The long-running 33 1/3 series is a valuable library of pocket-sized essays devoted to classic cult albums. In this latest instalment, Jane Savidge dissects Pulp’s ‘difficult’ follow-up to their Britpop smasheroo Different Class.
In This is Hardcore (33 1/3), Savidge, a former Pulp publicist, recounts the cautionary tale of a band discovering that fame is a pyrrhic victory. Jarvis Cocker had always dreamed of being a pop star. When he eventually became one in his early thirties, the initial rush was followed by an inevitable comedown. This is Hardcore, a flawed yet sporadically brilliant record, exposed the utter worthlessness of Britpop cocaine hedonism.
The title track, a mesmerising, heroically uncommercial symphonic noir epic, is one of the greatest pieces of music made by anyone in the ’90s. The party’s over, turn out the lights.
Savidge picks at the album’s bones, track by track, with warmth, candour and insight. Her conversational prose is engaging. Naturally, she also has access to every interview the eminently quotable Cocker did at the time.
Paul Whitelaw is a book, TV and music critic.
Pulp’s This is Hardcore (33 1/3) by Jane Savidge is out now (Bloomsbury Academic, £9.99). You can buy it from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.
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