Separations 2012

This is a fantastic album that I missed when I first got introduced to Pulp. Most of the album is very "up" and it finds its way into my music rotation on a very regular basis. My favourite tracks are probably "Love is Blind" and "Separations," although the whole album is fantastic. The track "Separations," in particular is really interesting - the first two minutes of the song are completely different in tone from the rest of the song. (This seems to be the case with many Pulp songs, but especially in this case.)Anyway, I rarely see this album mentioned, and it really deserves a listen.

It's funny, people keep discussing wether Common People, This Is Hardcore or We Love Life is the best PULP album, but never did I hear anyone mention Seperations, until I came along it by accidence in the record collection of a friend of mine. Not that I think this is PULP's best album, because I think all three mentioned above, AND Seperations, are equally brilliant, but each in it's own special way.This album features an unique combination of heavy disco sounds and a very dark theme. Take the opener, Love Is Blind, which is probably PULP's best track before The Fear - it starts out as a nice and qiet piece, but ends with some strange, or rarther bizarre lyrics, and all along it features that unique PULP sound, with Jarvis' vocals as fantastic as ever. The second track goes on in a more funny theme, about a man who dumped his girlfriend and now wants her back, except that she's found someone else - which he had deffinitely not counted on. The rhythms are strange but compelling, and I can exactly imagine Jarvis doing strange moves on the scene while performing this...She's Dead is perhaps the bands most somber piece ever, and very lovely, even if it's a bit too long. Again, a fantastic vocal performance by Jarvis. The title track is another favorite - the violin intro sounds quite unlike any other thing they did later, but it's ... well, brilliant ... and the lyrics, about a seperated couple, is very deftly written, and the change of sound in the song, when it goes from the one person to the other, is excellently done. It would have wanted it longer, but ok, can't have it all... Down By The River sounds very pleasant, but the lyrics are really scary, about a girl drowning herself in the river. It's got strong similarities to the theme of 'Wickermen', though this track might not be as refined as that one.The second half of the album is devoted to pure disco tracks, and the quality is really surprising - at first I thought it sounded like so much else, but the slight differences does all the difference - and noone is a match for Jarvis' vocals - whispered, hysteric, desperate, cold, sarcastic; he has it all in his voice. The last track, This House Is Condemned, was really a shock to me - it sound like a song by Jean Michelle Jarre or Kraftwerk - but it's really ... brilliant. I've never heard anyone come so close to condensing the sound of panic onto a recorded track.Though the lyrics on Seperations might not be as refined as what PULP has done later, every track seems worked through to perfection, and every time you hear it never layers seem to appear. And instead of being just Jarvis backed by some musicians, the band as a unity comes to their full right here, showing excellent keaboradplaying by Candida, as well as superb violin sections, drumming and bass playing. So though it's not as innovative as some later work, once Seperations has come into your CD player, it seems very - very - reluctant to leave it! Simply ... brilliant.

This is not quite what I'd call essential Pulp (that begins with their next album, 1993's His n' Hers, and goes thru til 1998's This Is HardCore), but once you've thoroughly enjoyed the essentials, this is the best next place to go.The more i listen to this album, the more it grows on me, though. The first two tracks are amazing, and remind me of the best parts of Pulp's swansong, Trees (or something. I can't quite recall. I did not like their last album, but there were two good songs on it, and these two songs remind me of them). The second half of the album is a bit better than the first, beginning with the album standout, Countdown. Death II is also fantastic. The added tracks really perk this up a bit, too (Both Countdown and Death are reimagined). All in all, a very good earlier work from Sheffield's finest. Sorry Joe Cocker and Def Leppard.

I adore this album, though i always skip the track "my legendary girlfriend". I love the violin solos on "don't you want me anymore" and "separations" because they are very haunting, and i enjoy this album for this specific reason. "Death II" makes me feel utterly happy inside, and want to break out and dance. I usually feel like I need to like all songs on an album in order for it to be my favourite from that group, but in this case, these three song do it for me.

Considering the degree to which critics take a gleeful pleasure in bashing Pulp's pre-Island material, you might think that this would be unlistenable sludge. Fortunately, you would be entirely wrong. This is a dark album, but whereas Freaks was bleak in a small, claustrophobic way, this is highly melodramatic--"high tragedy," if you will. Anyway, despite what brainless reviewers may tell you, this is a very strong album. Jarvis's lyrics haven't reached their current level of sophistication, but they're still very good, and there's scarcely a weak tune on the album--the only less-than-inspiring number being the fairly bland She's Dead. Otherwise, it's all pretty great stuff: Separations is the most pathos-laden song, and it's quite brilliant, featuring some excellent violin work from Russell. Love is Blind, Don't you Want me Anymore?, and Down by the River are nearly as good, and This House is Condemned is truly bizarre and creepy. And of course, let's not forget about the deservedly well-thought of singly, My Legendary Girlfriend. This is really an album that any Pulp devotee should own, and it's the best place to start if you're thinking about looking into their mysterious early material.

This is my absolute favourite Pulp cd. Screw This is Hardcore, all right it's good, but this is so much better. People constantly request to hear it when they visit, and it's always being lent out to my friends and to their friends. If you have to choose one cd, choose this. You will NOT be let down, I promise.