MP3: Pulp Discography - Part Eight: Sisters EP (1994)
It's quite nice that the Pulp discography schedule has meant that I can talk about my very favourite Pulp release just in time for the blogs 1 year birthday. Although only an EP, Sisters easily stands out as my favourite because compared track for track with other Pulp releases its just unbeatable. There's not one dull moment, Jarvis' lyrics are at their most perfect point, the melodies are fantastic. I thought i'd post the whole thing, because the three non-album tracks are just so good that they need to be heard by a bigger audience.
You've probably heard the EP's first track, the past single Babies. The version here is slightly different from others, but it's basically the same indie pop classic you should have known and loved for years. It was accompanied by a great video, and is so good it really hurts quite a bit. Where oh where are the Pulps of today? Is there one solitary moment on the Arctic Monkeys album that matches the perfection of this song? I think the reason why I love this EP so much is that the quality level doesn't drop at all after the lead track. Your Sister's Clothes is a followup to the story of Babies, and is so good it really should have been on an album. The instrumentation matches the lyrics really well, and like the other songs on the EP Jarvis manages to inject just the right sense of menace and seediness to things without sounding too much like a perv. Except for the bit about smudging your lipstick. Next up is Seconds, which to this day I think is probably the most heartbreakingly perfect and melancholic thing Pulp ever recorded, except for perhaps Roadkill from We Love Life. It's basically a song about relationships going completely sour, and oh god it's good. The song starts in a very similar way to Do You Remember The First Time?, except now the sex is so repetitive that it's insignificant. 'They like to shop around and look at all those things they never wanted anyway.' 'Sometimes second best is the best that you can get.' It's full of stunning lines. The way that the chorus melody goes up, and up, and up, even when you think it'll stop getting better, is so good it makes me rather depressed that I might never hear more new Pulp that sounds like this. If you hear a better song all day, you're lying or deaf.
Last up is His 'N' Hers, which tops things off in a suitably fantastic way. Another great chorus, and should have been on the album. Contains the lines '"I'm frightened of Belgian chocolates... I'm frightened of... pot pourri, I'm frightened of... James Dean posters... I'm frightened of twenty-six inch screens, I'm frightened of... of remote control, I'm frightened of endowment plans, I'm... I'm frightened of figurines, oh... I'm frightened of evenings... in the Brincliffe Oaks... searching for a... conversation..."' At this moment I kind of feel sorry for people that don't like Pulp, because this blog is probably driving them insane. But then they're morons, so no matter.
The EP reached number 19 in the UK singles chart in May 1994. On the Top Of The Pops performance, Jarvis opened his jacket to reveal a piece of paper reading 'I Hate Wet Wet Wet'. A nation rejoiced.
There's more info on the Sisters EP at Bar Italia. On youtube you can find the Sisters EP video for Babies, the original video for Babies, a performance of Babies from Butt Naked TV, and a performance of His N Hers also from Butt Naked. Hope you like the songs.
Download: Pulp - 01 - Babies - MP3 2.7mb
Discography: (click to buy @ amazon.co.uk)
posted by Jamie Summers at 9:11 am
9 Comments:
Thank you once again. A big post.
You've inspired me to do a Pulp post of my own:
Underwear
Tim
Excellent stuff. With hindsight, of course, I should have bought this at the time instead of nicking it off the Internet twelve years later.
But you're doing the world (and me!) a great service. Many thanks.
Came here via HypeMachine, and stayed to read all your Pulp discography posts - really nice work! I'm looking forward to see your thoughts on This is Hardcore, one of my all-time favourite platters.
Oh...
I couldn't agree more. This EP has been my favorite Pulp release from the moment I heard it as well, and "Seconds" is one of my most favorite songs ever. I can't count the number of mixtapes I've put that song on over the last decade.
I'm glad to have stumbled on your blog.
Just want to say, you're spot on about the Sisters EP, it's one of the best things *ever* :-)
Seconds could well be the most perfect song of all time, as well. Someone should do a cover of it someday, it's screaming to be a hit...
Keep up the good work »
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