Pulp...
Created | Updated Apr 18, 2006
A visit to the library last week resulted in me finding a book about Pulp that i've not read before. It's imaginatively entitled Pulp and was written by Martin Aston.
The book follows the long and winding career of Jarvis Cocker and the band that he created back in his school days. I have always been fascinated by Jarvis as i was growing up during the height of Britpop and he was often on T.V. Although his band were always roped in with the likes of Blur and Oasis, i always thought that Pulp were head and shoulders above the rest. Their music was much more interesting and intelligent than that of Blur and the fact that they had been around since 1979 proved that they weren't just a flash in the pan.
The main thing that struck me about this book is the lack of detail that it goes into. It's a generalised overview of the entire career of the band and doesn't just focus on the success that they received in the 90's like most of the books that i've encountered previously.
Another striking feature is that the book includes some superb press shots of the band that i hadn't seen before along with live photo's and even a copy of the first press-release they used to promote themselves. Things like this add a great deal of character and helped to increase my enjoyment. I also have to admit that i'd only read about thirty pages before i was forced to delve into my record collection and start listening to songs like 'Lipgloss', 'Do You Remember The First Time' 'Pencil Skirt' and 'Sorted For E's & Whizz'.
I think it's a real shame that this band are no longer active. No-one's ever been too sure if they've split up or not but i recently discovered that Jarvis lives in France with his partner and their child so i assume they have!
I would recommend this book to all Pulp fans and if you haven't listened to their music recently give it a whirl as it still sounds more relevant than anything in the charts today.
The book follows the long and winding career of Jarvis Cocker and the band that he created back in his school days. I have always been fascinated by Jarvis as i was growing up during the height of Britpop and he was often on T.V. Although his band were always roped in with the likes of Blur and Oasis, i always thought that Pulp were head and shoulders above the rest. Their music was much more interesting and intelligent than that of Blur and the fact that they had been around since 1979 proved that they weren't just a flash in the pan.
The main thing that struck me about this book is the lack of detail that it goes into. It's a generalised overview of the entire career of the band and doesn't just focus on the success that they received in the 90's like most of the books that i've encountered previously.
Another striking feature is that the book includes some superb press shots of the band that i hadn't seen before along with live photo's and even a copy of the first press-release they used to promote themselves. Things like this add a great deal of character and helped to increase my enjoyment. I also have to admit that i'd only read about thirty pages before i was forced to delve into my record collection and start listening to songs like 'Lipgloss', 'Do You Remember The First Time' 'Pencil Skirt' and 'Sorted For E's & Whizz'.
I think it's a real shame that this band are no longer active. No-one's ever been too sure if they've split up or not but i recently discovered that Jarvis lives in France with his partner and their child so i assume they have!
I would recommend this book to all Pulp fans and if you haven't listened to their music recently give it a whirl as it still sounds more relevant than anything in the charts today.
