(Jarvis Cocker of Pulp - transformed taking the piss into high art)

I was reminded by a reader last night that, while I was mentioning Blur and Oasis, I neglected to mention one of the most influential bands of the mid-90s Britpop explosion, Pulp. Fronted by Jarvis Cocker, whose razor-sharp lyrics were/are a perfect companion to his stage persona, Pulp became one of the most enduring bands from the 90s. Probably something more of cult following here in the States than overseas, even though they've sold over 10 million copies of their albums worldwide. But nonetheless, one of the great bands to come out of that period. Sadly, they split in 2002.

This track, Common People, might be familiar - but I'm afraid it may be more familiar as the version done by William Shatner a couple of years back. I've gotta be honest, I hated that version - it was sacrilegious to me, because Shatner did it as a goof and the song is anything but - just my opinion. At any rate, it's off the 1995 album Different Class and it's one of a lot of great songs off that album.

If you're not familiar with them, I would really urge you to check them out. But if you are familiar - I'm just preaching to the choir.