nah, TIH is one of the best album ever. I agree with your theory about WLL, that it could have been so much better if it had been spontaneous, but you cant apply that to TIH. It's fine from start to end.
i agree with Sturdy. plus, the theory is enhanced by the fact that the only made six proper albums in twenty years. for whatever reason, albums seems to spook them. with the exception of Different Class, every album could have been better. that said, i'm really surprised at all the potential that was in the discarded material from the Depot Demos. i was expecting all kinds of Forever In My Dreams and Yesterday kind of stuff (which i didn't really care about.) i think they should have continued with the non-lp single option that they utilized in the 1980s.
Just a request here : does anyone have the bootleg called "flu" or something, i had it on cd years ago but i lost it. Anyone would be willing to upload it ? that'd be great
To react to After You : i was put off by the guitar sound at first, but after a few listens, it's definitely a hit. What the hell were they thinking....
It's highly possible that the making of LPs "spooked" Pulp. Live shows are all one-offs, but recorded versions of songs are taken to be the standard, and albums are supposed to be one's enduring statement. It's understandable that bands could get nervy when trying to produce something which, in essence, defines them. As great as the album format has been, there's a lot to be said for a return to individual cuts like in rock'n'roll and soul in the fifties the early sixties.
Or maybe the fact that Jarvis is a perfectionist, and if something he didnt like for whatever reason - it got shelved. I mean, look at the scenario at the time of the potential Death Comes To Town / Dont you want me anymore single.....these were BOTH gems when demoed, and because of whatever reason FON didnt put them out, DCTT got remixed and Jarv wanted it on the Countdown single.......and the finished product? Shit. Simple as......Jarvis if i can recollect was against the putting out of the DCTT single as time had moved on, and he felt it was not " apt " for the time of release.
So maybe Jarvis's ego was getting the better of him and he was Pulps drawback? I know it seems harsh as if it wasnt for Jarv - Pulp would not be.....but you get my drift.......
Oh and because it appears to be the " in " thing with Trixie being a true darling and uploading some gems.....heres one, and its been under your noses for a long long time
The remake version of Sunrise - this was originally broadcast on the late great John Peel show on Radio 1 - but I got hold of the acetate of the demo it was originally on - all the songs were exactly the same but the cd had the Sunrise remake and Tree's radio edit. At the time, this was meant as the single release of Sunrise, and the album version was meant to be a little more mellow. BUT it was shelved, and the album version was released. Well, thats the story.......
This thread had me very excited until I actually listened to the song. Fairly mundane track if you ask me, like a second go at Grandfather's Nursery before they finally scrapped it.
Fuss Free wrote:This thread had me very excited until I actually listened to the song. Fairly mundane track if you ask me, like a second go at Grandfather's Nursery before they finally scrapped it.
Do you mean My Mistake or After You? There are two songs buried in this thread!
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
Really? All I can hear different is the backing vocals, & less over-produced percussion. As far as guitar lines go I can't hear any different...I think it's a bit slower tho'?
& to defend my assasination of Walker's production: What about the out of tune bass shite that ruined I Love Life & Bob Lind? A decent producer wouldn't have even allowed that, yet I seem to remember Candida commenting it was him who both suggested & actually did it. Oh dear.
& don't get me started on the lack of keyboards on that record!! Again, more from Candida: "It annoys me almost to the point of anger". Yeah, me too! That's why I like these 'new' traacks, I guess.
Just a request here : does anyone have the bootleg called "flu" or something, i had it on cd years ago but i lost it. Anyone would be willing to upload it ? that'd be great
I reckon you probably mean 'Flux'. Sadly, I only have it on tape & I can't convert it to digital. (Even if I could find it!)
Don't worry, the sound quality's shite & the only tracks of interest are in the Bar Italia account anyway! (Quiet Revolution, Cuckoo & Blue Girls.)
Sturdy, to me it sounds like "The scriptures will tell of a party in Hackney", which would fit in well with the mythical-sounding "When the horses roam free".
I've listened to the song about 15 times already, having had a bit of a train journey yesterday!
Ha, I was just about to change it to "the scriptures foretell..." when I saw you'd beaten me to it!
By the way James (and everyone) - in case you don't know, anyone can register on PulpWiki, it takes about 10 seconds and then you can log in and change/add to any of the pages. It's ace. A must for every Pulp anorak.
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
Regarding PulpWiki, the purpose of making users register is just to stop spam, so I've tried to make it as hassle free as possible. You only need to enter a username and password and that's it.
Really? All I can hear different is the backing vocals, & less over-produced percussion. As far as guitar lines go I can't hear any different...I think it's a bit slower tho'?
& to defend my assasination of Walker's production: What about the out of tune bass shite that ruined I Love Life & Bob Lind? A decent producer wouldn't have even allowed that, yet I seem to remember Candida commenting it was him who both suggested & actually did it. Oh dear.
& don't get me started on the lack of keyboards on that record!! Again, more from Candida: "It annoys me almost to the point of anger". Yeah, me too! That's why I like these 'new' traacks, I guess.
I quite like the out of tune bass sound. I think the sound of WLL is great, because I like how each Pulp album has a different feeling. I don't miss the keyboards because there were plenty on almost every one of their other albums, but as a musician I can sympathize with Candida. That would annoy me too. I guess the elements that made up WLL didn't call for synth or wavy keys, but rather more EBow and Guitar.
Sturdy wrote:In fact, how's this for a theory: Pulp was a brilliant band that just could not make records. As a live band they could be tremendous, the songs were consistently great, the demos were always good, but whenever they found themselves in the studio doing it for real, they blew it. Overproduction, underproduction, bad choices of songs, crippling uncertainty over musical direction, you name it. Every album they made (with the possible exception of Different Class) falls considerably short of the potential that the material had.
Given that Pulp made four great albums from His 'n' Hers (possibly most Pulp fans' favourite) through to We Love Life, the theory is rubbish. If anything I would say Different Class falls short of its potential with some average tracks like Disco 2000, Misshapes and Something Changed. From My Legendary Girlfriend on they made some of the best records I've ever heard until they finished.
Ok, maybe they spent too long getting records out, perhaps there are superior live versions and demos of some of the songs, and another album or two would not have gone amiss, but to have consistently produced such good music for about 10 years takes some doing. I was never disappointed by any Pulp release, even though the songs were more familiar in their live versions at the time (unlike Jarvis - I just don't like it, and time just makes it less likeable).
ArrGee wrote:If anything I would say Different Class falls short of its potential with some average tracks like Disco 2000, Misshapes and Something Changed.
Different Class lacks so much of the sparkle and epic feel of His n Hers. It's got great songs but the production is so safe, almost stodgy sometimes- with the exception of FEELING CALLED LOVE, I suppose. It seemed like a bit of a step back to me, almost in to the realms of indie standard territory. But that's just my opinion. I just want to hear Rattlesnakes. I've been trying to for a long time: (
I just want to hear Rattlesnakes. I've been trying to for a long time: (
Someone should really tell him.
I agree the production on DC lacks the feel of HnH (or TIH), but they were trying to avoid making their pop anthems sound like stadium rock!
Production wise, HnH is always my best, although Hardcore slaps it about with a wet fish musically.
I'd've loved to hear what We Can Dance Again & The Boss would have sounded like produced by Ed Buller.
Then again it may have more to do with the attitude of the band - Buller-produced Babies I think would sound more at home on Thomas-produced DC. It's a wonderful song, but doesn't fit with the rest of the album. Maybe they shoulda left it on the Sisters EP & replaced it on HnH with "insert reissue track here".
I think I'd've gone with You're Not Blind out of the material available at the time, but if Pulp had a Tardis, it'd be We Can Dance Again!
As much as I love The Boss, I don't know where you'd put it on HnH! I agree that a few non-album singles wouldn't've gone amiss......& still wouldn't!