Editing Pulp (band) (section)

===Until break-up: 1996–2002===
{{Listen
 |filename     = This is hardcore sample.ogg
 |title        = "This Is Hardcore"
 |description  = "[[This Is Hardcore (song)|This Is Hardcore]]" was released as the second single from their 1998 album ''[[This Is Hardcore]]''. Its style is a marked difference from their previous two albums. Its minimal sound and subject matter is reminiscent of earlier, pre-Britpop tracks such as "Sheffield: Sex City".}}
It was during this period of intense fame and [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]] scrutiny that longtime member and major innovator in the band's sound Russell Senior decided to leave the band, saying, "it wasn't creatively rewarding to be in Pulp anymore".<ref name="Observer98">Barber, Lynn. "Puppy Love". ''The Observer''. 5 April 1998.</ref> The band were due to begin working on a new album in late 1996. However, Cocker was having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, battling [[cocaine]] addiction and a break-up of a long-term relationship. When the band came to begin work on the next album, they had only one song – "[[Help the Aged (song)|Help the Aged]]".<ref name="Observer98" /> This creative inertia meant the band took over a year to finish the next record. Indeed, it was Cocker's disillusionment with his long-desired wish for fame that made up much of the subject matter of ''[[This Is Hardcore]]'', which was released in March 1998. The album took a darker and more challenging tone than that of ''Different Class'' and lyrical topics – pornography (the title track), fame ("Glory Days") and [[comedown (drugs)|the after effects of drugs]] ("The Fear") – were dealt with more earnestly than on previous records. Also in 1998, Pulp collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for the soundtrack to the film ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]''. The song was also used in the [[Adult Swim]] cartoon ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'' season 4 finale "[[Operation: P.R.O.M.]]"

Pulp then spent a few years "in the wilderness" before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, ''[[We Love Life]]''. The extended period between the release of ''This is Hardcore'' and ''We Love Life'' is partly attributed to having initially recorded the songs which comprise the album and being dissatisfied with the results. Subsequent interviews also suggested interpersonal and artistic differences, including managing the fallout of the Britpop/''Different Class'' era. Singer/songwriter [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]] agreed to produce the record and this symbolised a new phase in Pulp's development. This new effort fell short of expectations and was to be Pulp's last.

Pulp subsequently undertook a tour of the National Parks in the UK, even playing a show as far north as [[Elgin, Moray|Elgin]] in Scotland. [[Richard Hawley]], the Sheffield-based singer/songwriter, was also present on various dates on this tour. He later described it as "very much pink feather boas and glamour which was great and brilliant. That was about trying to find glamour among all the shit and I loved all that".<ref>{{cite web|title = Poems In People: An Interview With Richard Hawley|url = http://thequietus.com/articles/16507-richard-hawley-interview|access-date = 27 September 2015|website = thequietus.com|date = 20 October 2014|publisher = The Quietus|first = Julian|last = Marszalek}}</ref> In 2002 the band announced that they were leaving their label, Island. A greatest hits package was released: ''[[Hits (Pulp album)|Hits]]'', with one new track. It is unclear whether this was the band's decision or released to satisfy contractual agreements. A music festival, Auto, was organised (held at Rotherham's [[Magna Science Adventure Centre|Magna]] centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a 9-year hiatus.