98-491: This Is Hardcore is the sixth studio album by English rock band Pulp , released on 30 March 1998. Following the success of Different Class (1995), friction grew in the band, culminating in the notable departure of guitarist and violinist Russell Senior; frontman Jarvis Cocker left for New York alone to decompress and write in isolation from the rest of the band. These new songs took a much more art rock approach and glam rock influence from its predecessor. After reconciling with
196-707: A writer's block after his close collaborator (and fellow Miracle), Marv Tarplin , who joined him on the road in 1973 after Robinson left the Miracles, presented him a tune he had composed on his guitar. Robinson later wrote the lyrics that became his first solo top ten Pop single, " Cruisin' ". The song hit number one in Cash Box and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 . It also became his first solo number one in New Zealand . Robinson would follow
294-420: A Mirage " and " More Love " peaked in the top twenty. In 1965, the Miracles were the first Motown group to change their name when they released their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson was also one of the major songwriters and producers for Motown, penning many hit singles such as " Two Lovers ", " The One Who Really Loves You ", " You Beat Me to
392-445: A band's jaunt in the limelight and a suitable jump-off point for what had been a rare old few years – for us, at least." Another review found the song "A Little Soul" to be "Cocker's most disconsolately beautiful", drawing "from the musical blueprint of Smokey Robinson 's ' Tracks of My Tears .'" This is Hardcore was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . In 2013, NME ranked it at number 166 in its list of
490-483: A bigger budget and production from Alan Smyth , called Separations . This was a progression of the style of Freaks , with Leonard Cohen -esque ballads on side one and an acid house infused track-listing on side two. The disparate styles can be attributed to Cocker and Mackey's different and changing tastes; Mackey introduced Cocker to house music which led to them both going to raves , while Cocker introduced Mackey to " Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg ". Cocker
588-579: A compilation of Pulp's early recordings on Fire Records entitled Countdown 1992–1983 was released on the Nectar Masters label. It received largely negative reviews, but due to the band's popularity at the time it reached the top 10 of the UK charts. Cocker, whose permission was not sought before release, urged fans not to purchase the album, comparing it to "a garish old family photograph album". Later in 1996, Pulp gained minor international recognition on
686-571: A decade-long break, having sold more than 10 million records. Pulp reunited and played live again in 2011, with dates at the Isle of Wight Festival , Reading and Leeds Festivals , Pohoda , Sziget Festival , Primavera Sound , the Exit festival , and the Wireless Festival . A number of additional concert dates were afterward added to their schedule. In January 2013, Pulp released " After You ",
784-555: A designated arts mentor under Turnaround Arts. On July 31, 2018, Robinson appeared on the Fox network's show Beat Shazam as a special guest. Robinson appeared on the song "Make It Better" from Anderson Paak 's 2019 album Ventura . In 2023, Robinson announced that he would release his first album in almost a decade in April 2023. The nine-track album will be called Gasms , and will feature entirely new music. The first single from
882-457: A fixed line-up was then established: Cocker, Dalton and two friends of theirs, David "Fungus" Lockwood and Mark Swift. The band played their first public gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980. Later that year, Cocker met future member Russell Senior , who recognised Cocker from his charismatic sales techniques in his part-time job at the local fish market . Their musical style at this time
980-470: A job he had taken on by the mid-1960s after Esther Gordy Edwards had left the position. However, the success of the group's "Tears of a Clown" made Robinson stay with the group until 1972. His last performance with the group was in July 1972 in Washington, D.C. After a year of retirement , Robinson announced his comeback with the release of the eponymous Smokey album, in 1973. The album included
1078-487: A movie, a series of scenes from a life", and declared that it "is arguably the first pop album devoted entirely to the subject of the long, slow fade", which it heralded as "a bold move because it breaks one of rock's oldest songwriting taboos". The review concluded, "In midlife oblivion, Pulp have found a strange kind of liberation. Desperation never sounded quite so entertaining." Reviews in the United States adopted
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#17327731013671176-400: A music heritage plaque was unveiled at the venue of the band's first gig, The Leadmill , Sheffield. Band members Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Steve Mackey, Candida Doyle and Mark Webber were present at the ceremony. In July 2022, following speculation from a cryptic Instagram post, Cocker announced that the band would reunite for a series of concerts in 2023. Nick Banks also tweeted confirming
1274-492: A new album in late 1996. However, Cocker was having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, battling cocaine addiction and a break-up of a long-term relationship. When the band came to begin work on the next album, they had only one song – " Help the Aged ". This creative inertia meant the band took over a year to finish the next record. Indeed, it was Cocker's disillusionment with his long-desired wish for fame that made up much of
1372-402: A new set of musicians were gathered: Simon Hinkler (who later joined The Mission ), David Hinkler, Wayne Furniss (who switched to guitar after playing drums in the previous lineup), Peter Boam, Gary Wilson, and Cocker's sister, Saskia. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982, entitled It (the title was a pun on pulpit , as if the band were preaching to
1470-507: A partnership with George Tobin and with Tobin, Robinson released his next several Motown albums, Yes It's You Lady , which produced the hit "Tell Me Tomorrow", Touch the Sky and Essar . In 1983, Robinson teamed up with fellow Motown label mate Rick James recording the R&;B ballad, " Ebony Eyes ". In 1987, following a period of personal and professional issues, Robinson made a comeback with
1568-836: A pro-drugs message." The single reached number two on the UK Singles Charts. Released in October 1995, Different Class garnered significant critical praise and debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart. This was the first album featuring Pulp fan-club president Mark Webber , who became a permanent member of the band on guitar and keyboards. The album followed similar themes to their previous work with observations of life expressed through Cocker's sexualised, sometimes dark and witty lyrics. Other singles released from Different Class were " Disco 2000 " and " Something Changed ", which reached numbers seven and ten respectively in
1666-465: A release and so Pulp left Fire and signed to Warp Records imprint Gift Records in 1992. Buoyed by a changing musical current, in June 1992 Pulp released " O.U. " on Gift while Fire finally released Separations in the same month. Melody Maker made "O.U" a single of the week alongside " The Drowners " by Suede , a prominent new band. Pulp then signed to Island Records , who jointly released (with Gift)
1764-515: A retrospective assessment of the album's impact, Matthew Horton wrote in NME that "in its sense of surrender, regret and flashes of panic, it captured the time to a tee." In an article entitled, "How Pulp's This Is Hardcore Brought Britpop to a Halt", Horton maintained that it was "a sloughing-off of fame’s skin, a rejection of the Britpop monster". He concluded, "It's an end, a hard-wrought epitaph to
1862-675: A similar approach with his next album, Warm Thoughts , which produced another top 40 hit, "Let Me Be the Clock", though it did not repeat the success of "Cruisin'". In 1981, Robinson topped the charts again with another sensual ballad, " Being with You ", which was another number one hit in Cash Box and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart , becoming his most successful single to date. The Gold-plus parent album sparked
1960-598: A similar tone, with the Chicago Tribune , Los Angeles Times , and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette all awarding three and a half stars out of four. The Tribune hailed it as "a smashing album about midlife crisis" and found that "[the] music is sumptuous lounge-lizard rock augmented by strings and noisy disruptions – a clever, catchy '90s take on the Bowie / Mott / Roxy glam rock of the '70s." In
2058-455: A song originally demoed for We Love Life , as a digital download single. It was the band's first single release since " Bad Cover Version " in 2002. On 9 March 2014, Pulp and filmmaker Florian Habicht premiered the feature documentary Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets at SXSW Music and Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The film toured the international film festival circuit and
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#17327731013672156-714: A ten-piece string section called the Elysian Collective. During this tour they also debuted two new songs; "Hymn of the North" and "Background Noise". The reunion continued into 2024 with a North America tour which began in September. During this leg they debuted three more new songs: "Spike Island", "My Sex" and "Farmer's Market". Current members Current touring musicians Former touring musicians Former members Smokey Robinson William " Smokey " Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940)
2254-659: A tour of the National Parks in the UK, even playing a show as far north as Elgin in Scotland. Richard Hawley , the Sheffield-based singer/songwriter, was also present on various dates on this tour. He later described it as "very much pink feather boas and glamour which was great and brilliant. That was about trying to find glamour among all the shit and I loved all that". In 2002 the band announced that they were leaving their label, Island. A greatest hits package
2352-480: A year, and the record was not well received. The album's darker style may be considered the antithesis of the happy and optimistic It . When Freaks failed to be a success, Pulp recorded tracks with Chakk 's label FON in Sheffield. A single called "Death Comes To Town" was due to be released by FON in early 1988, but this relationship disintegrated and the release was cancelled. It was during this time that Cocker
2450-475: Is Ksenia Sobchak and the images were further digitally manipulated by Howard Wakefield, who also designed the album. Currin was also the art director for the " Help the Aged " video, based on his painting "The Never Ending Story". Advertising posters showing the album's cover that appeared on the London Underground system were defaced by graffiti artists with slogans like "This Offends Women" and "This
2548-447: Is Sexist" or "This is Demeaning". The music video for the title track was directed by Doug Nichol and was listed as the No. 47 best video of all time by NME . A bonus live CD entitled "This Is Glastonbury" was added to the album later in 1998. The album had first-week sales of just over 50,000, 62% fewer than Different Class first-week sales of 133,000. The album was certified gold by
2646-442: Is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive . He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles , for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called The Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from the group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to
2744-552: Is the current owner and host of the SiriusXM channel Soul Town , a station that plays R&B and soul hits from the 1950s to the early 1980s. Released under the banner Smokey's Soul Town , Robinson occasionally appears on the channel, recalling his best moments with Motown and meeting other artists as well as pick his favorite songs during that time period. On February 22, 1983, Smokey was awarded an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Four years later, in 1987, Robinson
2842-670: The BPI April 1998 for sales of 100,000. As of 2008, sales in the United States have exceeded 86,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan . Nick Hornby , writing in Spin , proclaimed that on the album "England's unofficial poet laureate Jarvis Cocker perfects his poetry of the prosaic". Rolling Stone noted that This is Hardcore was "less bright and bouncy" than its era-defining predecessor, but praised it as being "even more daring and fully realized", noting that "it plays like
2940-561: The Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame . William Robinson Jr. was born to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and French descent in a poor family in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan . He had two maternal half-sisters, and his parents divorced when he was three years old. Robinson's ancestry is also part Nigerian , Scandinavian , Portuguese , and Cherokee . His uncle Claude gave him
3038-678: The Daily Mirror , who had attacked the band months earlier, set up a "Justice for Jarvis" campaign backing his actions and carried out a stunt at Pulp's Sheffield Arena gig on 29 February, handing out free T-shirts. The NME described Cocker's actions as a "great publicity stunt" which was "creative, subversive and very, very funny", while Melody Maker described Cocker as, "arguably the Fifth Most Famous Man in Britain" and suggested he should be knighted . In March 1996,
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3136-535: The Glastonbury Festival (standing in for The Stone Roses at the last minute). A double A-side single, " Sorted for E's & Wizz/Mis-Shapes ", was to precede the release of their next album, Different Class (1995). Upon the release of "Sorted for E's and Wizz", the Daily Mirror printed a front-page story headed "BAN THIS SICK STUNT" alongside a story by Kate Thornton which said the song
3234-591: The Mercury Music Prize . This sudden increase in popularity was helped by the massive media interest in Britpop alongside acts such as Suede, Oasis and Blur , with Pulp supporting the latter in a 1994 tour of the United States. 1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their number two single on the UK Singles Chart, " Common People ", in May 1995 and their performance in June at
3332-465: The 13,500 capacity Motorpoint Arena and made a previously unreleased track, " After You ", available for download to those who had attended the concert. It was subsequently released to the general public in January 2013 via digital download. The song had previously only existed in demo form. Their last performance was to promote the song on The Jonathan Ross Show on 9 February 2013. In May 2015,
3430-721: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . In 2014, US LGBT magazine Metro Weekly placed the album at number 46 in its list of the "50 Best Alternative Albums of the '90s". In 2017, Pitchfork ranked it seventh in "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". All lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker ; all music is composed by Cocker, Nick Banks , Candida Doyle , Steve Mackey and Mark Webber , except where noted Pulp Production Additional musicians Artwork Shipments figures based on certification alone. Pulp (band) Pulp are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. At their critical and commercial peak,
3528-633: The American children's animated series ToddWorld for Discovery Kids , TLC and Mike Young Productions. Two years later, Robinson released the standards album, Timeless Love , in 2006 on Universal Records. In 2009, he issued the album, Time Flies When You're Having Fun on his own label, Robso Records. It reached number 59 on the Billboard album chart, his highest showing since One Heartbeat . He subsequently released "Now And Then" in 2010, which peaked at number 131. Smokey & Friends
3626-603: The Disco", "Dogs Are Everywhere" and "Sink or Swim". Cocker told ShortList magazine in April 2012 that he was working on ideas for new Pulp songs, but in November he told Q that the band had no plans to release new material and would be "cruising off into the sunset" at the end of the year, signalling a possible end to the reunion. The band played a one-off concert in their hometown of Sheffield in December that year, at
3724-714: The Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards . In 2005, Robinson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa . In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton , Zubin Mehta , Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber . On March 20, 2009,
3822-489: The Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smokey was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers , Pete Moore , (Bobby's cousin) Claudette Rogers , and Gloria White, accepting for her husband, the late Ronnie White , whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Smokey's replacement, 1970s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin ,
3920-559: The Miracles as lead singer, chief songwriter and producer, including several top ten hits such as " You've Really Got a Hold on Me ", " Mickey's Monkey ", " I Second That Emotion ", " Baby Baby Don't Cry " and the group's only number-one hit during their Robinson years, " The Tears of a Clown ". Other notable hits such as " Ooo Baby Baby ", " Going to a Go-Go ", the multi-award-winning " The Tracks of My Tears ", " (Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need ", " The Love I Saw in You Was Just
4018-463: The Miracles tribute song, "Sweet Harmony", and the hit ballad "Baby Come Close". In 1974, Robinson's second album, Pure Smokey , was released but failed to produce hits. Robinson struggled to compete with his former collaborators Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks , as all three had multiple hit singles during this period. Former Beatle George Harrison featured
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4116-473: The Miracles' release of their first record. Gordy formed Tamla Records , which was later reincorporated as Motown. The Miracles became one of the first acts signed to the label, although they had actually been with Gordy since before the formation of Motown Records. In late 1960, the group recorded their first hit single, " Shop Around ", which became Motown's first million-selling hit record. Between 1960 and 1970, Robinson would produce 26 top forty hits with
4214-770: The Punch " and " My Guy " for Mary Wells ; " The Way You Do The Things You Do ", " My Girl ", " Since I Lost My Baby " , " It's Growing " , and " Get Ready " for the Temptations ; " Still Water (Love) " for the Four Tops ; " When I'm Gone " and " Operator " for Brenda Holloway ; " Don't Mess With Bill ", " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game " and " My Baby Must Be a Magician " for the Marvelettes ; and " I'll Be Doggone " and " Ain't That Peculiar " for Marvin Gaye . After
4312-503: The UK Albums Chart, but with far fewer sales, and earned Pulp a third successive nomination for the 1998 Mercury Prize. A deluxe edition of This Is Hardcore was released on 11 September 2006, containing a second disc of B-sides, demos and rarities. The cover photo was art directed by Peter Saville and the American painter John Currin who is known for his figurative paintings of exaggerated female forms. The model photographed
4410-482: The UK group ABC released a tribute song, " When Smokey Sings ". He was inducted as a solo artist to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, later igniting controversy as the committee had inducted only Robinson and not members of his group, the Miracles, which Robinson saw as an affront. In 2012, however, the committee rectified the mistake announcing that the group would be inducted on their own merit. Though Robinson
4508-477: The UK. In September 1996, Different Class won the Mercury Music Prize. It was at this time that Cocker gained significant media exposure due to a notorious prank at the 1996 BRIT Awards , where he invaded the stage in protest during pop singer Michael Jackson 's performance of " Earth Song " and "wiggled his backside" at the audience. After complaints by Jackson and his entourage, Cocker spent
4606-608: The Wireless festival in London's Hyde Park and a Saturday slot at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2011. In a message sent to the band's official mailing list on 1 January 2011, Cocker said the large amount of interest in the band's reunion had been "an inspiration," and that he was pleased with how rehearsals were going. The band announced 22 concerts between May and September 2011, taking place in Europe and Australia. Pulp were one of
4704-447: The album, One Heartbeat and the singles, " Just to See Her " and " One Heartbeat ", which were Top 10 hits on Billboard ' s Pop, Soul, and Adult Contemporary charts. They were aided by popular music videos. "Just to See Her" won Robinson his first Grammy Award in 1988. The album became one of his most successful ever, selling over 900,000 copies in the United States alone. In the same year, Robinson released One Heartbeat ,
4802-667: The album, called "If We Don't Have Each Other", was already available on streaming services by January 2023. Robinson married a fellow Miracles member, Claudette Rogers , in 1959. The couple had two children: a son, Berry Robinson (born 1968), named after Motown's first label founder Berry Gordy , and a daughter, Tamla Robinson (born 1971), named after the original "Tamla" label set up by Gordy that would eventually become Motown. According to Robinson, he had affairs with multiple women while married to Claudette, among them an approximately year-long affair with Diana Ross . According to Robinson, Ross ended it because she felt uncomfortable as she
4900-475: The announcement by saying "Hey folks, unsurprisingly it's has all gone a bit mental on here. Gig details will be revealed as and when. Stay calm, hug your #pulp records and dream of going mental sometime in 2023." The reunion was officially confirmed on 28 October 2022, with dates announced at Finsbury Park , TRNSMT , Latitude Festival as well as two homecoming shows at Sheffield Arena . Steve Mackey announced on his Instagram that he would not be taking part in
4998-981: The arrival of Holland–Dozier–Holland and the team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong , Robinson was eclipsed as a top writer and producer for the label, and other Motown artists such as Gaye and Stevie Wonder began to compose more original material. Later in his career, Robinson wrote lyrics and music for the Contours such as " First I Look at the Purse ", as well as the Four Tops ' " Still Water " and The Supremes ' " Floy Joy ". The other Miracles—Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin—collaborated with him as writers on many of these hits, and Pete Moore also doubled as co-producer with Robinson on several of them. By 1969, Robinson wanted to retire from touring to focus on raising his two children with his wife Claudette, and on his duties as Motown's vice president,
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#17327731013675096-463: The audience ), which was released in April 1983 by Red Rhino Records . This largely consisted of folkish , romantic pop songs influenced by Leonard Cohen and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions two years earlier. The album was later released by Cherry Red Records . Though It failed commercially and fame was still elusive, the band continued to seek commercial success even to
5194-658: The audition, Robinson had brought along with him a "Big 10" notebook with 100 songs he wrote while in high school. Gordy was impressed with Robinson's vocals and even more impressed with Robinson's ambitious songwriting. With his help, the Miracles released their first single, "Got a Job", an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single "Get a Job" on End Records . It was the beginning of a long and successful collaboration. During this time, Robinson attended college and started classes in January 1959, studying electrical engineering . He dropped out after only two months, following
5292-589: The back of the inclusion of the track "Mile End" on the Trainspotting soundtrack . In August, the band played their last public performance for almost two years as headliners of the 1996 V Festival . It was during this period of intense fame and tabloid scrutiny that longtime member and major innovator in the band's sound Russell Senior decided to leave the band, saying, "it wasn't creatively rewarding to be in Pulp anymore". The band were due to begin working on
5390-586: The band became reluctant figureheads of the Britpop movement, and were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 1994 for His 'n' Hers ; they won the prize in 1996 for Different Class and were nominated again in 1998 for This Is Hardcore . Pulp headlined the Pyramid Stage of the Glastonbury Festival twice and were regarded among the Britpop "big four", along with Oasis , Blur and Suede . The band released We Love Life in 2001 and then took
5488-449: The band consisted of Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Russell Senior (guitar, violin), Candida Doyle (keyboards), Nick Banks (drums, percussion), Steve Mackey (bass) and Mark Webber (guitar, keyboards). Throughout the 1980s the band struggled to find success, but gained prominence in the UK in the mid-1990s with the release of the albums His 'n' Hers in 1994 and particularly Different Class in 1995, which reached
5586-470: The band re-released three of their albums ( His 'n' Hers , Different Class , and This Is Hardcore ), each with a bonus disc of B-sides, demos and rarities. On 23 October 2006 a 2-CD set compiling all of Pulp's John Peel Sessions from 1982 to 2001 was released. In November 2010 it was announced that the Different Class line-up (Cocker, Banks, Doyle, Mackey, Senior and Webber) would be playing at
5684-400: The band, they were signed to Fire Records . Soon after signing to Fire, in November 1985, Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl with a Spider-Man impression and ended up in hospital, temporarily requiring the use of a wheelchair in which he appeared during concerts. Pulp's relationship with Fire Records was tempestuous and Cocker admitted later that the band only accepted
5782-463: The band, work on the album began in November 1996 and finished in January 1998. Lead single " Help the Aged " was released on 11 November 1997, followed by the album's title track on 16 March 1998. After the album's release on 30 March, two more singles were released; " A Little Soul " on 8 June and " Party Hard " on 7 September. As with the band's previous album, This is Hardcore received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at No. 1 in
5880-425: The deal as it "was the only offer on the table". During this period, the singles " Little Girl " and " Dogs Are Everywhere " were released. Pulp's next major release was Freaks (1987), an album recorded in one week due to record label pressure. Cocker was irritated, and remarked that "the songs could've been done a lot better if we'd have had a bit more time...". The release of Freaks ended up being delayed for
5978-456: The establishment of a new, more experimental, artier and noisier direction for Pulp. They were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry). The new incarnation of Pulp survived a number of ill-fated gigs (including one at a rugby club at Brunel University which ended in a riot ) before Allcard left to be replaced on keyboards by Magnus Doyle's sister Candida . Following her first performance with
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#17327731013676076-465: The film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , where he fronted a group which included Steve Mackey and members of Radiohead . In 2006 he collaborated with Air, Neil Hannon and Charlotte Gainsbourg on her album entitled 5:55 . In 2007 he appeared on Air 's album Pocket Symphony , co-writing and giving vocals to the tracks "One Hell of a Party" and "The Duelist". His first solo album, Jarvis , with
6174-542: The groups Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Billy Ward and his Dominoes on the radio. He has cited Barrett Strong , a Detroit native, as a strong vocal influence. In 1955, he formed the first lineup of The Five Chimes with childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore . Two years later, they were renamed the Matadors and included Bobby Rogers . Another member, Emerson (Sonny) Rogers, Bobby Rogers' cousin,
6272-412: The local music scene as a result. The tracks recorded were in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (cf. The Human League and Comsat Angels ): electronic new wave and post-punk . These tracks were released in 2006 on The Peel Sessions compilation. Despite their exposure on national radio, success was not forthcoming and, apart from Cocker, most of the core line-up left for university. Soon,
6370-416: The mainstream press, heralding a turning point in Pulp's quest for fame. Pulp's repertoire was growing rapidly. Tracks such as "Babies", "Space" and "She's a Lady" were being played live throughout 1991 and in October of that year, they played their first overseas gig, a concert organised by French magazine Les Inrockuptibles . However, the band were still frustrated that Separations still had not seen
6468-458: The music industry as a solo artist the following year. He left Motown in 1999. Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. He is a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Inductee, as a solo artist (1983) and as a member of The Miracles (2009). In 2022, he was inducted into
6566-410: The nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. In 2012, Robinson explained: My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle. He was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name
6664-517: The night in Kensington Police Station charged with actual bodily harm and assaulting the child performers. However, with British comedian and former solicitor Bob Mortimer acting as legal representation, he was released without charge. This incident propelled Cocker into great controversy in the UK and elsewhere, and Pulp's record sales soared as a result. The event also coincided with the beginning of their first arena tour and
6762-554: The nineties (though he would make a notable cameo appearance in The Temptations 1998 miniseries ), making a brief comeback in 1999 when he re-signed with Motown and issued the album, Intimate , which included the song "Easy to Love". In 2003, he once again split ties with Motown, releasing the gospel album, Food for the Spirit on Liquid 8 Records in 2004. In 2004, Robinson sang the main title theme song "Colorful World" to
6860-485: The number one spot in the UK Albums Chart . The album spawned four top ten singles, including " Common People " and " Mis-Shapes / Sorted for E's & Wizz ", both of which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart . Pulp's musical style during this period consisted of disco -influenced pop-rock coupled with references to British culture in their lyrics in the form of a " kitchen sink drama "-style. Cocker and
6958-728: The number-one R&B hit " Baby That's Backatcha ", "The Agony & The Ecstasy" and "Quiet Storm" (the radio format quiet storm , originated by DJ Melvin Lindsey , is named after the album). However, Robinson's solo career suffered from his work as Motown's vice president, and his own music took the backseat. As a result, several albums including Smokey's Family Robinson , Deep in My Soul , Love Breeze and Smokin , saw poor promotion and received bad reviews. At this point Robinson relied on other writers and producers to help him with his albums. Following these albums, Robinson got out of
7056-480: The participation of Mackey, was released to critical acclaim in November 2006. Candida Doyle has performed live with Cocker on his solo tours. Mackey produced tracks on the debut album by M.I.A. , Arular , and on Someone to Drive You Home by the Long Blondes , both of which were critically well received. He has also produced tracks for Bromheads Jacket and Florence + The Machine . On 11 September 2006
7154-468: The point of recording a single, "Everybody's Problem"/"There Was". The single demonstrated a style shift advised by Red Rhino's Tony Perrin who had convinced Cocker that he "could write commercial songs like Wham! ". This approach also failed and Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction. He was set to break up the band and go to university himself before a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums) led to
7252-517: The singles " Babies " and " Razzmatazz " to increasing chart success. Next were the singles " Lipgloss " and their first top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart , " Do You Remember the First Time? ", which were put out as full Island releases. These singles were followed by the Ed Buller -produced album, His 'n' Hers (1994), which reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was nominated for
7350-515: The songs which comprise the album and being dissatisfied with the results. Subsequent interviews also suggested interpersonal and artistic differences, including managing the fallout of the Britpop/ Different Class era. Singer/songwriter Scott Walker agreed to produce the record and this symbolised a new phase in Pulp's development. This new effort fell short of expectations and was to be Pulp's last. Pulp subsequently undertook
7448-465: The soundtrack to the film Great Expectations . The song was also used in the Adult Swim cartoon The Venture Bros. season 4 finale " Operation: P.R.O.M. " Pulp then spent a few years "in the wilderness" before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, We Love Life . The extended period between the release of This is Hardcore and We Love Life is partly attributed to having initially recorded
7546-470: The subject matter of This Is Hardcore , which was released in March 1998. The album took a darker and more challenging tone than that of Different Class and lyrical topics – pornography (the title track), fame ("Glory Days") and the after effects of drugs ("The Fear") – were dealt with more earnestly than on previous records. Also in 1998, Pulp collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for
7644-815: The surprise special guests at Glastonbury Festival 2011 in June where they played on The Park stage on Saturday evening. They performed at the Sziget Festival in Hungary on 10 August, Way Out West Festival in Sweden on 13 August, and played as co-headliners to The Strokes at the Reading Festival and the Leeds Festival during the final weekend of August 2011. They headlined the Electric Picnic on 4 September, their last festival of
7742-477: The tour but stated; "Wishing Candy, Nick, Mark and Jarvis the very best with forthcoming performances in the UK and also an enormous thanks to Pulp's amazing fanbase, many of whom have sent me lovely messages today". On 2 March 2023, the band announced that Mackey had died at the age of 56. For the reunion tour, the band were joined by Andrew McKinney on bass, Emma Smith on guitar and violin, and Adam Betts on keyboards, guitar, and percussion. The tour also featured
7840-541: The track " Pure Smokey " on his 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3 as a tribute to Robinson. (Harrison's fellow Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also fans of Robinson's songwriting and the group covered "You Really Gotta Hold on Me" on their second UK album With the Beatles and US album The Beatles' Second Album , respectively.) Robinson answered his critics the following year with A Quiet Storm , released in 1975. The album launched three singles –
7938-673: The year. On 9 January 2012, the Coachella festival line-up was released, with Pulp listed as part of the line-up. Further dates were announced, including North and South America and a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Senior did not take part in the 2012 gigs. In February 2012, It , Freaks and Separations (the albums released by Fire Records ) were re-issued. These editions came with bonus tracks, including "Death Goes to
8036-410: Was "pro-drugs" and called for the single to be banned. The single had an inlay which showed how to conceal amphetamines in a DIY 'wrap'. Cocker released a statement two days later saying: "...'Sorted' is not a pro-drugs song. Nowhere on the sleeve does it say you are supposed to put drugs in here but I understand the confusion. I don't think anyone who listens to 'Sorted' would come away thinking it had
8134-507: Was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe. That's what everyone called me until I was about 12 and then I dropped the Joe part. I've heard that story about him giving it to me because I'm a light skinned black man but that's not true. When Robinson was 10, his mother died, and he began living with older sister, Geraldine, with her husband, who had 10 children together. He attended Northern High School , where he
8232-536: Was above average academically and a determined athlete. However, his main interest was music, and he formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. He and Aretha Franklin lived several houses from each other on Belmont; he said he'd known Franklin since she was about five, overhearing her play the piano when he had come to play with her older brother Cecil after her family first moved to Detroit. Robinson's interest in music started during childhood after he heard
8330-472: Was also awarded Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2009, Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree—along with Linda Ronstadt —and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music 's commencement ceremony. In 2015, he was given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, Robinson received the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; and, on August 21, 2016, he
8428-491: Was also honored. Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles and the group's fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor. Later, Tarplin did receive his star. He was also inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinson, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, 25 years after Robinson's controversial solo induction in 1987. He
8526-549: Was also inspired by the band Magazine 's early works that "had attack to it combined with a real intelligence, without going into ponce territory". Like Freaks , the release of Separations was delayed, to an extent lessening the potential impact. In the meantime, however, in 1991, a 12" recording, " My Legendary Girlfriend ", became music periodical NME ' s single of the week. Stuart Maconie described it in his review as "a throbbing ferment of nightclub soul and teen opera". Furthermore, " Countdown " began to be mentioned in
8624-625: Was finalized in 1986. The Robinsons had also separated in 1974 and during that separation, Robinson engaged in an extramarital affair that inspired the song "The Agony & The Ecstasy" (later featured on A Quiet Storm ). Robinson married Frances Gladney in May 2002. They own a home in Pittsburgh and use it as a winery . Robinson has not eaten red meat since 1972. He practices Transcendental Meditation . Robinson has golden green eyes, which he believes were passed down from his French great-grandmother. Beginning in November 2023, Robinson
8722-467: Was friends with Claudette, whom Robinson admitted he still loved. (A representative for Ross had no comment on Robinson's claim.) Robinson says that loving multiple people in that way simultaneously is natural. Robinson also had a son named Trey (born 1984) with another woman during his marriage to Claudette. After Robinson admitted to having fathered a child with a woman other than his wife, he filed for legal separation and later filed for divorce that
8820-615: Was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame . Robinson's single " Just to See Her " from the One Heartbeat album was awarded the 1988 Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance . This was Robinson's first Grammy Award. One year later, in 1989, he was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts . Two years before, he won
8918-418: Was not listed as an inductee, he was due to induct his former group at the ceremony in April 2012. After MCA purchased Motown in 1988, Robinson relinquished his position as vice president. Following the release of the album, Love Smokey , in 1990, Robinson left Motown for a deal with SBK Records in 1991. However, the album, Double Good Everything failed to chart. Robinson remained virtually quiet during
9016-553: Was released in mid-August 2014. It was an album of duets, including songs with Elton John , Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor . It reached number 12 on the Billboard album chart. Christmas Everyday was Robinson's first post-Miracles Christmas album, and was released on November 10, 2017. In 2018, he appeared on an episode of CMT Crossroads alongside country singer Cam . In April 2017, Robinson visited Fremont-Lopez Elementary School in Stockton, California, where he served as
9114-555: Was released theatrically by Oscilloscope Laboratories in the US in November 2014. It is the first film about Pulp (and Sheffield) that has been made in collaboration with the band. The band once again went on hiatus following this, but in 2022, Cocker announced that the band would be reuniting for a second time to play a series of shows in 2023. Pulp were formed in 1978 at The City School in Sheffield by Jarvis Cocker, then 15 years old, and Peter Dalton, then 14. Cocker's original preference
9212-412: Was released: Hits , with one new track. It is unclear whether this was the band's decision or released to satisfy contractual agreements. A music festival, Auto, was organised (held at Rotherham's Magna centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a 9-year hiatus. Cocker was involved in a number of one-offs and side projects, including the group Relaxed Muscle with Jason Buckle and
9310-412: Was replaced by his sister, Claudette Rogers (who would marry Smokey Robinson in 1959). The group's guitarist, Marv Tarplin , joined them sometime in 1958. The Matadors began touring Detroit venues around this time. Eventually they changed their name to The Miracles. In August 1957, Robinson and the Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records . At that time during
9408-542: Was taking a part-time foundation course at Sheffield Polytechnic . This led to him leaving for London to study film at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design , effectively folding the band. The fold was short-lived however. Steve Mackey , a regular at their Sheffield and London gigs, was also studying in London and was asked to join the band as a bass player. The line-up now consisted of Cocker, Mackey, Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks (drums). In mid-1989, they began recording another album for Fire, this time with
9506-669: Was to name the band after the film Pulp starring Michael Caine , though it was decided that this was too short. Instead, the two took inspiration from a copy of the Financial Times which listed the Arabicas coffee bean in its commodity index. Cocker and Dalton used this, with a slight spelling change, and the band became "Arabicus". Early rehearsals took place in Cocker's house and featured Cocker, Dalton and Dalton's younger brother Ian. After finally deciding on "Arabicus Pulp",
9604-478: Was varied, approximately described as "a cross between ABBA and The Fall ". A local fanzine also noted this eclecticism, describing them as sounding "as if they listen to the John Peel show every night in an endless quest for influences". Indeed, in October 1981, they gave a demo tape to Peel, who granted them a Peel Session . The session was a giant leap forward for the young band, who became well known on
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