Pulp – Begging for Change Review 

A More song that was never finished now forms a Pulp charity track. They are, as listeners may know, in exceptional company for Help(2). James Ford has done exceptionally well to assemble a who’s who of the most important artists in alternative rock around, from legends like Pulp and Damon Albarn to those carrying the torch of a whole new undertaking of the genre, like Fontaines D.C. and The Last Dinner Party. Begging For Change, the song offered up by Pulp on this War Child compilation, hadn’t quite made it into a finished state when recording More, but the band has taken another crack at it, and we should be glad they did. Between the ABBA and Johnny Cash covers of the last few months, the drops of quality to come from Pulp post-More have been a real thrill. Another song, this one intended for More but dropped because frontman Jarvis Cocker couldn’t get a handle on the lyrics in time, is a nice encore to a whole new Pulp experience.  

Crucial to this is the tone of the song. It’s very different to what More offered even in its gutsiest rock displays. The likes of Spike Island and Got to Have Love are the energetic highs of the band’s most recent album, and it’s hard to think, now, where Begging for Change would fit. It’s a shift away from those alternative charms and into a touch of post-punk influence. Pulp, should they pursue this new sound that little bit further, could reinvent themselves once more. Begging for Change is a real shock to the system, a blur of Cocker’s days working with Steve Albini and, crucially, the influence The Velvet Underground has on the band. Namely Mark Webber, whose guitar work here is exactly what you’d want of a band testing the waters of a sound quite unlike anything they’ve done before. Irrespective of the influences and the fresh tone this song takes on, Begging for Change is, so far, the most adaptive to the War Child project. Damon Albarn features in the backing vocals along with a choir of children, backing a Choose Life-like oration from Cocker.  

Feeding those strings which backed much of More is a solid foundation for the core four members to let loose. Webber gets the lion’s share of this new sound under control, but the spoken-word-like vitriol which spills from Cocker’s lyrics is exceptional. Begging for change is what those outspoken many still have to do, and when results grind to a halt, it’s a tough reality check. But just because there’s no change immediately at hand doesn’t mean you should stop pushing for it. “So change,” is how Begging for Change ends, and it’s that sentiment which, like Albarn’s Flags offering to Help(2), gets to the very core of War Child’s efforts. It’s a coincidence that Begging for Change, intended for another album entirely, can fit the sincere goals and aims of a charity compilation album, but such is the worldview Cocker and company provided on More and, crucially, throughout their careers.  

You can dig deeper into Pulp’s backlog and hear this desire for change and a kick against the pricks in power. Common People is the obvious core point, but the likes of Cocaine Socialism and Weeds showcase this protest nature. Running the World, too, from Cocker’s solo debut, is an essential. Begging for Change isn’t as comfortably anthemic as those aforementioned songs, though it doesn’t need to be. It needs the new, volatile sound provided by these confident instrumental changes. Begging for Change feels a tad experimental in the face of an all-time great album from Pulp, and having it sound unlike anything the band has done before, instrumentally that is, makes all the difference. A desire to change the story, to really affect change, can be heard here, and that guides Pulp to a unique powerhouse of a song.