Pulp (band)

Pulp

Pulp are a rock band, formed in Sheffield, England in 1978, by then 15-year-old school boy 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 High School in Sheffield and supported fellow school band Crude in their first gigs. They cite their influences as David Bowie, The Cure, The Beatles and The Kinks.

They are most famous in the UK, where their blend of disco-influenced pop-rock coupled with the amusing down-to-earth kitchen-sink lyrics of front-man Jarvis Cocker saw them become popular during the mid 1990s. After their last album We Love Life (2001), the band entered into an extended hiatus, from which they have yet to emerge.

History

(1978-1982) Origins

The first line-up was Cocker, David Lockwood, Mark Swift and Peter Dalton, though this soon disintegrated into a fairly un-set membership of Cocker and whoever else was around at the time. They played their first proper gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980, and made a demo tape the following year which they gave to the DJ John Peel. Amazingly they landed a Peel Session, and the tracks they recorded were pretty much in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (cf. Human League, Comsat Angels) - based on electronic new wave.

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. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982 entitled It. This largely consisted of jangly, happy-go-lucky, folkish, romantic pop tunes, and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions.

But fame was still not knocking, and Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction. He was all set to throw the towel in and go to university, when he decided to hold a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums). The three of them established a new, more experimental, artier, and noisier direction for Pulp, and were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry).

(1983-1991) Lack of success

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-group Wham!. Red Rhino's Tony Perrin, later a manager of The Mission, convinced Jarvis 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 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.

These releases were followed by an album, Freaks in 1987, recorded in one week due to pressure from the label. Its release ended up being delayed for a year, and the record was not well received. It is either loved or hated by fans, and might 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.

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 The NME's single of the week, and it was that which heralded Pulp's first steps towards fame.

(1992-1996) Popular success

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, and which, was musically similar to the band Suede.

This sudden increase in popularity was certainly helped by the massive media interest in a new wave of Britpop ushered in by the likes of Suede and Blur, supporting the latter in a tour of the U.S. in 1994.

1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their No.2 UK Hit single "Common People", their much loved 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.

But domestic attention was not equalled in the rest of the world, and 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) [1]. 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 February 29th, handing out free T-shirts with this logo printed on.The March 2 1996 edition of Melody Maker suggested Cocker should be knighted.

(1997-2002) The price of fame

It was during this period of intense fame that long time member and major innovator in the band's sound, Russell Senior, decided to call it a day 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 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.

(2003-present) On hiatus

Cocker was involved in a number of one-offs and side projects, including the group Relaxed Muscle with Richard Hawley and the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where he fronted a group which included Steve Mackey and members of Radiohead. His first solo album Jarvis, with the participation of Mackey, was released to critical acclaim in November 2006.

On the 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

• 
  1. It (1983) - Did Not Chart
• 
  2. Freaks (1987) - Did Not Chart
• 
  3. Separations (1992) - Did Not Chart
• 
  4. His 'n' Hers (1994) - #9 UK
• 5. Different Class (1995) - #1 UK
  5. Different Class (1995) - #1 UK
• 
  6. This Is Hardcore (1998) - #1 UK, #114 US
• 
  7. We Love Life (2001) - #6 UK

Compilations

• Intro - non-album singles compilation (1993)
• Masters of the Universe - non-album singles compilation (1994)
• Countdown 1992-1983 - compilation of tracks from Fire/Red Rhino era (1996) #10 UK
• Death Goes To The Disco (1998)
• Freshly Squeezed (Early Years) (1998)
• Pulped 1983-1992 - Four CD box-set, featuring the first three albums, plus Masters of the Universe (2000)
• Hits - greatest hits compilation (2002) #71 UK
• The Peel Sessions (2006) - Compilation of all the Peel sessions from Pulp

UK singles

• May 1983 "My Lighthouse" (remix)/"Looking For Life"
• September 1983 "Everybody's Problem"/"There Was"
• October 1985 "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)"/"Simultaneous"/"Blue Glow"/"The Will To Power"
• June 1986 "Dogs Are Everywhere"/"Mark Of The Devil"/"97 Lovers"/"Aborigine"/"Goodnight"
• January 1987 "They Suffocate At Night"/"Tunnel"
• May 1987 "Master of the Universe"/"Manon"/"Silence"
• March 1991 "My Legendary Girlfriend"/"Is This House?"/"This House Is Condemned"
• August 1991 "Countdown"/"Death Goes To The Disco"/"Countdown" (radio edit)
• June 1992 "O.U. (Gone, Gone)" (Radio Edit)/"O.U. (Gone, Gone)" (12" Mix)/"Space"
• August 1992 "My Legendary Girlfriend" (live)/"Sickly Grin"/"Back in L.A."
• October 1992 "Babies"/"Styloroc (Nights of Suburbia)"/"Sheffield - Sex City"
• February 1993 "Razzmatazz"/"Stacks"/ "Inside Susan" /"59 Lyndhurst Grove"
• November 1993 "Lipgloss"/"You're a Nightmare"/"Deep Fried in Kelvin" #50
• April 1994 "Do You Remember the First Time"/"Street Lites" #33
• June 1994 "The Sisters EP" (Babies/Your Sister's Clothes/Seconds/His 'n' Hers) #19
• ???? 1995 "Common People" (Motiv8 Mix/Vocoda Mix/Ansafone) White Label (Uncharted)
• June 1995 "Common People"/"Underwear" #2
• October 1995 "Mis-Shapes"/"Sorted for E's & Wizz" #2
• December 1995 "Disco 2000" #7
• April 1996 "Something Changed"/"Mile End" #10
• November 1997 "Help the Aged"/"Tomorrow Never Lies"/"Laughing Boy" #8
• March 1998 "This Is Hardcore" #12
• March 1998 "Like a Friend" (U.S. release only)
• June 1998 "A Little Soul" #22
• September 1998 "Party Hard" #29
• October 2001 "Sunrise"/"The Trees" #23
• April 2002 "Bad Cover Version" #27

Further reading

• Mark Sturdy, Truth & Beauty: The Story of Pulp (Omnibus Press, 2003) - comprehensive biography

External links

• Official website - not updated recently due to the band's inactive state
• Discography at acrylicafternoons.com
• Yahoo Group Devoted to Pulp
• Pulp wiki - a comprehensive user-generated resource for everything related to Pulp