This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend

Pulp - This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend

This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend
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Music CD Cover

Artist: Pulp
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1998-03-31
Music Label: Island
Soundtracks:
  1. Fear
  2. Dishes
  3. Party Hard
  4. Help the Aged
  5. This Is Hardcore
  6. TV Movie
  7. A Little Soul
  8. I'm a Man
  9. Seductive Barry
  10. Sylvia
  11. Glory Days
  12. The Day After the Revolution
  13. Like a Friend

Free Music Notes for This Is Hardcore + Like a Friend

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

Some bands are successful almost straight out of the box, others take a while to get there. Pulp is certainly a shining example of the latter. Jarvis Cocker & his crew go all the way back to the early 1980s, when synth-pop ruled the charts & Roxy Music (the band Pulp almost immediately is linked to) had just called it a day. Occasionally, that lack of success has led to some long sojourns from the business, most prominently the 5-year one in between 1987's FREAKS & 1992's SEPARATIONS. SEPARATIONS finally helped make Pulp stars, at least in their native England. 1994's HIS N' HERS & 1996's DIFFERENT CLASS continued the winning commercial & artistic streak, proving that success hadn't affected them too much. But with 1998's THIS IS HARDCORE, Jarvis Cocker discovered that his newfound fame had a darker, more decadent side to it & he drew attention to it with what might be the album that turned America on to them. The album as a whole is wonderful & should be listened to as one, but here's a rundown of the highlights:

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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