FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Pulp – Different Class
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EVEN though its twenty-fifth anniversary…
was last Friday (30th), I wanted to include Pulp’s Different Class in Vinyl Corner, as it is one of the best albums from the 1990s. I would recommend people buy it on vinyl, as it is a tremendous record. Different Class is the fifth studio album by the legendary Pulp, and I think it is a step up from their previous best, 1994’s His 'n' Hers. That album was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 1994; Different Class was nominated and won in 1996 and I think, when it comes to albums that define the spirit of the 1990s, Different Class instantly comes to mind! Songs like Common People, and Disco 2000 are classics, and these are cuts that were ubiquitous and oft-quoted when I was at school. Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics are exceptional and incredibly sharp on Different Class, and he tackles sex and social class in ways that other writers cannot even imagine. Different Class was a huge critical and commercial success, entering the U.K. chart at number-one. It has been certified four-times Platinum, and had sold 1.33 million copies in the United Kingdom as of 2020. It is often considered to be one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, and there is an embarrassment of riches to be found – from Mis-Shapes, and Something Changed to Sorted for E's & Wizz, Different Class is a truly phenomenal album! I cannot believe that it is twenty-five years old, as one can put on the album at any time and completely relate to the songs.
There is something ever-fresh and stunning regarding Cocker’s songwriting, and Pulp are at their strongest on Different Class. They did hit another peak on 1998’s This Is Hardcore, but I think there is something extra-genius and memorable about 1995’s Different Class. In their review, AllMusic had the following to offer:
“After years of obscurity, Pulp shot to stardom in Britain with 1994's His 'n' Hers. By the time Different Class was released at the end of October 1995, the band, particularly lead singer Jarvis Cocker, were genuine British superstars, with two number two singles and a triumphant last-minute performance at Glastonbury under their belts, as well as one tabloid scandal. On the heels of such excitement, anticipation for Different Class ran high, and not only does it deliver, it blows away all their previous albums, including the fine His 'n' Hers. Pulp don't stray from their signature formula at all -- it's still grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes, but they have mastered it here. Not only are the melodies and hooks significantly catchier and more immediate, the music explores more territory. From the faux-show tune romp of the anthemic opener "Mis-Shapes" and the glitzy, gaudy stomp of "Disco 2000" (complete with a nicked riff from Laura Branigan's "Gloria") to the aching ballad "Underwear" and the startling sexual menace of "I Spy," Pulp construct a diverse, appealing album around the same basic sound.
Similarly, Jarvis Cocker's lyrics take two themes, sex and social class, and explore a number of different avenues in bitingly clever ways. As well as perfectly capturing the behavior of his characters, Cocker grasps the nuances of language, creating a dense portrait of suburban and working-class life. All of his sex songs are compassionate, while the subtle satire of "Sorted for E's & Wizz" is affectionate, but the best moment on the album is the hit single "Common People," about a rich girl who gets off by slumming with the lower class. Coming from Cocker, who made secondhand clothes and music glamorous, the song is undeniably affecting and exciting, much like Different Class itself”.
In 1995, Britpop was at its peak, and there was the infamous battle between Oasis and Blur. I often think of Pulp as being ‘outside’ of Britpop, as the music seemed so much smarter and a bit too cool in its own way for such a scene. Thinking about it, and I guess one has to class Different Class as Britpop. Before coming to an article that argue Different Class helped define the scene, I want to quote from Pitchfork’s review of Different Class from 2016:
“Cocker’s songs on Different Class are such a rich text that you can go quite a long way into a review of the album before realizing you’ve barely mentioned how it sounds. Pulp aren’t an obviously innovative band, but on Different Class they almost never lapse into the overt retro-stylings of so many of their Britpop peers: Blur’s Kinks and new wave homages, Oasis’ flagrant Beatles-isms, Elastica’s Wire and Stranglers recycling. On Pulp’s ’90s records, there are usually a couple of examples of full-blown pastiche per album, like the Moroder-esque Eurodisco of “She’s a Lady” on His ‘N’ Hers. Here, “Disco 2000” bears an uncomfortable chorus resemblance to Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” while “Live Bed Show” and “I Spy” hint at the Scott Walker admiration and aspiration that would blossom with We Love Life, which the venerable avant-balladeer produced.
Mostly though, it’s an original and ’90s-contemporary sound that Pulp work up on Different Class, characterized by a sort of shabby sumptuousness, a meagre maximalism. “Common People,” for instance, used all 48 studio tracks available, working in odd cheapo synth textures like the Stylophone and a last-minute overlay of acoustic guitar that, according to producer Chris Thomas, was “compressing so much, it just sunk it into the track.... glued the whole thing together. That was the whip on the horse that made it go”.
If you have not experienced Different Class, then I think it is a good investment on vinyl - and it is one of those albums that you will return to time and time again. For those of us who were around in 1995, I think this Pulp masterpiece really changed the game and provided so much pleasure. It was an album that I was very attached to, and my respect for Sheffield’s Pulp raised significantly! An article in COMPLEX from 2015 discusses the importance of Different Class in the Britpop movement:
“Slow start aside, Pulp peaked at the pinnacle of the Britpop movement and became the very embodiment of Britpop. What makes Cocker's brand of crooning wordsmithery so important to the genre is that he really captured the ennui and frustration of middle-class youth. He sang for people like himself—common people, as their hit single would have it—those raised on a diet of broken biscuits, those who would drink and dance and screw because there's nothing else to do.
The opening track on Different Class served as the record's thesis: "Mis-Shapes" rebelled against the airhead rich kids, immediately putting Pulp in the team of the "other," or rather, a different class. "Check your lucky numbers/That much money could drag you under, oh/What's the point of being rich/If you can't think what to do with it?" Jarvis Cocker sings between choruses about making moves, coming out of the sidelines, and using "the one thing we've got more of—that's our minds." The opening track waged an us vs. them war, and Pulp made it exciting to be a misfit.
"They think they've got us beat, but revenge is going to be so sweet," snarls Cocker, before the second track, "Pencil Skirt," cues up—an anthem about screwing over the rich by, literally, screwing their wives. Cocker promises to be there "when he's not in town" and "show you how you're doing it wrong." They're not rich, but they can certainly fuck better, is what he seems to be saying. (He's probably not wrong.) Just two songs later, Pulp's seedy "I Spy" touches on the same topic, as he sings, "I've been sleeping with your wife for the past 16 weeks/Smoking your cigarettes, drinking your brandy/Messing up the bed you chose together/And in all that time I just wanted you to come home unexpectedly one afternoon/And catch us at it in the front room." "I specialize in revenge," he emphasizes once again. Sex has always been one of Pulp's greatest assets. Cocker has been naturally gifted with the ability to seduce by whispering sweet nothings, between moans and hip swishes from his lanky figure, his fingers always curled in that come-hither sort of way. For any common listener, Pulp's sex was sexy, making it one of the irresistible appeals of Different Class”.
On Friday, Different Class was celebrated and lauded by so many people across social media, and many people were sharing their memories of when it came out and the tracks that mean the most to them. I have always loved Disco 2000 most, but everyone will have their own standouts. That is the thing with Different Class: it is an album so overflowing with brilliance that it is hard…
TO narrow down to a single song!