This Is Hardcore

Infobox Album |
Name = This Is Hardcore
Type = Album
Artist = Pulp


Released = flagicon|UK March 30, 1998
flagicon|US March 31, 1998
flagicon|Japan April 1, 1998
Deluxe edition:
flagicon|UK September 11, 2006
Recorded = 1997
Genre = Britpop
Alternative rock
Length = 69:49
Label = Island Records
Producer = Chris Thomas
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Awoue4jj73wae link]
*"Calgary Sun" (Positive) 30 Mar 98
*"Entertainment Weekly" (A-) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63560,00.html 13 Apr 98]
*"NME" (7/10) Fact|date=February 2007
*Pitchfork (7.8/10) [http://pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/21081/Pulp_This_Is_Hardcore link]
*"Q" Rating|4|5 Fact|date=February 2007
*Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau|cut [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Pulp link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/302322/this_is_hardcore 23 Mar 98]
*"Spin" (8/10) Fact|date=February 2007
*"Web in Front" (Positive) [http://webinfront.net/?p=74 link]
Last album = "Different Class" (1995)
This album = "This Is Hardcore" (1998)
Next album = "We Love Life" (2001)

"This Is Hardcore" is an album by English band Pulp, first released in March 1998. It came three years after their breakthrough album, "Different Class", and was eagerly anticipated. It did not live up to the commercial success of the previous album, despite reaching number one in the charts. Nevertheless, the album was well received critically, and earned Pulp a third successive nomination for the 1998 Mercury Prize. Initial pressings in the UK came with a bonus live CD entitled "This Is Glastonbury". A deluxe edition of "This Is Hardcore" was released on September 11, 2006. It contained a second disc of B-sides, demos and rarities.

The cover art was directed by the American painter John Currin who is known for his figurative paintings of exaggerated female forms. [Cocker, Jarvis [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1034489,00.html 'They're not grotesque - they're beautiful'] Retrieved 11 December 2007.] Currin was also the art director for the "Help the Aged" video, based on his painting "The Never Ending Story." Posters advertising the album using the cover of the album which appeared on the London Underground system were defaced by graffiti artists with slogans like "This Offends Women" [Anon [http://www.acrylicafternoons.com/hardcore.html 'PULP - ACRYLIC AFTERNOONS - This Is Hardcore] Retrieved 8 July 2008.] and "This is Sexist" or "This is Demeaning" [cite news
last=Kelly
first=Amanda
co-authors=Clay, Alistair
title='Sexist' Pulp ads attacked; Anything goes, say advertisers. Not so, say angry women with spraycans.
publisher=The Independent
date=1998-04-19] .

Like "Different Class", the album is included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm]

Track listing

flagicon|UK CD release:

# "The Fear" – 5:35
# "Dishes" – 3:30
# "Party Hard" – 4:00
# "Help the Aged" – 4:28
# "This Is Hardcore" – 6:25
# "TV Movie" – 3:25
# "A Little Soul" – 3:19
# "I'm a Man" – 4:59
# "Seductive Barry" – 8:31
# "Sylvia" – 5:44
# "Glory Days" – 4:55
# "The Day After the Revolution" – 14:56

"This Is Glastonbury" Bonus Disc:

# "The Fear"
# "Live Bed Show"
# "TV Movie"
# "A Little Soul"
# "Party Hard"
# "Help The Aged"
# "Seductive Barry"

Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc:

# "Cocaine Socialism" (Proper Version) - 5:14
# "It's a Dirty World" (Recording Session Outtake) - 5:13
# "Like a Friend" - 4:32
# "The Professional" - 5:09
# "Ladies' Man" - 4:44
# "Laughing Boy" - 3:50
# "We Are the Boyz" - 3:15
# "Tomorrow Never Dies" (Rough Mix) - 4:53
# "Can I Have My Balls Back, Please?" (Demo) - 4:16
# "Modern Marriage" (Demo) - 4:54
# "My Erection" (Demo) - 4:22
# "You Are the One" (Demo) - 4:28
# "Street Operator" (Demo) - 3:52
# "This Is Hardcore" (End of the Line Mix) - 2:06

flagicon|US CD release:

"The U.S. version features an edit of "The Day After the Revolution" and adds the B-side "Like a Friend" as a bonus track."
# "The Fear" – 5:35
# "Dishes" – 3:30
# "Party Hard" – 4:00
# "Help the Aged" – 4:28
# "This Is Hardcore" – 6:25
# "TV Movie" – 3:25
# "A Little Soul" – 3:19
# "I'm a Man" – 4:59
# "Seductive Barry" – 8:31
# "Sylvia" – 5:44
# "Glory Days" – 4:55
# "The Day After the Revolution" – 5:52
# "Like a Friend" (bonus track) – 4:32

flagicon|Japan CD release:

"The Japanese pressing features 2 bonus tracks and also includes the "This Is Glastonbury" bonus disc with 2 bonus tracks from the same show."
# "The Fear" – 5:35
# "Dishes" – 3:30
# "Party Hard" – 4:00
# "Help the Aged" – 4:28
# "This Is Hardcore" – 6:25
# "TV Movie" – 3:25
# "A Little Soul" – 3:19
# "I'm a Man" – 4:59
# "Seductive Barry" – 8:31
# "Sylvia" – 5:44
# "Glory Days" – 4:55
# "The Day After the Revolution" – 14:56
# "Like a Friend" (bonus track) – 4:32
# "Tomorrow Never Lies" (bonus track) - 4:53

Japanese Bonus Disc:
# "The Fear" (Live)
# "Live Bed Show" (Live)
# "TV Movie" (Live)
# "A Little Soul" (Live)
# "Party Hard" (Live)
# "Help the Aged" (Live)
# "Seductive Barry" (Live)
# "This Is Hardcore" (Live) (bonus track)
# "Glory People: Glory Days / Common People" (Live) (bonus track)

flagicon|UK Limited edition double vinyl LP:

ide one

# "The Fear" – 5:35
# "Dishes" – 3:30
# "Party Hard" – 4:00
# "Help the Aged" – 4:28
# "This Is Hardcore" – 6:25

ide two

# "TV Movie" – 3:25
# "A Little Soul" – 3:19
# "I'm a Man" – 4:59
# "Seductive Barry" – 8:31

ide three

# "Sylvia" – 5:44
# "Glory Days" – 4:55
# "The Day After the Revolution" – 14:56

ide four

# "Tomorrow Never Lies" - 4:53
# "Laughing Boy" - 3:50
# "The Professional" - 5:09
# "This is Hardcore" (End of the Line Mix) - 2:06

ingles

In the UK, there were four singles released from the album:
# "Help the Aged" (November 10, 1997)
# "This Is Hardcore" (March 16, 1998)
# "A Little Soul" (June 8, 1998)
# "Party Hard" (September 7, 1998)

*"The Fear" was released as a promo-only CD single in the US in 1998. The single features the 4:29 radio edit and a 0:10 research hook. There was never a commercial single release for the song.

Chart positions

References

succession box
before = "The Best Of" by James
title = UK number one album
years = April 11 1998 – April 17 1998
after = "Life Thru a Lens" by Robbie Williams