Pulp Album: “His 'n' Hers”

After 10 years of living on the fringe of the Sheffield music scene, "His `n' Hers" is the first album that put Pulp on the radar. While their earlier releases were patchy as best, "His `n' Hers" was a leap forward in terms of songwriting and solidifying their sound. The new "deluxe" edition pulls together the original album, plus an extra disc of goodies that make this the definitive version of this excellent, but largely forgotten album.

You can easily categorize Pulp's albums by theme. "Different Class" is the party album, full of sex, drugs, and the underdogs prevailing in life. "This is Hardcore" is their seedy, comedown-from-fame album. "His `n' Hers" is their most sexually charged record, with young people experimenting in sex being a prevailing theme throughout the 12 album tracks. Songs like "Acrylic Afternoons," the standout track "Do You Remember the First Time?" and "Pink Glove" all delve into this, while more mature songs like "Babies" and "Happy Endings" explore relationships and longing for something more than a "quick shag" (as the band would have put it.) Lyrically, "His `n' Hers" is not as full of dry wit and cynicism as the albums that came afterward, rather it is more of a storytelling album. While it is an excellent album, there are a few tracks that are forgettable and I often skip over them. "David's Last Summer", "Someone like the Moon," and "Have You Seen Here Lately?" are the weak links on the album, but having said that, they are hardly bad songs.

The new 2 CD re-issue is full of quality extras, which should please the die-hard fans as well as people buying the album for the first time. Many of the b-sides here have been previously released on various imports, but they are all here. Standout tracks include "Deep Fried in Kelvin," "Streetlights," and "Seconds." The demos included are also quite good, as are the three live tracks included. The real treasure, however, is the book, which includes new photos and liner notes written by Jarvis Cocker.

Universal has really outdone themselves with the new re-issue of "His `n' Hers," which will hopefully expose new people to Pulp's earlier work. The band is now defunct, but the re-releasing of their three landmark albums are a reminder of how good a band that they were.

Though Different Class, with its instant pop singles is perhaps more immediate, fans of Pulp will find the appeal of His 'n' Hers will be deeper and more emotionally reaching.

For this is classic Pulp. Sad, tragic and often seedy stories of shallow relationships, dependence on others and wasted lives - of poverty stricken slums where people have nothing to live for except sex.

Forget the cheap thrills of titles such as "Do you remember the first time" or "Joyriders". The stories contained within the album as a whole will move you, as they did me, almost to tears.

The songs speak for themselves:

"And now you feel such a fool for laughing at bad jokes and putting up with all of his friends, and kissing in public. What are they gonna say, when they run into you again?" - Lipgloss.

"No don't go round and see him tonight. He's already made such a mess of your life." - Have you seen her lately.

"I know you won't believe it's true, I only went with her 'cause she looks like you."

Quite superb.

It's light, frothy and pop, but it has a tremendous amount of soul. Much of HIS'N'HERS sounds as if it could have been recorded using equipment purchased second-hand from a High School. There are a lot of synthesizers and electrical effects that combine to give the album a cheap feel. But the flashiness and fluff work extremely well in this setting. They sound throwaway and insubstantial, but they're quite musically sound, and you won't mind having them stuck in your head for days at a time. The music has an edge to it; it's rough around the corners. On the surface it's silly and fun, but underneath, there's some disturbing stuff going on.

Jarvis Cocker's voice bounces between a whisper and a croon. He whispers and moans and howls. Like a skinny and angular Barry White, Jarvis' voice hovers moodily over the album. His lyrics are an absolute blast. Sexual frustration and longing mingles with a wistful feeling and some wickedly naughty turns of phrase. Some of his wordings will have you reaching for the rewind button exclaiming, "Did he really say that?" (He did, and whilst one might wish to consult the lyric sheet to check, the notes expressly forbid reading them while listening to the recording. You may find this a difficult request to comply with.)

The mixture of such solid glam material and Jarvis' unique lyrical sense make HIS'N'HERS a must-own album for anyone. It's glitzy and glittery, but when you dig beneath the surface, you may be surprised at the depth. Desire, isolation, and an unsettling streak of voyeurism all run though this album, making it so much more than just another fluffy glam record.

(Funniest part in the liner notes: In addition to the drums and other percussion instruments that Nick Banks is credited with, he also gets a mention for his talents playing the fire extinguisher. No mention is made whether the result managed to get on the album, or merely on Jarvis.)

It really isn't fair to liken His 'N' Hers with Different Class because no two albums sound precisely alike, although there are quite a few auspicious similarities between the two. But let's get straight to business- His 'N' Hers is yet another one of those Britpop albums which borrow so heavily from the 1980's it's almost a crime, yet they manage to sound original & fresh time after time. I have no idea how the Brits do it really, it's virtually magical. Jarvis Cocker is one of the best songwriters in the world & could might aswell just be the greatest narrator of all time. The manner in which he manages to deliver such stark emotions via his voice & words only is startling in my eyes (Or more accurately in my ears)- "David's Last Summer" is simply pictureqsue as it portrays a subtle & precise feel. Many of today's singersongwriters can learn a lot from Jarvis. Nothing here is anywhere near Different Class' "Common People", "Disco 2000" or even "Something Changed" (Although "Joyriders" sorta resembles "Mis-Shapes"), but there are other classics here ("Acrylic Afternoons", "Babies", "Do You Remember The First Time ?" & the "I Will Survive"esque "She's A Lady") which are no less good. Even on more forgettable songs (& I use this word loosely) such as "Happy Endings" or "Someone Like The Moon" Pulp still sounds excellent & even if you only like them slightly there really isn't an excuse for not buying this wonderful album (Along with Different Class & This Is Hardcore of course!).

Though it can be perceived as lackluster after an initial listen, this album more than proves itself the second time around. Standout tracks include Joyriders, Acrylic Afternoons, Babies, and Do You Remember the First Time? More mellow (read: less "Pay attention! This is a single!") than Different Class, the entire album is still an enjoyable listen. Jarvis does the breathy, erotic stalker thing, proving (thank God!) some things sprang into being perfection and lets loose the lyrics (and "unique" pronounciations) we've come to expect of Pulp. The music backing him up is considerably less lush than that found on This Is Hardcore, with a flatter pop sound. A unifying theme of the relations between men and women ties the tracks together, while the misogynist tones detected by some (including myself) may raise eyebrows. The evolution of Pulp can be witnessed throughout -- this album is an essential for anyone wishing to understand the band. The glam, luridly coloured cover is just a bonus ...