"You Ain't Rock 'n' Roll If You Need To Be Loved"

In July, less than a year on from Julian Cope's last album England Expectorates, a new album called Robin Hood appeared without warning on his Head Heritage website.

 

"Oh Mein Hairies and Divine Goddesses, have we got a mysterious gem for you!" the promotional blurb proclaimed. "Are you looking for the real Robin Hood? For here he is. As popular legend has it, he was raised in the Midlands in the Mercian capital of Tamworth. Always a thorn in the Sheriff’s pride, we know thereafter he was pursued to N. Wiltshire. Still dwelleth he here.

Avail yourselves of umpteen new strong songs – among them number the muscular medley “An Oral History of Blow Jobs”. Ask not what made Marian. Instead, enquire ye here upon everything."

 

There's no mention of the artist anywhere on the album's front or back cover, but the small print credits all songs to Julian Cope and it's unmistakably him from the first few seconds of opening song Julius Geezer.

Robin Hood doesn't mess about: half of the songs are under three minutes; the majority of those under two. There are none of the drawn out, side-filling cosmic epics of past Cope albums; the whole thing is over in 42 minutes.

 

The personnel is light for this album, indicating that Julian has played guitar, bass, drums and (of course) Mellotron on all of the songs. The album has been recorded by Philippe Legènde and produced by "L.S. Deeds" and whilst a propensity for basic, repetitive melody and song structure and a brevity that can feel as if songs are ducking out suddenly before they've got up to speed, I personally think it's one of the album's charms.

 

There are a few clues to the album's construction tucked away in the inner sleeve. Ballad Of Fat Paul apparently first appeared on the documentary Dead Man's Money by Cope associate Christopher Holman (nope, I haven't seen it).  

Don't You Wanna Just Skin Up? samples late 80s French punk band Electric Manchakou

Part 3 of track 12's 5-song medley is the wonderfully titled Aided By Robin Hood's Merry Men, The Very Very Early Fall Manoeuvre Una Baines' Barn-Sized E. Piano Through Sherwood and samples 21st Century Austrian folk band Sturmpercht. Cope also notes that the "recurring Mellotron 400 melody in part 3 alludes to The Fall's 'Repetition', itself taken from the main theme of Tangerine Dream's 4th LP Atem."

Not mentioned, but The Death Of Death underpinning guitar and bass comes on like XTC's Making Plans For Nigel and I think is all the better for it.

The album title is misleading. Whilst Robin Hood is a springboard for ideas, the Arch Drude's interests touch on familiar themes of death, religion and the monarchy. The lavish booklet, full of lovely photos in and around Wiltshire as well as a filtered shot of the titular statue in Nottingham adorning the front cover, includes lyrics to half-a-dozen songs though no accompanying poems or essays this time around. 

Julian Cope's hit a bit of a purple patch in recent years and this surprise release is no exception and has been regularly aired at Casa K and on my daily work commutes. Now, if only he can be convinced to hit the road again, it would great to hear some of these songs played live.

Radiorock The Original has posted the full album on YouTube if you want a preview listen. Faint Hopes and Ant Peel have posted individual songs - links in the titles below - if you want to sample a few. If all that seems a bit too much effort, here's my riduliculous 'Riding Through The Glen' edit of all fifteen songs, coming in at under 3 minutes and originally posted in July.

After all that, I recommend that you go directly to Head Heritage and buy the album. Heck, buy two and give one to a friend!

Phase One

1) Julius Geezer

2) Four Mohammeds And A Funeral

3) The Devil's Curse

4) Prophet

5) Drunken Skiers Off Piste

6) The Death Of Death

7) Odin In Lindisfarne

8) Don't You Wanna Just Skin Up? 

9) Time & A New Understanding

 

Phase Two

10) Charles The Turd

11) Wrong Side Of The Bed

12) An Oral History Of Blow-Jobs (Medley)

i) An Oral History

ii) You Ain't Rock 'n' Roll If You Need To Be Loved

iii) Aided By Robin Hood's Merry Men, The Very Very Early Fall Manoeuvre Una Baines' Barn-Sized E. Piano Through Sherwood

iv) Me & Bill Gates

v) Julius Geezer (Slight Return)

13) Ballad Of Fat Paul

14) Stop Monkeying With My Heart, You Big Gorilla

15) I Was A Punk Before You Was A Hippie

Charles The Turd

The jughead on the new coins

Has plans for you and me,

Yes, everyone shall benefit from his community,

But he won't be joining in,

Because he's not like me and you,

So he jets around the planet

Telling people what to do:

"Now, you can eat, drink and sleep together,

For tomorrow we die."

On some far Pacific atoll where

We public may not go,

He's conspiring to re-house us

With Jacinta and Trudeau.

He's an educated derelict,

No minister of tact,

Unelected, uninvited,

Telling people how to act:

"Now, you can eat, drink and sleep together,

For tomorrow we die,

Watch the elite together

Hanging out while we die."

 

Far beyond the heavenly valley,

Where commemorative tea towels

Dry the eyes of biddies

From Tring to Wallingford,

We enter a new dimension

Of immense ugliness.

 

Charles the First

He lost his head,

And Charles the Second London Town 

When somebody in Pudding Lane

Did burn the city down,

But Charles the Turd's a cretin,

Private-planing around the sky,

Awe-inspiringly indifferent,

Remember Princess Di?

Now, we can eat, drink and sleep together,

For tomorrow we die,

Watch the elite together

Hanging out while we die.

Somebody has to suffer,

"What's the problem?" they cry,

in-bred and fucking ugly,

Who chose you to survive?