'"We Love Life" Is Pulp's Best Album

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Whilst putting up the tracks "Sunrise" and "Bob Lind" as part of a shitload of songs in tribute to top dead Garry Shandling lookalike and singer Scott Walker recently, then being moved to remember such excellent singles as "The Trees" and "Bad Cover Version" , I found myself coming to this conclusion.

Completely correct conclusion, too. Close thread.

[the science eel]

I love it to bits, but it's definitely behind Different Class, which to me is absolutely a masterpiece. Or very close to one.

I love the way it's mature without being bland. Songs like 'Sunrise' are really quite beautiful. 'Trees' is killer. I don't know if there's a bad song on it.

And it bugs me the way it's very much in the shadow of the inferior This Is Hardcore (which got praised for its 'ambition' and all that crap, but was kind of a stodgy mess in the main).

[purlieu]

'Wickerman' and 'Sunrise' are bloody gorgeous, and I enjoy 'Bad Cover Version' a lot, but the rest never stuck with me. His'n'Hers will always be my go-to Pulp album.

[phantom_power]

I think I prefer His N Hers, and This is Hardcore and Different Class have higher highs but it is definitely under-rated

[Johnboy]

Yes. It is.

[samadriel]

Gonna have to go with His N Hers as the best Pulp album, but We Love Life is pretty damn good, Wickerman being my favourite from it.  I remember playing the newly released WLL at a party once, as things were winding down and folks were crashing for the night/morning, and it created a lovely atmosphere, especially ending with Sunrise.

[JohnnyCouncil]

I'm for His n Hers as the best (David's Last Summer... cor) but it's hard to consider Different Class in any mix because objectively/commercially it wins. Hardcore was great at the time and still has lots of highs but WLL is a more consistent listen. Agree with the above comments about Wickerman being incredible.

[Jockice]

It's actually It. They sold out after that.

[Crabwalk]

His'n'Hers is the Pulp album for me. A self-contained world, crystalising their classic sound and themes, with the band still on the margins. All stained with nicotine and spunk.

The album and singles have their best art direction too. And the best b-sides.

I love the following albums, but 'big' Pulp is not my favourite Pulp. That material feels like it belongs to everyone, and it's magical that they achieved that, but His'n'Hers still feels like it belongs to me.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

" This Is Hardcore " is the most 1998 sounding album * ever*, second only to " The Boy With The Arab Strap " by The Bellesebastians,  " Oh Fuck, This Is Definitely Going To Be Our Last Album , Isn't It ? " by Kenickie, and albums by Ultrasound and Gay Dad, had they released them in that year. " Stodgy" is, indeed, an adjective most apposite for that album. " Party Hard " ( is that what it was called? ) was one of their worst singles, the sound of a band attempting to satirise Midlife Crisis D. Bowie trying to be modern, yet still wanting to be taken seriously at the same time. " I'm A Nan " and " Glory Days " remain classic Pulp compositions, howsoever ( Keeping phone typo in ).

[Jockice]

" This Is Hardcore " is the most 1998 sounding album * ever*, second only to " The Boy With The Arab Strap " by The Bellesebastians,  " Oh Fuck, This Is Definitely Going To Be Our Last Album , Isn't It ? " by Kenickie, and albums by Ultrasound and Gay Dad, had they released them in that year. " Stodgy" is, indeed, an adjective most apposite for that album. " Party Hard " ( is that what it was called? ) was one of their worst singles, the sound of a band attempting to satirise Midlife Crisis D. Bowie trying to be modern, yet still wanting to be taken seriously at the same time. " I'm A Nan " and " Glory Days " remain classic Pulp compositions, howsoever ( Keeping phone typo in ).

I'm with you on Party Hard. It also contains their worst ever track, the utterly shite TV Movie.

What usually happens now is someone will appear and say: 'But what about Silence?' And I'll reply. 'No. TV Movie is worse.'

[Small Man Big Horse]

I really don't like We Love Life, it put me off the band a fair bit and I think I haven't listened to it in about twenty years, bar Bad Cover Version.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Well, listen to it again, Quantick/Ackroyd Features. You may well be pleasantly surprised ( I fail to see how any music- liking person could not appreciate the majesty of the tune " Sunrise " ).

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I also like how you've not listened to it since before it was released. Dedicated non- listening, there.

[Jockice]

I really don't like We Love Life, it put me off the band a fair bit and I think I haven't listened to it in about twenty years, bar Bad Cover Version.

You must really hate it then, since it came out 18 years ago.

[Jockice]

I also like how you've not listened to it since before it was released. Dedicated non- listening, there.

Great minds.Etc.

[the science eel]

" This Is Hardcore " is the most 1998 sounding album * ever*, second only to " The Boy With The Arab Strap " by The Bellesebastians,  " Oh Fuck, This Is Definitely Going To Be Our Last Album , Isn't It ? " by Kenickie, and albums by Ultrasound and Gay Dad, had they released them in that year. " Stodgy" is, indeed, an adjective most apposite for that album. " Party Hard " ( is that what it was called? ) was one of their worst singles, the sound of a band attempting to satirise Midlife Crisis D. Bowie trying to be modern, yet still wanting to be taken seriously at the same time. " I'm A Nan " and " Glory Days " remain classic Pulp compositions, howsoever ( Keeping phone typo in ).

'I'm a Man' is an absolute joy, yes. My fave on the album.

The title track is horrible horrible. People went nuts over it at the time, I remember.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

the title track rules. loses the effect with repeated listens but it's as good a nightmare as anyone has ever laid down on tape

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Genuinely can't decide which Pulp album I like the most, they all have at least 2-3 tracks I don't like. Might have to go His n Hers because even the lesser tracks have a certain special feeling. I love the synth sound they had at that time

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

The title track is horrible horrible. People went nuts over it at the time, I remember.

Your opinion is uncorrect, it's a fucking glorious tune.

[the science eel]

it isn't a 'tune' at all

[Crabwalk]

Genuinely can't decide which Pulp album I like the most, they all have at least 2-3 tracks I don't like. Might have to go His n Hers because even the lesser tracks have a certain special feeling.

Paging 'She's a Lady'. The closest thing to a skippable track and yet as I play right now, the opening synths give me goosebumps.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Had a gander at the track listing for 'This Is Hardcore' to refresh my memory and I'm pretty sure the B-sides of that era are better than the actual album

[Jockice]

Had a gander at the track listing for 'This Is Hardcore' to refresh my memory and I'm pretty sure the B-sides of that era are better than the actual album

Cocaine Socialism and The Professional would definitely be in my top ten Pulp tracks ever.

[DrGreggles]

His N Hers for me.

25th anniversary this year!

Shit, I'm old...

[Jockice]

'I'm a Man' is an absolute joy, yes. My fave on the album.

The title track is horrible horrible. People went nuts over it at the time, I remember.

And the only track from that album they didn't play when i saw them at Finsbury Park.

The title track's great. Took me a while but I love it now.

[Phil_A]

Had a gander at the track listing for 'This Is Hardcore' to refresh my memory and I'm pretty sure the B-sides of that era are better than the actual album

It's pretty mental they didn't put "Like A Friend" on there.

I feel like the problem with "We Love Life", much like Suede's "A New Morning", both competent albums, is that it took so long to eventually arrive that it could never live up to expectations. A middling album is forgivable if you know another one will be along fairly soon after, but after waiting three plus years it can feel incredibly deflating.

I also think the element of sleaze was crucial to Pulp's appeal, that underlying seediness to their music. Once they'd dispensed with that they became a lot less interesting as a band, to my mind anyway.

[purlieu]

Might have to go His n Hers because even the lesser tracks have a certain special feeling. I love the synth sound they had at that time

There's a real cheapness to the sound of it which suits them perfectly. The last three just sound too big and polished and that sucks the energy from the music a bit. The tinny version of the band up to His n Hers just feels a lot more natural and honest.

[purlieu]

Suede's "A New Morning", both competent albums

That's the nicest thing I've ever seen written about that album, and it's still overrating it. What an utterly revolting album it was. And in this ridiculous day and age, I bet we still get a 20th anniversary super deluxe box set in three years time.
The parallels between it and We Love Life are there - more acoustic, pastoral sounding albums released three years after "darker", druggy albums, both of which were commercial flops. But although I'm not keen on WLL, it's artistically still a success, while ANM is just an absolute void of interest.

[the science eel]

Had a gander at the track listing for 'This Is Hardcore' to refresh my memory and I'm pretty sure the B-sides of that era are better than the actual album

For sure.

The deluxe His 'N' Hers came with an extra disc of B-sides and it knocked me out. Fabulous stuff.