Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I generally like my musical juice pulp free. This album is quite misleading based on the cover art alone. In the end, just an average set of ok songs. I guess I’ll settle for medium pulp. 2.5/5
It’s like wannabe David Bowie meets the Dracula play from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Also, quite the bait and switch with the album title and cover. Not really what I was expecting. Buckcherry has a similar-ish cover (albeit an illustration) and then kicks off with a song about cocaine. That how you rock and roll.
Thought I would dislike this more based on some of the reviews. Though I didn't like it as much as Different Class, I think it is still deserving of a 3 rating. Nothing caught my attention like Common People, but still a decent listen, albeit a bit too long. 2.75/5
One of those bands: I get they are great, just doesn’t work for me
Reminds me of the music my friends played when we were younger. Good times.
This was one of my favourites and is the sound of a band maturing in a way that a lot of their peers did not. Having ridden a britpop wave with the delicious 'Different Class' this is darker, sexier and more interesting sound with a soundtrack feel and sweeping orchestration. No longer is Jarvis peaking through a wardrobe door, he is writing the apology i've always wanted from my father. Its probably about 3 tracks too long to make it a 5 star, but its a really good album
Really liked the first 2 songs. Can’t really remember the rest much tho. It’s also way too long.
2/5 The music itself sounds pretty interesting, but it has literally nothing to do with being hardcore. The singer is misplaced, the guy has neither power nor range in his voice, and everything about it sounds and feels like he's bored. Some of the lyrics resemble that, there's A LOT of missed potential in here. This album is a good example of why poetry and music can't always work together. If someone competent would lend Pulp their voice, this could've hit 3 stars. Still miles better than this walking trash can called Elvis Costello.
Eh kinda bowie wanna be at the best points
jarvis you crazy bastard…who else could make a record like this and get away with it? it’s somehow both sleazy and sincere, sexy and silly…and yet it doesn't get me in the gut the way "different class" does. there is admittedly a glaze of irony over the whole album that serves to undermine the emotional resonance of the more straightforward songs. but it really is proof that pulp was operating on a totally different level than everybody else during this time. including suede!! fav tracks: this is hardcore; party hard; the fear; dishes; sylvia; like a friend; the day after the revolution; a little soul
i love the sound of this album and how his voice enhances how dark and atmospheric it feels. i can't say there are so many songs on it that i can see myself returning to outside the context of the full album, but i really enjoyed myself while listening.
Je me suis fait chier, wow
Ok
A different direction to ‘Different Class’ but a great album nonetheless! If ‘Like A Friend’ made the original track list, this would be a 6!
This was enough of a raw Bowie-ish recording that it won me over. I had heard of Jarvis Cocker, but honestly thought he was Joe Cocker's son. Never heard of Pulp, except maybe on Steven Wilson & Tim Bowness' podcast 'The Album Years'. First half is definitely stronger, first 5 tracks are a great sequence and 'Party Hard' is a standout for me.
An interesting follow up to Different Class. It's a lot more neurotic and dark, verging on paranoid at times. Whilst it doesn't have the pop anthems of its predecessor, it's full of great songwriting and layered tracks.
I liked this a lot better than Different Class. The lyricist(s) toned down the sexuality and innuendos and had some clever and thoughtful moments “Oh and I could be a genius If I just put my mind to it And I could do anything If only I could get round to it”. Good stuff there. It has elements of the asshole in a suit genre that I like; nick cave, father john Misty, Leonard cohen, the National.
This is my 2nd Pulp album. The other one was this album's predecessor, Different Class. I liked that one a tad more, but this is still quite listenable. I won't return for a re-listen.
I love the attitude Pulp bring to their work. Jarvis Cocker has a very personable style to his singing that I can’t help but admire. While I’m not so hooked on the balance of these songs, there’s enough here to really pique my curiosity. The deluxe version of this album also has some great tunes to spare. I hope we see more Pulp on this list! An optimistic 4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chill rock. Not bad, same band who did Common People. 3.5 stars
Well, this is pretty dark.
++: Party Hard, I'm a Man, Sylvia, Glory Days +: Help the Aged, This is Hardcore, TV Movie, A Little Soul, Seductive Barry, The Day After the Revolution +-: Dishes -: The Fear 5,5/10
Good enough, even if it was the best of album that I heard
First listen of this and it's pretty great. Very melodramatic and lyrical. Could be a five with repeat listens, just some of the later tracks passed me by somewhat.
Flawless album from Sheffields top shagger/wordsmith/gyrater Fantastic selection of tracks with a wonderful sound to them, slow burn epic torch song vibes.
Really enjoyed it. Much more swagger and a bit more polished than Different Class. Class album
I was quite surprised to see this album of Pulp, instead of their breakthrough and fourth album " Different Class" but after a thorough listen, I can hear why. This album is simply better, more mature with a dark twist of desperation and fear, perfectly encapsuled in songs like "The Fear," "Seductive Barry," and "Help the Aged". Even in the more uplifting (Bowie-esque) song "Party Hard" is a shimmering of fear present. Although the last songs on the album are more hopeful and try to find redemption like "Glory Days," "The Day After the Revolution", this is definitely a band that has been growing up after their immense success of their breakthrough album. 4/5
I dislike most things about this album. I don't like the style, I don't like how long it is, and it's not at all hardcore. It almost seems like they're going for a kind of Bowie-ish sound, but they miss the mark by so far. I will actively avoid listening to this record in the future.
This is not hardcore. This is hard-snore. 2/5
Meh
Interesting but unexciting. 3 *
This isn't awful but I just can't find anything to like/enjoy about it. Was ready for the album to end the entire time. Also, not hardcore at all.
I can't rate it a 5 because it feels to sacred. I think I rated a Santana album 5 stars awhile back and I regret it. It's good, BUT FIVE? A PERFECT FIVE? Let's calm down.
I've heard of this band. Not sure if I have listened to much of their stuff. It's alright, not for me. Very artsy.
I am mot Jesus tho I have the same initials…
Help the Aged
The more I listen to this the more I like it. It's a very cohesive piece of work; you can't just jump in and grab a song here and there and appreciate it as much as in the context of the whole album. With enough time, this might get to a 4 for me. But interestingly, there's no stand outs; just one long collective work that's really pretty good. High 3+. Maybe should be a 4.
A really very good album, I loved the mixture of indie, theatrics and a lead singer who sounds similar to Bowie. The one major downside of this album and maybe because it’s Spotify is that stupid final song which is 14minutes but more than half is an outro, aside from that a great listening experience
Never heard of them.
the fear- 5 or 6 dishes- 5 party hard- 5 help the aged- 4 this is hardcore- 4 tv movie- 5 or 6 a little soul- 5 im a man- 5 seductive barry- 4 sylvia- 4 or 5 no more- it reminds me of phineas and ferb music idk why
Another average one
Quite fun! Would be open to relistening, but nothing that really stood out at first listen. Probably 3.5/5, but I'll round up if pushed
Brit pop is getting a bit overdone, Mr1001. Maybe something from south of the equator, if your reach extends that far. This is, at least for me, about searching for new music, not about confirming what I like. Sure, I like Brit pop- next!!
It was so good that I almost rated it 5 stars, but after some thought, I felt that 4.5 was a more accurate score
This was an album that passed me by back in the 90's. I'd heard the tracks that were released as singles, but never the whole album. In general it was pretty good, but it's another one that never fully grabbed my attention. If an album is on this list then I think it should be at least one of either (1) fucking amazing, (2) fucking awful, or (3) groundbreaking. This feels like none of those. Perhaps I've become a bit stale, now that I'm half-way through the 1001 albums, as I seem to be awarding 3 stars quite often now.
Good album but not Pulps best.
i've been meaning to listen to a pulp album in full for a while so was good to do that. it took me a few songs to get used to their sound but enjoyed most of the tracks when it began to click. key standouts for me were 'help the aged', 'a little soul' and 'sylvia'. it's very britpop, with some tracks having a sprinkle of radiohead and U2. i warmed to jarvis' unique vocal technique and really enjoyed it by the end of the album. looking forward to hearing more from pulp.
Interesting
This gave me like off-brand Bowie/Radiohead vibes. It was interesting. "Seductive Barry" was TERRIBLE, but "Sylvia" and "I'm A Man" were amazing. So definitely a lot of high highs and low lows. Actual rating...2.5. Liked Songs: "The Fear" , "Party Hard" , "TV Movie" , "A Little Soul" , "I'm A Man" , "Sylvia" , "Glory Days"
Pretty good 3.5
A second Britpop album, and once again the music is so tedious and dragged out. Why are there so many songs? It's such a slog to get through...
Today I learned that Myron Wagtail of the Weird Sisters fronted a Britpop band that did not break in America called Pulp. Pulp released an album called This Is Hardcore where Myron used a voice spell to sound like David Bowie. It's okay.
This was fine. Solid 3-star album.
It may be hardcore … but it’s not a different class
I kinda dig it.
Really enjoyable. Great afternoon listen. Will listen to more Pulp!
Better than the other pulp album but not by much
I like this better than Blur? #lamereviews
A very dark yang to the A Different Class's archly humorous ying. Doesn't come out that well in the wash.
7/10
Buen grupo de brit pop y buen disco.
Beforehand, I haven't dug into this one much, I've only known the title song, which I thought was just okay and Help The Aged, thanks to the Ali G clip (I still can't stop adding in the Ali G verses in my mind whenever I listen to that one, "Help the motherfuckin' aged, don't put them in a mofo home..."). All the songs felt very epic. I noticed a lot of them use a structure similar to the band's most famous song, Common People, which starts off calm, but gets more hard rocking later on. And it works! Although, my favourite song on this album is one that doesn't seem to use this structure, Party Hard. The strange electronic vocals in the chorus sound very Daft Punk-esque. And the guitar just sounds great. I also love the title song, The Fear, which really does have that fearful atmosphere. Overall, an awesome album, possibly even better than Different Class.
Play better than the first I think I enjoyed it enough that I would go back and listen to common people again and maybe re-write nice work hope 7.9
Not bad, fun! Drags on a bit
It’s been a day slightly dusty from some ill-advised Father’s Day-related revelry yesterday; in touching distance of memories of having tried, and failed, to eat a hangover into submission (I didn’t bother today, that’s personal growth for you). Pulp’s “This is Hardcore” therefore arrives at a moment when feeling restless within the project of trying to get something done is a very real existential fact. This record sounds absolutely huge at times, even comically so. Big, bombastic swings of sound – crescendo layered atop crescendo – rubbing, suggestively, up against jagged guitar licks – all of it accompanied by Jarvis Cocker’s slightly-miffed-host schtick. Yet for all the talk of parties being over and the like, this album is so clearly and self-consciously representative of the end of something that I find it a challenge to remain engaged. It’s the sound of britpop gently running out of steam; a charmless droning on, the sun coming up and illuminating a kitchen full of one-sided conversations. By “The Day After the Revolution” – a song that genuinely offends me in its inanity – it’s everyone in taxis to sleep it off. My patience today may be thin, but regardless I think I’d find the “if you remember the 90s you weren’t there” energy of this record to be a truly tiring thing to repeatedly have to encounter. I do remember the 90s, I just don’t remember this album being there. And on both scores, I don’t feel like I missed anything all that important.
manwhore of the universe
This was the first Pulp album I got, mostly because I was curious about the band William Shatner covered (“Common People.”) I loved this weird album then, and remember preferring it to Different Class, which I finally got some years later. It’s a better Bowie-influenced album than any Arcade Fire album (including that one Arcade Fire album with Bowie on it). I’m looking forward to revisiting this again, especially as coming back to it like 15 years after I first heard it feels new and fresh.
2.5 Sorry, but all of the 80s and 90s British bands that made it Pulp is one of those I don't get. And lord I've tried. Never been able to dig Jarvis Cockers style, but even besides that the music for the most part is just so... Lifeless? The odd song is a banger, but I mean odd. As in 1 every couple of albums. One day someone will explain it to me.
Great! Never heard of Pulp before. Looking forward to putting this album on rotation.
Never heard pulp before. The instrumentals are mostly slower and moody (not very hardcore), and the lyrics sound like it's about the most annoying horny guy you knew in college having a self-destructive quarter-life crisis. Definitely made me slightly uncomfortable at times. 9/10 really enjoyed it. Gonna go listen to more of their stuff. Favs: The Fear (the 5 seconds of theremin?!!?!? and then the hammered dulcimer for the second half?? excellent I love it); This is Hardcore; Like A Friend; The Day After The Revolution; Sylvia;
„This Is Hardcore“ erschien 1998 und wurde in den Londoner Metropolis Studios sowie in Sheffield aufgenommen. Pulp, eine britische Band um Jarvis Cocker, bewegten sich damit deutlich weg vom optimistischen Britpop-Sound der Vorgänger. Stattdessen dominierten dunklere Themen, getragen von schweren Arrangements und einer teils bedrohlichen Stimmung. Bekannt sind vor allem die Titelstücke „This Is Hardcore“ mit seinem epischen, fast filmischen Charakter und „Help the Aged“, das bereits vorab als Single veröffentlicht wurde. Auch Songs wie „Party Hard“ oder „A Little Soul“ zeigen die Band in einer reflektierten, oft zynischen Haltung, die den Ton des Albums prägt. Musikalisch reichen die Stücke von orchestralen Popballaden bis hin zu düsteren Rock- und Elektronikelementen. Das Album markiert einen Bruch in der Karriere von Pulp: weniger euphorisch, dafür experimenteller und introspektiver. Gerade dadurch hat es sich als wichtiger Beitrag zur britischen Popgeschichte etabliert, auch wenn es kommerziell nicht an den Erfolg von „Different Class“ heranreichte.
Shit do I like britpop now
Really like Pulp. Best of the britpop bands i think
I actually liked this for the most part, although sometimes the singer’s voice irritated me. There are a couple songs I’ll keep for my 1001 Highlights playlist.
Not my thing, but I can appreciate it.
This is pretty fun. I think it's really grown on me.
I'm afraid that's not hardcore. it's mostly boring. My hopes were higher. And this 15 minutes outro oh boy... was the album too short?
Nicht mein Fall
One of my favourites. Works together seamlessly, part seedy part uplifting.
Very cure coded, not sure how it took me so long to listen to this band
Heavy 80’s instrumentation. Took me a minute, but this really vibed well with my train ride north
This album was pretty mid. There were a few chiller songs at the start that were decent, but the others just were not that good, and there was so much random noise throughout the songs that just did not work. It felt like listening to a really mid David Bowie album.
This wasn’t my jam but worth a listen. It’s Nick Cave with a dash of Pixies and maybe some Wilco or Arcade Fire. With a splash of Massive Attack.
423/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
I tried to be onboard but this melancholy throughout the album just never blossomed into anything exciting.
Is this hardcore?
Honestly there was nothing to this album for me.
Sounds like Nixon. 2.5
First two songs are great. Then it's a slow, long decline into too many notes filling up every bar of music.
Brilliant!
Some standard, kinda boring britpop. Not very hardcore at all.
Disco para resacas la verdad.
Vad i helvete detta är ju inte ens punk för fan! Falsk marknadsföring, anmäler till konsumentverket
Big rock opera broadway show that does say much vibes IMO. Singer’s talking whisper singing does nothing for me. There were no standout songs on this album for me. While I liked some of the music itself, once the singing started it went downhill. It was a slog to get thru this album from start to finish. I think I’m probably not a Britpop person.
Not bad. Quite unique, but not exactly my cup of tea. I understand why people like it.
1. The Fear - 8 A track that's like a modernized Tears for Fears. Lyrically it's a good track with a great guitar sound. Very enjoyable opening experience. 2. Dishes - 3 Lyrically it's not a strong song. Everything else about it is alright but given it's a softer, slower song the vocals dominate most of the sound and they are very uninspiring. 3. Party Hard - 4 Instruments often drown out the vocals that are too low in octave to really enjoy fully. Guitar sound in the verses does sound quite good but it should not come at the cost of the vocals in the first verse. Lyrically this track isn't anything fantastic. 4. Help The Aged - 8 Classic Pulp sound on this track. Really enjoyable sound with a building of the guitars and lyrics that traverse a large landscape of vocal sound to culminate in an excellent track. Best track of the opening four. 5. This Is Hardcore - 9 Another solid building track with an awesome guitar sound. Really really solid title track and lyrically one of the best on the album. 6. TV Movie - 6 Decent song that slowly builds into a crescendo of a chorus until fading out. Overall a solid slower song. 7. A Little Soul - 6 Decent track with a great underpinned chord to lead the verses. Choruses are alright but the middle part of the track is a bit lost in pace vocally. 8. I'm A Man - 9 Quintessential Pulp track. Great guitar sound backed by an excellent drum. Vocals build into the choruses incredibly well on this track. Awesome song. 9. Seductive Berry - 2 Lyrically it's not a great song and vocals are at sometimes drowned out by the background singers and guitars. Forgettable track. 10. Sylvia - 5 It's okay. The louder parts of the track in the second half of it are fantastic but the opening slower parts are very lost. Ends on a great note though. 11. Glory Days - 4 Lyrically it's pretty bad but the guitar leading the track is quite enjoyable. Just feels like a bit of a random song in the verses until you reach the glory days line to lead out of the verses into the bridge. 12. The Day After The Revolution - 7 Drum is superb on this track and adds a great beat. Lyrically it's decent but the song's constant moving from high to low to high to low in the middle of the verses themselves make you feel a bit lost during the track. The guitars are very enjoyable and can help you get through some of the more almost annoying parts of the track. 13. Like A Friend - 8 Solid closing track that builds well. Enjoyable lyrics and a fantastic guitar to accompany an excellent crescendo of the percussions on the drums. Average Rating: 6.08 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 3.04 Rounded Down: 3 Stars
Released as the Britpop wave was receding, 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐𝘴 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 feels like a deliberate step away from the scene’s bright, celebratory mood. The album dives into themes of decadence, disillusionment, and the hollow aftertaste of fame, with arrangements that are darker, grander, and more cinematic than the jangly guitar pop of the mid-90s. Jarvis Cocker delivers some of his most cutting and uncomfortable lyrics here, set against lush strings, brooding electronics, and slow-burning grooves. It’s not built for instant singalongs, but its ambition and atmosphere make it one of the most compelling swan songs of the Britpop era.
Not music I typically listen to but it was pretty good, sounded kinda like halloween
8/10 Favorite: Sylvia
Another solid pulp album
If Different Class was a state of the nation album then this is very much a state of the human follow up And though Jarvis himself probably wasn’t in the best place, the songwriting remains top drawer
This is the second Pulp album that came up in the space of a week. It's darker and moodier than A Different Class, and I think I like that about it.
Unlike seemingly most, I didn’t get caught up in the Pulp love during the Britpop era although spending a lot of time in indie clubs, I heard (and danced to) a decent amount. I’ve somewhat softened my view these days and can even get nostalgic when listening but they’re still not a band I’ve ever chosen to play. So I can’t really compare this to earlier albums but there’s plenty of moments on here that feel grittier than their earlier singles, as well as a more cinematic aspect that’s clearly continued in their most recent work. Some great lyrics too. I’m certainly intrigued by this and may listen again at some point. It is too long though!
Liked this quite a bit. Very British, dark and sleazy, and Jarvis's Goth-Bowie vibe works well for the most part. Not perfect by any means but a fitting end to the britpop era.
One of the most "meh" albums I've heard. It's not bad and unpleasant to listen, but it's a forgettable bunch of songs that start to meld after a while and start to sound the same. There are some interesting moments, but overall I found the album boring, unfortunately. I guess it's not my cup of tea. 2.5/5
background music while I was working
Enjoyed
This Is Hardcore is a good album but far from my idea of hardcore. A more thoughtful and accurate title would have been This Is Mellow(dramatic) The songs are slow, thought provoking and musically on point. The album improves as it progresses, Glory Days takes top honors. The Day After The Revolution is intriguing and Help The Aged strikes a chord. I like this band. (3.4*s) Nothing lasts forever.
What is it with Pulp that I need to hear them before I die...twice? I really am just not into this band and can't stand the lead singer. He sounds like sleazy Bowie or a 2-bit lounge singer. The cover reinforces the grime with what I assume is a naked model, taking Jarvis' Cocker from behind and not particularly enjoying it. Maybe it was different for the late 90s or something. This is Hardcore is better than Pulp's debut album but not by much...1.73 stars.
Not sure they need to be on this list twice but the list creator is obviously a britpop fan. It's a bit of a departure from the britpop sound but I think it still works. The more diverse and electronic sounds from Party Hard and a couple of other tracks round the album out a little more than what I heard from their earlier stuff. I thought it might drag a bit at 60+ minutes but I didn't struggle through it. 2.79 stars
Help the Aged This Is Hardcore
Sylvia is amazing and glory days is good. Too bad I had to listen to the rest of the album to get there
Pulp is a band that instantaneously clicked with me. I have read many people criticize "Different Class," claiming all their songs about revenge, or sex, or using sex for revenge — and that Jarvis Cocker is a pervert. I can only imagine how they’d react to "This Is Hardcore" — or even better, "His 'n' Hers" ("He doesn’t care what it looks like / Just as long as it’s pink and it’s tight, it’s what he likes.") — "This Is Hardcore" is one of the most cinematic, honest, and sick album I’ve ever heard. It deals with pornography, perversion, self-loathing, and reflection. Here, sex isn’t glamorized — it’s portrayed as something compulsive, degrading, and hollow. For example, the title track compares fame to pornography. Jarvis makes you feel violated without even being explicit. My friend calls the album a mix between a genius musical soundtrack and sharp social commentary. My favourite song on the album is "Like a Friend," which thematically explores destruction, resentment, and obsession. The track bitterly critiques the idea of being just friends. That phrasing becomes a dagger when one person wants more. However, Jarvis isn’t deluded — he knows he’s being walked all over. But knowing doesn’t stop him. There’s both resignation and lividity in his voice, which makes the song damn good. "You are that last drink I never should have drunk You are the body hidden in the trunk You are the habit I can't seem to kick You are my secrets on the front page every week You are the car I never should have bought You are the train I never should have caught You are the cut that makes me hide my face You are the party that makes me feel my age And like a car crash I can see, but I just can't avoid Like a plane I've been told I never should board Like a film that's so bad, but I gotta stay 'til the end Let me tell you now, it's lucky for you that we're friends" What a bloody brilliant ending. A close runner-up is "Sylvia" — a tender, tragic track that captures a different kind of emotional decay. It’s about a woman crushed by expectations, forgotten by the world, and left wondering when it all went wrong. Jarvis Cocker is the most perverse musician alive. No one else makes self-destruction sound this seductive. God bless his filthy heart.
The random "bye" in the 10 minutes of dreamy noise at the end of the album was certainly a thing. A Day in the Life did it better.
There's a lot of great tracks on this album - many of which push the boundaries of Britpop. I can see myself going back to this album again in the future. The only reason why it's a 4 and not a 5 is some of the tracks run a bit longer than they need to.
Liked this quite a bit. Quite a bit of good songs here and the instrumentation is fairly unique.
Never sought out Pulp before but I think I will now. A thoroughly enjoyable experience with clever songwriting, decent vocals and catchy instrumentation. I understand the Glastonbury hype now!
Meh
Imo not their best album, but a good listen
наконец-то жанр, который мне нравится, ура! как написал кто-то в рецензиях здесь - это самый боуиевский альбом, который сделал не дэвид боуи, и с этим не поспоришь! стильно, хорни, немного танцевально и абсолютно чарующе. но как будто чего-то не хватило немного... I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials (джарвис кокер, you will always be famous......)
So I'd bought Pulp's two previous albums in the 90s, and liked them, but I didn't get round to buying this one. (I'll blame that (again) on having children.) It was a pleasure to hear this now, and it's also, coincidentally, a pleasure to have them back making music again in 2025. Pulp follow all the important rules for British bands: 1. Take music seriously. 2. Acknowledge that life can be serious, but deal with it by laughing (or at least, pretending to laugh - think: veiled desperation). 3. Don't, ever, take yourselves seriously (which doesn't mean you can't be a bit pretentious; ironically of course). Follow these rules, add some grandeur, theatre and great tunes, and you generally have a great British album. Jarvis and Pulp embody all of this. The energy on this album is quieter than on tracks like Disco 2000, etc, but the album has an intensity that sustained my interest from beginning to end. Really good.
I like the lyrics, but the melody’s not providing me much. Probably because I’m used to more rock-like stuff, this kind of seems bland and boring. Despite that, I think it has potential.
Found it to be a little weak towards the middle. Other than that I really enjoyed it. „The Fear“ really stuck with me.
Good album. Very Bowie-esque.
Every song felt epic and unique
почему все брит поп команды хотят быть как битлз?
Britpop, but alternative!
1. The Fear 2. I'm A Man 3. Sylvia
Interesting lyrics
Ugh. Boring, tedious, and so much edge you could cut a loose sheet of paper.
A really solid album by the band, even if it was the final nail in the coffin for Britpop. A lot darker than their previous albums, probably a reflection of how the band were feeling at the time. Just slightly too long and the single choices for this album were poor. 1. THIS IS HARDCORE 2. THE FEAR 3. HELP THE AGED 4. SYLVIA 5. DISHES 6. I’M A MAN 7. A LITTLE SOUL 8. THE DAY AFTER THE REVOLUTION 9. GLORY DAYS 10. TV MOVIE 11. PARTY HARD 12. SEDUCTIVE BARRY
I think Pulp have become my favourite Britpop band. I was always a fan of Jarvis. His lyrics, his wit, his eccentricities. And he’s a great frontman as well. This was them trying to get away from being pop stars I reckon. A very different feel from Different Class. Just a bit too long. A strong 4 though, with potential to become a 5 over time
I respect the ambition and scope of sounds. There’s an excellent, maybe perfect, album in here somewhere. The songwriting is strong, but I think this is stretched kind of thin as a whole. I wished the lead vocals were mixed a little louder.
Nice
Day553 - as far as pulp albums go this has been my favorite one. it’s maybe a little slow but melancholy is where i lean
Just … ok.
This was the first Pulp record I listened to. I'd heard a couple of other songs from them, I remember Common People specifically, but this album was my first introduction to what a Pulp record is. And what a record. 17-year-old me was sold. Even the lighter fare on this record has an edge or a darkness to it. There's nothing soft, which is of course entirely appropriate. Standouts for me are "The Fear", "Party Hard", "Help the Aged", "This is Hardcore", and "A Little Soul".
I was never that taken with the whole Britpop thing. Oasis were a very shit Beatles rip off and Blur took themselves a bit too seriously. However if I had to pick one band that I could listen it would be Pulp! This is not their best album but still a good listen.
The first album I am rating, and I enjoyed listening to it. My knowledge of Brit rock is not far reaching, but generally it is a genre I do not enjoy a lot. Because to me, the songs I have heard so far are a little bit bland and lack genuine emotion. This album however, can really not be described as bland. "Party Hard" is really close to pop, while "Seductive Barry" is almost psychedelic. I enjoyed listening to the playfulness and the eerie feeling of the album. And taking it from the beginning to the end, I think the songs work together in well in a strange way. If you take the songs apart however, I do not feel very strongly there are any hits here.
Why
This album has great songs with wonderfully crafted lyrics but then also has long over indulgent long songs that drag it down. This stops me giving it 5 stars as there are not enough brilliant to make up for the downfall of the others.
i wasn’t super excited when i saw the almost 70 minutes runtime for this but it did not feel long at all. these guys do such a great job of creating a really nice atmosphere. super solid in all aspects
Surprised I enjoyed it. There a strong consistent theme that helps reign in the experimental music.
Прикольный альбом
really really enjoyed this (would have given 4.5)
Quite a topical choice seeing that Pulp are on the comeback trail and also made a big impression at Glastonbury last weekend. I like Jarvis Cocker and listened regularly to his Radio 6 Sunday Service Show a few years back. His choice of music really fitted in with what I like . Like most folk really rated previous album Different Class which is also on this list. Can’t remember without checking if I’ve had that yet. A follow up album from that was always going to be tough as it was literally different class. But this is a decent album made very much in the mould of Different Class but strives to build on that and which I think it succeeds in doing. An album missing from my collection which I now need. 4/5 2/7/25
The Fear 3.8 Dishes 3.5 Party Hard 3.3 Help the Aged 3.7 This Is Hardcore 3.6 TV Movie 3.4 A Little Soul 3.5 I'm a Man 3.5 Seductive Barry 3.2 Sylvia 3.4 Glory Days 3.5 The Day After the Revolution 3.3 Score: 3.475
Another band I’ve heard about through the grapevine, though I don’t exactly know why. I’m surprised this album released in 1998. I was of the impression that Pulp were an 80s band, which I guess isn’t wrong despite only finding breakout success in the 90s Ah! I remember why I know these guys. My Mum gave me a CD of Different Classes when I first started out with listening to music. I don’t remember anything about the album other than it sounding kinda shitty, so I may as well be going into this album completely blind. This one deserves a relisten somewhere down the line as I thought it was pretty alright for the most part. It admittedly lost me somewhere along the way, though there’s a genuine craft to these songs and some pretty interesting lyrics to boot. Dishes is good. I like the delicate guitar performance that guides the song and the strings/organ that appear later in the track are also pretty good. Help the Aged is another good cut. I like the echoey, hollow sound in the guitars and the vocal performance is strong. I’m a Man is very familiar, especially the guitar performance at the beginning of the song. The songwriting is pretty good. I enjoy the malaise that is captured in the lyrics and the track has a very strong chorus. Equally enjoyable is the instrumental. I like the Planet Telex-esque guitar reverb, which pairs nicely with the vocal style. I can confidently say that this song is one of the best tracks I’ve listened to in recent memory. Sylvia is another great track. The vocal melody is fantastic, especially around the chorus. Complementing this is a very pleasing backing track. The synth during the less lively bits is admittedly a little weak, though the explosive percussion and guitars around the chorus are very good. Glory Days is another familiar one, though I think I may be mishearing it as another track. In any case, it’s very solid. This album has been full of tracks that build towards a loud crescendo. Frankly, I can’t fault these guys. They do it very well. Just to proudly wear my stripes, I daringly braved the ten-minute synth note at the end of The Day After the Revolution. After touring in the trenches of The Flaming Lips’ “Noise Loop”, getting through this one was a piece ‘a cake. I will gladly wear the “bahbah” as a sign of status from now on. I get the impression that this is a solid pick for the book, though I’m curious to know a little more as to why. Let’s see. A huge pivot within the band’s sound. “...a profoundly unsettling piece of work”. I always appreciate it whenever artists forego any commercial obligations and do their own thing, so I can happily cosign this inclusion.
this was really well timed as i have been in a glastonbury inspired pulp haze recently. did really enjoy this.
This is not hardcore, unfortunately. 1.75
Love Pulp, great album
Good life advice here
3,5
THIS is hardcore??
Loved the opening track. The rest was still good, but I feel like I was set up for better.
This isn't hardcore. This is parallel universe Bowie.
Sometime in the mid 1990s I heard a Pulp song and decided they suck. I don’t know what song that was but I must had been pre- This is Hardcore. This album is not at all what I was expecting. It’s dark, lush and cinematic. Fear and the title track are highlights 7.7/10
I think I'm gonna need to re-listen to this one a few more times before I can give definitive thoughts. It's on the longer side, and I overall enjoyed the experience and there were several highlights for me. One of the things I really liked is how striking the first track is, it's so eerie right from the get-go and intrigued me immediately. I also really enjoyed "Seductive Barry," "Help the Aged" and several other tracks. Overall a good listen, though I'd like to dig more into the lyrics and such at another time.
This was borecore.
A little over the top for my liking, parts of songs are really good at times but nothing really hit me awesome. Probably won't listen again but I didn't hate it
Definitely like this a bit more than Different Class. I felt like I locked in a lot more to Jarvis’ songwriting in this one, and it is indeed excellent. Still unsure exactly what to think of him as a vocalist, though I definitely don’t think I dislike his singing by any means. “Dishes”, “Party Hard”, “Help the Aged”, and “A Little Soul” made the biggest impressions on me on first listen, but I’m excited to keep returning to this one. 4/5
Could never get into the lead singers voice.
Great album. Can hear Bowie and other various influences on this but no bad thing
Whiny mediocrity. Never heard them before, never need to hear them again. Could not finish this album.
Meh
Another Euro artist. What a surprise! Boring AF
I first came aware of Pulp when William Shatner did a cover of "Common People" (unfortunately not on this album, and am I weird because that Shatner versions is still my favourite version). That led me to the Pulp version, which led me to Pulp, and what I found was that some tracks hit me like a sledgehammer, lyrics so sharp and insightful they feel like they should be mandatory listening at school, but other tracks...vary between nice and " what are you wining about you wanker". On this album "Fear", "I'm a man", "Glory Days" & "Like a Friend" hit me with a sledgehammer. I liked "The day after the revolution" a lot. The rest sounded like a guy moaning into his mirror with a bottle of red wine. But that’s kind of what makes the album feel like the hangover after a wild party—you don’t love every minute, but the honesty is hard to ignore.
This comes off as a bit of a drag. The whole album feels flat, boring and uninspiring from start to finish. It lacks the energy or wit that might’ve made it memorable, and nothing about it leaves me wanting to come back for another listen. Just kind of a dud overall.
This was fine. Nothing particularly stood out to me. It was smooth. I read the description comparing them to Oasis and honestly I didn’t hear it. This is more boring, but inoffensive. I wouldn’t mind this on in the background.
one of my favorite discoveries
2.5 stars. Weird art rock with sexual lyrics and disjointed melodies that make it tough to get into. Standout is closing track "Like A Friend"
Meh. Seemed to me to try too much to channel or mimic Lou Reed or that genre. No melody or lyrics or other hook to grab the listener. If I was in a bad mood perhaps I could have gotten into it more.
Pretty good!
Thought this was definitely going to be a punk album for 1 star, it is not, I judged an album by it's name and cover, whoops!
This didn't seem that hardcore. It fact it felt pretty low energy, not terrible, but nothing to really pull me in.
Y'know... I feel like I spent quite a bit of time during this album thinking Nirvana's IN UTERO. That was the album the band put out after NEVERMIND, with the explicit intention of alienating the pop audience they'd gotten. They cranked up the noise rock and Kurt's screaming got much harsher. Sure, it has softer songs like "All Apologies", but for all intents and purposes (and as I've always understood it) it was meant to scare people away. From everything I've read about Pulp's THIS IS HARDCORE, they seemed to be aiming for something similar. After years and years of trying to achieve, they finally got what they wished for their album DIFFERENT CLASS... And it turns out, they (and by "they" I mean the only band member that matters, Jarvis Cocker) didn't like it. They really didn't like it. So, as a response, they made THIS IS HARDCORE — what I've read described as a "cocaine hangover" album. It intends to alienate the audience, but not in the way like IN UTERO where it's loud and noisy and screaming at you. More, this album is just dark and sleazy and brutally, painfully honest... LIke, it's nursing its hangover and it just wants you to go away and stop bothering it. Well, that's what I gathered from the reviews, at least. My own experience with this album tended to be more like, "Uh... OK?" Look, I really tried with this album. I mean, I went through the effort of piecing together reviews to make that paragraph above so I could try and figure out a lens to view this thing through. I wanted to meet it where it was. Failing that, I tried looking at it like a concept like one of my fellow group members did... And neither one really worked for me. I was honestly wondering to myself, "Am I the problem? Is it me? Am I getting too distracted talking with friends about Subway, or trying to find on Google Maps where an Arby's used to be? Is that why I'm not engaging with this material?" Being completely real, I think I just don't jive with this material and this sound. And it's not like I blame Pulp for going in the direction they did. If they really didn't enjoy fame, I don't expect them to just write DIFFERENT CLASS 2. I **get** why this album is the way it is. And, y'know, maybe I'm a jerk for thinking this, but I think I liked Pulp better when they were happy. I relistened to "Common People" from that previous album, and, yeah, I just dug it a whole lot more than I did anything on here. I mean, it took me until the last three songs to get into this album, and the closer just **had** to screw things up by holding a single synth note for nine minutes straight. Funny joke, guys. Maybe **I'm** wrong for having assumed that happiness was Pulp's hook. Not like "happy–slappy ecstasy" kind of shit, but just that they're like... Joyous. They're looking at the shitty situation people are in and they're still finding joy in it. Which I suppose should make the contrast all the more palpable when they spend this album just wallowing, but... It just really failed to grab me in any meaningful way. It's like, where DIFFERENT CLASS made a good case for Pulp as one of the "big 4 of Britpop," this album has me wondering why I'd even really bring them up in the same breath as blur and Oasis. And I don't have a problem with downer or depressing music, honestly. And it's not like this even a fully bad album; there are parts I liked. Plus, again, I **did** really enjoy those last three tracks, the closer's outro aside. I just can't dig its sound, and that's really the worst it gets for me. Still, though: it ain't nothing. So, IN UTERO this ain't. And even putting aside my comparison to that album... Yeah. I might return to a song or two from DIFFERENT CLASS at some point — but this album? I think it's just too hardcore for me.
A bit too long for its own good, but that's Britpop for ya. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 5. It’s probably just a little higher. This album is not “Different Class 2”, nor is it ever trying to be. It’s a concept album (or at least, one to my ears) about exploring the desperate search for fame, and using it as a crutch & a substitute for happiness. It’s a little stretchy, but I think there’s a general plot here. “The Fear” is sort of a prologue, spoken in the reflective, moody aftermath of all that’s about to happen. The lyrics spell out the core theme of the album, really: “This is the sound of someone losing the plot / Making out that they're okay when they're not”. “Dishes” is where we meet our protagonist, which appears to be a characterization of our lead singer, Jarvis Cocker. He just wants to be something more than the guy who does the dishes & loves his wife, even if he tries to hold it all in. Just listen to the performance; the vocals & instrumentation open up a lot more as the vague frustration grows & his calmness cracks. It’s a really neat touch that frames the song as a man who’s just generally stuck in a rut and wants nothing more than to leave it. “Party Hard” might seem jarring at first, but I love the dichotomy between the heavier guitar and his softer, buried vocals. It makes it feel like a mourning, desperate man lamenting that he can’t really have “fun” without resorting to other stuff, all amidst the buzz of a larger party, and that imagery feels really striking. “Help The Aged” is sort of a last ditch effort to stick to the principles he was trying to espouse on “Dishes”, but not before coming to a sort of flawed realization that death comes to us all – instead of taking it to mean that he should appreciate what he has & just roll with it, or to just make steps to improve himself, he takes it in the belief that he has to totally change his image to achieve the sense of “something more” he’s desiring. So, naturally, he becomes a porn star on “This is Hardcore”. Bit of a jump, but it’s a rather intentionally desperate jump. I love the way the orchestration gives the whole track some seedier & more sinister undertones. Whatever the case, his gambit seems to work. “TV Movie” is the immediate aftermath of this fame; he’s alone now. His wife isn’t there (possibly a divorce), and he’s just lamenting how dry life is without her. “A Little Soul” is him sort of crashing out to his son, realizing just how badly he’s coming across as a father & pleading with him not to end up the same way. “I’m A Man” is him trying to bounce back from that moment of vulnerability, and trying to tell himself that he is indeed still a man, still trying to get booked, and still sort of grasping for that same level of fame he had after the porn tape. It’s just self-affirmations that feel like they’re going wrong, really. Does “Seductive Barry” need to be 8 minutes? No, probably not – as an album track, I think about 3-4 minutes of it would be snappier & better paced. Does it work as an 8 minute track? Yeah, I’d say so – there’s an excruciating sense of being stuck in the room with the guy & the superstar girl he’s (possibly) in the room with, fantasy or otherwise, sort of invading whatever moment they’re having. That invasion of privacy grows as the track continues to go longer & longer. It’s uncomfortable, but that discomfort is very intentional, and it sort of exposes the awkwardness of “fame”. The foreplay all feels rehearsed, with any vague charisma only brought on by stature in the industry. There’s not a real spark here, so the “fakeness” of our main character gets brought into the forefront more & more. In that sense, I like the track. Still too long though. Shoutout to Neneh Cherry, by the way. “Sylvia” is finally the epiphany point for J.C., as he finally realizes that he looks like any other vapid face in the crowd nowadays, using women (who all look like what I’m assuming to be his ex-wife, Sylvia) as a form of jewelry to make himself look better, and his self-worth is utterly diminished, even with the level of fame he’s seemingly rebounded to. It’s an apology track, and it’s the sort of fall to grace he really needs. “Glory Days” (not a Springsteen cover, though thematically similar) is the aftermath of that epiphany, really expounding on just how badly fame has changed him, reverting back to his simpler self, trying to make amends with some of the people he left behind. “The Day After The Revolution” is the result of that public attempt to make amends, with the rest of the world sort of joining in his rebirth and rejecting the whims of fame. Is it his dream? I dunno, maybe. He mentions sleeping in on “Glory Days”, and this song starts with him unable to fall asleep in his dusty little room. Great vocal performance on this one, as he displays a real sense of liberation. As a way to end the album, it works really well. “Like A Friend” is apparently a bonus track, but I think it still thematically works within the album; you could put it between “This is Hardcore” & “TV Movie”, since it can very easily be read as a man full of ego after finding his fame, treating his wife like nothing more than a resident in HIS home, and in HIS world. It could also go right between “Seductive Barry” & “Sylvia”, since it can just as easily be read as him realizing how fake this entire relationship is, frustrated at his own willingness to play along for the sake of a good time. In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m just really enthralled by this as a project. If you somehow haven’t heard it, go listen. It’s a damn good album, and it explores its themes really well, blending the overall vision with some really well-performed vocals (emphasis on “performed”, like an actor), & a great job from the band, especially on the percussion & guitar work, both capturing the mood on every track here. If you just don’t see a plot, or you’re actively not seeing a throughline, then I can understand giving this a lower rating. For my tastes, and for my possibly stretchy brain, I think this pretty handily earns a 5. Great job, Pulp.
Very 90s Muse precursor
I like the title song. The rest is very confusing.. all over the place.
I enjoyed this. Probably won;t listen to it again.
This is one of those bands who's name you've heard a million times but never their music. Musically this is good but the singing and lyrics do absolutely nothing for me. Still worth a listen.
I really liked it, and was close to giving this four stars, but that 10 minute single cord outro absolutely killed any goodwill I had towards the album as a whole. While I'll probably listen to some of the songs again, that outro ensures I won't listen to the album as whole a second time.
Nothing very memorable for me here. Vocals and melodies seemed ok, instrumentation was fine, if basic, but it was the songs ultimately that I found lacking.
It's the ugly, angry cousin of their big three records but there's some fantastic arty highs despite being less euphoric and consistent than the predecessors. Will be more often in my rotation than it was, as it's a lot better than I remember it being, although Seductive Barry could be their nadir.
Slightly dreary. Does have a slight melodic melancholy about it
a classic
Much like Blur’s self-titled album - this post-Britpop, dark and gritty sound is fast becoming one of my favourite periods of music. Needs another listen as I think this has potential to score higher. But for now 4/5
Rock, 1998 -> 3
Never heard pulp before, I was expecting more of an Oasis/Blur sort of thing. This is more Bowie / Muse like. Video for title track was very cool. Darker or more brooding that I expected. I enjoyed though I am not sure how much I can come back to this.
Bueno
I adore the sad sleaze of this album, there's not much else like it. If you listened to a version without Like A Friend on it (which is a single B-side that is technically not on this album but is on the Spotify version) - please do yourself a favor and give it a listen.
“Dishes” alone gives this album 4/5 stars. Pulp is so fun and good. Jarvis Cocker rules.
This album caught me by surprise. I really enjoyed this. The singers voice is great!
Irritating. Potential smothered by irritation.
Jarvis Cocker lays out the thesis of 'This is Hardcore' in the opening song: "This is the sound of someone losing the plot Making out they're OK when they're not You're gonna like it, but not a lot." Well, mission accomplished, Jarvis (although I secretly like this record). It's an honest and unvarnished (although quite self-deprecatingly funny) recounting of post-success decline. The lights have come on at the nightclub, and suddenly it looks like a shithole, and everyone is wasted, seedy and shell-shocked. It took Pulp a long time to achieve pop stardom, and Jarvis clearly woke up the day after the party to realize the stain that had left on his soul. I bought this album not long after it came out, and played it a fair bit, although not obsessively. There are a lot of cracking tunes here (my favourites are The Fear, the title track and Party Hard, which sounds just like it could be a Bowie offcut from the Scary Monsters session), and it hits some anthemic highs when the band really gets cranking. By their own admission, Pulp were a band of limited technical ability, but Chris Thomas makes them sound awesome. It's grand and dramatic and cinematic and gritty and dynamic, full of light and shade. Lots of shade, which fits the thematic content. But it gets really big when it needs to. Shout-out to Anne Dudley for additional piano and string arrangements. She is a name I look out for on album credits. Anne always does fine work that adds value to whatever she touches. This is not a feel-good album. there are quite a few albums that deal with the sordid aftermath of decadence, but I am hard pressed to think of any better than this, especially with the number of cracking tunes on this one.
Wow, this was really awesome. Never heard of them before but made me feel good and I loved it. Want to hear more from them!
Sick name
★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5) As a Gen X Britpop fan who grew up on the sounds of Blur, Suede, and of course early Pulp, This Is Hardcore was a real letdown for me. I went in hoping for more of that clever, catchy wit that made Different Class such a standout. Instead, I got an album that felt grim, cold, and a bit too wrapped up in its own sleaze. Some tracks had moments—there were flashes of what made Pulp great—but overall, it didn’t land. The title track especially left a bad taste. It tries to be dark and dramatic, but to me it came off as creepy in all the wrong ways. Honestly, it gave off this unsettling, almost predatory vibe that I just couldn’t shake. Not cool, not clever—just off-putting. The musicianship is solid, and Jarvis still has that unique voice, but good vocals can’t save songs that make you feel uncomfortable for the wrong reasons. It’s not an album I’ll revisit. One play was more than enough. If you're into the Britpop sound, there are far better ways to spend your time. Give this one a miss.
I remember giving this a chance in 1998 after liking Different Class but finding it not as accessible or fun. I borrowed it but never actually bought it. The 27 year wait was clearly what I needed as I really enjoyed this in 2025. It takes the spirit of Different Class (indeed, the spirit of Britpop, if you will), and takes it that step further. More adventurous lyrics, more experimental instrumentation and just overall a more mature, accomplished album. Still not as fun as its predecessor but not everything needs to be fun if it's well written and still has plenty of hooks and great lines.
really entertaining!
i suppose i'll round down but it's pretty squarely a 3.5.
vocalist sounds a bit like OK GO but I don't understand this genre
Kad se sve zbroji i oduzme ovo mi je najbolji pulp. Strašan post fame album di sve umisto dva koplja popičnije ide u totalni mrak. Dishes mi je jedna od top stvari svih vremena❤️
some interesting social commentary with a lot of - maybe too much - sultry vocal fry. might try listening to it again later
Another self-indulgent, self-important overly long album that like Casanova by The Divine Comedy. The pretentiousness, rather than being witty and self-conscious, weighs this music down. Honestly, this feels really judgemental, and "This is Hardcore" made me think "ew." All from the singer, by the way. Nothing about the music made me feel anything, really. We often wonder what the requirements are to be considered for inclusion on this list. Dark Side of the Moon? Makes sense. Nevermind? Sure. But this...
Solid, kinda moody rock Favorites: This Is Hardcore, Seductive Barry
No tiene los temas de Alternativa
It wasn’t as hardcore as expected.
I am very tempted to drop a 1 here. At face value, it’s not that bad. Probably a 1.75. But you better believe a few weeks from now when I’ve heard probably a half dozen more Pulp albums, I’ll wish I had given this one a 1 out of spite. Lots of this britpop stuff stinks. Pulp stinks.
There was incredibly delicious guitar throughout the whole album, and my ears were happy listening to the instrumentation on each song. I described my feelings about this album to Ethan, saying that parts of each song excited me, but I didn't love the whole song. This was especially true on "Dishes" and "Help the Aged." My favorite songs were "The Fear," "Party Hard," "I'm a Man," "A Little Soul," and "Like a Friend." The energy in the album was contagious, I appreciated the moody British sound. The color palette of the album cover perfectly captures the feel of the album. Rating this a four because I would listen to it again and I added a few songs to my May playlist! I do however wish the album was shorter :(
You Look Just Like Sylvia 1001 Albums Generator 25 (05/07/2025) For my quarter-centennial album, I got the sixth album by the British band Pulp, This Is Hardcore. I had a very difficult time listening to this at work because of the album cover, but I was able to get around it lol. I know Pulp only as one of the big four of Britpop, but I have never listened to them. Interestingly, this album fulfills a similar role to the 4th album I got on this journey, Blur's self-titled, as This Is Hardcore similarly represents a band shedding their Britpop sound in favor of a different form of rock music. While Blur went for a more American alternative rock sound, Pulp opted to stay with sounds of the U.K. and instead pursue a distinctly British form of artsy glam rock, a la David Bowie two decades earlier. Often cited as the definitive album of the post-Britpop era, This Is Hardcore sees Pulp embracing more experimental, electronic soundscapes and darker themes. In general, this album is best when its energy and tension is bursting from the seams. Opening track The Fear is a haunting, gothic song led by great guitar harmonics and Jarvis Cocker's sometimes spoken, sometimes yelped vocals. While it sticks to a slow tempo, the tension is palpable. Party Hard is a really fun noisy rock song that is the most obvious single on the album. Cocker is doing his best David Bowie impression here. The lyrics were written as a cynical criticism of party and clubbing culture, in stark contrast to much of what Pulp's musical peers were writing about at the time. The title track is the most popular song on the album and features a jazzy trip-hop inspired instrumental and lyrics comparing musical success with being a porn star. Talking about his inspiration for the song, Cocker said "You'd see the same people in films, and they'd seem to be quite alive, and then you'd see a film from a year later and there's something gone in their eyes. You can see it, that they've done it all and there's nowhere else to go." I wonder if these ideas are still relevant today... A Little Soul and I'm A Man are unapologetically jangly Britpop. The former is a bit cheesy with its *clap clap* chorus but it's fun. The latter features a really great guitar solo. Sylvia is one of the strongest songs here, featuring heartbreaking lyrics of memories of a lost love, sung in a flying falsetto. This one almost gave me second-wave emo vibes when the chorus comes crashing in, a la Mineral or the more emo moments on You'd Prefer An Astronaut. However, this is quite a long album and features some slow songs that, to me, do not justify their place on the tracklist. Dishes is slow and psychedelic in a way that could be interesting, but it never gets off the ground, and it feels strange as a second song on the album. TV Movie is another slow moment, a piece of chamber pop led by acoustic guitar as opposed to the synths of Dishes, but it similarly fails to really pick up until around the last minute or so. Seductive Barry has orchestral touches of the post-rock movement that was gaining traction in the U.S. and Canada at the time, but I don't think it's done as well as many of the popular bands in that movement. I absolutely love the Spotify version of the closer The Day After The Revolution, which is a multilayer glamfest through and through, but the full 15 minute version doesn't do it for me. I can appreciate the experimentation of ending the album on a 10 minute drone, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. This Is Hardcore. This is an alright album. This is an album with some great songs and a hefty serving of filler. This Is Hardcore. This is a 3.5/5, rounded down to a 3. Favs: Party Hard This Is Hardcore Sylvia Least Fav: (Original version) The Day After The Revolution (Spotify version) Seductive Barry
Alt rock, on the slower/contemplative side
my second pulp album and, if i can be quite honest, i don't know if i quite get the appeal. there's some pretty decent stuff on here but nothing really blows me away. i was generally not a huge fan of the vocals and a lot of the songs didn't do a lot for me. not sure what i'm missing, but i am very clearly missing it.
1. The Fear - 7.8/10 2. Dishes - 7.6/10 3. Party Hard - 6.5/10 4. Help The Aged - 9/10 5. This Is Hardcore - 9/10 6. TV Movie - 8.8/10 7. A Little Soul - 10/10 8. I'm A Man - 9/10 9. Seductive Barry - 7/10 10. Sylvia - 9/10 11. Glory Days - 7/10 12. The Day After The Revolution - 6/10 13. Like A Friend - 10/10 8/10
British rock. Pretty good, hard to describe. I was getting English Springsteen vibes at points, don’t know why.
Don’t think I have this one enough time to have a solid opinion. Was interesting though.
3.2 By the looks of the wiki page, pulp was a pretty popular band in the UK. Growing up in Canada I dont think I ever heard them on the radio once. My introduction would have been through a ripped William Shatner album and the cover of common people. Maybe a bit more going on than some of the britpop out there
A darker side of Pulp. Great album, but may not appeal to everyone who bought 'Different Class'.
Honestly not sure whether this is a 3 or a 4, probably closer to a 4 but I really like rock music. Would definitely give it another listen eventually but I’m not racing to do so, hence the 3. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great music, but I’ve listened to a lot of high-energy rock music recently
Did not expect the type of music I got from just looking at the album cover haha. It was alright, the singer was pretty whine-y, which got a bit annoying. I also listened to this while cooking dinner so I didn't pay too much attention to the lyrics, but reading a few other reviews apparently they are pretty sexual haha. So I guess the album cover fits after all. Standouts: Like a Friend Rating: 2.75/5
Late 90’s alt rock
Sounded like a more modern love child of Bowie and Pink Floyd
3.0 - Ok
I didn’t think I liked art rock before I listened to this album. Lyrically fantastic, could be better mixed/mastered
Bizarrely distant, high gloss production does not match the singer's confessional point of view. Rough lyrics and frankly lousy speak-singing throughout. This might have been a solid album with a more natural, intimate sound. A few good moments but totally forgettable.
This is an hour of my life I will never get back
Good Brit-pop, but not great. A couple of hits for sure, but I prefer their previous album.
I've never listened to much Pulp and thought I wouldn't really be into them, but there are some seriously epic tunes on this album.
I'm curious
What a brilliant album. Much prefer this over Different Class, though I'm looking forward to giving that another go whenever it appears here. A bit overlong, but almost all of it is great. 4.5.
I like this Britpop album. You can tell Jarvis Cocker is a bit of a wordy songwriter, but can pull it off without being too pretentious.
Actually really enjoyed this. Didn't know what to expect. But I really liked it.
I liked it a lot. One reviewer said “Bowie-esque.” That got me into it. Good stuff.
Enjoyed this once I came to terms with how different it is from Different People.
Extraordinarily forgettable. 2/5 Album 35/1001
I mostly agree
whatever.
Really enjoyed this
Getting this in the week Pulp announce their first new album in 20+ years. Can't wait to hear it and decide where it ranks in the discography. The follow-up to Different Class, this is much more inconsistent than its predecessor but relistening to it for the first time in many years, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed some of the tracks I had largely forgotten about. There's a lovely bit of Spanish guitar in the bridge of Dishes and Sylvia's soaring chorus is anthemic for example, but Seductive Barry is overling and a bit of slog though
3.5
File under: Dramatic white people music See also: Bowie, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave
New to me. Ok listen. Not something that really moves me. It was a decent listen.
Pulp! Well, this is is a good album that for me is marked by Jarvis Cocker's vocals - alternately crooning, whispering, sometimes histrionic. I'm not sure how 'great' this album is, as there are one or two dud tracks in here.
Very mediocre
Like Bruce Springsteen does power ballads. An interesting thought experiment, but too dad rock for my taste.
p828. 1988. 4 stars. An exercise in self disgust that make you want to take a shower after listening. Sharp lyrics, all that's missing are standout tunes.
There were bit that were obviously same band as common people and lots that weren't. But just not what I would chose to listen to. Weirdly enough, I'm going to score this lower than Sepultura. 2.
Mega conflicted by this album. I absolutely hate Jarvis Cocker. He’s a wrong un and although I’m sure he thinks he’s clever and funny, I don’t. Thankfully this album didn’t have some of the mega hits that grind my gears. So I tried to listen with an open mind. Musically, it’s so much better than I thought Pulp were capable of. There are some really strong songs and arrangements on here. But here’s the big problem… the lyrics just underline all my preconceptions about Jarvis. Just comes across as a perv. Title track hammers home this point, superb musicians let down by suspect lyrics, but most songs are littered with his grubbiness. If only the band had found themselves a better front man then maybe, just maybe, they might have been a real force. 2 stars for the contributions of all band members not called Jarvis.
Not my go to Pulp album, that's 'His 'n' Hers', but this has lots of bangers from start to finish. It's always good to stick it on every once in a while.
Lots of heavy guitar and powerful drumming but I love the soundscape they create playing together. I really enjoy this album
I've really only ever listened to Different Class but this album is also great. Some serious U2 vibes on it. Fight me.
britisk glamrock, lidt irriterende
A Pulp album that I have not spent any time with. Very enjoyable and looking forward to putting it up there with His N Hers and Different Class. Faves: hard to say it gets better towards the end, probably every song after This Is Hardcore
Nice - a Pulp album with no tunes I've been previously overexposed to. I quite dig this - can see me voluntarily revisiting it. Fave tracks - let's say the title track. Maybe "Party Hard", too, which desperately wants to be a Bowie tune. If I was a different sort of dickhead I mighta chosen the outro because I do totally listen to ambient drone all the time that sounds like that, but album length, but these days I can just admit that I like some Pulp tunes.... 😎
9/10 хочется переслушивать Рок, вокал, бек - все прекрасно и в своем стиле
This is a snore.
Pretty mediocre stuff
Always wrote them off as B tier Brit pop but there was more going on here. More artsy that I expected. I would listen again.
I think they are my favourite of the Britpoppers. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
Great album - love the deluxe version.
I’m a first timer on this album and I liked it very much. Really a 3.5 but bumping it up.
Meh.
I wasn’t familiar with Pulp before starting this list, but I reviewed Different Class over 600 albums ago, and I absolutely loved it. I bought a copy of Different Class, and I’ve listened to it quite a bit over the last couple of years or so. I’ve really been looking forward to This Is Hardcore, and I’m honestly shocked that I didn’t just listen to it on my own before it was assigned to me. I don’t know any of the songs on here, but I’m really excited to give this a listen! I really enjoyed listening to this album, and I thought it was incredibly well made. This Is Hardcore definitely has a different Vibe to it than Different Class, but I enjoyed this album’s darker and moodier tone. I thought this album was incredibly strong from start to finish, and while there were definitely some songs that I liked more than others, I didn’t think the quality sagged at all during any part of the album. I find Pulp’s musical sound to be really big and bold without being self-indulgent, and that was on full display here. The piano playing and string arrangements gave this album a sense of being really well-refined, but it did it in a way that never felt pretentious. I loved Jarvis Cocker’s singing on this album as well, and I thought his voice was really well suited to the themes of disillusionment, fame, and getting older. Cocker and company explore these themes in a variety of ways, with a good mix of poppy ballads and upbeat rock. I was a bigger fan of the upbeat rock songs, like “The Fear,” “Party Hard,” and “Glory Days,” but tracks like “A Little Soul” and “I’m A Man” were fantastic too. This was a fantastic album, and it takes the listener on a really emotional journey over the course of its one-hour runtime. I would definitely listen to this again, and I’ll probably buy a copy of it very soon.
I don’t understand why this list has so many forgettable David Bowie copycats.
There's quite a set of strong songs on here. I must be personally going through a strict and demanding phase as I don't feel inclined to be generous with the scoring. Definitely a decent record though.
Favorite Track: Dishes
Favourites: Dishes, Help The Aged, This Is Hardcore, Seductive Barry, Sylvia, Like A Friend
# 441 : 21/03/2025 : They've done a pretty decent job, not very hardcore I'll admit, but better than I expected.
It wasn't bad, it just wasn't particularly good.
There have been some really solid albums I’ve been generated recently, and this continues the trend. I was surprised to find that I didn’t recognise any tracks on here, despite britpop in general still being quite inescapable in the UK. This album was as good and catchy as I expected of Pulp, based on their other bangers (I’m looking at you, Common People). Overall, a really fun album. I think Sylvia was my favourite track on this.
There are better Pulp albums- not for me
Im bot a Bowie fan...
Worth a second listen, I wanted to like it more but often felt something was missing like how Smokin Joe has some technically correct blues music that lacks soul. The album sounds like it was contractionally mandated.
The Fear is a great intro track. As a faux Bowie Jarvis brings a really good vibe to what he does. Good album and anyone who wants to just write off genres can do this but it's an interesting album and is well performed.
He is doing a very good David Bowie. Pretty good production for the late 1990s. I enjoyed this more than Different Class. Glory Days is probably my favorite track. Dishes and This is Hardcore were alright also. For the kind of music this is the tracks could be shorter. Overall a pretty good and cohesive album.
This is not hardcore. Just more of the same tiresome British alt-rock with bellowing masquerading as singing
This seems at least somewhat influenced by Nick Cave, not bad. Probably will not seek out.
Enjoyed the vocals and overall sound from these guys. Probably won't seek out on my own but if they come on in the wild, I'll take a moment to appreciate it!
Gutes Album!
i sure liked this more than their last one i heard on this website!
This has got kind of a grand post punk vibe that I think actually works well. It's a sound that I think is coming back (reminds me of Black Country New Road). Overall, I liked it, though I do wish it were shorter.
Man this wasn't bad but I don't know why I expected more. I'm not at all familiar with Pulp's work, but I know they're supposed to be this transcendentally good British pop/rock band more intellectual then Stella infused Oasis and less goofy than Blur, etc, etc. Sure the lyrics in here are a bit more mature (or just horny?) than some of the stuff the aforementioned bands talk about but I don't know...it comes off as skeezy or desperate in some cases. Surely that's intentional? In any case, I wouldn't call this a bad album, and if I came in with no preconceived notions about what it was supposed to sound like then maybe I would've liked it more. The beginning up until the end of the title track is better than the rest. Once you hit "Seductive Barry", which is terrible, it rapidly drops off a cliff. I would say only that last bit is bad, the rest is fine to kinda good even. And man, this would have been a great album cover and title for an actual hardcore album.
This sounds like generic rock from the late 90's trying to be sexy. I was really hoping for a hardcore punk album so I'm extra let down.
Ah more goofy brit art rock. The Day After The Revolution is fucking 15 minutes long? That's a docked star. AND ITS ONE CHORD HELD THE WHOLE TIME? you total clowns.
I didn’t know this Pulp album and having heard it that does not surprise me. Good background music but no songs stood out good or bad.
I've always enjoyed listening to Pulp. However, I wasn't familiar with the album. I particularly enjoyed the beginning. I thought it was going to be one of the new top favorites. Unfortunately, the mood dimmed a little as the album progressed. Perhaps it was also due to the computer problems I had to deal with on the side. 4/5
Nice!
nice overall, a bit tiring after a while. still, a nice discovery!
Dark, Ruminating, Self-reflective, and wonderful
Good rock album, enjoy some songs, but some songs do blend together a bit
It's okay - put the album on and started trying to figure out a new process being implemented at work. I didn't pay much attention to the album, but it wasn't distracting.
It has its moments but gets very monotonous.
Good but nothing major for me
nice and forgettable at the same time
3.75
Bowie meets Oasis, adom 😆😎
This just didn't feel like it needed to be on this list. 2.5
every pulp song sounds like an interlude or b side meant to kill time until they do common people
With apologies to Pulp because I'm sure it's frustrating as an artist to always be compared to your most popular work: it's no Common People :( I do like The Fear and a couple of other tracks but could leave most.