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Pulp (band)
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Pulp were an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978 by Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar). They were originally known as "Arabacus Pulp," but this was shortened a year later. The members of Pulp were all schoolmates attending City Secondary School in Sheffield.
Throughout the 1980s, the band struggled to find success but gained prominence in the UK in the 1990s after the release of the albums His 'n' Hers, Different Class and This Is Hardcore.
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Encyclopedia
Pulp were an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978 by Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar). They were originally known as "Arabacus Pulp," but this was shortened a year later. The members of Pulp were all schoolmates attending City Secondary School in Sheffield.
Throughout the 1980s, the band struggled to find success but gained prominence in the UK in the 1990s after the release of the albums His 'n' Hers, Different Class and This Is Hardcore. The latter two of these reached number one spot in the UK Album Chart. Their musical style in this successful era consisted of disco-influenced pop-rock coupled with down-to-earth "kitchen-sink drama"-style lyrics. This success led to the band and frontman Jarvis Cocker becoming major figures of the mid-1990s Britpop movement and to two nominations for the Mercury Music Prize; in 1994 for His 'n' Hers and a win in 1996 for Different Class. Their 1995 single Common People, which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, was voted number 3 in NME's's 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. Later in 1995, they headlined the Pyramid Stage of the Glastonbury Festival. After their last album We Love Life in 2001, the band entered an extended hiatus.
History
Early years: 1978-1982
A 15-year-old Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Dalton, who was 14, conceived the band at The City School in Sheffield. Cocker's original preference was to name the band after the film Pulp though it was decided that this was too short. Instead, the two took inspiration from a copy of the Financial Times which listed the Arabicas coffee bean in its commodity index. Cocker and Dalton used this, with a slight spelling change, and the band became 'Arabacus'. Early rehearsals took place in Cocker's house and featured Cocker, Dalton and Dalton's younger brother Ian. The band grew tired of the name and added Cocker's original suggestion, becoming 'Arabacus Pulp'. A fixed line-up was then established: Cocker, Dalton and two friends of theirs, David Lockwood and Mark Swift. However, this soon disintegrated into a fairly un-set membership where Cocker remained as the only core member. The band played their first gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980, where they often supported fellow school band Crude. In 1981, they made a demo tape they gave to the DJ John Peel which landed them a Peel Session. The tracks they recorded were in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (cf. Human League, Comsat Angels) - based on electronic New Wave and post-punk.
Despite the exposure on national radio, success was not forthcoming, and most of the then line-up left for university. A new set of musicians was gathered: Simon Hinkler (who later joined The Mission and produced All About Eve), David Hinkler, Wayne Furniss, Peter Boam, Gary Wilson, and Cocker's sister, Saskia Cocker. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982, entitled It, which was released in April 1983. This largely consisted of folkish, romantic pop songs and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions a few years earlier.
It was not commercially successful and fame was elusive. Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction and was set break up the band and go to university. However, a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums) led to the three of them establishing a new, more experimental, artier, and noisier direction for Pulp. They were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry).
Independent days: 1983-1991
Pulp continued to seek commercial success, even to the point of recording a single, "Everybody's Problem" c/w "There Was" (released in September 1983 on Red Rhino records) in the style of the then prevalent pop duo Wham!. Red Rhino's Tony Perrin, later a manager of The Mission, convinced Cocker that "you could write commercial songs like Wham!, Jarvis".
Having survived a number of ill-fated gigs, Allcard left to be replaced on keyboards by Magnus Doyle's sister Candida. Following her first performance with the band, they were signed to a label called Fire Records, and began to record a number of singles that were later released as the compilation album Masters of the Universe. These tracks were much darker in tone than those on It, and often veered towards the likes of The Fall in style.
These releases were followed by the album Freaks in 1987, which was recorded in one week due to pressure from their label. Its release ended up being delayed for a year, and the record was not well received. The album's dark style may be considered the antithesis of the happy and optimistic It. It was during this mid-80s period that Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl, and ended up in hospital, temporarily wheelchair-bound. This gave Cocker ample time to consider his direction, and when, later, Freaks failed to be a success, Pulp folded, with Jarvis going off to London to study film at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
The fold was short-lived however, and a new line-up, consisting of Cocker, Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass) emerged. They recorded another album for Fire after a separate deal fell through. This album, Separations, was a progression of the style of Freaks, with Leonard Cohen-esque ballads on side one and a more disco/Acid House infused track-listing on side two. Like Freaks, its release was delayed, to an extent lessening the potential impact. In the meantime, however, in 1991, a 12" recording - "My Legendary Girlfriend" became music periodical NME's single of the week, and "Countdown" began to be mentioned in the mainstream press, heralding Pulp's first steps towards fame.
Commercial height: 1992-1996
Frustrated that Separations still hadn't been released, Pulp signed to Warp Records imprint Gift Records in 1992. Fire attempted to capitalise on this by finally releasing Separations. The three singles released on Gift were later compiled on the album Intro which was released when they were signed up by Island Records. Island Records then released the singles "Do You Remember the First Time?" and "Lipgloss", to modest chart success. These were followed by the Ed Buller-produced album His 'n' Hers which reached No.9 in the UK charts and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
This sudden increase in popularity was helped by the massive media interest in Britpop alongside acts such as Suede, Oasis and Blur, who supported the latter in a tour of the United States in 1994. 1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their No.2 UK Hit single "Common People", their performance at the Glastonbury Festival (standing in for the Stone Roses at the last minute) and their Mercury award winning album Different Class (the first album featuring Pulp fan-club president Mark Webber, who became a permanent member of the band on guitar and keyboards). This album, with its disco-infused pop-rock, and the trademark sordid yet witty lyrics about sexual encounters and working class life, is for most fans what Pulp are about. The album also contained follow-up singles "Sorted for E's & Wizz" (another UK #2 hit), "Disco 2000" (which peaked at #7), and "Something Changed" (peaking at #10).
But domestic attention was not equalled in the rest of the world, though they gained substantial exposure in the US thanks to "Mile End", a song included in the internationally acclaimed 1996 Academy Award-nominated film Trainspotting, and "Like A Friend", included in the 1998 remake of Great Expectations. Indeed, if Pulp are known beyond the UK it is perhaps more likely the result of Cocker's prank at the infamous 1996 BRIT Awards, where he invaded the stage in protest during Michael Jackson's performance (for which he spent the night in the cells accused of assaulting the child performers, though he was released without charge) . This incident propelled Cocker into great controversy in the UK and elsewhere, and the band's record sales soared as a result. The Daily Mirror set up a "Justice for Jarvis" campaign backing his actions and carried out a stunt at Pulp's Sheffield Arena gig on 29 February, handing out free T-shirts with this logo printed on. The March 2 1996 edition of Melody Maker suggested Cocker should be knighted.
Late career: 1997-2002
It was during this period of intense fame that long time member and major innovator in the band's sound, Russell Senior, decided to leave the band to spend time with his family (and out of the tabloid press). Cocker was also having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, battling cocaine addiction like many of his peers and a breakup of a long-term relationship. The fallout of all of this, and the ensuing depression induced by finding the one thing he'd been after all his life (fame) and then deciding that it wasn't really up to much, was the subject matter of the follow-up album This Is Hardcore: a trawl through the seedy world of Soho, which during its more navel-gazing, depressed-singer-in-a-hotel-room moments stylistically approached Pink Floyd's The Wall. Many of the fans who had so enjoyed the happier, more amusing and light-hearted approach of Different Class were somewhat turned off by the darker tone of the new record. Pulp also collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for the soundtrack to the movie Great Expectations.
Pulp then spent a few years "in the wilderness" before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, We Love Life. The extended period between the release of This is Hardcore and We Love life is partly attributed to having initially recorded the songs which comprise the album and being dissatisfied with the results. Subsequent interviews also suggested interpersonal and artistic differences, including managing the fallout of the Britpop/Different Class era. Legendary singer/songwriter Scott Walker eventually agreed to produce the record and this symbolised a new phase in Cocker and Pulp's development. The record was lighter in tone to This is Hardcore and lyrically, songs reflected Cocker's recent interest in nature and perhaps escape from urban lifestyle e.g. "Trees", "Weeds" and "Sunrise".
Pulp subsequently undertook a tour of the National Parks in the UK, even playing a show as far North as Elgin in Scotland. Richard Hawley, the Sheffield based singer/songwriter was also present on various dates on this tour. In 2002 the band announced that they were leaving their label, Island. A greatest hits package was released: Hits with one new track. It is unclear whether this was the band's decision or released to satisfy contractual agreements. A music festival, Auto, was organised (held at Rotherham's Magna centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a hiatus from the music industry from which they are yet to emerge.
On hiatus: 2002 – present
Cocker was involved in a number of one-offs and side projects, including the group Relaxed Muscle with Jason Buckle and the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where he fronted a group which included Steve Mackey and members of Radiohead also in 2007 Cocker appeared on Airs album Pocket Symphony giving vocals to the two tracks One Hell Of A Party and The Duelist. His first solo album Jarvis, with the participation of Mackey, was released to critical acclaim in November 2006. Mackey has also gone on to produce debuts for M.I.A. and The Long Blondes which were both critically acclaimed.
On 11 September, 2006 the band re-released three of their albums (His 'n' Hers, Different Class, and This Is Hardcore), each with a bonus disc of B-sides, demos and rarities. On 23 October 2006 a 2CD set compiling all of Pulp's John Peel Sessions from 1982 to 2001 was released. In a March 2007 interview with magazine The Trip Wire, Cocker was sceptical about Pulp's future, saying he wasn't against it completely, but couldn't see a point in reuniting the band at the moment.
Discography
Studio albums
It (1983) Freaks (1987) Separations (1991) His 'n' Hers (1994) (#9 UK, Gold) Different Class (1995) (#1 UK, 4x Platinum) This Is Hardcore (1998) (#1 UK, #114 US, Gold) We Love Life (2001) (#6 UK, Silver)
Compilations
Intro - non-album singles compilation (1993)Masters of the Universe - non-album singles compilation (1994)Countdown 1992-1983 - compilation of tracks from the Fire/Red Rhino era (1996) #10 UKPulp Goes to the Disco (1998)Freshly Squeezed... the Early Years - North-American release (1998)Primal: The Best of the Fire Years 1983-1992 (1998)Pulped 1983-1992 - four-CD box set, featuring the first three albums, plus Masters of the Universe (2000)Hits - official greatest hits compilation (2002) #71 UKThe Peel Sessions (2006) - compilation of all the Peel sessions from Pulp
UK singles
Singles
| Title | Release
date | U.K. singles chart |
|---|
| "My Lighthouse" (remix) / "Looking For Life" | May 1983 | - | | "Everybody's Problem" / "There Was..." | Sep 1983 | - | | "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)" / "Simultaneous" / "Blue Glow" / "The Will To Power" | Oct 1985 | - | | "Dogs Are Everywhere" / "The Mark of the Devil" / "97 Lovers" / "Aborigine" / "Goodnight" | Jun 1986 | - | | "They Suffocate at Night" / "Tunnel" | Jan 1987 | - | | "Master of the Universe" (sanitised version) / "Manon" / "Silence" | May 1987 | - | | "My Legendary Girlfriend" / "Is This House?" / "This House Is Condemned" (remix) | Mar 1991 | - | | "Countdown" (single version) / "Death Goes to the Disco" / "Countdown" (extended) | Aug 1991 | - | | "O.U. (Gone, Gone)" (radio edit) / "O.U. (Gone, Gone)" (12" mix) / "Space" | Jun 1992 | - | | "My Legendary Girlfriend" (live) / "Sickly Grin" (demo) / "Back in L.A." (demo) | Aug 1992 | - | | "Babies" / "Styloroc (Nights of Suburbia)" / "Sheffield: Sex City" | Oct 1992 | - | | "Razzmatazz" / "Stacks" / "Inside Susan" / "59, Lyndhurst Grove" | Feb 1993 | 80 | | "Lipgloss" / "You're a Nightmare" / "Deep Fried in Kelvin" | Nov 1993 | 50 | | "Do You Remember the First Time" / "Street Lites" / "The Babysitter" | Apr 1994 | 33 | | The Sisters EP ("Babies" / "Your Sister's Clothes" / "Seconds" / "His 'n' Hers") | Jun 1994 | 19 | | "Common People" / "Underwear" | Jun 1995 | 2 | | "Mis-Shapes" / "Sorted for E's & Wizz" / "P.T.A." (Parent Teacher Association) / "Common People" (Live at Glastonbury) | Oct 1995 | 2 | | "Disco 2000" (7" mix) / "Disco 2000" (album mix) / "Ansaphone" / "Live Bed Show" (extended) | Dec 1995 | 7 | | "Disco 2000" (album mix) / "Disco 2000" (7" mix) / "Disco 2000" (Motiv 8 Discoid Mix) / "Disco 2000" (Motiv 8 Gimp Dub) | Dec 1995 | 7 | | "Something Changed" / "Mile End" | Apr 1996 | 10 | | "Help the Aged" / "Tomorrow Never Lies" / "Laughing Boy" | Nov 1997 | 8 | | "This Is Hardcore" / "Ladies' Man" / "The Professionnal" / "This Is Hardcore" (end of the line remix) | Mar 1998 | 12 | | "This Is Hardcore (original version)" / "This Is Hardcore (Hero remix)" / "This Is Hardcore (Swedish Erotica remix)" / "This Is Hardcore" (Stock, Hausen and Walkman's remix) | Mar 1998 | 12 | | "Like a Friend" (U.S. promo) | Mar 1998 | - | | "A Little Soul" / "Cocaine Socialism" / "Like a Friend" | Jun 1998 | 22 | | "A Little Soul" / "A Little Soul" (Lafayette Velvet revisited mix) / "That Boy's Evil" | Jun 1998 | 22 | | "Party Hard" / "We Are the Boyz" / "The Fear" (The Complete and Utter Breakdown Version) | Sep 1998 | 29 | | "Sunrise" / "The Trees" / "Sunrise" (Fat Truckers/Scott free mix) | Oct 2001 | 23 | | "The Trees" / "Sunrise" / "The Trees" (felled by I Monster) | Oct 2001 | 23 | | "Bad Cover Version" / "Yesterday" / "Forever In My Dreams" | Apr 2002 | 27 | |
External links
- - a comprehensive user-generated resource for everything related to Pulp
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