OH YOU'VE GOT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BODY* (Countdown 1992-1983 - Pulp)

Member Name: Del_Boy

Product:	Countdown 1992-1983 - Pulp
Date:	09/11/01 (173 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great music, A variety of songs from Pulps career

Disadvantages: Not instantly accessable for some

First things first, this album has nothing at all to do with Richard Whitely, this I am sure has came as a relief to some of you out there. Instead the title comes from one of the songs on this album (well two of them if you count the extended mix that is also present). The title also signifies that this is a compilation counting down from 1992 to 1983.

First things first, if you are not a fairly big Pulp fan then this album is probably not for you. However, if you are the type of person that can appreciate the exquisite lyrics, great singing and musical excellent that Pulp, in my opinion excel at; then this album is for you.

This is a 2 CD set and is available for a very reasonable price of around £9.99 though some places may in fact have this available for a cheaper price. Also included is a small booklet that includes a write up about Pulp, whilst being small is quite interesting to have. This is however at the expense of having printed song lyrics included, which is a shame.

The songs that are contained on this album are:

Disc One

1. Countdown
2. Death goes to the disco
3. My legendary girlfriend
4. Don’t you want me anymore
5. She’s Dead
6. Down by the river
7. I want you
8. Being followed Home
9. Master of the Universe
10. Don’t you know
11. They suffocate at night

Disc Two:

1. Dogs are everywhere
2. The mark of the Devil
3. 97 Lovers
4. Little girl (with blue eyes)
5. Blue glow
6. My lighthouse
7. Wishful thinking
8. Blue girls
9. Countdown (Extended version)

20 songs in all on this album make it great value in my opinion.

The songs are varied, yet nearly all have some trademark of Pulp exhibited in them for all to hear. Jarvis is reputed to be embarrassed by some of the songs on this album. At first, I admit I hated this album and took great pleasure in telling a
ll and sundry to avoid, as it was Pulps worst album to date – comprising of album tracks from their first 4 albums. I have to admit, I was very wrong – after giving it a couple of listens – I now really like it. Whilst it isn’t Pulp at their finest there are enough tracks of merit to make the £9.99 asking price seem like a pittance.

There are many standout tracks on this set of 2 CDs. The standout tracks along with a short description of each is as follows:

Countdown
*********

The music squelches and bounces along, which sounds an odd description. Upon hearing this song though you will find it’s also a very apt description. This song is about the time of his life leaving him too soon. Similar in aspects to Monday Morning crossed with I Spy both songs from Different Class. Also there is some indication that something came into his life when he was 17 and maybe they left him because of his age/immaturity perhaps. Bitterness is present in this song as well.

“I was 17 I didn’t know a thing at all, I’ve got no reason no reason at all…
Time of my life I think you came too soon, you came too soon babe”

Simply sublime

10/10

Death goes to the disco
*******************

The music for this song in parts is slightly similar to a slowed down version of SKA, in my opinion anyways. This song seems to be about, someone going to the Disco who wishes to take someone away with him – to live maybe**. The lyrics are very intriguing though:

“I stalk these yellow lit cul-de-sacs at night,
You hear my footsteps on your bedroom stair,
And I will take the first born in every house in town,
I’ll take your sisters and I’ll lay them down, I’ll lay them down…”

Very interesting song, with extremely interesting lyrics, gets a

10/10

*The title of this
opinion is a reference to a line from this song
** Maybe not

My legendary girlfriend
*******************


A long monologue in parts accompanied by music. You should really listen to this if you are a Pulp fan – it really is an excellent song. This actually made number 23 in the NME best singles of the year; when this was first released. It is fair to say it never made an impact on the charts though.

9/10 – not my favourite song on the album, but excellent all the same.

She’s Dead
*********

What first struck me about this song was the sheer beauty of its music. It’s not in your face it is just there supplementing Jarvis’s singing with great aplomb. All the words are spoken/sang with emotion; you can believe that the person in this song who is leaving means a lot to him.

“And I watch her, as she walks away from me
Yeah I can see her, and I know that in a moment she’ll be gone,

You’ve got to understand that she’s not really leaving,
Those years of endless rain, they just washed her away…”

10/10 a very underrated song

Don’t you know
*************

The music is the first thing that hits you about this. Nothing amazingly special but it’s just done so well, the piano part is beautiful.

“I don’t need your excuses are you tired of trying to stay on top,
So just lie back and enjoy it, and save your tears for when the kissing stops…
And you know it’s got to stop

9/10

As you can no doubt see, all of my favourite songs are from side one. This is not to say that side two is bad, as there are still many good songs contained on side two. There are also many more good songs on side one, such as Down by the river and I want you. If you ever listen to this album, then I would also recommend you to listen to Masters
of the Universe:

Opinion is split on this song, a lot of people hate it because it’s cheesier than a bag of Wotsits. I on the other hand love it for its oddity value; the lyrics are daft, whilst the singing is Jarvis at his oddest/worst.

This album is not for everyone; that I can guarantee. If you like Pulp though and don’t have this album – first of all:

I am ashamed of you

You will be forgiven though if you go out and buy this as soon as possible ;)

Thanks a lot to everyone for reading this review.

Kev

Btw – here is what Jarvis himself says about the album, hehe – considerably less glowing than I it has to be said!

Jarvis commenting on the release of Countdown 1992-1983:

"I would urge anybody not to buy it. Please, I find it embarrassing to be honest. And also the way it's packaged to look a bit modern, a bit like our sleeves now. It's a crap version... I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. And Fire records never did us any favours when we were on the label. Being signed to that label was the single biggest thing that prevented us succeeding. It almost made us split up."

Quote sourced from: http://www.baritalia.ukgateway.net/bar-discography .html

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