Freaks (released with the subtitle Ten Stories About Power, Claustrophobia, Suffocation and Holding Hands) is the second studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 11 May 1987 by Fire Records.
| Freaks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 May 1987 | |||
| Recorded | June 1986 | |||
| Studio | Input, Sheffield | |||
| Genre | Post-punk[1] | |||
| Length | 44:13 | |||
| Label | Fire | |||
| Producer | Pulp | |||
| Pulp chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Freaks | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 2012 re-release | ||||
Release and aftermath
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Consequence | C–[1] |
| Drowned in Sound | 6/10[3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 4/10[5] |
| MusicHound | 2.5/5[6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Sounds | [9] |
Freaks was released in 1987 to little commercial success and features a much darker sound than its predecessor, It. Russell Senior sings lead vocals on "Fairground" and "Anorexic Beauty". "Master of the Universe" was released as a single in an alternative version called the "sanitised version"; it replaces the word "masturbates" with "vegetates".
"I Want You" is the only song from the album to have been performed live regularly, most notably during the UK Forest Tour in the Summer of 2002.
The album was reissued and remastered by Fire Records in 2012 along with 1983's It and 1992's Separations. This re-release took several delays as the first stated release date was 8 August 2011 while the albums finally came out on 13 February 2012.[10] An announcement in the interim stated that the albums would be remastered with new bonus tracks to be added to the track listings as well as new artwork and liner notes from music journalist Everett True.
The reissue bonus disc is in fact Masters of the Universe compilation aside from two tracks: "They Suffocate at Night" which appears on the album itself and "Master of the Universe (sanitised version)" which again appears on the album without censorship.
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker, except where noted; all music is composed by Pulp
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fairground" | Russell Senior | 5:07 |
| 2. | "I Want You" | 4:42 | |
| 3. | "Being Followed Home" | 6:03 | |
| 4. | "Master of the Universe" | 3:22 | |
| 5. | "Life Must Be So Wonderful" | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "There's No Emotion" | 4:28 | |
| 7. | "Anorexic Beauty" | David Kurley | 2:59 |
| 8. | "The Never-Ending Story" | 3:01 | |
| 9. | "Don't You Know" | 4:09 | |
| 10. | "They Suffocate at Night" | 6:17 | |
| Total length: | 44:13 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)" (Non-album single) | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Simultaneous" (B-side to "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)") | 4:09 |
| 3. | "Blue Glow" (B-side to "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)") | 3:06 |
| 4. | "The Will to Power" (B-side to "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)") | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Dogs Are Everywhere" (Non-album single) | 4:53 |
| 6. | "The Mark of the Devil" (B-side to "Dogs Are Everywhere") | 4:36 |
| 7. | "97 Lovers" (B-side to "Dogs Are Everywhere") | 4:30 |
| 8. | "Aborigine" (B-side to "Dogs Are Everywhere") | 4:53 |
| 9. | "Goodnight" (B-side to "Dogs Are Everywhere") | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Tunnel" (B-side to "They Suffocate at Night") | 8:13 |
| 11. | "Manon" (B-side to "Master of the Universe") | 3:33 |
Personnel
editPulp
- Jarvis Cocker – lead vocals, guitar, drums on "Anorexic Beauty"
- Russell Senior – violin, guitar, lead vocals on "Fairground" and "Anorexic Beauty"
- Candida Doyle – organ, piano, backing vocals on "There's No Emotion"
- Peter Mansell – bass, guitar on "Life Must Be So Wonderful"
- Magnus Doyle – drums, percussion, guitar on "Anorexic Beauty"
Additional personnel
- Jonathon Kirk – mixing assistance
- Graeme Durham – mastering
- The Robert Winterman Design Group – sleeve design
References
edit- ^ a b Mojica, Frank (10 August 2011). "Album Review: Pulp – Freaks". Consequence. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Freaks at AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-07-23.
- ^ Lucas, Dan (13 February 2012). "Album Review: Pulp – Freaks (Reissue)". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Pulp". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Pulp". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. p. 1231-1232. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Pulp". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 906. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Tangari, Joe (9 August 2011). "Pulp: It / Freaks / Separation". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Pulp". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 665. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Mr Spencer (23 April 1987). "Pulp — Freaks". Sounds. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Fire Records article". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- Truth and Beauty: The Story of Pulp by Mark Sturdy (Omnibus Press)
- AcrylicAfternoons