Reviews (page 2 of 13)
it was weird. some of the songs i just didn’t click with and the others were just kinda bad. no hate just not my style
Not my favorite. Had some palatable listens, but overall not my kind of music.
There are some good tracks here, but a lot of fluff. Doesn’t come close to justifying its runtime. Middling effort
There were a few great moments in this album. However, it was mostly a slog.
Not my type of music...
Very punchable face.
Imagine a sleazy and disturbingly British marxist undergrad invited you to watch his shitty garage post-punk band, but tried to sing half the lyrics way too close to your ear. That’s the Different Class by Pulp experience. Social critique can be great, this album was not. When your “resistance anthem” is followed up by an uncomfortable rape-ballad I think you’ve lost your way.
Mis-Shapes = ⭐⭐⭐.5 -> Easily the best song of the album. Pencil Skirt = 0 -> Didn't like this one at all. Common People = ⭐ -> The whispers and sighs throughout were discomforting. The instrumental rock portion and guitar solo were enjoyable. I Spy = 0 -> I think I dislike this one more than Pencil Skirt. The monologue ruined it for me. Disco 2000 = ⭐⭐ Live Bed Show = ⭐⭐⭐.5 -> I don't know why but I liked this one. Something Changed = ⭐⭐ -> I'm sorry but, once again, the whisper singing and sighing just drag the quality of the song down. What a shame because the music here is my favourite out of the whole album. Sorted for E's & Wizz = ⭐⭐ F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. = ⭐ -> Why is he whispering like that? I'm conflicted because I love the part from 2:17 to 3:00. Then the creepy whispers start again. It's like when the greasy drunk guy at a bar comes up next to you and starts whispering to you with interjecting moans. Underwear = 0 -> i'm 13 and this is deep. mid instrumental. Monday Morning = 0.5 -> Only liked the lyrics. Bar Italia = ⭐.5 -> well, it's alright. I liked the music itself; props to the band. I simply did not jibe with the singer's singing style nor the lyrics for many of the songs. The whole album leaned just a bit too horny for my tastes. The parts where he breaks into monologue or whispers made my hair stand on end. If you're into lyrics about sex or like listening to a dude whispering sensually into your ear, I'd recommend this album.
Honestly a pretty standard Brit-pop album. Which is to say nasally, goofy, and not at all interesting. Add in the fact that a lot of the lyrics are honestly uncomfortable and this makes for a pretty terrible listen. Did not enjoy
This is fun! It was so British that I didn’t think it’d be my vibe but…..I LOVED this and kept wanting to hear the next song. A big surprise for me this month.
As I said before: Pulp is nothing more than David Bowie if he had a Britpop band. Still damn good. 5 stars
Just fantastic - Disco 2000 and Something Changed are two of my all time top 20. Mishapes, Underwear, Common People etc are also all solid gold.
90s British music at its best. When there's quite a lot of it that is very mid on this list, this shows how it should be done: catchy on the tunes and the lyrics; witty and clever; sometimes pushing the boundaries of politics and social acceptance. Unbelievably, I don't think I'd heard this all the way through before. High 4, going to convert it to a 5 for Jarvis not taking any of Michael Jackson's shit at the Brits a year later.
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PULP #MYGOATS
The album that put Britpop on the map. Pure nostalgia.
A very well crafted and intelligent album - almost(!) My favourite of the era
Possibly the most cleverly written album of all the Brit-pop era. Some sharp accurate observations on real life lyrically. Some excellent mostly upbeat music. Especially love the keyboards. I hadn’t listen in years but will now dive back into their back catalogue.
How britpop should be. I’m not in England but I bloody feel like I am
I wish I was cool enough when this was released to appreciate this. It's such a good album, I've grown more and more fond of it over the years. I feel like Pulp were underappreciated despite their popularity, and that they flew under the radar because of when this came out. Always a real pleasure listening to this 🥰
It is difficult for me to be objective or to distance myself from Pulp's "Different Class", such is my familiarity with this excellent album. Instead of a traditional critique, I will recount an unexpected, personal encounter with the band. In the summer of 1995, my wife and I decided to take our two youngest children down to London's West End for a look around the shops. Our youngest son was just a year old, and our daughter was four. We visited the expected spots: various children's clothing shops, Hamleys (for the kids, obviously!), and then made our way to the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. Whilst we were browsing, there was suddenly a commotion. Lo and behold, appearing on a small stage right in front of us were Pulp, promoting their recently released single, 'Common People'. They seemed genuinely pleased to be there, and Jarvis Cocker in particular appeared rather inebriated. I bought the CD single there and then (and still have it), purchasing the album as soon as it came out later that autumn. I have never seen Pulp live in concert; to this day, that in-store performance remains my only encounter with them. As for the album itself? I loved it on the very first listen, and I still love it today. It is choc-a-block with witty, pithy, observant songs that expertly document the uncomfortable truths and intricacies of British life in the 1990s. It remains an absolute triumph that balances sharp social commentary with brilliant pop hooks. It captures a very specific moment in British cultural history, yet it has aged remarkably well. Five stars. Lastly, the original album artwork for "Different Class" is just as meticulously observed and distinctively British as the music itself. The design concept, put together by Blue Source and stylist Donald Milne, matches the album perfectly. 1 "Mis-Shapes" (5/5) 2 "Pencil Skirt" (5/5) 3 "Common People" (5/5) 4 "I Spy" (5/5) 5 "Disco 2000" (5/5) 6 "Live Bed Show" (5/5) 7 "Something Changed" (4/5) 8 "Sorted for E's & Wizz" (5/5) 9 "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E" (4/5) 10 "Underwear" (4/5) 11 "Monday Morning" (4/5) 12 "Bar Italia" (4/5) Total - 55 Average - 4.6 364/1001 193/364 albums reviewed were new to me.
Gets deeper after the first listen. A stand out peak for Pulp
Classified as Britpop, this is a record that transcends the genre. Incisive lyrics delivered with authenticity coupled with great pop tunes that have just enough unconventional elements and interesting touches like orchestration. Not a bad song on the record, and easily one of the best records to ever come out of that scene.
I’ve always thought that PULP is criminally underrated. At least here in the U.S. Musically, PULP, explodes with heartbreaking and joyful tunes. Guitar riffs that’ll make you grow hair on your chest and melodies that will bring you back to your first schoolboy-heartbreak. Jarvis Cocker is guilty of loving too much. He’s guilty of feeling and experiencing too much. At least that’s the way he writes. Different Class blends everything that’s great and terrible about life and human emotion and simplifies it all into pub ballads that we can sing at the top of our lungs, or cry to with the people that we love most. Different Class is a beautiful, perfect, album.
5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pulp/different-class/ Absolute banger from start to end. Disco 2000 and Common People on a single album? Should be a crime! Jarvis Cocker's lyrics are so witty, it's insane. Love this album to death.
Been listening to this since 1995. Amazing album, superb sound, devine memories.
This is nowhere near a perfect album, but I don’t feel comfortable giving it anything less than a “perfect score.” See, a 10/10 isn’t a score that means “perfect.” Nothing is perfect to a being that changes every day, every hour, every minute, by design. 10s are instead a tier, a higher echelon of albums that you can easily reach for in your mind to recommend to those who seek your musical knowledge (which MANY of my friends do in fact). So, this album, “Different Class” by Pulp, is an album about many things, which generally falls into two categories, which generally fall into one big category of profound dissatisfaction, with the backdrop of wealth and excess. Opener “Mis-Shapes” establishes the theme of the lower class “Common People” hold contempt for the richer members of society, and have the aim to take their lives from them using their minds. Which, a great premise. I love it. And then, we get into the various sexcapades of the album, all of them putting on full display this resounding unhappiness with life, particularly in the case of upper class women, with songs like “Pencil Skirt,” “Common People,” “Live Bed Show,” “Underwear,” and arguably “Monday Morning” and “Bar Italia.” They’re these real dark songs, that seem to directly portray these feelings of sadness, and discomfort, and apathy toward life brought on by the roles that one must play as a rich person… doing rich people things. And the SOUND of the album! When I saw that it was listed as “Britpop,” I was scared it’d be something like a Blur or Oasis, both bands I can enjoy, but both bands that are clearly not for me, as much as I may like some of their work. But this!! It’s layered, it’s well-played, it’s INSANELY well-sung, and it employs a beautiful range of influences and genres, each song feeling distinct but it’s still sooooooooo consistent. I say this about a lot of albums, but I’m gonna be returning to this one incredibly often. Frankly one of my favorites that this site has given me. 10/10
Halt Stop. Ist "The Look" von Metronomy ein Cover von Feeling Calles Love? 🤯🤯🤯 Came for the Hits, stayed for the Rest. Bestätigt mich darin: muss mehr Pulp hören und das ist schön mit das beste was die 90er in UK hervorgebracht haben.
Absolute classic
dada, 5
All the accolades are deserved
Brilliant album with some of the best songs ever 9/10
It's perfect bro
Yeah this really is just fucking amazing isn't it. Common People is obviously a classic but every song on here is just as catchy and just as amazingly written. Possibly the single best britpop album ever.
EASILY the best britpop album by a far and wide country mile. Pulp is elating music that demands a reaction on my nervous system. Every chorus pumps me up, the lyrics and stories are enthralling, and the band sounds great. "Common People" may be one of the best songs ever made. Fuck the Blur vs. Oasis talk, Pulp was the best and everybody who's anybody knew it
While Blur and Oasis were scrapping it out in the Britpop wars of the 90s, this plucky band from Sheffield snuck up on the inside and took the trophy. Jarvis Cocker’s songs of working class life and the desperation of poverty and unemployment, hit home in a way that other bands never quite managed. Maybe I’m biased, but as someone who lived through the Thatcherite 80s in Sheffield when whole communities were systematically thrown on the scrap heap this album rings true. The lyrics reminded me of Ray Davies in places, and the music is similarly timeless, especially on the tracks with orchestral arrangements by Anne Dudley. Aside from the hits, the highlights for me were I Spy, which could have been a Bond theme (albeit for a very low rent, pervy James Bond) and Mis-shapes which could have been written about me as gawky young nerd with specs worrying about being beaten up by townies if I ventured out on a Friday night. Woodchip-tastic!
Absolute masterpiece. One of the pinnacles of British rock.
solid 4.5. Um dos melhores álbuns britpop que existe.
I'm absolutely going to be a hypocrite here, after criticizing the list for being overly obsessed with Britpop, I'm rating this Britpop album with the full five stars. But this is an incredible Britpop album. Jarvis's narrators sneering cynicism in most of the songs, perhaps most evident in "I Spy" and "Common People," is fantastic contrast to the very 60s-inspired almost poptimistic musicianship.
Icl i just love this type of music. Low 5
Love this album. Hits and starts strong. Brit pop at its finest
This is totally Bowie-inspired Brit Pop, but Jarvis Cocker's lyrics put him up there with the best wordsmiths of his generation. A handful of great tunes on the record, with the infectious longing and melody of Disco 2000 and the immortal Common People being the most famous.
It's dark, somewhat disjointed and sounding jaded. But with some massive tunes
Depending on the day I might say this is the best album ever made.
Catchy class conscious britpop, what more could I want?
One of the ways in which this project is nice is it can force you to listen to albums you’ve otherwise set aside or put off for one reason or another - like if you’d known someone really annoying who liked Pulp or you’d heard the big song sung boldly and happily by upper-middle class people you didn’t care for. So imagine my surprise when I find out this album is all about being young, over-educated but without opportunities because you come from a shithole in the Midlands (and make no mistake, Sheffield, you’re not the north) and full of cum, and thus this was actually meant for me all along and, in line with the energy of the album, kept from me by the bourgeois types that want to hold onto art and trick you into thinking it’s for them even though they can never truly get it. Cocker’s got a fantastic swagger backed up by a great knack as a songwriter, the band are tapped into a cool version of the Britpop sound that feels like it’s still also in connection with new wave from the synths and so on which keeps it all similarly smart but easy, and it’s all got good energy. I think there’s a part of me that wishes it was bigger and bolder in a holistic sense, but that’s just to wish it was more of a favourite to go with my love of the words and spirit of it.
If Oasis are Britpop's rockers and Blur are its stylists, Pulp are its academics; seriously, I could *think* about this album forever. The more straightforward polemics here are straightforwardly excellent - "Common People" and "Mis-Shapes" have had me pumping my fist in the air for decades with as much ferocity as any Rage Against the Machine song. And Jarvis Cocker's tales of rootless mischief in pre-Millennium England are never less than exhilarating ("Sorted for E's & Wizz," "Bar Italia"). His chip-stained lothario persona is consistently more appealing than it has any right to be; he's wry when he's getting some ("Pencil Skirt") and achingly familiar when he's not ("Disco 2000," "Underwear"). The latter tracks in particular were a balm to me as a teenager in the latter category; they capture the very particular modern dilemma of the sexual underclass - bereft of companionship in an allegedly liberated world, starving while everyone around you seems to feast. But the real of meat of this album is the combination of those ideas - the fusion of economic class consciousness and sexual class consciousness hinted at on "Common People" and "Pencil Skirt" but explicated for real on "I Spy," the thorniest track here. Cocker's narrator spins a maybe-fantasy of wrecking a wealthy home, of getting "revenge" on a class-traitor ex-friend from the old neighborhood by holding his wife's body and "mak[ing] it sing again." He sounds dead serious, and yet Cocker the writer undercuts him, positioning him as a malicious daydreamer accused of sitting on his arse all day. He's Jethro Tull's Aqualung if he took a shower and started chasing MILFs instead of their daughters - more capable of concealing his malice but ultimately no less of a leering creep in his own little world. Which tracks - treating sexual status like it's a scarce resource being hoarded by the ruling class is basically inceldom in a nutshell (which this narrator may ultimately be, depending on how seriously we take him). In any event, it's downright frightening - I always find myself asking, *did he who made "Something Changed" make thee?* And even more critically, it's ultimately *impotent*; even if Cocker succeeds in swiping this guy's wife, she's never going to love him in a way that will fix him. Hell, she'll probably go back to him, and he'll take her back; they'll never fail like common people. Faced with this ugly maw - with the reality that the unfairness and inhumanity of the world is everywhere and will continue no matter how much one rages against it - it's no wonder Cocker retreats from it, into the usual refuge of the working class: smoke-break bullshitting. Seriously, it's telling how many of these songs live in Cocker's own head, somewhere other than the present - memories of school, relationship what-ifs, chemically altered states, paranoid thoughts about what your crush is up to. Even his actual encounters can't puncture his solipsistic running commentary ("F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E."). He tells himself stories about being alive to distract from the disappointing reality of being alive. And when reality peeks through anyway, he, like all of us, retreats to the nearest bar or hookup or record shop - *move, move, quick, you've got to move*. How very modern of him, and us.
Mis-Shapes - 4.5/5 Pencil Skirt - 4/5 Common People - 3.5/5 I Spy - 4.5/5 Disco 2000 - 4/5 Live Bed Show - 3.5/5 Something Changed - 4/5 Sorted For E's & Wizz - 3.5/5 F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. - 4.5/5 Underwear - 5/5 Monday Morning - 4/5 Bar Italia - 3.5/5
Great tunes, lyrics and talent, thx!
LAMEJORBANDA DLE BRITPOP PULP PUL JARVIS TE AMO
First album I bought. Still fantastic
Different Class feels less like a collection of songs than a fully inhabited social world. Not merely a portrait of Britain in the mid-1990s, but an account of what it felt like to move through that Britain bodily - hungover, overdressed, underconfident, ambitious, horny, lonely, observant, exhausted and still somehow hopeful. The comparison that kept returning whilst listening was Parklife. Both albums are major authored statements from Britpop’s peak and both elevate the movement beyond trend or tabloid shorthand. But they achieve this from opposite directions. Parklife is the window - Britain observed, curated, arranged into brilliant tableaux. Different Class is the lived-in version. The room after the party. The bed. The supermarket. The all-night café. If Blur mapped the territory, Pulp documented what it cost to inhabit it. What remains astonishing is how meticulously constructed the album is whilst sounding utterly alive. Every musical and lyrical choice appears placed with immense care, yet nothing feels overworked. Chris Thomas’s production gives the record scale without sterilising it. The arrangements shimmer with disco, glam, chanson and cabaret influences, but always remain tethered to recognisably British realities: damp mornings, rented rooms, awkward sex, class shame, cigarettes and cups of coffee attempting to repair the nervous system. Jarvis Cocker’s writing throughout is extraordinary because it never settles for one emotional register at a time. Desire coexists with embarrassment. Humour with genuine sadness. Social critique with yearning. Even the most quoted lines often conceal structural brilliance beneath their conversational surface. The album repeatedly reminds the listener that songs are constructed artefacts - temporal manipulations, performed memories, narratives rearranging lived experience into meaning. Yet this constructedness deepens the emotional truth rather than diminishing it. The sequencing is masterful. Early songs pulse with appetite, excitement and social velocity. The middle section descends into increasingly complicated territory: class resentment curdling into obsession, relationships eroding through routine, rave euphoria shading into psychic dislocation, love arriving as contingency rather than destiny. By the closing stretch the album has become exhausted in the best possible way. Monday Morning turns simple continuation into heroic cabaret. Bar Italia ends not with revelation but dispersal - tired people drinking coffee while daylight quietly resumes control of the city. And perhaps that is the album’s deepest achievement. Beneath the wit and glamour lies an adult understanding of impermanence. Nights end. Love does not necessarily wait around indefinitely. Youth evaporates while you are still inside it. Entire futures pivot on fleeting encounters and missed timings. Yet the record refuses despair. Instead it locates dignity in continuation itself - in carrying on through humour, style, companionship, sex, music and observation even after illusions have faded. Nearly thirty years later, Different Class no longer sounds merely like a great Britpop album. It sounds like one of the great British records about modern adulthood.
Visste redan innan att jag gillade dem men Pulp levererar verkligen över förväntan i det här projektet. Toppen!
Fantastiskt bra rätt igenom och ännu ett exempel på att 90-talet inte var så dumt ändå!
Pulp är bästa upptäckten i detta projekt!
It has Common People. It would be a 5 even if it didnt also have Disco 2000.
It's nice to hear an older example of theatrical rock! The dramatic vocals, synth samples, and violin interludes borrow composition cues from film soundtracks and reinterpret them through the lens of rock. The drums and guitar are featured on every track, being sure not to stray too far from the typical 90s sound.
A fantastic album,
Another album i wanted to hate because Jarvis Cocker comes across as a bit of an i sufferable wanker but i cannot help but like it. The time it came out within a thriving Britpop scene shows some fair and pointed criticism of it all and the music to ram home the points wasnt just a repeat of what the reat of britpop was putting out. Well arranged strings and orchestral moments but no less poppy for it. Its a great album.
Muy bueeeno, me gustó ese tipo de roxk
Really enjoyed this one. It has some songs I had heard in the 90s but I never listened to the whole album before.
Fantastic!!! This is one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve given. Jarvis’ has an amazing voice. I love the way he tells and builds a story in my head. I can literally imagine the girl from Common People and Deborah from Disco 2000. This will be in rotation for a long time and would love to get a physical version
Fantastic album! happy to know this band and this album now
Amazing album. A great study of what living means, even if you're poor (or at least average), brilliantly done, with songs you can dance to.
Possibly Britpop’s best album. The best known tracks here are of course Common People and Disco 2000, which are maybe teetering towards being played out but are so well written as satires and laments, respectively, that I’ll forgive them. Besides, there’s plenty on this album that more than makes up for the hits being too familiar. Misshapes, Something Changed, and Sorted for Es and Whizz are all classics in their own right that showcase the ability of Pulp at their best to successfully blend rock and pop with a wide variety of styles (disco and orchestral amongst them here). A classic showcase of a great moment for working-class British bands.
A brilliant album, possibly the best of the britpop era. Jarvis Cocker’s talent for storytelling and character studies is fully in evidence here, and it’s backed up by lush instrumentation. There isn’t a bad or even mediocre song here. “Common People” and “Disco 2000” are the big hits, and deservedly so, but “Mis-Shapes”, “Something Changed” and “Live Bed Show” are the other highlights.
I wavered for a bit, but eventually realised: this is surely one of the best British albums of the 90s. It’s great keyboard-powered pop-rock music with clever, insightful and often quite funny lyrics, which are one of the album’s strongest points. The songs examine social class/status, myriad aspects of sex and relationships, and the emptiness of drug-fuelled rave culture. ‘Common People’ and ‘Disco 2000’ are deservedly the best-known tracks, but ‘Mis-Shapes’, ‘I Spy’, ‘Live Bed Show’, ‘Something Changed’, ‘Feeling Called Love’ and ‘Underwear’ are also highlights. That said, there are really no dud tracks here. A really excellent record.
Consistently great 90s pop with great hooks, which also just happens to be a smart, devastatingly accurate account of British class consciousness, adolescent longing and generally being young and poor in the UK.
Loved the songs on the whole. Some absolute classics that will stand the test of time. Some elements of the production I didn't love but it still sounds so cool.
I've owned this album since it came out. It is a great piece of pop music.
I do have to be in the mood to live with some of the hypersexual lyrics and the horny vocals (see "Pencil Skirt" in particular for a track I'm often inclined to skip). However, this is otherwise a full-throttle five stars for me, which might not have been the case a year or so ago until I had experienced something of a Britpop awakening. It's packed with sumptuous, glam-inspired sing-along refrains, catchy melodies, ecstatic soundscapes disguising disenfranchisement, and insightful social commentary. Impressively, although it does capture a moment in time and very much invites feelings of nostalgia for said time, I think it has aged very well as the distinct Britishness of it, and the universality of some of the lyrical themes, attitudes and sentiments relating to the class system in the UK transcend generations. It remains a very intimate listening experience, and relatable to the "working bloke who feels a touch out of place in society" mindset.
I still don't really get genres, but I'm learning!
I listened to this album twice over two different grocery trips. Sometimes there are albums I love for what feel like self-evident reasons, and I wish I had more words to explain why it click with me so much; Different Class is one of those albums. It sounds like a precursors to modern British indie rock bands and art pop musicians, like Black Country, New Road crossed with Alex Cameron (a combination designed in a lab for me). The album sounds out of time in the best way, with witty writing that brings a strong sense of humor to the performances across the project despite a foreboding and menacing tone; this combo leaves it feeling darkly humorous in a way that I absolutely adore. Pulp seems to be a band plucked directly from my subconscious, and I'm incredibly glad to have this album now in my rotation. Highlights: Mis-Shapes, Pencil Skirt, Common People, Common People, I Spy, Disco 2000, Live Bed Show, Something Changed, Sorted For E's & Wizz, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., Underwear, Monday Morning, Bar Italia
Wonderful, full sound. Great layering of instruments and sounds that makes these songs ear-candy. High energy, variety, song compositions that have lots of parts to them and actually make use of their length? Zamn! Common People is definitely the standout so far. But I enjoyed all the songs. Just really well made, energetic, dramatic music. One of those albums where I went in for the second listen immediately after the first.
Still brilliant.
I was new to Pulp until listening to their album "This Is Hardcore" earlier in this list. But wow, "Different Class" blew that album out of the water. This is my ideal fusion of indie rock and pop. What stands out to me about pulp is their busy musical composition. The loud vocals, the great drumbs + guitar, and the fun layers added on-top (like the tambourine in Mis-Shapes or the synths in Common People) are so satisfying to my ear. This album is getting a 5 from me. Fav Tracks: Mis-Shapes Common People Disco 2000 Something Changed Monday Morning
Aivan huikea albumi. En tiennyt ennestään kuin ysärihitin Disco 2000. Omaperäinen, jäljittelemätön, silti brittipoppia parhaimmillaan. Kiipparit isossa roolissa mutta ehkä se osaltaan juuri tekee soundista niin omanlaisen. Mahtava löytö! 5/5
Perfect! I like it! Never heard them before, except Disco 2000 - the perfect hit! Thanks!
Pulp played a significant role in my life in the 90s. Not so much anymore, but there is still a lot of nostalgia around this record. I am disappointed the better His n Hers is not on this list, but so be it. I own this CD. It is full of great songs that were pretty much the soundtrack of the mid 90s and are still today. Listening to it critically, I think it still stands up today. I genuinely thought it was a bit overrated now, and I was going to give it a 4, but no. It's still bloody brilliant. So many notable songs and too many to mention, but Standout track is Disco 2000. Somethings changed is close, but it is Disco 2000 because...Rest in Peace Deborah Bone, an incredible human being. 5 stars
Mega!!! I love it*****
Amazing. Easy 5.
Un clásico de los 90 una verdadera joya
Album #102 Pulp: Different Class I suppose in some way I’ve always wanted to be British. I watched the Premier League instead of the NHL, I watched The Inbetweeners instead of Degrassi, and I listened to Pulp instead of Drake. It’s not that I don’t love my country of Canada (though these days it’s hard), but I just could never relate to the ethos of my people. Everybody is a cynic; it doesn’t matter how optimistic one seems. Deep down, they don’t believe what they are saying; their optimism is merely a defence mechanism. Canadians are especially poor when it comes to suppressing our cynicism; it is seen as unhealthy, so instead we blindly march on with our optimistic shaders, hoping that things will turn out alright. The British, however, do not care to maintain appearances; they know the world is shit and will say it how it is. To some, this can seem crass and off-putting, but truly, once you start to understand the humour in it, there is no other way to live. The vast majority of us are fucked, we are simply sheep in a herd heading to slaughter. Every man who is blessed with the capacity to think is, as a result, cursed with the knowledge of his inevitable demise. There are two ways you can cope with that: pretend that it isn’t going to happen, or accept it and have fun while you can; Pulp choose fun. Different Class is an album which will only speak to you if you are amongst the dregs of society. Sure, you may find the songs fun and catchy regardless of your economic class, but the substance will be completely lost on you. The majority of our lives are destined to be spent slaving away for scraps, and we know that, but the real question is, how will we spend our fleeting free time? To Jarvis Cocker and co. The answer is simple: sex, drugs, and music. It’s not as though we are deviants who only live for simple pleasures; we just can’t find pleasure any other way. We are limited to the bare necessities and make do with what we have. The first song of the album ‘Mis-Shapes’ defines this purposely, it’s an anthem for the unwanted, we don’t have the material means to fight oppression, but we have something our oppressors don’t, minds and souls. There is also the eternal ‘Common People’, which is a fairly explicit account of the differences between the privileged and the forgotten. Not all of this album is meant to be a cry out for revolution, as that simply is no way to live; everyone needs a bit of fun. Different Class is a deeply ironic album; songs like ‘Pencil Skirt’ and ‘Sorted For E’s And Wizz’ are dripping with charm and wit, addressing just how ridiculous this lifestyle truly is. But the brunt of the album tackles the single greatest source of pleasure and pain that can be experienced by a person of any status, love. This album has some of the most heart-wrenching songs that I’ve ever heard. ‘Disco 2000’ is the ultimate tale of longing for a past love that never came to be, and having to come to terms with your life moving on. ‘Underwear’ is a story of the girl you’ve always dreamed of with another man. But Pulp doesn’t want you to wallow in your own misery, for though the substance of these songs is harrowing, Cocker doesn’t let you drown, he’ll always chime in with a quip to keep a wry smile upon your face. Love doesn’t always need to be a sad topic, songs like ‘Something Changed’, which is quite a beautiful song about fate drawing you to meet your soul mate, and ‘FEELING CALLED LOVE’, which is potentially the sonic equivalent of when your heart skips a beat and you feel butterflies in your stomach. Pulp will forever be one of my favourite bands of all-time because I feel like they just get it, they actually feel like people. Jarvis started the band as some lanky kid from Sheffield in a shed, and slaved away for over a decade before finally hitting it big. So many bands and artists just make me feel depressed knowing that they were just spoiled nepo kids who sing and write about struggle, but will never actually connect to their words. Along with this, Pulp are absolute experts in creating an engaging hook, and couple it with some of the wittiest writing in popular music. Seeing Pulp live was one of my favourite experiences and will be a show that I will never forget. Different Class absolutely lives up to it’s name, and though I enjoy pretty much all Britpop, Pulp just completely blows everyone else out of the water with this one, as well as my favourite Pulp album ‘His n Hers’. Now I just need The Stone Roses and Ziggy Stardust to show up soon and I’ll have gotten my top five albums before I’m even half way done this list. Best Songs: All of Them Worst Songs: None Score out of 10: 10
Pulp in the 90s were amazing. Loved this album back then but re-listening to it today with 2026 ears it's even better. It's not dated. Sounds like to could have been released now. Pulp is in a different class for sure.
Where was I that I missed this band in the '90's? Wicked album with so many good if not classic songs?
Now this one is excellent. It's fun, it's horny and it perfectly encapsulates that late 90s feeling.
Brilliant album, definitely the best of britpop era for it's sophisticated, funny, cutting, clever lyrics. The music is very good and Jarvis Cocker delivery and style is so Bowie-esq.
Surely one of the greatest British albums and bands of all time - Jarvis Cocker take a bow sir, pure class on different class. Some of the best lyrics on songs ever, great stories.
Excellent example of the 90s Glitter Underground genre
love
Überraschend gut
love u forever
An astounding, perfect album, from first to last, and the one I always cite when anyone asks me if I can think of an album which is 'all killer, no filler'. Every note, line and nuance is wonderfully constructed and delivered in my humble albeit considered opinion.
I don't think there can be any arguing about whether this is an absolutely great and classic album. It is. And somehow, even in 2026, the futuristic fantasy of the year 2000 lands just the same. Can't wait to see how it goes!
One of THE essential brit pop albums. Beautifull album with a lot of hidden gems and amazing hits. 1. Common people 2. Something changed 3. Disco 2000
Jarvis Cocker is a strange character. I like it; I think that gives these songs even more personality. Songs like "I Spy" are offensive enough to be brilliant. That's probably my favourite in the album too. I listened to this a couple times before rating, and I liked Different Class even more the second time. Not only that, but I really want to listen to this again soon. 5/5
I LOVE YOU JARVIS COCKER!!! Oh my god I love this album. Gonna be honest, it’s probably not quite musically good enough or influential to deserve a 5 but it’s so charming and perfect in its own way. Also somehow the least horny pulp album. The lyrics are so good at telling a story, and the songs sound so British in an awesome way. Fav songs: mis-shapes, common people, disco 2000, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., underwear
i mean like come on man it’s fucking pulp
Buenisimo!
On one side, I don't like that much the sound of some instruments in this album. It's a gripe that I have sometimes in some specific eras of music. Also, I don't like how near the end can feel somewhat repetitive and a little bit tiring its thematics. But all that aside, it's powerful. Intense and emotional near an uncomfortable level. One thing is to whine and bitch about being sad and how life it's terrible while being rich or having everything solved, the issue a lot of bands tend to have and the reason some people hate listening to sad music in general. It's common to find that the problems and the way some artists talk about sadness and problems, tend to be banal in some genres and ages. And some get distanced from their fans once they get popular and rich. But here is all different in the sense that the problems and issues depicted here are not only very real, but common. This anguish, existential dread about the common life, this lifestyle in England at that period of time feel very prescient and still applies in some sense. It's not only that, but I feel really real the way it describes the protagonist of the songs, not victimizing them, but talking about their issues, the things they do, love, sex, being a jerk, having fun, and facing the consequences of that fun. All that makes it real, and impactful. It's how the last song describes it: you can dance and party. Drug yourself and fuck people. Wait for the weekend and get wasted. Live day by day and don't think about the future. It's not a question of waking up, or changing that. You're conscious of these decisions and this life, but you can't change them. You can only take the best parts of this reality and survive the rest. At the end, it's a world full of broken people, and you must do the best you can. ¿How they make this sound so happy and fun?
Just my favourite album in the world. I’ve yet to find joy that matches the two times I’ve belted out Common People live while Jarvis throws some shapes. Simpsons: No
Had been looking forward for this one. It's as pop as britpop goes, even sounding like new wave, while the lyrics are as satirical and edgy as they get. I like it.
Me está encantando esté album, mi fav hasta el momento ♡
If only the rest of Britpop was this good.
Very British. Great lyrics. Cool use of orchestra in some songs.
Another easy 5. Great record. Back to back belters that stand waaaaaay above any of its peers at the time. There’s just something way more to it, deeper, more layered than other albums that this unfairly gets lumped with. It’s a true classic
Fantastic album. Lots of great tracks, common people and disco 2000 are huge. Think I like sorted for Es and whizz best though. Mis-shapes, underwear and something's changed are great too. Think I said this last time, but I missed pulp at the time, but think they are now one of my favourite Brit pop acts. Not quite a 5 but close enough. 4.5
Hell yeah
I guess I’m into Brit Pop. Listened to the album two times through and just thoroughly enjoyed it
I recently watched a documentary about Pulp and the best part of it was multiple scenes of old people singing Pulp songs. They were just having a grand ole time
Is this really horny, or am I just ovulating? Why me? Why you? Why here? Why now? I haven't listen to much Pulp (except for the hits obvs) but I really enjoyed listening to this today and got stuck on F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. I do get why people seem to find this creepy, but maybe it just caught me on a day where I was a bit in to it? The drag on the cigarette where you can hear the tip burn, jesus christ, whats wrong with me.
Definitely 5 stars from me. I love Pulp, and this is a top 2 or 3 90's Brit Pop album to me, representing that sound and brief period. However, I say that as an American, so take it with a grain of salt! Still, I think this album still holds up as brilliant pop rock with witty and funny/wry lyrics.
This has quickly become one of my favourite albums. I really enjoyed the experience overall, and I feel genuinely glad I listened to it. The track “I Spy” stood out to me in particular — absolutely marvellous. It’s also an album I would happily listen to again, and in fact, I already am.
Personally this is the peak of Britpop - forget Blur and Oasis. Different Class is absolutely stacked with great songs full of wit, bite and the seediness of suburbia.
Most people I read in the comment sections on the songs compare Pulp to Blur and Oasis because of the genre they share (being Britpop) but honestly their style is really different from them, although in a good way. Very nice finding.
Liked that, a lot.
Great message, slow buildups that hit hard
Brilliant album this - some tunes in there - love this album
Feels like this is the other side of the coin of Paul Calf’s hatred of students. A Social studies lesson set to great pop music . If only there was a name for quintessential British pop from the ninety’s . This album is different class
Disco 2000 makes me so nostalgic
A+ album; One of the best of the 90's. One of the best of BritPop. It embodies the sound and spirit of BritPop. It's an album I can listen to over and over without even noticing but noticing every note. Biggest Hit - Common People Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. - only because that is way too much to spell out in a song. Hidden Gem - Monday Morning
I loved it
One of my favourite albums. Easy 5.
What a storyteller! Weirdly just discovered these guys last year with their most recent album
Ein tolles Album. Kannte ich vorher nicht aber mein reinhören dann doch auf zwei bekannte Songs gestoßen. Klingt eher nach 80er als 90er.
An eponymous album
Quite literally a different class from start to finish
Different Class indeed - this is a special album indeed. Jarvis and his British humour shines here, and it is really staunchly British. Working class ideals, drugs, sex, desire and social commentary packaged up in some great tunes. Sorted for E's and Wizz showcases their Glastonbury credentials. Common People is a stadium filler. Disco 2000 a lovely story. Pulp delivered on this.
This is in my top 25 albums of all time. I never get tired of it, and it always finds a way into my life. Let’s all meet up in the year 2000. Won’t it be strange when we’re all fully grown?
Such a banger🔥
I went into this record knowing one or two songs. I ended up loving it, all of it. It's a unique mix of poetry and melody.
L'album qui m'a fait découvrir Pulp, des tubes en pagaille qui les placent dans la cour des grands. Indémodable même si je lui préfère l'album suivant, beaucoup plus sombre.
i love this album. it's sort of weird. <3
This is a beautiful pop album that is full of rage and indignation. It feel Like Jarvis Cocker was working through some very personal issues that have had quite a pronounced effect on him. With two massive hits on it (Disco 2000 and Common People) you would imagine that the rest of the album might be in the shadow of these songs. They are absolutely not. I feel like Mis-Shapes (my personal favourite) is like a rallying call to a very British class war. And that theme continues throughout the album. By far the most quick witted and British album I have ever heard. I am so pleased with past me for having bought this when it came out. (4.759)
I always loved Common People - check out William Shatner's version, too - and wasn't a fan of Disco 2000. Then came This is Hardcore, which took the darkness lurking in the social commentary of the lyrics on Different Class - and combined it with music that was equally dark and dense. And that was all I knew about Pulp, besides some Greatest Hits Collection. I enjoyed Jarvis Cocker's Jarv.. Is project. And then came their comeback album in 2025, which somehow... Really grabbed me quite unexpectedly. So now here I am listening to their most successful album for the first time ever and I wonder why the fuck I never bothered to do that before. It's quite unexplainable and I am truly glad I did. And I will again.
This album doesn’t take its time in starting. This is already started out great. “Mis-Shapes” makes me want to rise against the billionaires. “Pencil Skirt” is so horny, I feel like I’m the one doing the actions. “Common People” reminds me of that one TikTok of these two “hippies” in a giant mansion, really ironic. I love verse 4 of “I Spy”. God, “Disco 2000” does something to my brain I don’t know how to describe it. It might be my favorite. I feel sad for this bed. I don’t know if it’s synths or strings but they are absolutely beautiful on “Something Changed”. I don’t think I could enjoy raves, sounds too sweaty. “FEELING CALLED LOVE”, (im not adding all those periods), is AMAZING. The vocals with the talking played together does something to my brain, I think this song took my virginity. It might be tied as one of my favorites. The message in “Underwear” is so important especially in today’s age where everyone is hooking up with whoever. I personally could never do that. To me, sex is something you have to be really sure of and once that happens, I believe it could be one of the most beautiful moments in your life. “Monday Morning” makes me want to chase the spark in life. “Bar Italia” is the aftermath of hard partying, which fits well as the last track of the album. Before this, Ive never heard of Pulp, but now that I have, this has become one of my favorite albums of all time. The themes are written so well, I feel like I’m there watching it all happen. I will definitely listen to more of Pulp.
Discovering a five star album on here is a bit like watching a no-hitter in baseball. After the first couple innings, you think, “Things are going really well. Surprisingly well.” A few more strikeouts and you’re not even willing to acknowledge what might be underway. By the seventh-inning stretch, you say to yourself, “This is an incredible experience, no matter what happens. Those labels are pointless, anyways.” But then the last out is called without even an infielder error and you realize you’ve just witnessed something beautiful and unexpected, which is the reason you participate in this masochistic ritual in the first place.
Pulp ja erityisesti tämä kyseinen Different Class-albumi oli itselleni yksi viime vuoden parhaista löydöistä. Eli tämä albumi oli hyvinkin tuttu entuudestaan. Kaikki kaksitoista kappaletta ovat loistavia, mutta ikoniseksi kohonnut Common People loistaa kaikista kirkkaiten. Jarvis Cockerin laatimat sanoitukset ovat kuin pienoisromaaneja. Monissa lauluissa kuvataan tarkkanäköisesti englantilaisen työväenluokan elämää, mutta mukaan mahtuu myös synkähköjä seksuaalissävytteisiä tekstejä. Mielestäni tämä lukeutuu 1990-luvun parhaimpiin levyihin.
I have been nourished by this album for weeks. The opening track is such a strong call to arms for nerdlings. I love the steady quarter notes with the anthemic chorus. The second song is where we start to see Cocker’s horniness emerge on the record. Common people is a definitive song of Britpop if not popular music in general, damn they speed up so much throughout this song, really ups the desperate qualities to it. This is a great 3 song opening to this record. The next big highlight is Disco 2000 which has one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard in a long time and Cocker is once again talking bout the ladies. Other great tracks on here were Something Changed and Feeling Called Love. This band can write some really engaging pop songs. This is a total 5/5 and I christen Pulp the best of all britpop bands. I even liked Underwear, sue me.
Handled the aus situation well, helped with the enjoyment of this album a lot and will continue their legacy
Common People is a Top 5 favorite song of mine.
I love when I can't identify the decade of an album... especially ones that could easily be 70s, 80s, or 90s which this one felt like to me. I obviously knew "Common People" but enjoyed the album from start to finish especially "Underwear" and "Bar Italia."
Incredible. Just incredible.
Great brit rock from the 90s, I love his voice and the musicianship of the whole band with those synths and guitar licks, exceptional album
When I was a teenager, I though Jarvis was too horny. Now I kinda like it
One of the first albums I ever bought
This album was one that I had always been aware of but had never listened to. Being in middle school during this time period while also being a major music fan meant that I was aware of its existence but Oasis was everywhere and I’m not sure Pulp made it across to the US south. I had heard of them but Common People wasn’t coming out of the radio like Champagne Supernova. Consequently, this was the first time I listened to this album and I’m so glad I did. It was really incredible and I can’t wait to explore further into their discography
Wow I loved this
This album is perfect. Initially I didn't like it at all because I never listened to something like this and the whole composition seemed strange. But the deeper I got into it I started enjoying and appreciating it more and more and now I can't really say anything bad about it. Definitely the best album so far that I've listened to from the list.
This album is in a different class of Brit Pop, delivering some of the highest quality music the genre has to offer. A really strong album, especially as a complete work. It flows like one long song that only truly resolves when you reach "Bar Italia", which serves as a brilliant closer. There are several outstanding tracks here. "Common People" is the obvious one, but even without it the album would still be fantastic thanks to songs like "I Spy", "Mis-Shapes" and "Pencil Skirt". I am genuinely happy I listened to this and I will definitely return to it in the future. 9/10.
An amazing display of Brit-pop at its finest. Great tunes and lyrics. Common People is the cherry on top of a flawless collection.
Pure bangers. Such a great album. I came in knowing the singles (Common People, Disco 2000, Misshapes) but all songs here are great. Danceable, anthemic, nostalgic, whimsical, just incredible. Pulp occupy a unique place in Brit pop. In a musical movement where everyone claimed to be a misfit, they were the true misfits. Working class upbringing but not lads, sophisticated without being posh, and mature band rather than overnight sensation. Anyway incredible album, Disco 2000 for me is one of the greatest songs of the nineties.
This is an album that's right up my alley. I don't really know much about music yet, but I know this was phenomenal. I love how emotion is built up and released again and again. I love how the storytelling in each song is distinctive, but also in harmony with each other as a whole album. Wow! This album feels like running through wet city streets late at night. Favorite track: Mis-Shapes, Bar Italia (Fantastic opener and closer) Least favorite track: Pencil Skirt
Really great album, some of the best britpop has to offer imo
Such a refreshing pop album! I’m not a huge fan of pop records but this one spoke to me. Sounds a lot like David Bowie and had very compelling chord progressions. Beautiful lyrics and very catchy choruses.
The best britpop album. Not a weak track here. Common People in the conversation for best british song ever. 5 Stars.
Jarvis Cocker you are my favorite pervert no joke common people is probably in my top 10 songs of all time
Fantastic. Jarvis Cocker is a national treasure from another nation.
Love it
These lads understand that just because class war is the real war, doesn't mean you can't have fun with it
I don't know how popular of an opinion it is, but Pulp is the best brit pop band and this is their magnus opum
Saw Pulp at Glastonbury 2025 . Absolutely fantastic and hot weather to boot .
Albummet der er kvintessensen af Brit-pop. En spændstig Maggie-terning af Cool Britania. Der er KÆMPE bangers som Mis-Shapes, Common People, Disco 2000 osv. Men også en skildring af England bag facaden med humor og bid.
Didn't like Pulp at the time, but I do. Classic album.
- I've listened to this album a million times. Had the CD with the interchangeable sleeves with all the different pictures that you could take out. - Love Jarvis's voice and storytelling - he really knows how to set a mood. And, the instrumentals support it really nicely. - Interesting themes/working class anthems. - I like some songs better than others, but I wouldn’t skip anything.
I mean, this album is just perfect.
this one is for all the horny little freaks, but with a class-conscious anger too (so, for myself)
Clásico de Pulp
It's like Geordie Greep's The New Sound, just way less mathy and about 30 years earlier. I love that album and I love this one. Albums that parody creepy weirdos by acting like the creepy weirdos are always entertaining. This guy plays the creepy weirdo a little too convincingly, but in a good way. He clearly convinced some people on this site that he's a creepy weirdo. That's the kind of parody we need more of in the music world, parody so good it actually tricks people into thinking it's serious.
A 90s classic; ubiquitous at the time. Several great songs on here; have it on CD somewhere in a box in the garage.
Amazing. Catchy melodies, lively vocals, dinstinctive style, yet variable in its implementations. One of few albums I like that are simply fun to listen to.
This is exactly why I'm here: I've never heard of Pulp before. I really enjoyed this album. Will definitely listen to again.
Fantastic for 2/3 of the time and then there's this dark side that forgets the pop and quite yukky. Still too good to mark down.
I love this album. i listen to it probably once a month. Today was a great day
Perfect.
A nostialgic album for me. Love it
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I've been really lucky in the first 3 albums that have come up for me! Pulp are a band who milled around relatively unknown for 15 years and then got huge in 1995 when the Britpop scene exploded. Meaning my 15 year old self was all over this and it remains one of the albums I've heard the most. Disco 2000 and Common People are well known by everyone in Britain and continue to get radio play to this day and those of that era will also be familiar with 'Sorted for Es and Wizz'. But throughout this is just great. Imagine the actual concept behind writing 'Something Changed', an underrated masterpiece. Underwear and I Spy are also bangers and there's not really anything here that let's you down. Holds up well. Best bit: Maybe the bit where I Spy really gets going, a vindictive narrative of a jealous freak. Ask me another day it'll be different. Worst bit: Pencil Skirt is slightly throwaway but serves its purpose as the breather between Mis-Shapes and Common People.
After several albums of more misses than hits, pulp finally struck a winning formulae. Lyrically cutting and musically catchy
I had to listen twice to decide between 4 and 5. I'd heard the songs before in passing, but the album passed me by in it's time. But despite having no nostalgic value, this is a 5. Brilliant music, and every song is a story.
The title says it all. Really liked this album. The sound is great and the lyrics require more that a single listen and some thought. Great to see them back playing at Glastonbury 25 (on TV only). Need to seem them live!
Great lyrics performed dramatically with a solid backing band. This is a pretty accurate description of being 20 something in 90’s Britain.
*chefs kiss*
What a glorious coincidence! A day after securing tickets to see one of my favourite bands, Pulp, when they visit Australia next year, this absolute classic pops up on my feed. I’ve been listening to it since it came out in 1995, a brilliant album full of quirky lyrics and catchy tunes. Common People is one of the all-time great songs, Disco 2000 is a banger and everything else is great too! More like this please 🙏
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Now this is why I continue on this project. Somehow, despite most of prime radio years being between 1988-2000, I'd never heard any of Pulp's music. Well no time like the present. This album is great from start to finish. Always interesting. Common People and Disco 2000 are the clear standouts to me. No skips here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolute perfection Sounds better now than when it was released 30 years ago
This wonderful, sophisticated, pop record is what we get when artists are allowed to grow and develop over a number of years rather than being rapidly built up then brutally knocked down by a revenue-hungry industry. In fairness, the time it took Pulp to reach these heights probably wasn't part of any grand plan, but that's the way things unfolded, and glorious records like this are what we get as a result. From the masterful pop of Mis-shapes and Disco 2000 to the rather more creepy, sinister epics like I Spy, Pulp deliver their sprawling tales of love, lust, revenge, obsession, regret, chance, class, suburbia, and anxiety with a brand of flare, humour and panache that I don’t think we’ve seen from anyone before or since. And I haven't even mentioned Common People - now so incredibly familiar but when you step back and consider it afresh, the lyrics, the structure, the energy - everything! It's like nothing else. One of the greatest pop singles ever and surely almost universally relatable. A great record from a band at the height of their powers.
Off the cuff remark: while I am not the biggest Pulp fan I feel they represent something special. Different Class seems to embody that. Pop Music with something to say: funny, wry, sardonic and often uplifting. Standout track: it can't be anything other than the truly wonderful Common People Revisit?: Yes. From witnessing them in their embryonic days at the Adelphi in Hull to the present day, always a pleasure.
How can this be 30 years old ?
Immediately giving David Bowie. All the vibes in this album are exactly the reason why i fuck with English new wave/80s and 90s music so heavy 'Disco 2000' bangs. 'FEELINGCALLEDLOVE' also goes hard as hell - kinda reminds me of Lovesong by the Cure.
Intellectual, theatrical Brit-Pop. Love the sound and emotion of this album. Top notch vocals, production, lyricism and songs. One of those records that reminds you of your love for music and listening to everything you can get into your ears - to escape and just be fixated and happy.
Common People is a proper classic. The Album is littered with great tracks. Great lyrics. Sex and class the main themes. Had to give it a 5.
Can't not be a 5 despite personally being a little fed up with a couple of the overplayed tracks. Still prefer This Is Hardcore though
The apex of Britpop? Tune after tune of great British social commentary from Cocker (who else would write about skilfully avoiding dog turds outside the corner shop?), beautiful cheers of pace, and still sounding great.
Now this is what I wanna see. It’s really good and like calm we’re gonna say. But it also has the guitar and drum thing in the album that if it didn’t have it I wouldn’t have liked it so much. The production is also very great. Totally understand why it’s Common People that everybody prefers, though the rest is equally good. Like take I Spy for example, it’s my fav one on the album. Or maybe it’s Live Bed Show? Sorted For E’s & Wizz sounds like it could be used for a marauders edit too. And maybe my fav song is Underwear?
Undoubtedly the best Britpop album. I'm still a little peeved that I couldn't get on to the field for their 1995 Glastonbury performance!
Świetny album o różnicach klasowych. „Different Class” - album, który zamiast fetować klasę średnią, rozbiera ją na części i wystawia na pośmiewisko. Muzycznie jest w rozkroku między dance popem a teatralnym dramatem. Sercem albumu zdecydowanie jest Common People - skoczny taneczny kawałek o podziale i napięciach klasowych. Opowiada o dziewczynie cosplayującą biedę jako estetykę - chyba bardziej aktualne nawet teraz, niż w chwili wydania albumu. Idealny na weselicho, które przyjstraja okładkę albumu. Mega mocne 5, kocham Pulp, a rzadko zdarza się, aby zespół osiągnął swój peak tak późno w swojej karierze.
Love it. Common People is a post-Thatcher indie film in a single song soundtrack. Love the snide satirical lyrics all through the album, the outrage, the joy, the snark, Jarvis Cocker is amazing on vocals throughout.
Banger 5 stars
A classic.
Absolute Class in all senses of the word. A fantastic album by a fantastic band. I love this 90s classics galore and Javis is just legendary as a front man. Great lyrics, great style tight band whats not to like
Sings about other people's wives more than I'd like, but still excellent.
Best lyrics ever…
Another good one
So good. Jarvis' voice is so oddly appealing and the music is cool and rhythmic and catchy and all around fucking awesome.
1001 Albums Challenge (14/1001) 1. Mis-Shapes (5/5) 2. Pencil Skirt (5/5) 3. Common People (4/5) 4. I Spy (5/5) 5. Disco 2000 (5/5) 6. Live Bed Show (5/5) 7. Something Changed (5/5) 8. Sorted For E's & Wizz (5/5) 9. F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. (5/5) 10. Underwear (5/5) 11. Monday Morning (5/5) 12. Bar Italia (5/5) Total (5/5)
Different Class / This is Hardcore, 2 classiques des années 90. Beau retour de Pulp cette année avec More.
Classique britpop et un favori personnnel. Si excellent. Common people, mis-shapes, I Spy, disco 2000, feeling called love, underwear, toutes incroyables. J’adore le style de Jarvis Cocker, à l’opposé de Liam Gallagher ultra cocky.
This is already my most listened to album of the year and Its a clear 5 stars for me. Simply one of the best albums of the 1990s and all time. Took me a few years to really get into Pulp and now they're one of my favorites. This is album is simply a masterpiece and is the best Britpop album. It sweeps anything Oasis or Blur has made in my opinion. Jarvis Cocker is such a great lyricist and singer. The production is just fucking great and this album has been something of a addiction for me. You thought Common People was great? You also got Disco 2000, Sorted for E's and Wizz, Mishapes, Bar Italia, Underwear, Something Changed, and Live Bed Show. Just crazily goated.
Reminds me of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Leonard Cohen. Interesting use of spoken word while singing. Overall an amazing britpop album with my two favourite tracks being Commin People and I Spy
An absolute "modern" classic (ahem, it still feels it but of course it's nearly 30 years old now!), the only downside is that the production can seem a.bit lumpen and flat at times, but I can't quite bring myself to allow that to make it a 4*, as it is a solid 4.5 and nearer 5. So many great hit songs and the album tracks like I Spy are fabulous.
Pulp, A Different Class ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My 33⅓︎ review There's only a few modern British bands I like more (and by modern I mean post-Clash, post-Smiths, post-The Cure, etc.) namely The Verve, Chapterhouse, maybe Stone Roses. I think these goofy bastards grandfathered themselves in as spokespersons for Britpop by being at it for so long and always being cheeky (Oasis forever self-serious, Blur too laddy too arch, Radiohead being cold and distant like a modern Pink Floyd—we are art rock and don’t you ever forget it.) I liked the description of Pulp as working-class misfits. Common People and I Spy are hilarious examples of class warfare via preying on students for their naïveté and their cozy dorm rooms, credit cards, and desire to see anything that isn’t podunk home. Or bored wives who provide all that plus experience, higher credit limits and less guilt. The joke here is (and I think Cocker lets us in on it sometimes) that you can be as self destructive as you want: but they still have the property, the access, the bank accounts, the marriages and the futures that he doesn’t. Anyway, these guys also relied on their own sound, not fancy Blur production nor phony Beatlemania (guess who) to get their songs on the radio. And good for them because they aged so very well. Something Changed is like a sad bastard Every Day is Like Sunday but while it’s not quite the masterpiece that song is, it’s so much more relatable. Oh, some sad sack girl Morrissey dreamed up in Brighton or Blackpool is so very depressed and prays for the excitement of nuclear annihilation? That’s fiction. Or at least maybe it’s happened but it’s not his story, while Something Changed, you can imagine Cocker agonizing over Deborah like some lovelorn Ian Curtis. Oh wait. Sorted for Es and Wizz is like “why is my life going nowhere and the best I can do is seek out drugs and music?” in a song. And dirge-lites like this are why people love Britpop at its most stripped down. Monday Morning sounds like something you and your buddies might belt out because you’ve heard it 100 times and memorized it and it’s like a barfly anthem. But listen and maybe you hear the ghost of Ian Curtis singing about boredom again. Only this time it’s not Digital but Pulp laughing about how life sucks if you don’t check out. Maybe you oughta? It never seems mean spirited though. Cocker wants nobody to check out. Especially the guy whose wife he’s banging. That guy’s gotta keep buying his brandys and cigarettes and hotel rooms.
Classi
Awesome. Will listen to more pulp for sure.
Outstanding !
9/10 Classic of Bristol, and hence my teenage years. 5 huge tunes from that era, and the rest are pretty great too. At times it gets a bit much with Jarvis's heavy breathing and wet dream lyrics, but overall it is nothing but a solid classic
Still perfect. Feeling called love still gives me goosebumps.
One of my favs of all time
Masterpiece
It has Common People, enough said.
Indie classic late Latymer days
Great album. Just saw them live. So good.
I listen to this album in full once every few years and I always forget how happy it makes me
Skiva som beviste (og fortsetter å bevise) at britpop kunne være kult. Pakket full av bangers ispedd deep cuts som belønner gjentatte lytt. Skarp og voyeuristic låtskriving som har høye kvanta av både sleaze og allsangvennlige, catchy hooks. I grunn en perfekt pop-skive.
David Bowie + Brian Wilson + Leonard Cohen = Sant! Dæven dette var kult
Never heard of this band before this listen. Mis-Shapes, Common People and I Spy are pretty good. I like the messages about classism. Seems pertinent today. Feeling Called Love is great. Many songs are catchy and overall a very good vibe. Would recommend.
Incrível música nova que curti.
Unreal album from an unreal band, they’re just so bloody good 5.0/5.0 Best Song: Sorted For E’s And Wizz
My memory is fallible; I'm not one of those people who claims they remember exactly where they were the first time they heard Smells Like Teen Spirit or Anarchy in the UK. I don't remember how I first heard Pulp but I imagine it was on the Evening Session on Radio 1 about a year before this came out. Jarvis was captivating and to open this album with an outsiders anthem like Mis-Shapes was a wonderful reminder that it's ok to be different or feel different. I think the opening four track run on here is probably as good as any album released that decade.
YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! this ones literally a top ten oat album for me. every single song is just perfect, like chills-down-my-spine amazing. and i listened and it still holds up, obviously. especially common people, that song could make me cry
Seeing Pulp at Glastonbury this year was really special. We basically knew it would be them, but the 'secret' set still wowed from opening with 'Sorted for E's and Whizz', to inevitably closing with 'Common People'. Had any of the other tracks from this album featured in the rest of set we would have gone wild. Jarvis was not the hero the 90s wanted (that was probably Liam), nor the one it deserved (that was probably Damon), but the one it needed. At Britpop's incredibly uncertain legacy needs him even more now.
Album No. 0016 on my list. Pulp's Different Class is certainly one of Britpop's greatest albums, right up there with Oasis' first two albums, Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish/Parklife/The Great Escape, and the Verve's Urban Hymns. I've known most of the songs before, but as far as I remember, I had never listened to this album in its entirety. Different Class cerntainly lived up to its reputation - this is an incredibly good album! Beyond the band's two greatest hits ("Common People", "Disco 2000"), there are so many more great songs on this - from the first track ("Mis-Shapes") to its end ("Underwear", "Bar Italia"). This is such a great album - lyrically, musically, artistically (and commercially). "Different Class" is just great. It's Pulp at their peak. This is quintessential britpop. Awesome record, 5/5 stars!
Maybe the best Britpop album?
Brilliant.
The true heroes of Britpop! Following the breakthrough of the exquisite His n’ Hers, Pulp were now in full swing for the release of this, their most commercially successful album. Jarvis is in top form with his tapes of love, sex, and everyday life. The tracks here are so strong, everyone of them could have been released as a single. For a while, the uncool became cool, as the band were thrust into the mainstream and seemed to enjoy the ride. As it was the popular songs, whilst good are possibly the weakest here. Pulp have always been tongue in cheek but Disco 2000 and Common People are in danger of becoming parodies of themselves!
Fucking banging, not a bad song on the album. Sheffields king of sexy kitchen sink verse covers topics such as shagging, class politics and getting off your nut. 9/10
Hells yes
Really enjoyed this
One of my favourite albums, unique and perfect.
Britpop has a lot to offer and shouldn't be reduced down to Blur vs Oasis. This album by Pulp is a funny, melodramatic observation of the complex (class) society that the UK is. There is a lot more talent here than in other bands with catchy melodies. It's a lot more essentially Britpop than so many other works of the genre.
Probably one of the most underrated bands of the 90s.
Genuinely amazing , I spy is a lowkey insane song. I’ve been fucking your wife , thanks dude. But I do like everything here, from the style to the lyrics. It’s very easily the album most like my usual music taste. Genuinely great, the underlying theme of hating women really stuck with me
Top 5 Britpop album!
me hace sentir esta nostalgia que nunca viví, un sentimiento de cuando recuerdas tu pasado, convirtiendo tu tristeza en una pequeña pizca de felicidad
Even album tracks are mostly great. Parklife aside. THIS IS BEST IN BRITPOP
PEAK. Here's another favorite of mine! Different Class is not only the best album by Pulp, it's also the greatest album of the britpop genre. "Common People" is an anthem that I never get sick of no matter how many times I hear it. "Bar Italia" is another favorite of mine, I love it when he goes "WHERE OTHER BROKEN PEOPLE GOOOOO". Other notable tracks include "Underwear", "Something Changed", and "Disco 2000" to name a few. This is a truly timeless record, one of the best to come out of Britain during that era. Favorite track: Bar Italia, Common People
It’s hard to know how much of my enjoyment of this album came from the music itself, and how much came from the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. Either way, it is truly delightful from front to back. Both of my favourite Pulp songs are found here, in Disco 2000 and Common People. The songs I didn’t already know are fun and catchy too. It’s probably as good as it gets for britpop.
loved the different songs and some of the classics
Joke's on you 1001, I was going to listen to this anyway! :) One of my bestest favouritest albums, there's so much going on :)
Amazing.
Bruh like it's Pulp, they're one of my favorite bands of all time. I saw Jarvis Cocker live and he threw me a badge with the face of Steve Mackey in it, I love all of them. Instant 10/10.
With Different Class, Pulp delivered not just the definitive Britpop statement, but something more enduring and theatrical an album that feels like the rightful heir to David Bowie's legacy of glamorously subversive pop. Much like Bowie, Jarvis Cocker crafts personas and wields irony with precision, creating a vivid world where sex and social class collide in clever, often uncomfortable ways. From the anthemic “Common People” to the deliciously sinister “I Spy,” this record stages its themes with a Bowie-like flair for drama, camp, and transformation. Pulp doesn’t reinvent their formula here, they perfect it. Synth-laced, disco-tinged, and always sharply literate, Different Class is filled with hooks that dazzle and lyrics that slice. The album’s concept being proudly different in a conformist culture is more than a slogan; it’s a manifesto. “We just want the right to be different,” the sleeve proclaims, and Cocker delivers on that promise with every smirking aside and every desperate cry. Smart, stylish, and gloriously strange, Different Class earns its title and its place among the greats.
Maybe the best album of the 90s
This is brilliant.
My favourite album as a 16 year old is still up there!
I really loved listening to this album. The stories were so well executed with the perfect amount of humour, the build up through the songs made those loud and powerful moments more effective, overall a top tier album worthy of the list. Would be a 5 but I felt there were a few songs which didn't meet the same level of 5* like common people and disco 200
As others have noted, remove the hits from this and you still have a fantastic album. Bar Italia might be my favourite, Common People aside (which is not only Pulp's magnum opus but probably the defining song of the entire Britpop era, so not a fair comparison for anything). The class politics and feelings of alienation, anger and confusion running through this album either really resonate with you or they don't, so I understand it isn't everybody's cup of tea. I absolutely love how those themes are explored with both ire and humour throughout, and even though I don't get the male sexual frustration part - and can see how that can come across as creepy, although I don't think that's really the point - it is still deeply relatable.
9/10
How did I miss Pulp? They sound like something that should have been on my radar for a long time now. Love the ridiculousness of the lyrics, the raw charisma of vocals, the social commentary hidden in between of all that drama, and the sound. No bad track on the album.
Fast nur banger auf dem Album
Really classic album from the 90s britpop / indie scene. I think at the time I did like it but I preferred some of the heaver acts at the time. Listening now it really is lyrically and musically excellent. Stand out tracks: - Pencil Skirt - Common People - I Spy - Going for a Leonard Cohen sound here - Disco 2000 - Live Bed Show - Sorted for E's and Wizz - Monday Morning - Bar Italia
9/10
Banger album.
I mean, the title ain’t lying. Lyrically brilliant, musically both joyous and emotive. Just brilliant.
I actually don't personally like this album as well as I've rated it, it's not one I listen to. Yes, it's Britpop, probably the best Britpop album ever, but Britpop doesn't do that much for me these days. Musically, this album doesn't interest me all that much (as a whole, anyway). But holy shit the songs on this one are incredibly strong. It's just stacked with hits, even if they're not to my personal taste anymore. So it's a 5.
Best britpop albums of all time, you can't convince me otherwise.
Classic album
One of the finest social commentaries ever. Nuff said.
Wow! I do not remember this album being so good! I've always been a slight fan of Pulp, and always in particular loved Jarvis Cocker's absurd and funny lyrics (kinda like Sparks or some of the Smiths music). More music should be funny.... In particular, the run from track 1 to 5 is just banger after banger. This sits between a high 4 or a low 5 for me.
Great, album! Music is awesome and lyrics are fun & story telling.
I love this album
this fucking rocks and it is also insanely catchy. that’s all i rlly gotta say lol
Great album, one of the pinnacles of Britpop. Standout songs are Common People, Disco 2000, and Mis-Shapes. Overall, a fun listen and has a lot of great moments.
Внезапно осознал, что между ранним Джарвисом Кокером и Айзеком из моей любимой группы есть очень много общего. В манере, в тексте. Это мега-альбом, который, в отличие от многих других больших бритпоп-вещей до сих пор звучит заебис. Лучшая песня - Common People.
This album is britpop distilled. It feels like a landmark of the genre, and it would clearly influence more recent acts like "Arctic Monkeys" in style and delivery. I really like Cocker's singing, very distinctive UK britpop style. His whole attitude too is refreshingly brazen, finding a mix of sleazy, insightful and sometimes energetic. His songwriting and delivery are also super interesting, especially in "I Spy", the mix of singing and whispering displays great range and creativity. I really liked "Disco 2000","I Spy", "Monday Morning" and "Underwear". "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E." was also amazing, grandiose and I loved the strings here and in "Something Changed". I actually liked most of the songs. At first, I thought I'd give this record 4 stars. It doesn't really feel like a "masterpiece" or like a truly cohesive classic album. But I've been listening to this on repeat for the past +24 hours and it turns out I really really like it. To me it feels like an album that might be a bit imperfect but that you like so much you're willing to overlook its flaws. Don't expect a perfect album, but expect the catchiest and most insightful Britpop has to offer. For me, that's worth 5 stars.
Since i started the list, this is the first new album since I started the list about a month ago that blows me away. I dont know how I missed this music so far but I loved it…
I was introduced to Pulp at the bowling alley I worked at. One of my co-workers had Common People on a mix CD he made for the glow in the dark Bowling they had every Friday. Jarvis Cocker, I heard, writes all of his songs in Strip Clubs. That alone moves this album to a 3 star at least. But you know what? That’s not where it’s stopping, oh no! I will say, this is by far their best album. This is Hardcore does a decent enough job but this album put them so far on the music relevance map that even with sub par albums from after this album for eternity, they are still a top notch band. I’m not sure there is a person out there who likes rock even moderately that would not ike this album. I listen to this album probably once ever 3 months or so Choice cut: Disco 2000
Wrote a long review for this album, took over an hour to write once done I reread it & it was absolute garbage, fuck. Now I have a stress headache and I'm not having fun which defeats the entire purpose of why I'm doing this "project" as many of you like to call it. I need to calm done, accept that the awful truth that I'm not great at putting into words how I feel and stop treating everything like it's a matter of life and death. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. OK, here are my hopefully not too jumbled thoughts on Different Class. A deep dive into everything that matters more than sex (HINT not much) in first world countries circa late 20th century which is entirely appliable to circa now AKA 2025. In Pulp's world people (all people) belong in one of two groups (1) those that have sex & (2) those that don't have sex. Different classes if you will. 12 songs about how sex controls everything. Some subtle, some less so all first rate. The music is flawless and works remarkably well with the clever lyrics like scary good. I love this album it's almost as good as sex.
I don't quite remember how I discovered Britpop in high school, but I discovered Britpop in high school and it as though it was sent from on high. I probably heard Oasis first, then Blur, then Pulp. They all had their different vibes. Oasis was a bunch of coked-up soccer hooligans, Blur was snorting Ritalin and getting stoned, and Pulp was just stoned. Different Class is the record that put them on the map, and it is still a perennial favorite of mine. I am so glad they're back.
A classic! A really great album worthy of my first 5 of the list.
I love this album, so much I can't really begin to express how or why, it's simply one of those albums I listened and grew obessed over afterwards (which was both great and to my detriment). I don't even know where to start about it, is it the sound which I think are the best parts of britpop all rolled into one? The best of pop rock with the inspo from other genres, giving it the oomph that it needs? Is it the lyrics and writing? This album isn't shy about its sexuality and the many common situations that some 20 to 30 something might go thru, it feels grounded in that way, not just about someone's sexual escapades but the character going thru them (Well its Jarvis) is as fun to hear go on about how he's done all these things (sex with wives, teaching a rich person how to be a regular person, bad sexual encounters, etc.) that both sound made up but also not, and it's weirdly enjoyable, in a voyeuristic way. Is it just that most if not every song sound perfectly crafted and flows well into the next? Idk There's so much that goes on this album that still confuses me as to why I love it, but I think it also taught me to love music like this and see that I'm able to love it, and for it I can't help but love this album
Very good
The first song I ever heard from Pulp was Disco 2000 from Now That’s What I Call Music 33, which my uncle bought in the UK and gave me as a Christmas present in 1996 when I was 11 years old. It became my favorite song on the album and one of my most listened to songs of my childhood. Then of course I heard and loved Common People but for some reason I never bothered with listening to the full album, which is strange because I'm an "album person" and this is exactly the type of music I listened to in my 20s. But now after having listened to the full album three times, wow, what an album. So many great tracks I've never heard before but are so fucking great; Something Changed, F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., Underwear and Bar Italia to name a few. Different Class is my 85th album of this project and easily a top 5 so far and perhaps the best one yet. An album I will listen to for years.
great album and band
V memories
Really loved this one. Pretty classic brit pop/rock, felt like a clear precursor to bands like Arctic Monkeys in some ways.
I liked it a lot
An album dripping with mid-90s sex and poetry - like Leonard Cohen shredding on a Stratocaster in the nude.
The best britpop album ever recorded (I wouldn't properly consider Oasis as a britpop group). Blink and you'll miss so many hidden gems full of musicality and personality. Pleasant surprise.
5/5. This is what a Brit Pop album should be. It's giving modern Kinks with the high production found in British albums around this time while still feeling fresh and relevant, especially with the lyrics. It's silly and sex-driven but also depressing and humbling. Every song feels so alive and present, from the instrumentation to the vocals. It's honestly hard to find a song I'm skipping on this one. Pretty perfect all around. Best Song: Common People, Mis-Shapes, Something Changed, I Spy
Have on vinyl: Yes. Yellow colored Fav Track: Like picking your favorite kid...but going with Underwear. Notes: Top 5 album
Me ha recordado por momentos a un proto strokes, proto indie y todo lo que vino. Está chulisimo, las melodías así tan habladas molan mucho y su forma de cantar medio lloriqueando, muy guay todo. 5/5
How have I gone this long without hearing this album? Easily a 5/5
It's very Roxy-Music-Country-Life-esque, especially in delivery. I really enjoy this album, but I cannot think of it as a 5. Something's missing. Edit: Decided to give it a 5 after all. Not many albums like this one.
Sexy pop punk. Lyrics very relevant to today. Lots of Bowie influence
Det är ju nittiotal, det är ju Pulp. Femma!
I got COVID for the first time at a Pulp show and it was undoubtedly worth it
Great 1990s brit pop.
I’m at a 5. Once again, a Mercury Prize winning album has come through for me – I really liked this. We haven’t had an album that the site defines as Britpop in a bit, and this did scratch a sort of itch that’s been missing for a bit. If the last time we got an actual Britpop album was indeed in November, then that’s a long time without one, and this is a nice return to form. Granted, I don’t think this is fully entrenched in the Oasis / Blur style of Britpop, with more bombastic instrumentation & a grander vision to fill out stadiums with heavier rock. This album really succeeds when it hits on its more local points, sorta like the Tom Waits album we just got. It does a really nice job of blending those local points with R.E.M.-esque instrumentation, a vaguely Bowie-esque vocal tone, and synth work that feels sorta like Depeche Mode. It’s a form of Britpop that harkens back to the late 70s & mid-80s, mixed with more of the contemporary issues of the mid-90s, and it’s a really cool blend to hear that carves its own unique niche in the wider space of Britpop. Granted, a good chunk of those contemporary issues are really awkwardly horny in a way that feels strange to listen to in 2025, but hey, 30 years ago, what can you do? I really don’t think there’s a bad track here – a few awkward listens, and the occasionally over-produced track that lasts a little long, but nothing ever so egregious as to feel out of place or boring. This is a really cohesive 52 minutes that does feel like it stands up with the best of its era, even if it’s not in the same musical space as its peers. I love the more local approach, and I think it adds an air of authenticity & relatability to each track that something like, say, “Champagne Supernova” could never really provide, even though I love that track. So, yeah, I’m at a 5 – realistically, maybe more of a 4.5 bumped up to a 5, but I thought it was a fun album, & I highly recommend listening to it. If nothing else, “Common People” lives up to those 235 million plays on Spotify.
Amo este disco como pocas cosas. Magnífico de la primera a la última canción.
I don't have much to add to what's already been said about this one. Clearly one of the defining albums of the 90s, blending just the right amount of smarts and social commentary with humour and banging pop tunes.