Tom, Kieran, 'Fish', Ben, Jon and Didz released 3 studio albums and a number of EPs and singles during their 9 year existence, of which 'Blind Pilots' was the most successful charting. with members going on to join Dirty Pretty Things, Rhysmix, and other projects.
The band first got together in 1998. Using a farmhouse turned into a studio on the outskirts of Wokingham, United Kingdom, it took the Cooper Temple Clause almost two years to record their debut album ‘See This Through And Leave’. An intense rock record, unafraid of challenging listeners and genres, it ignored scenes and fashion.
By the release of second album ‘Kick Up The Fire, Let The Flames Break Loose’ in 2003 - named after a Philip Larkin poem, again recorded reclusively in Reading, and with the minimum of record company interference - Team Cooper had become an army capable of breaking into the Top Twenty without the need for crossover radio support or heavy rotation videos. Gigs were riotous devotionals, particularly those on the UK tour with The Libertines. They played one triumphant US headline tour and a second set of arena dates in support of The Cure.
Then 2004 saw a shake-up at RCA leaving TCTC without an A&R man and with a new, unfamiliar set of faces and ears in charge who hadn’t grown up with, and therefore didn’t quite ‘get’, their isolationist methods and slash and burn musical direction. So, as the ‘Kick Up The Fire…’ campaign wound to a close there began a period of uncertainty and miscommunication between band and label. The Coopers once more holed up in their Reading pig farm to record demos for third album ‘Make This Your Own’ with long-term producer Dan Austin. After 12 uncertain months, eventually RCA re-signed the band and sent TCTC into the studio with ex-Adam & The Ants man Chris Hughes at the desk. He encouraged the band to return to their roots, when all six would swap instruments for each song and also share singing duties.
The final result 'Make This Your Own' was intended as both a commercial hit and a chance to bring ideas touched on in early B-sides and demos to fruition. Opening in familiar dancefloor rock territory with the anti-music industry rant ‘Damage’, it soon swerves into unmapped musical sectors often utterly unrecognisable as a Cooper Temple Clause record.
Gone was the majority of the electronic bells and whistles in the background, relegated to B-sides. There’s radio-friendly emo pop (mostly Fisher-sung songs ‘What Have You Gone And Done’ and ‘Waiting Game’), soulful Dears-gone-Erasure tunes (mostly Tom-sung tracks ‘Connect’ and ‘Isn’t It Strange’), Lilac Time cool folk (‘Take Comfort’), laptop blip-rock (‘Once More With Feeling’) and dark 80s krautonica (‘Head’) on here. Inevitably, many fans and indeed RCA were not quite sure what to make of the Nu Coopers realm. At the same time TCTC were still reeling from the unexpected departure of bassist, new dad and mental crowd-surfing nutjob Didz Hammond to join Carl Barât’s new band Dirty Pretty Things, whose contributions to 'Damage', 'Homo Sapiens', and 'Once More With Feeling' were still used 2 years after his departure.
After two years with no new material, the fanbase were enthusiastic for an internet-only release of ‘Damage’ in summer 2005. Some months later the band were signed to Sanctuary Records; 'Make This Your Own' finally appeared 2 years late in early 2007, preceded by Homo Sapiens and nearly a year after it had leaked to fans. The album and its singles flopped in comparison to the chart storming and arguably more challengingly creative KUTFALTFBL.
The band announced they would be going their separate ways on 24th April 2007, with Tom continuing his DJing side projects Rhysmix and Losers.
Tom Bellamy - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Keyboard, Trumpet, Programming, Samples, Melodica, Harmonica, Percussion, Toy Piano, Bow, Decks, FX/Beats, Vocals & Lyrics.
Daniel Fisher - Guitar, Bass, Vocals & Lyrics.
Ben Gautrey - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards & Vocals.
Jon Harper - Drums, Gretsch Drums, DW Snares, Sabian Cymbals, Percussion & Backing vocals.
Kieran Mahon - Keyboard, Piano, Synthesizer, Organ, Hammond Organ, Farfisa, Guitar, Bass & Backing vocals.
Didz Hammond - Bass, Synthesizer, Samples, Vocoder, Guitar & Vocals. (Left 2005)
Been Training Dogs
The Cooper Temple Clause Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To bite your little princess
And making sure they make a scene
Running errands all the way
Communicate in codes
You've just gotta make the in-roads
Holding on, to what you've got
Doing time, oh you bet you will
I'm doing mine, by the side of the road
Making out, 'cause I'm making good
What it's all about, like I said I would
Then you realize, well, look who's laughing now
We take pride in our work
The key's the execution
And, hey that's what we had in mind
But we're not just having fun
I wouldn't want to be ya
Cause we're drawing blood if we see ya
And we're not afraid to use animals
Or anything else that'll tear itself a hole
Yeah we'll be just like dumb fucking animals
If that's the kind of game you want to play
The Cooper Temple Clause's song "Been Training Dogs" off of their album "See Through This and Leave" is a dark and sinister track. The lyrics are cryptic and layered, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact meaning. However, upon closer examination, it appears that the song is about revenge or retribution.
The opening line, "been training dogs again, to bite your little princess" suggests that the singer is deliberately using animals to attack their target. The use of the word "little" here implies that the target is vulnerable or weak in some way, and the singer is taking advantage of that. The next line, "and making sure they make a scene" suggests that the attack is meant to be public and humiliating, adding to the idea of revenge.
The second verse shifts slightly, with the singer discussing their own actions. The line "doing time, oh you bet you will, I'm doing mine, by the side of the road" suggests that the singer is waiting for their chance to strike, which again, points to the idea of revenge. The final lines of the song "we'll be just like dumb fucking animals if that's the kind of game you want to play" brings the animalistic and violent imagery full circle, suggesting that the singer is unhinged and capable of significant brutality if provoked.
Overall, the song is a chilling exploration of revenge and the lengths someone may go to exact it. It's notable for its dark and evocative lyrics and the way it paints a disturbing and unsettling picture through its words.
Line by Line Meaning
Been training dogs again
I have been preparing my team of attack dogs to harm your daughter once again
To bite your little princess
Specifically instructing my dogs to bite and harm your innocent daughter
And making sure they make a scene
I want them to cause a public disturbance and draw attention to the incident
Running errands all the way
Going to great lengths to fulfill this task, no matter the effort required
Communicate in codes
Using secret language to communicate and avoid detection by others
You've just gotta make the in-roads
You must establish a connection and earn trust to achieve your goal
Holding on, to what you've got
Clutching tight to the things you have in life
Making plans, just to stay alive
Plotting and scheming to stay alive in this dangerous situation
Doing time, oh you bet you will
Facing punishment for your actions and serving a prison sentence
I'm doing mine, by the side of the road
I am carrying out my plan to harm your daughter on the side of the road
Making out, 'cause I'm making good
Successfully achieving my goals and profiting from it
What it's all about, like I said I would
Fulfilling my stated intentions and goals
Then you realize, well, look who's laughing now
You come to the realization that I have won and you are now helpless
We take pride in our work
We feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in our sinister actions
The key's the execution
Success is all about careful planning and flawless execution
And, hey that's what we had in mind
Our goal was always to execute this terrible plan flawlessly
But we're not just having fun
Our actions may seem cruel and senseless, but we are not doing it for entertainment
I wouldn't want to be ya
I wouldn't want to be in your position right now
Cause we're drawing blood if we see ya
We will not hesitate to harm you if we come across you
And we're not afraid to use animals
We have no qualms about using animals to inflict harm
Or anything else that'll tear itself a hole
We will use any implement or method necessary to cause harm or damage
Yeah we'll be just like dumb fucking animals
We will act like savage, unintelligent creatures to achieve our goals
If that's the kind of game you want to play
If you want to engage in this dangerous and cruel game, we will play it too
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENEDICT MARTXEL GAUTRY, DANIEL FRANK FISHER, DAVID JONATHAN HAMMOND, JONATHAN DANIEL HARPER, KIERNAN JAMES MAHON, THOMAS RHYS BELLAMY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richd3356
One of the best live bands around and way ahead of their time. Criminally underrated. Left us with three great albums, a smattering of great EP's and a gap in the music industry where they once were.
@reniisgod
These guys were and still are one of my favourite British bands of all time. The world wasn't ready for them back in 2002. Misunderstood for that generation of music.
@karlclarke
such a good band the singer went on to become a pro football player and manager for Ashridge Park FC
@DOOMGENERATION
@karl Joseph Clarke He's back making music since a few years now with his new band Type Two Error.
@karlclarke
@Sojus nice
@rodrigojcj2297
Tenho os três discos dessa banda até hoje 😃👏
@foofairypheebs
The UK music scene lost a great band when these guys split. See this through and leave was such a class album.
@ilankutsman4965
I remember 20 years ago on MTV2, they used to show film maker and been training dogs as one video... fell in love with the band immediately. Me not being from the UK, I bought "see this through and leave" on a trip 300miles from home because I couldn't find it in any record shop in my city. Was the last copy and had a busted jewel case. I coppied the album to a minidisc so i could have it on the go and not damage the original.
@jasonwhittaker3940
That riff is soooo Iron Maiden, love it. What a debut album! It’s like Stone Roses meets Iron Maiden meets Oasis meets Nine Inch Nails meets Radiohead meets Guns N Roses; and it works. It sounds like Kasabian before Kasabian appeared and how this album wasn’t huge, is criminal.
@4dmind
These guys were stupendous. Kick up the fire is still one of my most loved albums of all time. Just damn good music.