Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Bar Italia Forum -> Bar Italia Forum -> Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Post Info TOPIC: Freaks: Yay or Nay?
greezer47


Common Person

Status: Offline
Posts: 8
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Why does everyone ignore this great post-punk album (and in general this great post-punk era for pulp). Its a 'Yay' for me



Attachments
__________________

DELIVER ME 2 HIS N HERS
lipglossed


Rattlesnake

Status: Offline
Posts: 761
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Freaks is a favourite mainly of the Russell superfans, from what I can see. It's clearly an album from a time when Pulp were pretty miserable (Jarvis especially), but it does have a bit of anarchic charm - Fairground is a lot of fun! They Suffocate At Night has a certain cinematic sensibility, and I Want You is just straight-up a very good song.

I'll be honest though, it's not a favourite of mine. For me, the Pulp from side 2 of Separations onwards are leaps and bounds ahead of their first few releases. 90s Pulp are very very special. But Freaks has inklings of what the group will become, which are pretty precious IMO.

__________________

It's OK. It's just your mind.
ArrGee


Quantum Theorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 1330
Date:
RE: Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

greezer47 wrote:

Why does everyone ignore this great post-punk album (and in general this great post-punk era for pulp). Its a 'Yay' for me

 Has its moments, better than It, but not a patch on Separations.  So a nay on the whole for me.



__________________
superchob


Street Operator

Status: Offline
Posts: 684
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Oh, a yay for me for sure. I Want You through to Theres No Emotion are all triple-A in my book. Suffocate too. The only thing that grates on me is the riff to The Never Ending Story, but I think it probably links thematically to Fairground (which still sounds fresh in its unabashed weirdness). I mean, there are no clowns in the lyrics but it sounds like thered be a whole heap of them with sharp teeth dancing along to it. Anorexic Beauty is just about ironic enough to escape the kind of charges levelled at Little Britain. That leaves Dont You Know, which is nearly as pretty as the earlier songs but sounds like its trying too hard to have a poppy hook. Taste of saccharine right there.

Took me longer to sink its claws into me than the other albums, but as always the investment has meant it has a hold on me. Darkness filtered through kitsch. I hadnt really thought of it as a concept album until just now. Maybe thats obvious in retrospect

 



-- Edited by superchob on Sunday 28th of May 2023 09:17:08 PM

__________________

Everything just... seemed to fit
hugomrtnzz


Deep Fried

Status: Offline
Posts: 89
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

An absolute Yay for me, songs like they suffocate at night, dont you know, i want you and there's no emotion makes my day. Also i love that jarvis voice, it reminds me a lot to Ian Curtis from Joy Division. In my opinion is an excellent production even if it cost £600.

Is not my favourite cos my favourite is "It" and nothing would surpass it, but i love that strange and that bizarre aura, like Dogs are Everywhere EP.

__________________

daily pulp on X (formerly twitter), 4K Pulp - Lives & Rare, also Pulp Spain CEO on Instagram...

 
 
ChasingNewspapers


Deep Fried

Status: Offline
Posts: 94
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Has to be a yay, even though I rarely listen to it in its entirety these days (and some of the tracks are a bit dirgey - I loved Fairground as a Pulp-obsessed teen for example, but I'd skip it now). Worth it for I Want You and They Suffocate At Night at the very least. I guess I'm a Russell fan in that my favourite stuff harks from when he was with them - and his slice-of-lemon analogy was perfect - but they also produced some fantastic stuff without him too. I'm def partial to a few from the Magnus/Mansell era though - Mark of the Devil and Aborigine (!) spring to mind.

__________________
Zurdta


Deep Fried

Status: Offline
Posts: 77
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Definitely a YAY.

I bought it back in 1995 and other than Fairground and Anorexic Beauty (Russell - yay) I rarely played it and then put it in a box and forgot about it.

But last year I dug it out, interest rekindled, and it sounded really good to me, and I have played it to death. I think all the things wrong with it - and there are many things wrong with it - are the things I really like right now. It's a weird album for sure.



-- Edited by Zurdta on Sunday 28th of May 2023 11:42:17 PM

__________________

freakingoutthesquares.tumblr.com
flowerboy


Mis-Shape

Status: Offline
Posts: 24
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

mega yay. It was the first Pulp album I bought on vinyl!

__________________
Pip


Cocaine Socialist

Status: Offline
Posts: 564
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

I honestly don't return to Freaks that often, but that's not to say I don't enjoy it when I do. I came to it a while after the Countdown 92-83 compilation, so my favourite tracks tend to be those that featured on both, particularly I Want You which I'd love to hear turn up on this tour (as it did in 2002).

__________________
Sturdy


The Only Way is Down

Status: Offline
Posts: 1748
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

I really like that era of Pulp, but find the actual recorded output frustratingly spotty. You've kind of got to listen to all the records, and the demos, and the live stuff to get the greater truth.

Freaks could've been great, but for me it doesn't quite come off the way it should. A lot's been made of the fact it was made in a week for £600, but I reckon that would probably have been fine if they were going for a really scratchy lo-fi vibe, just grinding it out. After all, Sudan Gerri is great and they probably did that in an afternoon. But it feels like they were trying to go for something a little bit more ambitious and refined, which was just beyond them in those circumstances.

Like We Love Life, I also think they maybe waited a bit too long to record it. Some of the songs were 2 and a half years old at that point and just don't quite have the spirit of earlier versions.

What's possibly interesting is that those AI tools that break down recordings into their component parts are getting more and more sophisticated all the time. There's some really impressive remix projects out there Maybe at some point, someone will get to work on Freaks and produce a deluxe remix that finally does it justice. You never know...

__________________
"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
Zurdta


Deep Fried

Status: Offline
Posts: 77
Date:
RE: Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Sturdy wrote:

I really like that era of Pulp, but find the actual recorded output frustratingly spotty. You've kind of got to listen to all the records, and the demos, and the live stuff to get the greater truth.

Freaks could've been great, but for me it doesn't quite come off the way it should. A lot's been made of the fact it was made in a week for £600, but I reckon that would probably have been fine if they were going for a really scratchy lo-fi vibe, just grinding it out. After all, Sudan Gerri is great and they probably did that in an afternoon. But it feels like they were trying to go for something a little bit more ambitious and refined, which was just beyond them in those circumstances.

Like We Love Life, I also think they maybe waited a bit too long to record it. Some of the songs were 2 and a half years old at that point and just don't quite have the spirit of earlier versions.

What's possibly interesting is that those AI tools that break down recordings into their component parts are getting more and more sophisticated all the time. There's some really impressive remix projects out there Maybe at some point, someone will get to work on Freaks and produce a deluxe remix that finally does it justice. You never know...

Agreed - my appreciation increased as I listened to all the records, demos and live stuff from that era. It is a pity there isn't a recording of what they wanted to put out - or a good recording of their live set (on a good day) but that's how it was. The whole era is a warts and all listen and that is not a bad thing. 



__________________

freakingoutthesquares.tumblr.com
Ian


Quantum Theorist

Status: Online
Posts: 1311
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

I agree with most of the comments above, it makes a lot more sense if you listen to everything from that era.

Another interesting point to note is that the band had clearly moved on even before the album was released. The Leadmill show from November 1986 was described as "The Final Freaks Gig" and by March 1987, they were performing some songs that would later appear on "Separations".

__________________

What is this feeling called live?
www.feelingcalledlive.co.uk
Eamonn


The Only Way is Down

Status: Offline
Posts: 4714
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

I struggle with that '84-'86 era more than any other. Just not enough pop shimmer comes through for me but there are some dusty gems and odd moments of enjoyment

__________________

Tell mester to f*ck off!
superchob


Street Operator

Status: Offline
Posts: 684
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Being Followed Home is one of those tracks I just had playing on a loop when I first came across it (probably whilst waiting for WLL to come out). Such a blueprint for the idling, cinematic songs that would follow. Which makes Freaks interesting because the kernel was there, and there are other avenues that were tried out but not developed.

__________________

Everything just... seemed to fit
Sleeve


Loss Adjuster

Status: Offline
Posts: 364
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Abso-lutely. Being Followed Home is a real stand out- great story, imagery and disorienting disco nightmareishness- really set a precedent for future tracks - I see a kinship with I Spy in it. They Suffocate at night sounds -maybe accidentally- very well produced and lush compared to some of the others- very exotic with the pizzicato. I always had the impression Jarv's voice suffered more as he got older (and continued to smoke)- he sounds much deeper and powerful on quite a few Freaks and Separations songs (to me anyway).

__________________
andy


Master Of The Universe

Status: Offline
Posts: 1261
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Yay of course

Very neurotic record, scary... and amazing.

Like a horror movie put on tape.

__________________
Beta


Sorted

Status: Offline
Posts: 43
Date:
RE: Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

A classic! Very unique album. 

 

Intelligent, dark, clever, satirical. David Lynchian feel.   Different from anything else released at that time. 



__________________
weed


Quantum Theorist

Status: Offline
Posts: 1355
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

There are some great songs on there but the production lets it down. I know it was recorded on the cheap but it shouldn't really distort like it does in places.

__________________

"oh well, that and the tea "
James


Street Operator

Status: Offline
Posts: 668
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Freaks is my 3rd favourite Pulp record, behind H'n'H & Hardcore

__________________

Oh god, you'd better leave town.

Before you get caught in the Covid lock down.

 
Jean


Different Class

Status: Offline
Posts: 287
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Yeah, I like this one. I definitely prefer 90s Pulp but I like to occasionally have a listen to the 80s stuff as well. I love Life Must Be So Wonderful. Other highlights for me would be Don't You Know and Being Followed Home. There's another song that I forget what it was on... was it on an EP... it's called Goodnight. That is one of my favourites. Just love it. There was definitely some magic there in the 80s as well.
Side note, it took me years to find Freaks. I think I eventually stumbled upon it years after giving up in a HMV in 2002. I was so happy to finally complete the collection!

__________________
James


Street Operator

Status: Offline
Posts: 668
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

Cool that you like Being Followed Home. My old band played it at a Pulp tribute gig many years ago, along with Live On. We absolutely slayed the place!!

__________________

Oh god, you'd better leave town.

Before you get caught in the Covid lock down.

 
lipglossed


Rattlesnake

Status: Offline
Posts: 761
Date:
Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Permalink  
 

'I Want You' is fantastic, of course. Definitely the standout track of the album. (If you ask me, at least.)

__________________

It's OK. It's just your mind.
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
Bar Italia Forum -> Bar Italia Forum -> Freaks: Yay or Nay?
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard