Customer Reviews

Birth School Work Death: Best of

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I remember seeing the video for The Godfathers' "Birth School Work Death" back in the mid-1980's in the middle of the night on the station that killed rock and roll and now holds the music biz for ransom (you got it - MTV)and practically knocking down the door of my local record store the next day when it opened in an effort to get the album of the same name in my sweaty little hands. The band's tough gritty blend of punk chops and angry attitude bowled me over, especially since I was still smarting and feeling betrayed by the recent break-up of The Clash. Over the next few years, The Godfathers plugged that gap for me, releasing a series of tight, smart, guitar driven gems, propelled by the razor sharp licks of the unheralded secret weapon that was guitarist Kris Dollimore. Of course the albums went nowhere and sold next to nothing, eventually resulting in the departure of Dollimore, who took the spirit of the band with him. This compilation is as good a place as any to start, featuring all of the best tracks from the original albums, such as the aforementioned title track, "Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues," and "Cause I Said So," but all of the original releases are worth hunting down as well. Full of spirit, spunk, and attitude, The Godfathers deserve a listen. Oh yeah, they're snappy dressers too.

This is a great collection of an underappreciated band. They were fantastic live as well. Rock and Roll the way it was meant to be played with a sh*tload of attitude and brilliant guitar work. Take a listen and see for yourself...

I never quite understood why this album remained so little known. I find it great from the beginning to the end, which is so unusual. I came across this excellent work absolutely by chance when it came out (in 1986 or so) and since then it remained among my favourite albums of all times, near much bigger names.

I love the Godfathers, but how could you possibly claim to have assembled a "greatest hits" cd without This Damn Nation. Along with Birth, School...etc., Perhaps one of the best post-punk punk songs ever written and a guitar intro which only a dead person could fail to suddenly stand and and begin to jump up and down to. Looks they failed to include Hit by Hit altogether. I'll wait for the real Godfather's Greatest Hits thank you.