I know the Hawley-love runs deep on this board, but I just don't get it. Richard seems like a nice guy and all, but I'd take Russell Senior's anglo-guitar and crazy violin over Hawley's contrived "old school rock & roll" schtick any day. I just don't trust people with pompadours and leather pants.
i take senior. his first song with jarvis was Maureen and his last was Cocaine Socialism. after he left, pulp lost so many intangibles that they never seemed the same again.
Hawley was never really part of Pulp. Russell was the sound of Pulp and had far more stage presence. His violin was key to Pulp. Try to imagine Pink Glove or She's a Lady sans Russell. In fact imagine His 'n' Hers/Intro.
No contest.
Not sure why that is the question, as it was Mark who effectively replaced Russell. Again Russell takes that one, though I think Mark's guitar work on Hardcore and WLL was very good.
What ArrGee said. I'd love to know how Russell would have influenced Hardcore. Webbo's work on Party Hard, The Fear and The Day After The Revolution is stellar though.
On the contrary, I find Webber's guitar on Party Hard uninspired and leaden, even grating. It was a major reason for me not not liking that song for years. In general he sounds like a regular indie guitarist, and not the highly unique pop "musician" that Senor Senior is.
I suppose, if you want to be shallow, it all comes down to mods vs. rockers.
Russell's the Mod, Richard's the Rocker, and Jarvis is the Mod who desperately wants to be the Rocker.
As for Webber (the glam rocker), I'll say that I never really rated him as a guitarist. He's too into his crunchy distortion pedal for my tastes.
If I try to imagine all three guitarists on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I can see Richard huddled over his guitar, trying to learn the chords to some old song. I can see Webber laying on his bed listening to Bowie on a oversized pair of headphones, and Russell, he's off demonstrating about something or other and having absolutely nothing to do with music.
Fuss Free wrote: As for Webber (the glam rocker), I'll say that I never really rated him as a guitarist. He's too into his crunchy distortion pedal for my tastes.
If I try to imagine all three guitarists on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I can see Richard huddled over his guitar, trying to learn the chords to some old song. I can see Webber laying on his bed listening to Bowie on a oversized pair of headphones, and Russell, he's off demonstrating about something or other and having absolutely nothing to do with music.
Mark a glam rocker, interesting, maybe that's why I like it. I like the solo on Sunrise (I assume it was Mark), and generally thought he was technically a good guitarist.
Of the three, I prefer Russell for many reasons. His guitar sound was more Pulp to me than any of the others, DYRTFT? being the best example (I assume that was Russell).
The Idiot wrote: . In general he sounds like a regular indie guitarist, and not the highly unique pop "musician" that Senor Senior is.
I totally agree with this. Russell was unique. To me, his guitar/violin plus Candida's keyboards (though again Mark may have had a hand in all that) was the sound of Pulp. I was listening to Pink Glove from the Peel Sessions this morning, and it was like stepping back to 1993. Perfect.
I don't really buy Webber as the "glam rocker". There's so little verve or flair or attitude or flamboyance in his playing, regardless of how obsessed he was with Daddy, er... Bowie. You couldn't really call the solos on A Little Soul and Sunrise (which I love and loathe respectively) very "glam", could you?
And surely the glam rockers were directly descended from the mods anyway?
Other than that I'd agree with Fuss Free: Jarvis and Russell come from that arty mod/glam tradition and Hawley is a rocker. Jarvis has tried to cross from one "camp" to another and so his later recordings have lacked the sparkle that brought most of us here. Give me This Is The Night over Heavy Weather anytime.
I was listening to Pink Glove from the Peel Sessions this morning, and it was like stepping back to 1993. Perfect. On my iTunes at work the tracks are listed by album. This morning I listened to Intro and then the very next album that came on was Jarvis. Now I like the latter a great deal, and am getting to enjoy it more and more with time, but it just doesn't have anything like Razzmatazz, OU, Babies or 59 Lyndhurst Grove. Don't even get me started on Sheffield: Sex City...
It's the use of his distortion-pedal that actually endears me to some of Webber's work. Party Hard is all the better for that ballsy, rock sound - just as his more measured Fender-strains in Dirty World give that song extra oomph. Though Syliva is a bit too close to 'rawk' by numbers for me.
