Countdown compilation released

In March 1996, a compilation of Pulp’s early recordings on Fire Records entitled Countdown 1992–1983 was released on the Nectar Masters label. It received largely negative reviews, but due to the band’s popularity at the time it reached the top 10 of the UK charts. Cocker, whose permission was not sought before release, urged fans not to purchase the album, comparing it to “a garish old family photograph album”. Later in 1996, Pulp gained minor international recognition on the back of the inclusion of the track “Mile End” on the Trainspotting soundtrack . In August, the band played their last public performance for almost two years as headliners of the 1996 V Festival .