The Partridge Family

In November of 2003, American cable TV network VH1 announced plans to create an updated version of the show. The new Partridge Family cast was decided in the vein of The Monkees meets American Idol; the audition episodes started airing in the summer of 2004. They brought out a greatest hits package: Hits and organised a music festival: Auto (held at Rotherham's Magna centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a temporary hiatus from the music industry. The show was cancelled after 96 episodes; during the four years of the television run ten Partridge Family albums were released. In 2002 the band announced they were leaving their label, Island. The Partridge Family television show lasted for four years until David Cassidy, a reluctant teen idol who was actively pursuing a solo career, decided he did not want play the role of Keith Partridge any more. Produced by Scott Walker, it was a much happier and more popular album than Hardcore. His follow-up single, "I Woke Up In Love This Morning", released in 1971, was a slower seller but was still a very popular title. Pulp then spent a few years in the wilderness before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, We Love Life, symbolising another new phase in Cocker and Pulp's development.

The lead singer, actor David Cassidy, solidified his growing teen idol status with that recording. Pulp also collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for the soundtrack to the movie Great Expectations. The album which followed reached number four on the Billboard magazine album chart. Many of the fans who had so enjoyed the happier, more amusing and light-hearted approach of Different Class were somewhat turned off by the darker tone of the new record. The Partridge Family's biggest recorded hit came in 1970 with the number one hit song "I Think I Love You" (lyrics (http://www.superseventies.com/sl_ithinkiloveyou.html)). The fallout of all of this, and the ensuing depression induced by finding the one thing he'd been after all his life (fame) and then deciding that it wasn't really up to much, was the subject matter of the follow-up album This Is Hardcore: a trawl through the seedy world of Soho, which during its more navel-gazing, depressed-singer-in-a-hotel-room moments stylistically approached Pink Floyd's The Wall. Even though the only singers were Shirley Jones and David Cassidy, and none of the television characters actually played their instruments, people did buy the albums and the Partridge Family became a phenomenon. Cocker was also having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, resulting in the breakup of a long-term relationship.

As it had with the Monkees, the production company capitalized on the success of the show by releasing a series of albums featuring the music of the "group". It was during this period of intense fame that long time member and major innovator in the band's sound, Russell Senior, decided to call it a day to spend time with his family (and out of the tabloid press). The show was produced for ABC by Screen Gems television, which had also made The Monkees, another show about a fictional music group. This incident propelled Cocker into even greater notoriety in the UK, and having spent the last 15 years trying to be famous, he grabbed the attention with both hands. The story was loosely based around The Cowsills, who were a real singing family. But domestic attention was never really equaled in the rest of the world, and if Pulp are known beyond the UK at all it is perhaps more likely the result of Cocker's antics at the infamous 1996 Brit Awards, when he invaded the stage in protest during Michael Jackson's performance (for which he spent the night in the cells on the ungrounded charge of having injured some of the children that Jackson was "healing"). Dave Madden played Reuben Kincaid, who was their manager and booked all their tours. saw the opportunity to steal the crown, and "Common People" was arguably the stand-out single of the year, if not the decade.

Susan Dey played Laurie, Danny Bonaduce played Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks (later replaced by Brian Forster) played Chris and Suzanne Crough played Tracy Partridge. While Blur and Oasis were fighting it out over which band were the true kings of Britpop, Jarvis Cocker and co. The show starred Shirley Jones as mother Shirley Partridge and David Cassidy as Keith Partridge. This album, with its disco-infused pop-rock, and the trademark sordid yet witty lyrics about sexual encounters and working class life, is for most fans what Pulp are about. The series originally ran from 1970 until 1974 on the ABC television network, with many subsequent runs in syndication. 1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their No.2 UK Hit single "Common People", their much loved performance at the Glastonbury festival (standing in for the Stone Roses at the last minute) and their Mercury award winning album Different Class (the first album featuring Pulp fan-club president Mark Webber, who became a permanent member of the band on guitar and keyboards). The Partridge Family was an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who traveled around in a very colorful bus to different venues to perform songs. This sudden increase in popularity was certainly helped by the massive media interest in a new wave of Britpop ushered by the likes of Suede and Blur, the latter of which Pulp supported on a US tour in 1994.

World of the Partridge Family. These were followed by the Ed Buller produced album His 'n' Hers which reached No.9 in the UK charts, and which, sonically, was not a million miles away from Suede. Bulletin Board. Island Records then released the singles "Do You Remember the First Time" and "Lipgloss", to modest chart success. Crossword Puzzle. The three singles released on Gift were later compiled on the album Intro which was released when they were signed up by Island Records. The Partridge Family Notebook. Fire attempted to capitalise on this by finally releasing Separations.

At Home With Their Greatest Hits. Frustrated that Separations still hadn't been released, Pulp signed to Warp Records imprint Gift Records in 1992. Shopping Bag. In the meantime, however, in 1991, a 12" recording - "My Legendary Girlfriend" became music periodical The NME's single of the week, and it was this that ushered Pulp's first steps towards fame. Christmas Card. Like Freaks, its release was delayed, to an extent lessening the potential impact. Sound Magazine. This album, Separations, was a progression of the style of Freaks, with Leonard Cohen-esque ballads on side one and a more disco / Acid House infused track-listing on side two.

Up To Date. They recorded another album for Fire after a separate deal fell through. The Partridge Family Album. The fold was short-lived however, and a new line-up, consisting of Cocker, Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass) emerged. This gave Cocker ample time to consider his direction, and when, later, Freaks failed to be a success, Pulp folded, with Jarvis going off to London to study film. It was during this mid-80s period that Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl, and ended up in hospital, and temporarily wheelchair-bound.

It is either loved or hated by fans, and might be considered the antithesis of the happy and optimistic It. Its release ended up being delayed for a year, and the record was not well received. These releases were followed by an album, Freaks in 1986, recorded in one week due to pressure from the label. These tracks were much darker in tone than those on It, and often veered towards the likes of The Fall.

Following her first performance with the band, they were signed to a label called Fire Records, and began to record a number of singles that were later released as the compilation album Masters of the Universe. Having survived a number of ill-fated gigs, Allcard left to be replaced on keyboards by Doyle's sister Candida. The three of them established a new, more experimental, artier, and noisier direction for Pulp, and were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry). He was all set to throw the towel in and go to university, when he decided to hold a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums).

But fame was still not knocking, and Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction, especially after being forced to cut a single in the style of the then prevalent pop-group Wham!. This largely consisted of jangly, happy-go-lucky, folkish, romantic pop tunes, and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982 entitled It. A new set of musicians was gathered: Simon Hinkler (who later joined The Mission and produced All About Eve), David Hinkler, Wayne Furness, Peter Boam, Gary Wilson, and Cocker's sister, Saskia.

Despite the exposure on national radio, success was not forthcoming, and most of the then line-up left for university. Amazingly they landed a Peel Session, and the tracks they recorded were pretty much in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (cf. Human League, Comsat Angels) - sort of electronic new wave. They played their first proper gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980, and made a demo tape the following year which they gave to the DJ John Peel. The first line-up was Cocker, David Lockwood (musician), Mark Swift and Peter Dalton, though this soon disintegrated into a fairly un-set membership of Cocker and whoever else was around at the time.

They are most famous in the UK, where their blend of disco-influenced pop-rock coupled with the amusing down-to-Earth kitchen-sink lyrics of lanky, rubber-limbed front-man Cocker, saw them become popular during the mid 1990s. They were originally known as "Arabacus Pulp", but this was soon shortened.
The pop group Pulp were formed in Sheffield, England, in 1978 by then 15-year-old school-boy Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar). Mark Sturdy, Truth & Beauty: The Story of Pulp (Omnibus Press, 2003) - comprehensive biography.

April 2002 "Bad Cover Version" #27. October 2001 "Sunrise/The Trees" #23. September 1998 "Party Hard" #29. June 1998 "A Little Soul" #22.

March 1998 "This is Hardcore" #12. November 1997 "Help the Aged" #8. April 1996 "Something Changed" #10. December 1995 "Disco 2000" #7.

October 1995 "Mis-Shapes/Sorted for E's and Wizz" #2. June 1995 "Common People" #2. June 1994 "The Sisters EP" (Babies / Your Sister's Clothes / Seconds / His 'n' Hers) #19. April 1994 "Do You Remember the First Time" #33.

November 1993 "Lipgloss" #50. Hits - greatest hits compilation (2002) #71 UK. Countdown 1992-1983 (1996) #10 UK. Masters of the Universe - non-album singles compilation (1994).

Intro - non-album singles compilation (1993). We Love Life (2001) #6 UK. This Is Hardcore (1997) #1 UK, #114 US. Different Class (1995) #1 UK.

His 'n' Hers (1994) #9 UK. Separations (1991). Freaks (1986). It (1983).