Album of the Day

"Different Class" by Pulp.

The Depeche Mode album I wrote about the other day is one of the lesser known DM albums while this album by Pulp is, by far, their most prominent. It is also the most accessible. I got my parents singing along to "Common People" and Dawn Summers rocking out to "Disco 2000".

The themes on this album are:

1. Partying too hard (funny then that their next album would have a song called "Party Hard" on it). "You can't go home and go to bed, because it hasn't worn off yet, and now it's morning" on "Bar Italia" and "Going out late from Monday, chuck up in the street on Sunday, you don't want to live till Monday, and have to do it all again....Oh I know that it's stupid but, I just can't seem to spend a night at home" on "Monday Morning". "Sorted for E's and Wizz" was the druggie theme song while I lived in Britain and this album was everywhere.

2. Shameful/bad sex. "Underwear" is about it being too late to say no. "I Spy" details getting vengeance on a enemy by bedding his wife ("smoking your cigarettes and drinking your brandy, messing up the sheets that you chose together"). "Common People" has a Greek art student wanting to have sex with common people like the guy singing the song. "Pencil Skirt" is yet another song about sleeping with another guy's woman.

3. Awesome, real love. "Feeling Called L.O.V.E." and "Something Changed" are two of the sweetest songs by Pulp ever. Both songs are how you never know when it's going to happen: "it's not convenient, no, it doesn't fit my plans" from the former and "life could've been very different but then something changed" in the latter.

4. Longing. "Live Bed Show" is a song about a relationship told from the point of view of their bed. "Disco 2000" details a guy's love for his childhood friend, how he always thought they'd get married, and how he wants to meet her again in the future, in the year 2000."

The song that doesn't really belong is "Mis-Shapes." It should have been on His & Hers, released a year before Different Class.

Really an incredible album from one of my all-time favorite bands. I don't think there exists a bad Pulp album but this is the best starter album for anyone wanting to hear this band. It's for everyone.