Different Class

weak and forgettable for me

It may look to the untrained eye like he's been sitting on his arse all day - but the Serge Gainsborough of Britpop has been busy rifling through the charity shops, listening to Scott Walker, sleeping with everyone, and packing exquisite observations of British culture, sexual mores, and class politics into one of the best albums of the 90s. There's so many highlights: "Common People" never lose its charm, "Something Changed" is evergreen, and "Sorted for E's and Whizz" is still the best piece of advice about drugs in pop music (despite the front-page tabloid headline "BAN THIS SICK STUNT" for the origami speed wrap...which duly sending it to #2 on the first week of release) - Pulp could do no wrong. I've never been particularly keen on the ropey glam of "Disco 2000", but in the context of the album it serves as a welcome decompression from its devastating masterpiece, "I Spy", demonstrating a band who've absolutely cracked the formula, and have the confidence and talent to pull off the most epic gestures that pop music can sustain. As a typical indie kid, I am still fonder of the album before this one. But this is undoubtedly the more accomplished, multi-layered, and mature record, which catches Pulp between the indie-pop suburban fantasies of "His and Hers" and the nightmarish, cinematic wish-fulfilment of "This Is Hardcore". Arguably the best album of the Britpop hype years - and the one which best made the case that "all this has just got to mean something". If only there'd been more as good as this.

This is a stunning album. The songs are musically exciting and moving, by a band at the height of its powers. The lyrics are glorious and capture so much alienation, sexual frustration, lust, class resentment. It’s a masterpiece. I would give it six stars if I could. 10/10

Fine

Not bad, but also just not for me

Pulp effortlessly proving that just because Britain is gloomy, Brit Pop doesn’t need to be. They should have been bigger than The Beatles IMO.

A little Bowie, and sounds so modern for 1995! 4 -> 5 because of I Spy, that song was great.

..

Cool

So, I've liked Pulp for a while. Not a huge fan, but I tend to like what I've heard. This album has some lyrics that give me pause. But musically, they are really great. Probably better than most of their ilk.

If Supergrass was a 90s Beatle derivative, this was a 90s Bowie derivative. Pretty much a straight 3 star for me.

big, busy, boring opener is this power pop? bit much in a strange way interesting lyrics, bit rapey? eh a bit pagyvenusių žmonių balius vibes underwear is good

im not sure why this is a classic. its fine

Nothing special.

This was fun and I was glad to let it play through but I don’t believe I’ll reach for it again Playlist add: “FEELINGCALLEDLOVE”

This doesn’t belong on this list.

Leider nicht meins:/ Das genre ballert nicht genug und es geht nur um Frauen aus dem male gaze I hate this. Konnte nicht fertig hören

I knew the songs Common People, Disco 2000, and Underwear going into this and those are all great songs. Jarvis' lyrics and (anti-)charisma do a lot to keep the songs interesting. I found myself paying attention to the lyrics more on this than I normally do, at times they were a bit uncomfortable but I think they do get close a few times to genuinely rare feelings that other bands couldn't faithfully describe. I think I enjoyed the second half more with the shimmering synths on Feeling Called Love and Underwear sounding like mid 70s Pink Floyd, and the Guitar riff on Monday Morning.

Can't hate it, but also didn't move me at all.

Ik vond deze muziek echt passend bij het weer van afgelopen week. Beetje regenachtige weer muziek. Wel chill en melancholisch, ik denk een 3.5

Het voelt een beetje als mwah. ik haakte moeilijk aan. De teksten waren soms een beetje goor. Het pakte mij niet

Lief dagboek, Dit weekend heb ik naar dit album van Pulp geluisterd. Precies zo’n album waarvan ik niet goed weet wat ik ervan moet vinden, soms is het niet te vatten na één keer luisteren, soms ook niet na 2x. De muziek klinkt creatief, de teksten zijn origineel en vaak ook een beetje sexueel. Na twee keer het album te hebben geluisterd, ging ik om mijn mening wat meer vorm te geven een Tiny Desk sessie van de band bekijken. Toen ik de fronman zag, begreep ik de tekst van Mis-Shapes beter. De zanger lijkt op een aardrijkskundeleraar die ongetwijfeld vroeger gepest was. Dit maakte de sexuele context van de nummers ook een beetje weird, maar wel erg eigen. Mis-Shapes is een soort buitenbeentje/nerdachtig strijdlied, het deed me afvragen hoe ik me tot de nerd verhoud, volgens mij wederkerige tollerantie, maar ik moet zeggen dat ik hun inside grapjes niet vat (of niet grappig vind). De hele band leek een beetje uit buitenbeentjes te bestaan, de toetseniste is een vrouw wat op een vintage Yamaha keyboardje speelt, vanwege haar aandoening (reumatoïde artritis) speelt ze met drie vingers tegelijk. Ik ergerde me een beetje aan de zanger, ik vond het een beetje cringe in hoe hij bewoog en in het theatrale. Nu heb ik niet per se iets tegen theatrale frontmannen, maar ik zag vooral het gepeste, maffe kind wat nu is opgebloeid tot succesvolle muzikant. Want side note: kennelijk was dit naast Oasis en Blur een band wat in Engeland ook op dat niveau zat, maar ook weer hun eigen ding deed. Al met al geef ik het weloverwogen 3 sterren.

Track By Track Mis-Shapes - Nice, almost dancey groove to this one. Sounds a little ‘80s even though it’s ‘90s. They were perhaps influenced by ‘80s bands and synth usage. He’s got such a distinctive voice. Of the people. Pencil Skirt - Pretty sure this is about sex. Some slightly dodgy lyrics, but I think it’s a fantasy. It has a slightly dreamy quality as well. Pretty decent tune. Common People (Full Length Version) - Iconic song. For real. Banger of a song. This is like their Hey Jude. When the main groove kicks in, it’s just works. A simple synth riff, brilliant. I Spy - This is quite epic. Like him being prophetic, or a novel in song form. At least it sounds like that a bit. Great scope and vision. Disco 2000 - ‘Deborah, Deborah’. Can say no more. So great. The phrasing, ace stuff. Rhythm is brilliant. Proper classic. Live Bed Show - He’s great at portraits of people, but the music is so epic, it elevates the ordinary to a height that’s hard to ignore. Can really appreciate their original craft here. I didn’t actually like this song that much, but the concept and execution is pretty strong. Something Changed - Again feels like a portrait. Starting to get what Pulp were about on this album. I enjoyed this one. It seems like a lament. Like the instrumentation. Sorted For E’s and Wizz - Quite like the story and narrative of this one but didn’t really like the tune as much. F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E - Very conceptual again. Horny lyrics! Great chorus. It’s like it’s out of Blade Runner or something. Can see them doing a very ‘80s style music video for this. Underwear - Great tune. Perhaps the be best musically so far on the album. May be about domestic abuse? Monday Morning - groovy one, also moody! Quite cool but not a stand out. Bar Italia - Really lovely, sweet closer. He’s almost crooning at this point. Overall Review: I found this to be a grower. As I got quite deep into the album, I found the lyrics to be quite layered and unique in their portrayal of the characters and the social commentary they lay out. Whilst I didn’t love every song, it had some brilliant highlights and the closer I also really enjoyed. My step-mum said that this was the soundtrack to much of her college days and I can hear how cool it must have sounded in the nineties. Also, this album is basically as old as me which is quite cool ( came out five days after my birth day :) ). 3.8/5 Favourite Songs: Common People, Something Changed, Underwear, Bar Italia

Ok. I don’t love it.

Different Class is one of the great albums of the Britpop era, but its importance goes well beyond nostalgia for 1995. Pulp understood that the most revealing stories aren't necessarily about celebrities, heroes or people who change the world. They're about ordinary people trying to escape their circumstances, impress someone, get laid, feel important, find love or convince themselves that their lives mean something.

Disco 2000 is the best song

IDK if this is really my vibe, some songs were good but some were strange. common people, disco 2000, something changed, and mis-shapes I liked. I spy was soooo weird and the rest were kinda eh You can tell this band is British lol

No es lo mío

Good Britpop.

It was better the first time I listened to it somehow. I liked 2 songs. Did not strike a chord.

Fun and weird. It's oddness makes it stand out

Let's eat the rich!!!

Take me back to the pub after school, tie off and drinking John Smiths and a game of pool at 15! Love it

Very good album, I enjoyed it a lot. The lyrics and storytelling were on point and the instrumentals backed them up really well.

This was a very enjoyable rock album, the storytelling was really nice. I will revisit this at some point.

This album didn't really grip me like I though it would. I've heard great things about this album, but at the end of the day, it's kinda just another brit rock project. Not to mention it's really boring. Overall, not my personal preference. 6/10

Never heard of this band, but this was fantastic

Whata masterpiece Top 2-3 Britpop 1990s

Pretty cool

Good pop album

When I got this album, I knew the biggest question is whether it’ll still be 5 stars. It’s pretty great. Common People is the popular highlight and at this point in my life I’ve heard it so much that it could make the album a tougher revisit. It’s definitely not my favorite song on the album, but it still hits. The remainder of the album is mostly strong and the deeper cuts especially rise to top. This is a great pop album. It’s not quite perfect as I’ve found it lags at times and due to rounding, it’s not 5 stars for this project, but it’s not too far away.

Fab!

I like the band a lot, somehow never listened to the whole album. I'm lazy I suppose. This will go into the rotation, Holmes. I guess the fact the I like this but not yesterday's Don't Come Home 'A Drinking with Loving on Your Mind makes me an insufferable misogynist. Right?

Ok

I set out determined this was going to be a four, but in reality it doesn’t put a foot wrong, capturing a moment in time with a string of belting tunes.

cause everybody hates a tourist

This falls into the bands I'm supposed to love but just don't category. Couple of decent tracks, very familiar , but I can't explain how much I hate common people.

Clever, cheeky bordering on salacious, and undoubtedly British, Different Class is a fun set of pop songs. Jarvis Cocker steals the show here, as happy to belt out a pop chorus as he is to croon or whisper. "I Spy" is an excellent example of the latter, showing off his cutting lyrics and evocative vocals. The album has a bit of separation between the best and worst songs, with "I Spy," "Disco 2000," "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E," and "Common People" being much better than the rest. The rest of the songs have their merits, but don't add many new ideas musically. Still, "Common People" is one of my favorite songs and expertly skewers the upper class, a theme that's common throughout this album. Those lyrics and Cocker's showmanship mean this album is never uninteresting.

Meh. Brit pop. Common People is ok. It’s all just so bland though.

Very very solid. I knew Common People and it’s a great song. Overall a very good album, coming out around the same time as The Great Escape and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. Jarvis Cocker is a damned hoot.

a very nice britpop record by one of the most notable bands in the scene, talking about everything from social class to intimacy (a lot of intimacy). i definitely hear the david bowie sound that a bunch of people were raving about. in all, this was definitely an enjoyable listen for me, even though i'm not huge on britpop.

A really solid offering. Super divisive among the comments, but it's an English rock LP that I'd play again in the right circumstances. Especially Common People, obviously! 6/10

Just a generic British pop album about sex that sort of sounds bowieish

Overall good!

No private session used for Spotify. Really solid album with a couple of classics, its fun and catchy. I know a lot of Pulp fans, it's obvious why.

6/10

Ok, dont hate me. This album is fine, but a little creepy. I can separate that from what they are as songs, but I also wasn't struck by much on here in that respect. V much a Brooke type album I'd say.

The quintessential mid-90s Britpop album, this work is a highlight of Cool Britannia. Poppy songs with deeper themes of class differences, partying and the aftermath, one night stands, and infidelity, this is both relic of its time and also timeless for living in your youth. "Common People" is its standout, but several other tracks tell the story of adventures in your twenties.

4.5/5

Didn't finish. Not for me, but sounds good for what it is.

This album's success was interesting. Lead vocalist was strong. Videos are hilarious and dated. Music is solid. Not my type but good. This project really leans toward UK pop/punk recordings.

1,001 Britpop albums you must hear before you die strikes again. It wasn’t a bad sound but didn’t stand out to me.

For someone who's not a big fan of Britpop, or any kind of alt-rock really, this album's not that bad. That said, I probably won't go out of my way to listen to more Pulp at all. It was decent, although I did not care for "Common People" at all. And miracle of miracles, we have one of the rare occurrences where the vocalist doesn't whine while they sing, at least not to the point I despise it. As this album relates to the list, I have no idea why its on there. What's the rubric that makes an album essential listening? In the abstract, I understand; music taste is subjective, and the list is meant to cast a wide net. But I'm 75 days in, and there is a majority of British artists, most being connected in some way to rock or punk of some flavor or kind.

Piss-taker

More Brit Pop for the machine, this has some more going on in the pop department that I appreciate vs the majority of what has come up on the list for me so far. I wasn't familiar with the big hits in the first half but Common People and Disco 2000 have this manic energy like yelling from the bottom of a well trying to get peoples attention. Also slows down for some moments.

The best of the britpop acts. Pulp was above the rest during the 90s. Perfect album from start to finish.

Britpop. Fun to listen to. Not much of a lasting impression for me. Common People

This was a drag. I’m hopeful the next album will be something special.

Very good album.

Pretty solid!

one of my all time favorites

Born about the Same year as Cocker, in my youth I didn‘t know Pulp. I not really recognize a similar style with David Bowie. Spy is maybe such a song. It‘s the only song I have saved.

Favourite Songs: - mis-shapes - common people - i spy - something changed

I never really got caught up in the "brit-pop" wave because it just never resonated with me. Academically, I can understand the appeal of this album and how someone COULD love it, but it's nothing I ever really want to listen to again.

Owned Great album, though am a little jaded by common people

Smart, sarcastic, funny Brit rock. Loses a little steam by the end but the highs are high enough to keep it at 4. A 90s classic.

One thing missing from a lot of bands in the 21st century is they don’t level up as much. Often it’s more of the same or a slightly better made run at the previous record - see Room on Fire - but rare is it the case like with Different Class, Parklife, or Morning Glory. His’N’Hers is a solid record with 2-3 lovely singles, but this is where Pulp became PULP, a serious, world-beating act. The singles are better, the deep cuts more patient and part of a whole. Jarvis has delivered some great material since, but nothing will come close to the unified sound, highs, and caustic spirit of Different Class. A complete triumph.

Hm. Common People is a good song. Walks a very dramatic line, sometimes spills over the edge into being a bit too theatrical. Some good songs, some not so good. 4.5/10

Love the ‘main’ songs, but I can definitely take or leave the rest. They’re a bit dark and unappealing.

pasa, pero hay algo que no me termina de cerrar.

This is the second Pulp album on this list, and I find myself really enjoying the tunes, but it’s hard for me to reconcile this very 80s style with their supposed genre and contemporaries. The bright tone, heavy snare reverb, and synthy backing contrast heavily with what I know of other “Big 4” 90s britpop bands, but the incisive and disillusioned lyrics seem to be their main tie to the genre.

Good storytelling. The singing is a bit more theatrical than I usually like though.

09/17 Meh. Forgettable album

so snarky, edgy and unrelateable

ладно я переслушал еще это 35 раз и готов поставить почти 4 но пока не буду

Oasis>Pulp>Blur

The music and lyrics are awesome. Very not safe for work but very worth repeated listens

Maso

Few great songs, I prefer William Shatner’s version of Common People but Something Changed is a standout. A pleasant album.

Witty, clever, theatrical, and a bit sardonic. All great qualities to have on a record.

so much to offer it’s cool and edgy

Pretty good, some songs could’ve been cut for time.

1. 5 2. 4 3. 5 4. 3.5 5. 5 6. 3 7. 4 8. 4.5 9. 3.5 10. 3 11. 4 12. 4.5

Gosh, this is very very British. Kind of familiar with Pulp coming into this, but don't know that I ever listened to entire album back to front. I love Common people, but just between us, I prefer the William Shatner version. the rest is fine. If I'm feeling Britpop, this is a good choice. Quite nice background music, with a few exceptions I think I like it less if I listen closely. Love: Common People Enjoyed: Sorted for E's and Wizz, Barr Italia, Monday Morning, really most of them... I think it boils down to this, I like Pulp more than Oasis or Blur. Best example of a thing. Gets a little credit for being underplayed in the US. They haven't overstayed their welcome in my brain. Just sneaking this into my 4 star group. Looking back at the last 100 reviews or so this I like this quite a bit more than the albums I gave 3 stars even if it's not remarkable or personally important. Feeling generous I guess.

Different class is just that, Pulp/Jarvis still gigging, caught them last year on tour, Common People probably the best pop song ever🥳😎

What an album, I'm still not sure whether to give 4 or 5 stars.

I quite enjoyed this one. Bringing it down to a 4 though for some weird production choices and the VERY prevalent sexual lyrics, many of which are weird (check out “Pencil Skirt”).

A bit floored by how many British (insert subgenre) rock bands I’ve never heard of who had whole ass careers before their album that landed on this list. This one was fun! And a bit unhinged at times? Common People is v good/v brutal. Bumped up for that song. “Cocker was Pulp's frontman, and part of his trademark image was his glasses, which seemed to "stay magically on his face" no matter what antics he performed. This feat was achieved using "a huge rubber band round the back" of his glasses.” What antics!! What antics? First paragraph of his personal life section of Wikipedia is: “Soon after signing to Fire, in November 1985, Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl with a Spider-Man impression and ended up in hospital, temporarily requiring the use of a wheelchair, in which he appeared during concerts.” Sir.

Some good ole 90s British prog rock 3.5/5 ⭐️ 254/1089

This is a fun album — I'd listened to it before and getting into it again at first I felt unsure. The knowing lyrics, tone etc. can sometimes be too much, but this straddles this very well for me and works on multiple levels. Maybe not transformative, but definitely great.