Birth, School, Work, Death

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Birth, School, Work, Death
The Godfathers - Birth, School, Work, Death.jpg
Studio album by
the Godfathers
ReleasedFebruary 1988 [1]
Recordedsummer 1987
StudioElephant Studios, Wapping, London
Genre Alternative rock
Length36:57
Label Epic [2]
Producer Vic Maile
The Godfathers chronology
Hit by Hit
(1986)		Birth, School, Work, Death
(1988)		 More Songs About Love & Hate
(1989)
Singles from Birth, School, Work, Death
  1. "Birth, School, Work, Death"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Cause I Said So"
    Released: 1988
  3. "Love Is Dead"
    Released: 1988

Birth, School, Work, Death is the second studio album by the alternative rock band the Godfathers, released in February 1988 by Epic. [3] [4] It peaked at number 80 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1988. [5]

Contents

Birth, School, Work, Death was reissued in 2011 by Cherry Red Records imprint label Lemon Recordings in an expanded edition.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
New Musical Express 5/10 [7]

Michael Sutton, writing for AllMusic, called the band's sound "tough," describing it as "brass-knuckled punches in the form of menacing, explosive riffs; venom-spewing, nihilistic vocals; body-slamming percussion." He added, "Yet the Godfathers never forget the importance of the hook." [6] Trouser Press concurred, feeling that the album "seethes with the anger and aggression that seems to have all but gone out of non-hardcore British post-punk rock." [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by the Godfathers, except where noted.

  1. "Birth, School, Work, Death" – 4:08
  2. "If I Only Had Time" – 2:29
  3. "Tell Me Why" – 2:50
  4. "It's So Hard" – 3:39
  5. "When Am I Coming Down" – 4:55
  6. "Cause I Said So" – 2:46
  7. "The Strangest Boy" – 3:58
  8. "S.T.B." – 2:32
  9. "Just Like You" – 3:10
  10. "Obsession" – 3:48
  11. "Love Is Dead" – 2:42
Note
2011 expanded edition bonus tracks
  2. "Miss That Girl" (B-Side of "Birth, School, Work, Death") – 2:50
  3. "I Can Only Give You Everything" (Phil Coulter, Tommy Scott) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 3:03
  4. "When Am I Coming Down" (live) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 4:19
  5. "Cold Turkey" (John Lennon) (live) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 4:28
  6. "Those Days Are Over" (live) (B-Side of "Love Is Dead") – 3:32
  7. "I'm Unsatisfied" (live) (B-Side of "Love Is Dead") – 3:18

Personnel

The Godfathers
Additional musicians
Technical

Cover versions

The Serbian alternative rock band Supernaut covered the song "If I Only Had Time" with lyrics in Serbian language entitled "Zločin" ("Crime") on their 2006 album Eli . Manhead covered the song "Birth, School, Work, Death" in 2004. Local H covered the song "Birth, School, Work, Death" in 2003 and it appears on The No Fun EP . [9] [10]

Charts

Chart performance for Birth, School, Work, Death
Chart (1988)Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart [5] 80

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References

  1. ↑ "Birth, School, Work, Death". Cherry Red Records . Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "TrouserPress.com :: Godfathers". www.trouserpress.com.
  3. ↑ Popson, Tom. "Birth, School, Work, Death (The Godfathers, Epic..." chicagotribune.com.
  4. ↑ Mills, Fred. "BIGGER AND BADDER: The Godfathers". Blurt Magazine.
  5. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts . Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  6. 1 2 Allmusic review
  7. ↑ Mead, Helen (6 February 1988). "Meaning of Life". New Musical Express . p. 26.
  8. ↑ "The Godfathers Biography". thegodfathersofficial.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "LOCAL H / NO FUN EP". Local H.
  10. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Local H". www.robertchristgau.com.


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