| Freaks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 May 1987 | |||
| Recorded | June 1986 | |||
| Studio | Input, Sheffield | |||
| Length | 44:13 | |||
| Label | Fire | |||
| Producer | Pulp | |||
| Pulp chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Freaks | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 2012 re-release | ||||
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.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Consequence | C– [2] |
| 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.
All 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 |
Pulp
Additional personnel
Pulp are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. At their critical and commercial peak, the band consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle (keyboards), Nick Banks, Steve Mackey (bass) and Mark Webber.
It is the debut studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 18 April 1983 by Red Rhino Records.
Separations is the third studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 19 June 1992 by Fire Records.
His 'n' Hers is the fourth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 18 April 1994 by Island Records. It proved to be the band's breakthrough album, reaching number nine on the UK Albums Chart, and was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Music Prize. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the seventieth greatest album of all time, while it was placed at number 110 in the book Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums.
Russell Senior is a British musician and the former guitarist and violinist of the band Pulp.
"Help the Aged" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp from their 1998 album, This Is Hardcore. Written as a sarcastic reflection of Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker's ageing, the song was disliked by Pulp guitarist Russell Senior who left the band before the song's release and sought to prevent it from being released as a single.
"This Is Hardcore" is a song by English rock band Pulp, released as the second single from their sixth album, This Is Hardcore (1998). Written as a commentary on fame using pornography as an analogy, the song includes a sample of the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra's "Bolero on the Moon Rocks." Released as a single in March 1998, the song reached number 12 in the UK and became a top-40 hit in Finland, Iceland, and New Zealand. It has since seen critical acclaim, as has its music video.
Masters of the Universe is a compilation by the English alternative rock band Pulp, released in 1994.
"Babies" is a song written and released by British rock group Pulp. Featuring lyrics about a boy spying on his friend's sister from a wardrobe, the song features a guitar riff that drummer Nick Banks had played for Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Though poppier and lighter than much of the band's earlier material, the band was pleased with the song and was released as a single.
"Do You Remember the First Time?" is a song by British rock band Pulp, taken from their fourth studio album, His 'n' Hers (1994). With lyrics loosely based on Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker's loss of virginity, the song saw some controversy for its sexual topic. Released as the second single from His 'n' Hers, the song reached number 33 in the UK, becoming the band's first top-40 hit in that country. The single was accompanied by a lengthy music video featuring celebrities discussing how they lost their virginity. The song has since become one of the band's most famous songs and has seen critical acclaim. The track also notably served as the band's opening song on their reunion tour setlist.
"Lipgloss" is a song by British rock band Pulp from their 1994 album, His 'n' Hers. With lyrics written by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker about the deterioration of social skills that comes with a relationship in the context of a breakup, the song was the first that the band worked on for their new record company, Island Records.
"Razzmatazz" is a song written and released by the British rock group Pulp. Featuring lyrics written by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker about an ex-girlfriend, the song sees the narrator mock his ex-girlfriend for leading a dull life after dumping him.
"A Little Soul" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp, from their 1998 album, This Is Hardcore. It was released on 8 June 1998 as the third single from the album, charting at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Party Hard" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp. Featuring David Bowie-inspired vocals, the song lyrically was inspired by the band's dissatisfaction and exhaustion with clubbing.
"Bad Cover Version" is a song by British rock band Pulp, from their 2001 album We Love Life. It was released 15 April 2002 as the second single from the album, charting at number 27 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the band's last single before their eight-year hiatus, which ended in 2011. CD1's B-sides appear as bonus tracks on the US release of We Love Life. The B-sides to CD2 are cover versions of Pulp songs performed by other artists.
Countdown 1992–1983 is a double compilation album by the band Pulp released by compilation specialist Nectar Masters on 11 March 1996.
"O.U. " is a song written and released by British pop band Pulp in 1992. Recorded with producer and former Pulp member Simon Hinkler, "O.U." would be the band's first single with Gift Records, with whom the band signed after conflicting with indie label Fire.
"They Suffocate at Night" is the first single from the album Freaks by British band Pulp, released in 1987. The song and its B-side "Tunnel" were later included on the compilation album Masters of the Universe.
"Dogs Are Everywhere" is a non-album single released by British band Pulp in 1986. The title song is a soft ballad reminiscent of the band's first album It, but the B-sides have a darker sound closer to what would become the band's next album, Freaks. All of the songs are included on the compilation album Masters of the Universe.
"Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)" is a non-album single by British band Pulp, released in 1985. It features very dark songs, far from the acoustic feel of the first album It. The four songs from the single are all included on the compilation album Masters of the Universe.
