Tough it was for Pulp to pull themselves up and out of the Fire Records deal, they managed to do it with great flavour. Some of their best songs can be heard in the dying embers of their old label and while Separations is not looked on too fondly by the band, Intro: The Gift Recordings certainly is. With Babies and Razzamatazz easing new listeners into the depths of Sheffield’s finest, Intro is a fascinating listen. Standing in the cold and waiting for a shop to open so you can bag this Record Store Day exclusive is a real treat. Still, there it is on Spotify. Buried in the compilations section of a page dominated by deluxe editions of albums you have heard already. Intro is buried deep but thoroughly accessible for even the passing fan. Space age shlock and tender displays of love for a city lacking it between its inhabitants.
Opener Space is a slow build and extremely satisfying pay-off. A wonderfully impressive instrumental section explores the intensity of well-layered instrumentals. Pulp has crashed through with a wild new sound as wicked as the lyrical observations made later in the album. Cocker finds himself perusing the streets of Sheffield with a distinct and unique perception of its hidden lust and buried wonder. O.U. gives the band their catchiest song at the time. A shock to the system with its repetition, replacing the “la, la las” which would overtake the band’s agreeable cries. It leads nicely to the slower, essential pace of Babies. Perceived as their first truly great track but a glance at their backlog proves this is not the case. Certainly, their catchiest and best in class for Intro as a narratively driven experience.
But those wanting the seediness to come through needn’t wait. Babies has it in abundance and the shock one-two of lyrical punches found on Razzamatazz is a surefire wake-up call. Those clear hits which made the rounds on the Encore reunion shows are a treat, but so too are the deeper cuts like Sheffield: Sex City. A nasty, thumping piece of work which portrays the Steel City as a place where love spreads through the cracks in the metalwork. Beautiful stuff. An observation of the times and the chance to push against it. Stacks begins the first in a trilogy of wandering narrative attempts which would be tried once more in a shorter range on His ‘n’ Hers.
Bundles of interest and a formidable attempt at discovering a new image for a band mishandled by its record label, Intro feels like a strike against injustice in a time of sudden clarity. A compilation of tracks not to be thrown away, some would be used again, thankfully. Make no mistake, Pulp has some of their best in class on Intro. They dip into this pond ever so slightly with their reunion shows but it feels like an afterthought of an album. There is little love for it because of the blinding trilogy to follow. A shame. Much of what makes Different Class and This is Hardcore such a unique listen can be found in pockets of Intro. The dark horse of their release, can it be called a compilation? It certainly doesn’t feel like one.
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