ArrGee wrote:

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Stephen wrote:

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... the trouble with Pulp without Russell is that they came so very close to sounding like Just Another Band. By having the violinist who couldn't play guitar like other early/mid 90s lead guitarists made them something so much different. But with an ace guitarist, they became so much duller, I think. The fun had gone.

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 +1

Never seemed quite right not having Russell on stage when I saw them in 2001.   Keyboards and violins are so Pulp

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It's all about opinions i guess: TIH has no Russell on it and it's my fav Pulp record by far. To me Pulp is the songs, that no other band could write, and Jarvis' unique style. If you got those two ingredients, then you got Pulp. Jarvis solo had elements of that, but the songs are really different, maybe because the writer is Jarvis only and not the band.

I agree with you Stephen. Russell is intrinsic to the Pulp sound that I first fell in love with and still love the most now. The violin element was so unusual and individual and I've always thrived on unusual sounds.

Yeah the band is crucial to the songs. I dont think Jarvis could ever write a song like This is Hardcore alone.

But to me, the violin ear of Pulp is over, it's kinda like wanting to live the past to want it back. Those songs, those arrangements were amazing, but the almost compulsory violin would kinda hold them back in a way now i think. That's why i particularly love TIH, because it was a step in the right (unknown) direction. WLL had all the songs to be amazing too but they chose the wrong ones. I dont really miss the violin sound, but i'm glad it exists. Now if Pulp reunited, it would be good to try something new, not go back to 97 when Russell left. He's left a big hole in the band and they managed to fill it, using the guitars and they keyboards differently.

And I dont agree that I'm A Man and the songs you mentionned Stephen, sound like anyone else (or point those bands now ! :D). TIH is unique in sound, in style and in songwriting. As was Different Class, as was His n Hers. But i'm feeling i'm being the only TIH Pulp freak on here.

 

A good point was made about Jarvis reminding the crowd to shout Pulp not Jarvis at the gigs during the summer. I thought that was great when he did that on the televised Reading slot.

Pulp have had so many different incarnations and I know if I had to choose a period I would choose from Separations to Different Class. I too found Russell a crucial element even though one might argue he was not a technically good musician, he was a good musician nonetheless in a very special and uncommon way. I loved how there was a then current picture of Russell in the Hits CD in 2002 even though he had been gone 5 years at that stage. I know he had obviously been involved with many of the songs.

Ill add though that I think theyre all vital in their own way. I love This is Hardcore and We Love Life too though. I know if any of them were absent Id miss them. Really good to see them all again in 2011.

Miner's Strike is typically the kinda song bands gotta do for best of, and generally, it doesnt come out well. As for the political side of things, i agree, i think Jarvis should stay away from it as far as possible. I hate Running the world with passion, plus it's a shit tune. society commentary: good, politics commentary: bad.

But as for Jarvis not helping them at the time: who was he really to do anything ? i dont know the subject enough to comment on that though.

Argee: My wife was @ Koko and she loved it. ;)

But as for Jarvis not helping them at the time: who was he really to do anything ? i dont know the subject enough to comment on that though.

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Living in Sheffield at the time it was very frowned upon to not help the plight of the miners. I was only a kid but there were always collections and benefits, sympathy strikes. Some of the stuff in Last Day is very gauche but quite affecting too. You must remember that the local council and people of Sheffield were essentially cut off from the rest of the country. Completely isolated as the NUM had it's headquarters here, the town hall used to fly the Red Flag and the Internationale was sung at council meetings, places dont get more radical than the Socialist Republic of Southg Yorkshire during those years and Thatcher broke us.

Stephen wrote:

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I always found Russell's inclusion with 'Hits' a bit odd, especially given how it automatically seems to imply he was ok with 'Last Day of the Miner's Strike'. Not sure whether I'm alone or not in thinking this song even worse than 'Silence'. I just think it's the perfect example of non-pop straining-to-be-epic AOR trudging dad-rock that they seemed so keen on during their last years. It doesn't even have the saving grace of a good lyric. I really do cringe when Jarvis begins to think about politics. I wonder how Russell, a former flying picket, lest we not forget, felt about Jarvis going on about the miners when he'd done nothing to help them at the time?

I wonder whether an invite was given to Russell to help out on this 'last' Pulp track. Or whether he was played a demo and asked did he want to contribute...?

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As much as I love Russell, crikey Stephen you're in danger of sounding like his PR! Not all of his contribution to Pulp was great you know!

For all his uniqueness I imagine he could be a pain in the arse to be in the same band with at times, his wilfully awkward (at times) nature and I'm sure he rendered many rehearsals redundant over the years with his out of tunings on the violin.

And regardless of his non-involvement on LDOTMS (which imo, is pretty great when I'm in the right mood to listen to it) almost half of 'Hits' has his own personal stamp on it so had he not been included on the cover and gone along to the photo session for the CD sleeve it would have been far odder and a bit sad.

-- Edited by Eamonn on Friday 9th of December 2011 06:35:27 PM

Eamonn. Point taken. I just love the eccentrics who are in great pop bands. Similarly Viv Stanshall. And the awkward ones in pop bands. Like George Harrison. Russell covers both bases.

I bet Russell was an absolute pain in the arse to be in the band with up to about 1990, but I think when Steve arrived and Jarvis finished his course, the balance was very much shifted away from Russell as Jarvis' '2nd in command' and he was able to order people around less. After that I imagine Russell was just more grumpy and more awkward, but without the power he'd previously had.

How about that, an exclusive interview in February... hmmmmmmmm !

(why not now?)

 

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM !!

-- Edited by andy on Sunday 11th of December 2011 07:35:59 AM

does that mean that the reunion will have finished by February?

andy wrote:

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nah more probably an announcement in this interview: tour, new album, whatever. but it's weird to hold it till feb since it's already written and all.

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 Well, perhaps but it's hardly a high profile publication in which to make such an announcement is it? The guy who writes the fanzine, presumably, is simply waiting till his next issue comes out. Maybe he produces an old style 'staples 'n' paper' fanzine and his next issue simply ain't out till Feb next year! Listen to Jarvis Cockers Zine Scene if anyone doesn't know what a fanzine is.