this opportunity to stage a twitter question & answer session, where fans could tweet questions to the band's members. Questions included one by us at BlurBalls - "Damon - what colour are your shoes today?", in which the reply from Alex James was "Red". Very informative indeed.

'The Puritan', a cheery track with a poppy sound and fast drums, was next. The weather was rainy and cloudy in London, but that did not stop the catchy song from radiating through to the crowd. The lyrics for this track is on par with Blur's earlier singles, and the song definitely has the "new sound" that Damon mentioned earlier in Blur interviews.



Could this possibly be a new direction for Blur? Could 'The Puritan''s sound become something prevalent in the next Blur project? Will there even be new Blur material in the future? These are questions that the band did not answer.

It seems though, according to Alex James and Damon Albarn (who did interviews on BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio 1 respectively on July 2nd 2012), options are being kept open. Everyone's keeping an open mind about the great band's future.

Stay tuned for reviews of the tracks exclusively by BlurBalls. 

Download both tracks via iTunes HERE 

Expand the post to leave a comment below - do you like the new Blur songs? Which one is better?

Order the new Blur vinyl HERE
The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

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Order Blur's new limited edition single 'Under the Westway'

The new Blur limited edition, double A coloured 7 inch vinyl featuring 2 brand new track 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' is now available for order.

The album art features a strip of coloured lights, blurred and moving fast along the bottom to mimic the sights of cars rushing past in the Westway. The Westway is a 2.5km long elevated, dual carriageway section of the prominent A40 route in the west of London.

The two songs are specially written for the summer shows. The single will be released on the 6th August 2012, before the band's massive Hyde Park Olympics gig of the same month.

The two new songs will also be performed live on an unknown rooftop in London, on the 2nd of July 2012. The band has not yet revealed the exact location, but it will be streamed live on their official twitter.

Pre-order yours by clicking on the link below. And don't forget to enter the competition to win 1 of the 10 signed copies of the single by the band. Hurry as it is limited in numbers!

https://shop.blur.co.uk/*/*/Under-the-Westway/11I5J0000000?back=

The Puritan- new track HERE

Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

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Did Blur let their future album plan slip out ?

BBC Radio 6 Music will be premiering Blur's new single "Under the Westway" on July 2nd, but today they let something shocking slip on their Facebook page.

They posted about the single, made an announcement saying that host Steve Lamacq will be "talking to Blur and listening to tracks from their forthcoming album 'Under the Westway' "

Wait a minute - this can't be right. There's no plans of an album is there? At least the Blur members are not saying anything or have even hinted they've finished recording one.

But yet - this post was deleted minutes later and replaced with one that says "...will be talking to Blur as he has the world exclusive first play of their new single 'Under the Westway' " .

Could the age-old rumour of Blur recording a new album in 2012 be true? Or is this just a slip of the hand by a BBC staff?

It's a mystery, but this definitely makes us excited. Remember to tune into BBC 6 at 6:15pm (UK time) for Blur. Also, do not forget to download the tracks from itunes after the live, one-off roof top show where Blur will play their single live. 

The Puritan- new track HERE
Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

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Blur to preview new release in roof top gig

Great news - Blur has announced that they will play 'Under the Westway' and 'The Puritan' live on a roof somewhere in London, on the 2nd of July 2012. This was revealed in a video message by Alex James, which you can watch below.



The show will be broadcasted live on twitter for all fans to enjoy. Also, both songs will be available immediately for download (mp3).

A limited edition double A-side 7 inch vinyl will be out for release on August 6th 2012.

Which roof exactly are we talking about here? No details have been revealed, but early guesses include somewhere busy like South Bank, HMV Oxford Street, BBC's broadcasting house in London, Rough Trade's roof (which is near the Westway) or perhaps Portobello Road.

Stay tuned and look out for more Blur news, in this exciting, exciting time! Follow Blur on Twitter HERE. 

The Puritan- new track HERE
Damon Albarn says it's the End of Blur! Read HERE

Is Damon and Graham Coxon recording together? Find out HERE

Check out Blur's rumoured new album HERE. 

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

If you missed old news, visit the NEWS ARCHIVE to read about past news!

Remember to subscribe to RSS and "LIKE" BlurBalls on Facebook.

Stay Tuned, leave us a comment below and Get The Latest Blur News delivered straight to you- BlurBalls is the most updated Blur fan site on the internet!