Pulp, Masters of the Universe: Pulp on Fire 1985-86
When one of my favourite bands is about to release a new album I often find myself listening to their back-catalogue in eager anticipation. And so it was last week, when I pulled out this compilation of early rarities by Pulp, released by their old record label as a quickie cash-in job after they hit it big. The band didn't approve, and it's not hard to see why: ten years before 'Common People' Jarvis's voice was off-key, the band's playing was raw and clunky, and the tunes weren't - tunes, that is. Only 'Dogs are Everywhere' still appeals, with its sweet and guileless lyrics. 'Tunnel' holds some interest in its long build-up to a noisy freak-out; but frankly, nothing here inspires me to track down their first two albums, no matter how good everything from Separations onwards has been. No, for that inspiration I'll have to rely on mindless CD-collector's completism instead.
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2001 First published in Records Ad Nauseam, 10 October 2001. |
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