Pulp - Mis-Shapes

All Music Guide

"Sorted for E's and Wizz" was originally going to be the single that preceded the release of Pulp's fifth album, Different Class, but Island and the band decided that the lyrics for the song might prove controversial. To diffuse the impact of the song, which was essentially an account of a rave that took no stance on drugs, "Mis-Shapes" was released as well, as the second part of a double-A side single. "Sorted" and "Mis-Shapes" entered the charts at number two, but "Sorted for E's and Wizz" still managed to spark a major controversy. The cover for the single had a picture of an origami made out of a Pulp advertisement, as well as instructions on how to make the origami -- incidentally, many ravers used that particular origami to hide speed and various other drugs. The British tabloids soon caught on and proclaimed that the band was using the artwork to peddle drugs to teenagers -- the most memorable incident featured Jarvis on the cover of the Daily Mirror underneath a headline that s...creamed, "Ban This Sick Stunt" Pulp and Island withdrew the "Sorted" single and released it with a plain white sleeve; the art for "Mis-Shapes" remained the same. Out of the two singles, "Mis-Shapes" had the better B-sides. The bouncy, catchy "PTA" was the story of a teacher from Jarvis' childhood school that slept with one of his pupils, while a triumphant live version of "Common People" from the 1995 Glastonbury illustrates what a huge hit the song was. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read more Less