Search - Pulp :: This Is Hardcore

A fantastic album even without the bonus stuff...!

d-z | Los Angeles, CA. USA. | 07/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're thinking of buying "This is Hardcore", this is the version to get. Similar to the one labeled "[BOX SET]" here on Amazon, it has two "bonus tracks" on the bonus live CD, along with two bonus tracks on the album ("Like A Friend", which is on the American release, and "Tomorrow Never Lies").As I'm sure people have mentioned in reviews of the American version, the fact that "The Day After The Revolution" has several minutes of a single synth chord tacked-on the end makes the bonus tracks a little annoying. That might be worth docking the release of this otherwise fantastic album a star if it weren't for the live CD-- Pulp is an amusing live act. At least with mostly "This is Hardcore" material, the approximations of the studio versions are good. Some are even a little better ("Glory Days" is more fun live, as is "Party Hard").And not to ignore the basic album, which is, in my opinion, Pulp's best. Synthesizer content went down, but to make up for that, they wrote some of their best stuff: The one and only bad point for me is "Seductive Barry" which drags on into tedium. "Glory Days" seems a little done, but is still quite good. "Help the Aged", "This is Hardcore", "Dishes", "The Fear", "I'm A Man"-- all have become personal classics. Buy. Now."

Hardcore Vinyl

JRL | MI USA | 08/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This review pertains to the VINYL re-issue of This Is Hardcore by Pulp. A label called Plain re-released this LP in 2009. The review above is from 2000 and is NOT about the vinyl, hence it should be moved. Also, unhelpfully Amazon.com does not have the correct tracklist on this page.



This Is Hardcore is 2 things: firstly it's a difficult album with many soaringly amazing moments. It also has its share of weak points. Fans of 90's-era Pulp and this landmark swansong will never agree on which songs are good and which are bad. To my ears, the album closes out blandly after Sylvia. But when listening to the first disc of the vinyl, it's interesting how tracks 1-9 (ending with the 8 minute-plus porno of a song that is Seductive Barry) make for a very complete listen alone. Why the band put such a lengthy song 4th to last is anyone's guess. Secondly, This Is Hardcore is as beautiful a piece of artwork/packaging as any vinyl junkie could hope for. I was concerned that a re-issue by a different label may somehow cheapen the package, but not at all. It's all here presented with its sticky gloss and dangerous sex. A job well done.



Finally, I'm very surprised that this version contains 4 (!!) bonus tracks. Side C ends with The Day After The Revolution, and side D contains the following:



Tomorrow Never Lies

Laughing Boy

The Professional

This Is Hardcore (End Of The Line Remix)



The 12 album songs would have sufficed, but these B-sides are a nice appendage. And though I am not a fan of Tomorrow Never Lies, I do enjoy Laughing Boy and The Professional. Plus, everyone knows at this point that T.I.H. (End of the Line Mix) is NOT a remix at all, but a 2 minute symphonic snapshot of what's in the album's original title track. Definitely just a reprise with a misleading silly title. These all sound pristine on 180-gram double gatefold vinyl and are great to have. Anyone who missed the chance to own this LP the first time around certainly owes it to themselves to pick this up.

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