I'd recommend people buying Uncut this month - there's an excellent review of the 3 re-issues, 3 pages on Pulp altogether including the interview with Jarvis.
Regarding 'Hardcore' he's rightly proud of the likes of 'The Fear' and the title track, but I remember an interview a few years back when he said the song he was most embarassed of writing was 'I'm A Man'.
I've always loved 'TV Movie' but found 'A Little Soul' a little too maudlin.
One of the interesting insights from the review was that 'Catcliffe Shakedown' contains a lyric later recycled for 'Wickerman' - except that the subject in question has aged 3 years... ''Pudgy 12 year olds addicted to coffee whitener and frankfurters...''.
I forgot to get the Observer yesterday. Does anyone know if there was a review in their Music Monthly mag?
I remember hearing Cöcker saying that he was most disappointed with "I'm a Man" as it didn't sound as good on the album as it should have done. Take a listen to the Glastonbury 1998 version to get an idea of what he's meaning: it should have been a great big stomping effort, instead it was "ok".
I'm A Man was one of the first songs that struck me on This is Hardcore. I don't listen to it much now, but I still like it.
This is Hardcore has been called a lot of things, but to me, it's clearly an album about masculinity and the aimlessness of the modern man. And to me, I'm a Man is the album's mission statement.
I'm so glad Cocaine Socialism isn't on the record because I don't think it fits the theme, and while I like the song very much, I don't find it very relatable. It's a song about larger-than-life men: rock stars and politicians. This is Hardcore is an album and everyday dramas.
Don't mind this one. TV Movie suffers from the same fate as Pencil Skirt on DC. Played live it's great. But the production on TIH version is a bit too OTT. I might be being controversial but Dishes is pants.
I'm A Man has a great chorus, and I can appreciate what someone was saying about TIH being generally about modern men's lives, stupid magazines, laddishness et cetera, but I just can't bring myself to love the American tinge to the verse. Never would have happened with Russel Senior in the band.