Pulp - This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend

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Free Music Notes for This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend

Free Music Review: Pulp celebrates long-awaited success by going dark
Hit: 5 Stars

2. "Dishes"---This is basically a song of Jarvis claiming that even though he & his band may now be stars, he hasn't taken it too seriously. When he sings a line like "I'm not Jesus, but I have the same initials", you really get the feeling that Jarvis is saying "Yes, I'm famous, but I'm not a messiah".

3. "Party Hard"---Roxy Music's "Love Is The Drug" was probably the most popular song from them & Pulp creates their own party-call-to-arms with this stomping ditty. On an album where the tone is often quite somber, a few hints of levity (albeit small ones) can still be found.

7. "A Little Soul"---Exactly what this song is about, I have no idea. Still, it's well-written & let's just say Jarvis has no problem showing a little soul when he's singing this. You can tell he feels everything he writes.

9. "Seductive Barry"---HARDCORE's magnum opus, this 8 1/2-minute epic is a lot like Roxy's early classic "The Bogus Man" with its panoramic scope & Jarvis' appropriately seductive vocal, which is alternately a turn-on & a bit of a fright. You may want to look at the lyric booklet as you listen to this song.

10. "Sylvia"---Power ballads were also THE thing in the 1980s, this song sounds like something Pulp would have recorded had they followed the trend back then (which, of course, they didn't do). Love the false ending on this one!

11. "Glory Days"---Not a Bruce Springsteen cover, but this song is just as heavy & upbeat as the Boss's classic. It has Jarvis proclaiming that it's the time for the youth of today to shine, even if he himself has aged a little bit.

12. "The Day After The Revolution"---Another piece of anthemic rock from an album with quite a few of that type of song, but again, the theme may not exactly be worth getting out your cigarette lighter for.

13. "Like A Friend"---May have been included on the album as an afterthought, but it could very well be the best song on the album, for it has Jarvis claiming his love for someone who occupies every minute of his thoughts. Sounds like a song Bryan Ferry hasn't made in a while.

THIS IS HARDCORE was a semi-hit in England (like always), but in America, even if it did find a sizable audience, it wasn't exactly on the level of, say, Oasis, who relished in the kind of excess that Pulp was cautioning against with this album. But the success allowed the band to take its time with a follow-up. WE LOVE LIFE is currently only available in Europe with no plans yet for an American release. The album was produced by cult icon Scott Walker after a full album with Chris Thomas was recorded, then scrapped. So until WE LOVE LIFE finds its way to American shores, THIS IS HARDCORE will be good to listen to a band who recognizes the fact that they're famous, but it has little effect on their personal lives.

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