PULP

But of course we bought this when it came out . . . . . I think I have said earlier but I was introduced to PULP by bookseller par excellence and general Queen of Everything, the wonderment that is Sharon Murray, who turned me on to quite a bit of music I hadn't then heard (The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon for example) but no-one quite captured my imagination like Pulp and this was of course their biggest hit and to make it big with this and Disco 2000 but I have remained a fan of Jarvis and all he does since and have everything official from PULP too

On this day in music history: October 30, 1995 - “Different Class”, the fifth album by Pulp is released (US release is on February 27, 1996). Produced by Chris Thomas, it is recorded at Townhouse Studios in London from Late 1994 - Mid 1995. Having endured numerous ups and downs and several line up changes since forming in their native Sheffield, UK in 1978, the Britpop band led by charismatic front man Jarvis Cocker hits their stride by the early 90’s. Pulp makes their through in the UK charts with the album “His ‘n’ Hers” in 1994 after signing with Island Records. Radio play on Modern Rock stations in the US also earn them a cult following in the US. For the follow up, the band work with veteran producer Chris Thomas, best known for his work with The Pretenders, The Sex Pistols, INXS and Elton John. The albums’ title is inspired while Cocker is hanging out one night in a London night club, making a dual commentary on Britain’s social class system and categorizing Pulp’s music as being “in a class of its own”. The albums’ release is proceeded by the first single “Common People” (#2 UK), which is an instant smash in their home country and across Europe, priming audiences for the full album which is enthusiastically received and enters the UK album chart at #1, selling over 1.2 million copies in Britain alone. The albums’ cover photo features life sized cut outs of the individual band members posed with an actual wedding party. The initial release of the album in the UK features six double sided interchangeable inserts, allowing fans to “choose your own cover”. Standard releases feature the wedding photo as front of the CD booklet. Regarded as one of the quintessential albums’ of the Britpop movement, it is Pulp’s most successful album on a worldwide basis. The Japanese and German releases of “Different Class” feature a limited bonus disc with ten additional bonus tracks, including non-album B-sides, single mixes and two tracks from their 1994 “Sisters” EP release. When the album is remastered and reissued in 2006, it includes a second disc with eleven additional bonus tracks. “Different Class” spends two weeks at number one on the UK album chart and is certified 4x Platinum, peaking at number thirty four on the Billboard Heatseekers chart in the US.