Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Guardian
Los Angeles Times
Melody Maker	12/10
NME	9/10
Pitchfork	8.2/10
Q
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Select	5/5
Spin	6/10

The Great Escape is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 11 September 1995 on Food and Virgin Records. The album received near-universal acclaim from critics on release and reached number one in the UK Albums Chart. It was the band's first record to crack the US charts, reaching number 150. Less than a year after the album was released, it was certified triple platinum in the UK.

The album continued the band's run of hit singles, with "Country House", "The Universal", "Stereotypes" and "Charmless Man". "Country House" was Blur's first single to chart at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, beating Oasis' "Roll with It", in a chart battle dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".

The Great Escape is the final part of Blur's 'Life' trilogy, after Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) and Parklife (1994). With Blur's 1997 self-titled album, the band would change direction and move away from Britpop in favour of a more lo-fi and alternative rock sound.

On 17 June 1995, James and Albarn spoke on BBC Radio 1 about coming up with a title for the album; "We've got until this Wednesday, our record company inform us, to come up with it," said Albarn. "We've been trying to get life into it, but nothing was very good – Wifelife, Darklife, Nextlife," added James.

The album is in the style of a concept album, that is, most of the songs are linked by a similar theme—loneliness and detachment. Damon Albarn subsequently revealed that much of The Great Escape is about himself (e.g. "Dan Abnormal" is an anagram for "Damon Albarn").

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Wikipedia