Think Tank (Blur album)

Think Tank
Studio album by Blur
Released	5 May 2003 (details)
Recorded	November 2001 – November 2002 in London, Morocco and Devon
Genre	Art rock electronic[1] world
Length	56:04
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Ben Hillier Norman Cook William Orbit Blur
Blur chronology
Blur: The Best Of (2000) Think Tank (2003) Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur (2009)
Damon Albarn chronology
Laika Come Home (2002) Think Tank (2003) Democrazy (2003)
Singles from Think Tank
"Out of Time" Released: 14 April 2003[2] "Crazy Beat" Released: 7 July 2003[3] "Good Song" Released: 6 October 2003[4]

Think Tank is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 5 May 2003. Continuing the jam-based studio constructions of the group's previous album, 13 (1999), the album expanded on the use of sampled rhythm loops and brooding, heavy electronic sounds. There are also heavy influences from dance music, hip hop, dub, jazz, and African music, an indication of songwriter Damon Albarn's expanding musical interests.

Recording sessions started in November 2001, taking place in London, Morocco and Devon, and finished a year later. The album's primary producer was Ben Hillier with additional production by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), and William Orbit. At the start of the sessions, guitarist Graham Coxon had been in rehab for alcoholism, so was not present. Initially unaware of how long Coxon would be in rehab for, Albarn, James and Rowntree decided to start work in the studio without Coxon.

After he re-joined, relationships between him and the other members became strained. After initial recording sessions, Coxon left, leaving little of his presence on the finished album. This is the only Blur album to not feature Coxon as a full-time member; he reunited with Damon Albarn in 2008, resulting in Blur starting to play live again in 2009, and returned to the band for their next album The Magic Whip (2015).

Think Tank is a loose concept album, which Albarn has stated is about "love and politics".^[5] Albarn, a pacifist, had spoken out against the invasion of Afghanistan and, after Western nations threatened to invade Iraq, took part in the widespread protests against the war. Anti-war themes are recurrent in the album as well as in associated artwork and promotional videos.

After leaking onto the internet in March, Think Tank was released on 5 May 2003 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, making it Blur's fifth consecutive studio album to reach the top spot. The album was later certified Gold. Think Tank also reached the top 20 in many other countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Japan. It was their highest charting album in the United States at the time, reaching number 56 on the Billboard 200. The album produced three singles, which charted at number 5, number 18 and number 22 respectively on the UK Singles Chart. After the album was released, Blur announced a world tour with Simon Tong filling in for Coxon.