Here comes The Fear again...
Ben Rowland | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 09/03/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Despite the critical acclaim and feverous fan acceptance, Pulp's 1998 masterpiece "This is Hardcore" failed to build on the momentum that started with their landmark 1995 album "Different Class," and it will be remembered as Pulp's arty career-killer. If there ever was an album that proves that commercial success and quality of output don't always meet, this is it.
I was a diehard Pulp fan in the 1990's, and I especially remember the excitement of this album being released in April 1998. After buying "Different Class" on cassette and listening to it repeatedly (the tape actually broke from so much play), I was expecting the new album to be more of the same. That is was something totally different became apparent from the opening bars of "The Fear." "This is Hardcore" was (and still is) a dark, textured, and pessimistic album about aging, loss, and failing hopes. If "Different Class" was the all night party, "This is Hardcore" is the morning after. But the strength of Pulp has always been in Jarvis Cocker's songwriting, which makes this album actually stronger than it's predecessors.
The unquestionable standout tracks are "Help The Aged", the first post-DC single about Jarvis hope for the world to be kind to him as he grows older, "Party Hard," which is perhaps the most rocking of the album tracks, and the title track - a glorious 7 minute track about...err...pornography. Lyrically, these songs are among the strongest that Pulp has ever produced. For people hoping for more DC-like material, tracks like "Sylvia," "I Am a Man," and "Glory Days" are excellent rock songs.
Despite the failure of this album to break the bank, Universal has seen it fit to release it as a deluxe, 2 CD special edition, along with Pulp's two previous albums. The extras are contained on the second CD, and it's a mix of B-sides, demos, unreleased songs, and alternate mixes. The standouts are the excellent "Cocaine Socialism", "Like a Friend" (from "Great Expectations") and the fantastic "Tomorrow Never Lies" (a b-side for "Help The Aged") Most of these deluxe releases contain plenty of filler, but the Pulp re-issues are the exception. This new edition is well worth the extra cost.
"This is Hardcore" is the album the separated the true Pulp fans from the casual listeners who dug "Common People." It is a challenging, complex, and criminally underrated album that is well deserving of a deluxe re-issue. Highly recommended.
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1