Different Class [Deluxe Edition]

by Pulp

Overview

Jarvis Cocker and a revolving lineup of Pulp members had been making indie-rock records for ten years before finally getting it right with the humorous ode to lost virginity, 1994's "Do You Remember the First Time?" Suitably encouraged, Cocker went on to write "Common People," a song about rich students who go slumming that had everything a class anthem should -- pain, passion, poetry, wit, and energy. An instant classic, "Common People" formed the backbone to the band's subsequent album, Different Class, which further details the minutiae of British working-class life circa 1995. "Sorted for E's and Wizz" is a cynical but touching observation of rave culture, "Disco 2000" a reflection between childhood friends on their past and future, and "Mis-Shapes" nothing less than a call for revolution. Still, on the rest of the album, Cocker's subjects spend most of their time in doomed relationships, as on "Pencil Skirt," "Underwear," and "Live Bed Show." Musically, the six-piece group veers between '70s glam and British music hall while constantly threatening to break into stadium rock. Though the lyrics sailed over the heads of most Americans (who preferred the follow-up, This Is Hardcore), Different Class is one of the great musical social commentaries of our time.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/08/2009
Label:	Island
UPC:	0602498400517
catalogNumber:	9840051
Rank:	67493

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Mis-Shapes
2. Pencil Skirt
3. Common People
4. I Spy
5. Disco 2000
6. Live Bed Show
7. Something Changed
8. Sorted for E's & Wizz
9. F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.
10. Underwear
11. Monday Morning
12. Bar Italia

Disc 2

1. Common People
2. Mile End
3. P.T.a.
4. Ansaphone
5. Paula
6. Catcliffe Shakedown
7. We Can Dance Again
8. Don't Lose It
9. Whiskey in the Jar
10. Disco 2000 - Pub Rock Version [Nick Cave Pub Ro
11. Common People

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pulp   Primary Artist
Anne Dudley   Conductor
Chris E. Thomas   Guitar,Keyboards

Technical Credits

Thin Lizzy   Arranger
Pulp   Composer
Anne Dudley   Orchestral Arrangements
Nick Banks   Composer
Jarvis Cocker   Composer,Liner Notes
Candida Doyle   Composer
Chris Lycett   Producer
Olle Romo   Programming
Russell Senior   Composer
Matthew Vaughan   Programming
Gavyn Wright   Orchestra Leader
Mark Haley   Programming
Mark Webber   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Chris E. Thomas   Producer

Editorial Reviews

Universal UK reissued the three key '90s Pulp albums as double-disc deluxe editions in 2006. Thankfully, the deluxe edition of Pulp's 1995 masterpiece Different Class is not just a recycling of Second Class, the collection of B-sides that appeared as a bonus disc in a repackaging of the album in 1996. That's partially due to the fact that Second Class drew heavily from His 'n' Hers-era B-sides, which now appropriately appear on the concurrently released His 'n' Hers deluxe edition, so this 11-track collection of non-LP material and rarities feels quite different than the 1996 bonus disc. Completists should also be aware that this disc does not contain all the B-sides from the Different Class singles, but that's because the singles carried B-sides that were largely consisted of alternate mixes; a "Vocoda Mix" of "Common People" shows up here, but there are plenty of mixes that didn't carry over here, only two of which may be missed by collectors: an alternate, extended "Live Bed Show" and a 7" single mix of "Disco 2000," which is considerably different than the album mix thanks to added organ, synths, harmonies, and, yes, a prominent disco beat. These may be missed by certain trainspotters, but all the crucial non-LP material from the Different Class era is here, all worthy of the classic album they supported. There's the cutting, wickedly funny teacher-student sex tale "PTA"; there's "Mile End," their contribution to the Trainspotting soundtrack, a nimble evocation of slum living that's far catchier than its subject should be; there's "Whiskey in the Jar," a surprisingly sinewy cover of the Thin Lizzy version of the Irish anthem that was given to the Childline charity album; then, there's the heartbreaking "Ansaphone," a B-side for "Disco 2000" that's presented here in a slightly different demo version. "Ansaphone" is grouped together with four demos of unheard songs from the sessions, all very strong. For starters, there's "Paula," whose light, skipping music camouflages the cynicism of the friends-with-benefits celebration of the lyrics. It's followed by the tremendous "Catcliffe Shakedown," a six-minute epic that may be driven by a slightly dorky beat (which Jarvis Cocker calls "frankly ridiculous" in his great liner notes, which also feature full lyrics for all songs on these two discs), but it gains strength from its gangly rhythms, and it's distinguished by a great Jarvis lyric that, by his own admission, resembles "I Spy," but where that contained a barely veiled menace, this is pure riotous satire of a nasty down-class small town ("why not try our delicious lager-styled drink?"). The sleek, svelte "We Can Dance Again" pales a bit in comparison to this deliberately cinematic gem, but it's a great piece of knowing retro-disco, as is the fantastic "Don't Lose It," which is sensual and urgent in equal measures. Rounding out the rest of the deluxe edition is their transcendent version of "Common People" that closed their triumphant last-minute headlining slot at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival and Nick Cave's inspired "Pub Rock Version" of "Disco 2000," which sees its first release here. With the possible exception of the "Vocoda Mix," which finds a threadbare idea stretched a little too far, this is all great music, a fitting companion to a classic album, and makes this a truly deluxe deluxe edition.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine