Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope, on 21 October 1957, in Deri, Mid Glamo… Read Full Bio ↴Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope, on 21 October 1957, in Deri, Mid Glamorgan) was raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire. He came to prominence as the singer of the Liverpool pop band The Teardrop Explodes in 1978. Cope has since released many solo albums and is a founding member of the bands Queen Elizabeth and Brain Donor. In addition to his musical career, Cope has written several books of non-fiction and autobiography.
Cope grew up in Tamworth, Staffordshire in the English Midlands. He attended the City of Liverpool College of Higher Education . Cope's musical career began as bass player with a band known as Crucial Three, which also featured Ian McCulloch (future guitarist and singer for Echo and the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (later of Wah!). The band lasted for little more than six weeks and disbanded without any public performances or formal recordings, although the song "Books" was later recorded by both Cope's and McCulloch's subsequent bands. Cope went on to form other short-lived bands before first achieving fame and success as the singer, original bassist and primary songwriter of The Teardrop Explodes.
After The Teardrop Explodes disbanded in late 1982 following the completion of three albums, Cope returned to live close to his hometown of Tamworth, settling in the nearby village of Drayton Bassett, and soon began recording. In 1983 he recorded some tunes for John Peel's show. He re-worked these introspective works for his first solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, released in 1984. This was soon followed by Fried, which featured a sleeve with Cope clad only in a turtle shell. Cope's third solo album was the well-received Saint Julian and produced the single "World Shut Your Mouth", which became his biggest solo hit, reaching the UK Top 20 in 1986.
Cope was extremely displeased with his fourth solo album, My Nation Underground, which spawned a Top 40 single in "Charlotte Anne". He recorded his next album, the low-fi Skellington, in secret during the course of a single weekend, playing in the same studio used for My Nation Underground. His management had no desire to release Skellington, and Cope refused to record any other material while he feuded with them to try to get his new work released. This was to become the first of many feuds with his record companies. He also released by stealth an album in aid of Roky Erickson entitled Droolian, and his ongoing battle with those he referred to as "greedheads" eventually saw him turn his back on the music industry. In the course of one of his stand-offs, Cope began to write his first autobiographical book, Head-On which primarily covered the years 1976 to 1982, focusing on Cope's time before and during the life of The Teardrop Explodes and ending with the break-up of the band. This was followed a few years later by Repossessed, covering the years 1983 to 1989 and the recording of Cope's first series of solo albums, as well as the writing of Head-On. The books were republished in one volume in 2000, titled Head-On/Repossessed. Peggy Suicide and JehovahKill, both recorded in the early 1990s, reflected his interest in the occult, animal rights, the goddess and ecology. In 1995, Cope released 20 Mothers spawning the single "Try, Try, Try". These three albums all achieved UK Top 20 status.
In addition to his two volumes of autobiography, Cope has written four other books of nonfiction. Krautrocksampler, released in 1996 and now out of print, covers the German krautrock musical movement. Reviews at the time were ecstatic, Rolling Stone citing it as "a work of real passion and scholarship". NME agreed: "This is a superb book ... this is an extraordinary book." Mojo went further, writing: "Brilliantly researched, Krautrocksampler abounds with revelations, and Cope's enthusiasm verges on the lethal ... a sort of lysergic Lester Bangs." In the Sunday Times, the reviewer wrote: "German 1970s minimalism is invading the British rock scene ... an Englishman is to blame ... Krautrocksampler is a lively history of a fascinating period, half encyclopedia, half psychedelic detective story." Before the publication of this book the genre itself had all but disappeared off the musical map; both the phrase and the genre are now firmly ingrained and have subsequently been heralded in the likes of Mojo and The Wire. The book was also the subject of fierce controversy due to Cope's outspoken remarks that Can's Bel-Air was a 'shambles'.
1998 saw the release of the widely-acclaimed bestseller The Modern Antiquarian, a large and comprehensive full-colour 448-page work detailing stone circles and other ancient monuments in the British Isles, which sold out of its first edition of 20,000 in its first month of publication and was accompanied by a BBC Two documentary. The Times called the book: "A ripping good read ... it is deeply impressive ... ancient history: the new rock 'n' roll." The Independent called it: "A unique blend of information, observation, personal experience and opinion which is as unlike the normal run of archaeology books as you can imagine." The renowned archaeologist Ronald Hutton went further, calling the book: "the best popular guide to Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments for half a century." The Modern Antiquarian was followed in 2004 with an even larger 484-page study of similar monuments across Europe entitled The Megalithic European, the most extensive study of European megalithic sites to date. In addition to his books on prehistoric monuments, Cope hosts a community-based Modern Antiquarian website that invites contributors to add their own knowledge of the ancient sites of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cope has lectured nationally on the subject of prehistory, and also at the British Museum on the subjects of Avebury and Odin.
In October 2007, Japrocksampler was released, subtitled How the post war Japanese blew their minds on rock and roll. This much larger hard back book (304 pp) was written in a similar style to Krautrocksampler, but was a far more detailed study and took in the years 1951-78. It has been translated into Italian and Japanese.
Cope has opted out of the mainstream in recent years, releasing and promoting his music himself, rather than working with a major record label. He continues to record new material both under his own name and with regular collaborators under the band names Brain Donor - his proto-metal power trio, and Queen Elizabeth, an ambient two-piece. Most of his more recent releases are available either primarily or exclusively through Cope's extensive and interactive website, Head Heritage.
Cope has continued to perform live in the UK (including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003) and other parts of Europe in recent years. He has not toured beyond Europe for several years. In 2005, he dropped attempts to plan a tour of the United States because a work visa could not be secured through the INS.
Cope grew up in Tamworth, Staffordshire in the English Midlands. He attended the City of Liverpool College of Higher Education . Cope's musical career began as bass player with a band known as Crucial Three, which also featured Ian McCulloch (future guitarist and singer for Echo and the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (later of Wah!). The band lasted for little more than six weeks and disbanded without any public performances or formal recordings, although the song "Books" was later recorded by both Cope's and McCulloch's subsequent bands. Cope went on to form other short-lived bands before first achieving fame and success as the singer, original bassist and primary songwriter of The Teardrop Explodes.
After The Teardrop Explodes disbanded in late 1982 following the completion of three albums, Cope returned to live close to his hometown of Tamworth, settling in the nearby village of Drayton Bassett, and soon began recording. In 1983 he recorded some tunes for John Peel's show. He re-worked these introspective works for his first solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, released in 1984. This was soon followed by Fried, which featured a sleeve with Cope clad only in a turtle shell. Cope's third solo album was the well-received Saint Julian and produced the single "World Shut Your Mouth", which became his biggest solo hit, reaching the UK Top 20 in 1986.
Cope was extremely displeased with his fourth solo album, My Nation Underground, which spawned a Top 40 single in "Charlotte Anne". He recorded his next album, the low-fi Skellington, in secret during the course of a single weekend, playing in the same studio used for My Nation Underground. His management had no desire to release Skellington, and Cope refused to record any other material while he feuded with them to try to get his new work released. This was to become the first of many feuds with his record companies. He also released by stealth an album in aid of Roky Erickson entitled Droolian, and his ongoing battle with those he referred to as "greedheads" eventually saw him turn his back on the music industry. In the course of one of his stand-offs, Cope began to write his first autobiographical book, Head-On which primarily covered the years 1976 to 1982, focusing on Cope's time before and during the life of The Teardrop Explodes and ending with the break-up of the band. This was followed a few years later by Repossessed, covering the years 1983 to 1989 and the recording of Cope's first series of solo albums, as well as the writing of Head-On. The books were republished in one volume in 2000, titled Head-On/Repossessed. Peggy Suicide and JehovahKill, both recorded in the early 1990s, reflected his interest in the occult, animal rights, the goddess and ecology. In 1995, Cope released 20 Mothers spawning the single "Try, Try, Try". These three albums all achieved UK Top 20 status.
In addition to his two volumes of autobiography, Cope has written four other books of nonfiction. Krautrocksampler, released in 1996 and now out of print, covers the German krautrock musical movement. Reviews at the time were ecstatic, Rolling Stone citing it as "a work of real passion and scholarship". NME agreed: "This is a superb book ... this is an extraordinary book." Mojo went further, writing: "Brilliantly researched, Krautrocksampler abounds with revelations, and Cope's enthusiasm verges on the lethal ... a sort of lysergic Lester Bangs." In the Sunday Times, the reviewer wrote: "German 1970s minimalism is invading the British rock scene ... an Englishman is to blame ... Krautrocksampler is a lively history of a fascinating period, half encyclopedia, half psychedelic detective story." Before the publication of this book the genre itself had all but disappeared off the musical map; both the phrase and the genre are now firmly ingrained and have subsequently been heralded in the likes of Mojo and The Wire. The book was also the subject of fierce controversy due to Cope's outspoken remarks that Can's Bel-Air was a 'shambles'.
1998 saw the release of the widely-acclaimed bestseller The Modern Antiquarian, a large and comprehensive full-colour 448-page work detailing stone circles and other ancient monuments in the British Isles, which sold out of its first edition of 20,000 in its first month of publication and was accompanied by a BBC Two documentary. The Times called the book: "A ripping good read ... it is deeply impressive ... ancient history: the new rock 'n' roll." The Independent called it: "A unique blend of information, observation, personal experience and opinion which is as unlike the normal run of archaeology books as you can imagine." The renowned archaeologist Ronald Hutton went further, calling the book: "the best popular guide to Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments for half a century." The Modern Antiquarian was followed in 2004 with an even larger 484-page study of similar monuments across Europe entitled The Megalithic European, the most extensive study of European megalithic sites to date. In addition to his books on prehistoric monuments, Cope hosts a community-based Modern Antiquarian website that invites contributors to add their own knowledge of the ancient sites of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cope has lectured nationally on the subject of prehistory, and also at the British Museum on the subjects of Avebury and Odin.
In October 2007, Japrocksampler was released, subtitled How the post war Japanese blew their minds on rock and roll. This much larger hard back book (304 pp) was written in a similar style to Krautrocksampler, but was a far more detailed study and took in the years 1951-78. It has been translated into Italian and Japanese.
Cope has opted out of the mainstream in recent years, releasing and promoting his music himself, rather than working with a major record label. He continues to record new material both under his own name and with regular collaborators under the band names Brain Donor - his proto-metal power trio, and Queen Elizabeth, an ambient two-piece. Most of his more recent releases are available either primarily or exclusively through Cope's extensive and interactive website, Head Heritage.
Cope has continued to perform live in the UK (including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003) and other parts of Europe in recent years. He has not toured beyond Europe for several years. In 2005, he dropped attempts to plan a tour of the United States because a work visa could not be secured through the INS.
Poet Is Priest
Julian Cope Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Julian Cope:
03. East Easy Rider Well, it's a bruising shattering ride But I cannot deny myse…
10. Reynard the Fox Hey in the pouring rain When the smell of terror brings…
1995 Covenant woman got a contract with the Lord Way up yonder,…
5 O Clock World Up every morning just to keep a job I have to…
5 O' Clock World Up every morning just to keep a job I have to…
5 O'Clock World Up every morning just to keep a job I have to…
5 O’Clock World Up every morning just to keep a job I have to…
A Crack In The Clouds A cold breeze climbs up the edge of a cloud And…
Ain't But the One Way Fascists are all I see One too many Buttfuckers controlling …
Akhenaten In the dark's early light I went out to the…
An Elegant Chaos Busy at home I was happy for a while But the joke…
Autogeddon Blues I had a dream in the middle of the day And…
Bandy's First Jump You'd look good in plaster much to everybody's shame Walk ar…
Battle for the Trees i came home like a stone and i fell heavy into your…
Beautiful Love You seem lonely oh Avalon I feel evidence very strong Beauti…
Bill Drummond Said Give me one good reason why I shouldn't win (Bill Drummond…
Charlotte Anne And in my room, IÆm alone in my room …
China Doll Foolish child, shade your eyes, blanket the sun, Came the da…
Don't Call Me Mark Chapman No shit, Sherlock The gun is loaded + primed No shit, Sherlo…
Double Vegetation So freaked out, so humiliated I feel outclassed, I feel over…
Drive She Said Collusion Crawl on your knees Down collision drive Crawl Cra…
Dying to Meet You All the boys are dying to meet them girls And all…
East Easy Rider Well, it's a bruising shattering ride But I cannot deny myse…
Easter Everywhere I'm in the mood for Easter everywhere Long time in the…
Elegant Chaos Busy at home I was happy for a while But the joke…
Fa-Fa-Fa-Fine Fa-fa-fa-fine, gonna live again Fa-fa-fa-fine, I'm gonna liv…
Hanging Out & Hung Up On The Line Well the blues had a baby and the bastard couldn't…
Holy Love My infatuation With the first minute of my life When I defie…
I Gotta Walk Greedhead policestate Admit your mistake Paranoid Paranoia H…
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud Dreamy Friday afternoon Yeah, I wandered lonely as a cloud T…
I'm Not Losing Sleep When you reject my cries for help And lead me down…
If You Loved Me At All Hey, I had a love as hard as stone Keep your…
Kolly Kibber's Birthday My life is a delicate balance The distance between town A…
Las Vegas Basement Easy when life's a bitter pill You swallow down with your…
Laughing Boy The wind it plays upon your hair A vision of the…
Madmax I don't mean to hold a gun up to your…
Me Singing I may be there Maybe try to comfort me with My vacant…
Metranil Vavin A child thats born in pain Kicked from the fireside Landing …
My Nation Underground Tell ya 'bout my nation underground, my nation underground T…
Out of My Mind on Dope & Speed I would give my life for you (out of my mind…
Passionate Friend The friend I have is a passionate friend But I can't…
Pristeen Pristeen. Pristeen How much can you take? Pristeen. Priste…
Promised Land I'm out in my walking shoes I'm walking to my promised…
Psychedelic Odin My mother bore me in the Northern Void, And I am…
Reynard The Fox Hey in the pouring rain When the smell of terror brings…
S-T-A-R-C-A-R I went out in a real s.t.a.r.c.a.r. Full of light +…
s.t.a.r.c.a.r I went out in a real S. T. A. Are.…
Safe Surfer And I saw my old man Exploding out of the tunnel I…
Soldier Blue Because I know what you did, and I'm proud to…
Soul Desert I was lost and loveless in your soul desert I was…
Spacehopper I got a space hopper, baby But it's strictly one-seater You …
Sunspots Sunspots changing glares Walking 'round with my very best fr…
The American Lite I gonna dice myself in holy water Got the fever inside I…
The Shipwreck of St. Paul The saddest place in the world for a heathen, Is this…
These Things I Know Tale man tell me the tale of your life For I′m…
Torpedo If I knew that there Was any other way to you I'd…
Trampolene Trampolene From the heavens to the bottom of the sea Well I…
Trampoline Trampolene, from the heavens to the bottom of the…
Up-wards at 45 Degrees 400 metres across and hanging like a football field Over the…
Vegetation So freaked out, so humiliated I feel outclassed, I feel over…
World Shut Your Mouth She's flying in the face of fashion now Seems to have…
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Amazon Jungle Spirit
I love this song
ludwigfeuerbach
this is a masterpiece.
Chr15 M3m0n
"That'll be the deicide!" This song has it all. Epic!!!
Haste Kulvaati
It’s an epic line and a follow up to ‘Peggy Suicide’ that also riffed on a Buddy Holly song title.
Mystychrysm The Human Prism
Always with permanence and urgency with enough groove & headspace for irony, satire, and serious insanity.
JACK MOLLOY US AIRFORCE LEOMINSTER SO3
Oooh you sound like plato. .giggle
JACK MOLLOY US AIRFORCE LEOMINSTER SO3
Just did he 66 like
144 54 72
Graphene oxide
Jacey
Jack cookin over here
Chr15 M3m0n
Doesn't everybody seem to now?