Birth, School, Work, Death


Birth, School, Work, Death is the second studio album by the alternative rock band the Godfathers, released in February 1988 by Epic. It peaked at number 80 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1988.
Birth, School, Work, Death was reissued in 2011 by Cherry Red Records imprint label Lemon Recordings in an expanded edition.

Critical reception

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." 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."

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.
;2011 expanded edition bonus tracks
  2. "Miss That Girl" – 2:50
  3. "I Can Only Give You Everything" – 3:03
  4. "When Am I Coming Down" – 4:19
  5. "Cold Turkey" – 4:28
  6. "Those Days Are Over" – 3:32
  7. "I'm Unsatisfied" – 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

Cover versions

The Serbian alternative rock band Supernaut covered the song "If I Only Had Time" with lyrics in Serbian language entitled "Zločin" 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.

Charts

;Chart performance for Birth, School, Work, Death
Chart Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart80