The quintessential Pulp album that never was, Intro comprises three singles and their B-sides released on Sheffield's Gift label during 1992-3, just as the band perfected the brand of kitchen-sink pervorama pop that His 'N Hers would take into those same pink Dralon-curtained living rooms depicted by Jarvis Cocker. Besides the immortal "Babies", the unflinching "Razzmatazz" is one of Intro's highlights: a caustic pay-off to an ex where even the "na-na-na"s are vicious enough to guarantee it a place on any break-up compilation tape. Yet it's the B-sides which really show the group taking off after their 11-year run-up. "Styloroc (Nites of Suburbia)" is a wry look at the band's native Sheffield, a "strange exotic land of happy hours / where the sky is always grey and the food exceptionally greasy". Meanwhile the sprawling "Sheffield: Sex City" sees Jarvis wandering through the salacious suburbs, the band soundtracking his lustful desperation with a sultry electro-pop that pays tribute to Sheffield's other pop alumni: the Human League and Heaven 17. All this, plus more one-liners than you could shake a pair of corduroy flares at: Intro's low-rent glam and high-drama passion make it essential for more than just Pulp completists. --Abi Bliss
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