Birth, School, Work, Death

Birth, School, Work, Death
Studio album by
the Godfathers
ReleasedFebruary 1988[1]
RecordedSummer 1987
StudiosElephant, Wapping, London
GenreAlternative rock
Length36:57
LabelEpic[2]
ProducerVic 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]

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
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[6]
New Musical Express5/10[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
  • "Love Is Dead" is a re-recording of the band's 1987 single.[8]
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
  • Chris Coyne – bass, vocals
  • Peter Coyne – vocals
  • Kris Dollimore – guitar, vocals
  • Michael Gibson – guitar, vocals
  • George Mazur – drums, percussion, vocals
Additional musicians
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 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 "Birth, School, Work, Death" on The No Fun EP, released in 2003.[9][10]

Charts

Chart performance for Birth, School, Work, Death
Chart (1988) Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart[5] 80
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11]83

References

  1. ↑ "Birth, School, Work, Death". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Godfathers". Trouser Press.
  3. ↑ Popson, Tom. "Birth, School, Work, Death The Godfathers". Chicago Tribune.
  4. ↑ Mills, Fred. "Bigger and Badder: The Godfathers". Blurt.
  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". The Godfathers. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Local H / No Fun EP". Local H.
  10. ↑ "Local H". Robert Christgau.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 6149". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 27, 2026.


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