birth, school, work, death

The Godfathers took their white hot gangster rock to the next level with the raging romantic realism and no nonsense nihilism of this explosive tour de force.  After establishing their sound with the debut 'Hit by Hit', the band signed a worldwide record deal with CBS/Sony/Epic and returned to the studio with producer Vic Maile to record 'Birth, School, Work, Death'.  

Lead singer Peter Coyne says:   "We chose him as our producer right at the start. We were looking for a producer and we thought that we would look at some record sleeves to see who had done what. We put on Motorhead and we thought 'Blimey ! That sounds good, really powerful and exciting. Who produced that ? And of course it was Vic.'"

The sessions featured Chris Coyne on bass and vocals; Peter Coyne on vocals; Kris Dollimore on guitar and vocals; Michael Gibson on guitar and vocals; and George Mazur on drums, percussion, and vocals; with Bobby Valentino adding violin.  

Chris Coyne considers:    "It was the first album that we recorded properly. You can’t really describe ‘Hit by Hit’ as an album. I see it as more a series of happy episodes because it was recorded so piece meal. The other albums, however, were pure albums. We had got the deal with CBS by the time we recorded ‘Birth, School, Work , Death’ and we had the luxury to go in and do the songs we wanted collectively."

The blistering anthemic title track found its way to mainstream rock radio; but they remained an underground sensation.  Peter Coyne reveals:   "We were a very ambitious group right from the start. We wanted to go to America - we did that, get our own record label, get a fantastic producer like Vic Maile. The whole idea for The Godfathers was to keep the freak flag flying for rock`n`roll. And I think we did that quite successfully really when there was nothing else out there of any real substance. 'Birth, School, Work, Death' has gotta be a bit of a high point, cause that took off instantly all over the world and its turned into a little franchise of its own really. 'Birth, School, Work, Death'; loads of people use that title in one way or another and theres quite a few cover versions of that song too. I dunno, its amazing to me how things do last like. I was always proud of that line up of the band, virtually untouchable I think, and especially those records we made together, all of them."





http://godfathers.uk.com/









    "Birth, School, Work, Death"
"We did write about political stuff, but we weren't a political band. That would have been very, very boring. We never tried to tell people what to do. We just tried to tell people what we thought. If they agreed with us, great. If they didn't, great as well."



Been turned around till I'm upside down
Been all at sea until I've drowned
And I've felt torture, I've felt pain
Just like that film with Michael Caine
I've been abused and I've been confused
And I've kissed Margaret Thatcher's shoes
And I been high and I been low
And I don't know where to go
Birth, school, work, death
Birth, school, work, death

And heroin was the love you gave
From the cradle to the grave
Boys and girls don't understand
The devil makes work for idle hands
I cut myself but I don't bleed
'Cause I don't get what I need
Doesn't matter what I say
Tomorrow's still another day
Birth, school, work, death
Birth, school, work, death

Yeah, I've been high and I've been low
And I don't know where to go
I'm living on the never, never, never
This time it's gonna be forever
I'll live and die don't ask me why
I wanna go to paradise
And I don't need your sympathy
There's nothing in this world for me
Birth, school, work, death
Birth, school, work, death

    
"If I Only Had Time"



   
"When Am I Coming Down"




    
"Cause I Said So"




   
"Just Like You"




    
"Love is Dead"









'Birth, School, Work, Death'
full album:


All tracks composed by The Godfathers

"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

unreal world

The Godfathers rolled with the punches and channelled the negative energy into their most positive and catchy album. After the death of their longtime producer, Vic Maile, guitarist Kris Dollimore quit the band; so the Coyne brothers promoted their engineer Steve Brown (who had worked with the Cult and the Manic Street Preachers) to producer and brought in Chris Burrows on lead guitar. The harmonies and embrace of psychedelia evoke the sixties while the dual-guitar onslaught gives it a modern edge. 'Unreal World' gets better as it goes on. The extensive touring in support of the album took its toll on the band. Mike Gibson and George Mazur left after the album was released. It was their last album on major label Epic.









http://www.godfathers.uk.com/

The title track takes the typical Godfathers rage and channels it into a raucous groove. It reached number six on the US Modern Rock chart.

"I heard women crying everywhere

Babies born and no one cares

People sleeping on the ground

See the rain come falling down

There's decisions to be made

There has to be some give and take

For this the road we walk along

Is no the road we started on

Have you heard the full time score

We're living under Murphy's Law"

'I'll Never Forget What's His Name' addresses smack-talking flash in the pan upstarts in the music business.

"And just like Nostradamus

I predicted your demise

You were out of luck and out of time

I've seen it in your eyes

Obscurity will suit you fine

You've been there once before

Those boys with suits and daisy roots

Come knocking on your door"

The baggy bitterness of 'Drag Me Down Again' is their most pop oriented song.

"You have no morals to defend

To think that I once called you friend

You've dulled your senses and gone insane

Can't tell lemonade from champagne"

'This Is War' finishes the album with uncompromising guitar heat and flash.

"I won't fight for you no more

You tied me down with a ball and chain

And I won't wear your uniform

And all your words they sound the same"

'Unreal World' 
full album:




All tracks composed by The Godfathers

"Unreal World"
"Don't Let Me Down"
"King of Misery"
"Believe in Yourself"
"I'll Never Forget What's His Name"
"How Does It Feel to Feel"
"Drag Me Down Again"
"Something Good About You"
"I Love What's Happening to Me"
"Can't Try Harder"
"This Is War"