I always loved to claim Britpop was my favourite music but last year realized if that was true - how came I only knew Blur, Oasis, Kula Shaker and Radiohead? So I investigated and looked what other important bands there were. After getting to know that Suede really were not my thing I stumbled upon Pulp, who by now have become one of my favourite groups.

When I bought "Different Class" I already knew it was an influential album but I had no idea if I would like it or not. I didn't really think about what album I should buy first, since I didn`t know any songs anyway but now I know starting with their most successful album - when it was released in 1995 it reached Number One in the British charts. This album just came at the right time and is generally regarded maybe not as their 'best' album per se but at least as their best known. Now that I own more albums I can say that it is also the album easiest to get into.

PULP were :
- Jarvis Cocker singer and guitarist and songwriter, born in 1963 in Sheffield
- Nick Banks: drums
- Mark Webber: guitar and piano (funnily enough, before he become a part of the band he used to be the leader of their fanclub)
- Candida Doyle: piano and organ
- Steve Mackey : bass guitar

Officially Pulp never split, however after their Greatest Hits album was released 2001 and Jarvis being busy doing other things (like releasing his own album and recording songs for the Harry Potter soundtrack) it's not very likely they will release anything soon. But you never know with Jarvis.

The songs:

01 - Mis-Shapes (3:46)
02 - Pencil Skirt (3:11)
03 - Common People (5:52)
04 - I Spy (5:55)
05 - Disco 2000 (4:34)
06 - Live Bed Show (3:30)
07 - Something Changed (3:18)
08 - Sorted For E's & Wizz (3:48)
09 - F.E.E.L.I.N.G. C.A.L.L.E.D. L.O.V.E. (6:01)
10 - Underwear (4:07)
11 - Monday Morning (4:18)
12 - Bar Italia (3:44)

Listening to the first seconds of Mis-shapes you already know where this is heading at. A pop song full of energy that will stuck in your head at once without stupid trivial. How could it with lyrics like these: "We don't look the same as you, we don't do the things you do but we live here, too. (…) We'd like to go to down but we can't risk it." A stirring hymn of those who know they are different and still know they should have the same rights.
"Brothers, Sisters, can't you see the future's owned by you and me." An invitation to stand up, to fight peacefully for being different:
We're making a move, we're making it now (…)
We want the things you won't allow us.
We won't use guns, we won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds.

Pulp is no policial band and this album's themes can't be pinned down to one topic. "Pencil Skirt" is about a man enjoying his affair with an engaged woman. "I'll be around when he's not in town…"
It starts off slow slowly but in the chorus the piano gives a great drive. A great guitzar and a violin that seems to know so much already, and here it is: the britpopbrige: cutest guitars some du-du-dub's.
It ends very emotionally and exiting with Jarvis admitting:
"I only come here cause I know it makes you sad yeah. I only do it cause I know you know it's bad. Oh yes I know that it's ugly and it shouldn't be like that, oh but it's turning me on."

"Common People" tells the story of a rich girl from the high society wanting Jarvis to tell her how to become like them, common people. But he knows that no matter how many cigarettes she smokes, in whatever condition her apartment may be and with what strange people she will sleep - in the end she will always be different, as she could always escape and go back into her safe life.
Again this song starts off as a slow one but with a catchy tune. In it's 5:52 minutes it gets faster, until the chorus starts Jarvis rather talks but then he becomes stirring, almost a bit too much.
This single was Pulp's break though hit - very catchy and intelligent, but none of my favourite songs.

As the songs before "I spy" starts slowly, Jarvis whispers and only starts singing when the music gets snappier. As well as "Disco 2000" and "Live Bed Show" this is a great popsong, catchy but not common at all. When Jarvis is begging
"Oh what are you doing Sunday baby? Would you like to come and meet me maybe? You can even bring your baby" than this is everything but cool. Pulp tell stories that make you shake your head, stun you or just make you go "Oh, how I know that feeling", or all at once.

This song switches between slower and faster songs but non eis boring and everyone got it's one spezial feature that makes it loveable. Each can stand on it's on but the album as a whole works perfect as well. All the instruments are at the right place and the e-guitar next to the violin in "Something Changed" work so well.
When you can you resist Jarvis' voice full of pathos singing "Stop asking questions that don't matter anyway. Just give us a kiss to celebrate here today.", you've got to be a real cold-hearted person.

With their single "Sorted for E's and Wizz" Pulp released a song that catapuled them right into tabloids. Also, it is one of my if not the favourite song of mine on this album.
"Oh is this the way they say the future's meant to feel? Or just 20.000 people standing in a field. And I don't quite understand what this feeling is" - Sun & co thought this could only be about praising drugs. Jarvis disagreed but in the end the fuss about it probably helped the song in the charts and helped the band.
Musically the song sounds as innocent as it is. A perfect chorus that is telling a story again and making no statement: "In the middle of the night it feels alright but then tomorrow morning you come down".

And right afterwards another one of my favouries: "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.", with its' 6:01 minutes the longest song on this record. It starts off with soft drums and a bass, a squeling violin in the backround and after a whole minute Jarvis starts retelling his story: "The room is cold and has been like this for several months. If I close my eyes I can visualize everything in it right down, right down to the broken handle on the third drawer down of the dressing table."
A somber atmosphere is created and Jarvis starts singing, whispering, moaning carefully " It's so cooooooooold", before the big bang comes and you're pulled out of this feeling of safety and the instruments get really loud and the 'real' melody is created while he asks "Why me? Why you? Why here? Why now?"
"It doesn't make no sense. No. It's not convenient. No. It doesn't fit my plans. It's something I don't understand. Oh."
Suddenly everything is gone as fast as it had come. Soft instruments. A sigh.
"This isn't chocolate boxes and roses - it's much dirtier than that, like some small animal that only comes out at night. And I see flashes of the shape of your breasts and the curve of your belly and they make me want have to sit down and catch my breath"
Everthing ends in this great energetic melody.
"OH. F.E.E.L..I.N.G.C.A.double L.E.D.L.O.V.E." is spelled out, half-shouting, half-singing while in the backround the whispering is still present.
A song so full of emotion that deals with love very directly and honestly, muscially so close to perfection it has brought me very close to tears.

"Underwear" is another one of those catchy sing-along-tunes on this disc. This time without any surprises but with a great guitar and a beautiful bridge, what more could you want?
" If you could close your eyes and just remember that this is what you wanted last night. So why is it so hard for you to touch him? For you to go and give yourself to him. I couldn't stop it now. There's no way to get out. He's standing far too near and how the hell did you get here? Semi-naked in somebody else's room."

Another song that helped defining Britpop and making music history (however stupid that may sound): "Monday morning". A "Ah-Ah-Ah"-refrain that doesn't come across half as silly as anything by the Kaiser Chiefs.
"I want a reason for all this night after night after night after night. (…)
Now, now that you are free, what are you going to be? And who are you going to see? And where, where will you go and how will you know you didn't get it all wrong? Is this the light of a new day dawning? A future bright that you can walk in? No it's just another Monday morning."

As you could have expected, this album ends with a great song: "Bar Italia". This slow song is a brilliant way to catch your breath after all this.
"Let's get out of this place before they tell us we've just died."
Fitting to the album title: "There's only one place we can go. It's round the corner in Soho. Where other broken people go." The 'Different Class', a class I'd like to hear more about if it all sounds like this.

After almost an hour the world hasn't changed, all of you could live without this album.
However, anyone who claims to know Britpop, to love music or who just wants "a good pop/rock album" (although this is an understatement concerning this album) should go and buy this record.

Maybe you're lucky and you can find it somewhere as cheap as I did but even if not - it will be worth it!

Minimalist is something else, cool is something else but this album is full of so much! So much that can be discovered with each new listening. A lot that is hard to be explained but you will most probably understand when listening to it.

The CD's design and booklet is very well done. It's not timeless at all but it reflects what is inside: 1995.
The layout is done very carefully and thoughtful and is another thing you can think about for hourse (but you don't have to...).
The booklet contains all the lyrics and the obscure remark: "Please do not read the lyrics while listening to the recordings".
I found it quite hard to put "Different Class" in so little words and do it justice but I tried. I haven't come close but if there's anyone who reads this and gets interested or remembers them and digs the CD out of somewhere, then writing this was worth it.

Great Britain, 1995. I love it. Blur, Oasis. And now Pulp as well.

In the end, I want to excuse myself for my poor English skills. I'm always trying to improve it but remember I'm just a stupid German...