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''Birth, School, Work, Death'' is the second studio album by the
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
the Godfathers The Godfathers are an English rock band from London, England, with strong influences from R&B and punk. Career The Godfathers were formed by Peter and Chris Coyne (vocals and bass, respectively) after the demise of The Sid Presley Experience ...
, released in February 1988 by
Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
. It peaked at number 80 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
in February 1988. ''Birth, School, Work, Death'' was reissued in 2011 by
Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...
imprint label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
Lemon Recordings in an expanded edition.


Critical reception

Michael Sutton, writing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, called the band's sound "tough," describing it as "brass-knuckled punches in the form of menacing, explosive
riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
s; venom-spewing,
nihilist Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...
ic vocals; body-slamming percussion." He added, "Yet the Godfathers never forget the importance of the hook." ''
Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' 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 Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
."


Track listing

All tracks are written by the Godfathers, except where noted. #"Birth, School, Work, Death" – 4:08 #"If I Only Had Time" – 2:29 #"Tell Me Why" – 2:50 #"It's So Hard" – 3:39 #"When Am I Coming Down" – 4:55 #"Cause I Said So" – 2:46 #"The Strangest Boy" – 3:58 #"S.T.B." – 2:32 #"Just Like You" – 3:10 #"Obsession" – 3:48 #"Love Is Dead" – 2:42 ;Note *"Love Is Dead" is a re-recording of the band's 1987 single. ;2011 expanded edition bonus tracks #
  • "Miss That Girl" (B-Side of "Birth, School, Work, Death") – 2:50 #"I Can Only Give You Everything" (
    Phil Coulter Philip Coulter (born 19 February 1942) is an Irish musician, songwriter and record producer from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was awarded the Gold Badge from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in October 2009. Coulter ha ...
    , Tommy Scott) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 3:03 #"When Am I Coming Down" (live) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 4:19 #"
    Cold Turkey "Cold Turkey" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apples 1001 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1813 in the United States. It is the second solo single issued by Lennon ...
    " (
    John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
    ) (live) (B-Side of "Cause I Said So") – 4:28 #"Those Days Are Over" (live) (B-Side of "Love Is Dead") – 3:32 #"I'm Unsatisfied" (live) (B-Side of "Love Is Dead") – 3:18 *Tracks 14–17 recorded live at
    Cabaret Metro Metro (formerly the Stages Music Hall and Cabaret Metro) is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. Th ...
    ,
    Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
    , March 26, 1988. Recorded and mixed by Timothy R. Powell, except 16 and 17 mixed by Vic Maile.


    Personnel

    ;The Godfathers *Chris Coyne – bass, vocals *Peter Coyne – vocals *
    Kris Dollimore Kris Dollimore (born 2 January 1966) is an English rock guitarist, who is best known for being a founding member of the Godfathers as well as a member of the Damned and Del Amitri. He also performs and records as a solo artist. Biography Kri ...
    – guitar, vocals *Michael Gibson – guitar, vocals *George Mazur – drums, percussion, vocals ;Additional musicians * Bobby Valentino – violin (track 4) ;Technical * Vic Maile – producer, mixing (track 5) *Harold Burgon – recording engineer * Ron St. Germain – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8, 10) *Steve Brown – mixing (tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11) *Jean Luke Epstein – sleeve design *Kevin Davies – back cover photography


    Cover versions

    The
    Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
    n
    alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
    band Supernaut covered the song "If I Only Had Time" with lyrics in
    Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of ...
    entitled "Zločin" ("Crime") on their 2006 album ''
    Eli Eli most commonly refers to: * Eli (name), a given name, nickname and surname * Eli (biblical figure) Eli or ELI may also refer to: Film * ''Eli'' (2015 film), a Tamil film * ''Eli'' (2019 film), an American horror film Music * ''Eli'' (Jan ...
    ''. Manhead covered the song "Birth, School, Work, Death" in 2004.
    Local H Local H is an American rock band co-founded in 1990 in Zion, Illinois by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, who has remained the band's sole consistent member. Following the departures of the early line-up's bassist and lead guitarist, Lucas a ...
    covered the song "Birth, School, Work, Death" in 2003 and it appears on ''
    The No Fun EP ''The No Fun EP'' is an EP by American alternative rock duo Local H. It was released by Thick Records on May 27, 2003. The EP features six songs, three originals and three covers. The covers include The Godfathers' "Birth, School, Work, Death", ...
    ''.


    Charts

    ;Chart performance for ''Birth, School, Work, Death''


    References

    1988 albums Albums produced by Vic Maile Epic Records albums The Godfathers albums {{1980s-alt-rock-album-stub