Masters of the Universe (Pulp album)

Last updated

Masters of the Universe
PulpMasters.jpg
Compilation album by
Released24 June 1994
RecordedJune 1985 – June 1986
Genre Britpop, indie rock
Length59:36
Label Fire
Pulp chronology
His 'n' Hers
(1994)
Masters of the Universe
(1994)
Different Class
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork Media (6.3/10) [2]

Masters of the Universe is a compilation by the English alternative rock band Pulp, released in 1994.

Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock. Although the genre evolved in the late 1970s and 1980s, music anticipating the sound of the genre can be found as early as the 1960s, with bands such as The Velvet Underground.

Pulp (band) UK Britpop band

Pulp were an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their best-known line-up from their heyday (1992–1997) consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle (keyboards), Russell Senior, Mark Webber, Steve Mackey (bass) and Nick Banks.

Contents

Background

The compilation brings together the four Pulp singles released on Fire Records between 1985 and 1987, with the exception of "Silence" (originally from the "Master of the Universe" single), which was left off at Jarvis Cocker's request. The two differences of "Master of the Universe (sanitised version)" from the album version are the substitutions of the word "masturbates" with "vegetates" and "cums" with "keeps". The original version can be found on the album Freaks .

Jarvis Cocker English musician, singer-songwriter, radio presenter and editor

Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician, actor and presenter. As the founder, frontman, and sole consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus, Cocker has pursued a solo career, and for seven years he presented a BBC Radio 6 Music show called Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service.

<i>Freaks</i> (Pulp album) 1987 studio album by Pulp

Freaks is the second studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 11 May 1987 by Fire Records.

Almost all tracks from this compilation were included on Freaks 2012 reissue bonus disc. The two tracks that are not featured are "They Suffocate at Night" (appears on the album itself) and "Master of the Universe (sanitised version)" (the album version appears on the album itself).

Track listing

All songs written by Pulp, except "The Will to Power" lyrics by Russell Senior and music by Pulp.

Russell Senior is the guitarist and violinist of the band Pulp.

  1. "Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)" – 3:28
  2. "Simultaneous" – 4:09
  3. "Blue Glow" – 3:06
  4. "The Will to Power" – 3:25
  5. "Dogs Are Everywhere" – 4:53
  6. "The Mark of the Devil" – 4:36
  7. "97 Lovers" – 4:30
  8. "Aborigine" – 4:53
  9. "Goodnight" – 5:08
  10. "They Suffocate at Night" – 6:19
  11. "Tunnel" – 8:13
  12. "Master of the Universe (Sanitised Version)" – 3:23
  13. "Manon" – 3:33

Personnel

Guitar fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the finger(s)/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar, or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

Violin bowed string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths

The violin, sometimes known as a fiddle, is a wooden string instrument in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the family in regular use. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino piccolo and the kit violin, but these are virtually unused. The violin typically has four strings, usually tuned in perfect fifths with notes G3, D4, A4, E5, and is most commonly played by drawing a bow across its strings, though it can also be played by plucking the strings with the fingers (pizzicato) and by striking the strings with the wooden side of the bow.

Candida Mary Doyle is a keyboard player and occasional backing vocalist with the band Pulp, which she joined in 1984. She joined her brother Magnus Doyle in the line-up replacing a previous keyboard player who had left the band.

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References

  1. Masters of the Universe at AllMusic
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2006.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
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