Pulp
This is Hardcore - Island 1997 Comments:I recently got the urge to re-listen to "This is Hardcore", which I acquired on CD quite a few years ago. I thus knew that it was a strong album, both lyrically and musically, but in fact the album seemed even stronger to me now than I remembered. It's close to being the perfect album, with only a few tracks disappointing a little.
There are not the huge hits like on the predecessor "Different Class", but there are plenty of fine melodies that will stick with you. It cannot be said that the four singles that were included on the album flopped; in fact they all reached the top 30, and one even made the top 10; "Help the Aged"
In addition to great music, you also get a lot of fine and thought-provoking lyrics, written by frontman Jarvis Cocker.
The subdued "A Little Soul" was my first big favourite, but many others quickly followed; eg. "The Fear", "Dishes", "Help the Aged", "TV Movie" and "Sylvia". The closing track "Day After the Revolution" is also strong; but I must say that the extremely long fade-out annoys me quite a bit. In any case, I will not hesitate to call "This is Hardcore" one of the most important albums in the "Brit-Pop" category.
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