In no particular order, these seem like strong candidates for the album
1 Quiet Revolution 2 Forever In My Dreams 3 Yesterday 4 Birds In Your Garden 5 Wickerman 6 Sunrise 7 Cuckoo 8 Grandfather's Nursery 9 After You 10 Bob Lind
My Mistake has to be in there somewhere hasn't it?
I always think it would have been cool if they did a stand-alone EP or mini-album at this juncture. It would have suited the low-key nature of the songs, and maybe even got around the fact that the band seemed to turn to jelly every time anyone so much as mentioned the word "album" around them after about 1996!
Tantalising thought: I'm sure I remember seeing a quote from Jarvis interview on NME.com circa 2002, stating that Pulp would be able to get to work on their next album really quickly because they had a huge stockpile of songs from the period leading up to WLL. Of course, a month or two later they parted company with Island and plans change. Shame.
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
I seem to recall a news item on the old PulpPeople around Feb 2002, saying that Pulp were writing new material. Presumably that was soon scrapped when Island/Universal reluctantly put out the Bad Cover Version single and then renegotiated the terms of re-signing the band. But Jarvis has said that they have a lot of songs from 99-00, of which we know a fair few titles. And didn't Mark tell you last year about them proffering the idea of a We Love Life deluxe? They're a pretty humble lot at the best of times but when arguably the two least excitable members, Jarvis and Mark, express interest at the unreleased material from that period it really becomes even more intriguing.
Well on that stockpile thing, i really wouldn't mind if they went back to older songs for a new record. I mean, every single artist keep songs until the moment is right and frankly, if they resurected Quiet revolution and Cuckoo or After You along new songs, I REALLY wouldn't mind.
Sturdy, i forgot about My Mistake, i'll add it, it's good that.
My Mistake and Cuckoo Song both totally deserve studio quality output. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if either of those ended up on a potential album. I like After You but I feel like it fits more with their TIH-era sound.
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The trees, those useless trees, produce the air that I am breathing
I also forgot My Mistake and I'm very surprised that there isn't much love for Grandfather's Nursery. I felt I had to discount Got To Have Love as the demo really doesn't give us any idea what the actual finished song would have been like. In a dream world I'd probably like to include My Body May Die as well, just brilliant.
I love Grandfather's Nursery but it sounds a bit much like Sunrise, that's why i wouldn't include it, or it would have to be reworked. Got To Have Love is already good as it is, so i would think the finished product would be gigantic.
I've taken to thinking about Grandfather's/Sunrise as two sides of the same musical coin and rather than one being deivative of the other they represent an interesting ongoing musical motif and, maybe even, should be bookends to the album. One song features rain as it's central motif while the other features sunshine. In the Sunrise demo Jarvis even sings about how it the Sunshine might even make your garden grow which echoes the desire for growth in Grandfather's. Both songs were written at, roughly, the same time so it doesn't seem possible to me that one song grew out of the other.
Well on that stockpile thing, i really wouldn't mind if they went back to older songs for a new record. I mean, every single artist keep songs until the moment is right and frankly, if they resurected Quiet revolution and Cuckoo or After You along new songs, I REALLY wouldn't mind.
Would they make a new record of old songs? I think it would be good to have the demos etc., but they should be released as that rather than as a new album. The Peel Sessions CD works for me because it isn't an album, just a load of songs that can be dipped into.
If Pulp do release a new album, I think it needs to be written as of now. Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah when he was 50, so little reason why Jarvis couldn't come up with something very special in the next year or two.
But what are the later songs that wouldn't qualify for this album? The Trees, Roadkill?
Well, it's very subjective isn't it. I was thinking along the lines of Weeds, Weeds II, I Love Life, Bad Cover Version, Roadkill and maybe even Minnie Timperley (though that was played live in 2000) as being too late. I'm inclined to include The Trees actually as the instrumental version, Otley, was around at the Touch of Glass show.
'Got to Have Love' would be a great, great opening to a Pulp album. Assuming Pulp don't record again, it'd be great to see Jarvis move further in this direction. I'm sure Candida would chip in again, like she did on Jarvis Jarvis.
Can't see any ending other than 'Sunrise'. I struggle to put the others in order though. 'My Mistake' is adorable.
Not sure that I've heard 'After You'. Would someone hum it for me? I definitely haven't heard the demo version of 'Bob Lind' though.
