Modern Music Masters - Pulp: MMM - Book 3

by Tom Boniface-Webb

It may have taken them 15 years to find the success that they deserved, but when Sheffield’s Pulp finally reached their potential their legend skyrocketed overnight. With tracks like Mis-Shapes and Sorted for E’s and Whizz, they positioned themselves as spokesmen for a generation of outsiders, whilst the wry northern humour of the anthem Common People is one of the all-time great comments on nineties class division.Pulp’s story is Jarvis Cocker’s story, and nowhere in rock history is there a group more synonymous with their leader than with Pulp. Jarvis took geek-chic and allied it to the wit and witticism of the great northern playwrights like Willy Russell and Jim Cartwright, creating his own distinct brand of pop star. Today he is nothing short of a national treasure. With their trio of albums His ‘n’ Hers, Different Class and This is Hardcore, Pulp proved themselves to be one of the most important British groups of all time.Now published in their second editions, and in partnership with the Official Charts Company, ‘Modern Music Masters’ is a series of books about the artists you know and love, or are discovering for the first time. With a strong focus on the UK charts, placing the artists in a social and political environment, MMM do not claim to be exhaustive, but offer an accessible route into the music and the history.Tom Boniface-Webb is the co-author of ‘I Was The Definitive A-Z of Britpop’, published by Valley Press in 2017. And the author of ‘Modern Music Masters – Oasis’, published in October 2020, and ‘Modern Music Masters – Blur’ published in November 2020.

178 pages, Paperback

Published December 5, 2020

About the author

Tom Boniface-Webb is a writer and filmmaker from the UK currently living in New Zealand with his wife and daughter.

He is the author of 'I Was Britpopped...' the A-Z of Britpop and the music of the nineties, published in 2017. 'Modern Music Masters - Oasis' the first in a series of books about the acts you know and love, or are discovering for the first time, was published on 2nd October 2020.

He has also had film criticism published in Sight and Sound magazine.

Reviews

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

No indie bands have it easy, but Pulp seemingly had the deck stacked against them/him more times than it seems possible. This 3rd in the MMM series (I’ve read all 3) is my favorite thus far. The slow ascent of the band is documented, as is the growth of J Cocker’s songwriting ability. I enjoyed the author’s theory that it took more life experience to pull the sexy storytelling and top notch class analysis out of Cocker’s pen. Appropriate attention is given to the lesser years (Arabacus Pulp, Fire Records, etc) without it feeling too slight. I also enjoyed a dip into the background and history of the Mercury Music Prize. Check this book out!

[Stephen Dunstan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's well written in places yet still let down by inaccuracies. Maybe it's the kindle version but there are a lot of grammar errors / wrong words. There are also major errors of fact which reduced my trust in the facts I wasn't up on, Sir Denis Healey would be spinning in his grave at the suggestion he was a Chancellor in the Thatcher government.

Favourite line '[Jarvis Cocker] had shifted from the position of Wordsworth to Larkin in the space of 12 years, and the fit suits much better.'

[Antonio Sáez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a broad overview of Pulp's career. Unlike Blur or Oasis, Pulp had a more complicated beginnings but after a hard work in making their albums, they managed to be a great band. Highly recommended book

[Rob Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader friendly introduction/overview of the life and times of Sheffield's finest, Pulp.
Third in the series, the format now established. Overview of the band's work along with information regarding their releases.
Loved the nostalgia of the charts at the time the singles and albums were released. The variety of tracks on display in the charts that seems to be lacking from the current chart system is a worry.
Jarvis is a national treasure, that should be regarded in the same bracket as Attenborough, Palin and Fry. Cocaine Socialism is probably the best dissection of New Labour, and Jarvis' Running the World should be on the curriculum.