JULIAN COPE – ST JULIAN DELUXE EDITION
4th Feb 2013 – UMC
Saint Julian was the first album recorded by Julian Cope for Island Records, following his two albums on the Mercury label.
Encouraged by his new manager, Cope changed his image: cutting his hair, wearing rocker’s leathers and embracing a ”Rock God” perspective (as well as investing in a bizarre climbable microphone stand (with integral steps).
To record and tour the album, Cope put together a new backing group, this featured lead guitarist Donald Ross Skinner and drummer Chris Whitten and James Eller (who’d played alongside Cope on the second Teardrop Explodes album, Wilder) and Cope himself on vocals and rhythm guitar.
For the album, Cope also played keyboards under the alias of ”Double DeHarrison”,
Several songs on the album originated from much earlier than the others. ”Screaming Secrets” had been a Teardrop Explodes song which never made it to album, while ”Spacehopper” dated back to late 1970s writing sessions with Ian McCulloch.
The album’s new songs abandoned the collapsing psychedelic styles of Fried in favour of a crisp, punchier and more structured sound, drawing partially on Cope’s professed love for Detroit heavy rock acts such as early Alice Cooper.
Early sessions were supervised by Ramones producer Ed Stasium and delivered the song ”World Shut Your Mouth” (which became Cope’s biggest solo hit, reaching #19 in the UK in 1986), ”Pulsar” and ”Spacehopper”. The remaining album sessions were produced by Warne Livesey. The parent album was well received and generated two more singles (”Trampolene” and ”Eve’s Volcano”).
This deluxe version of the album contains all the B-side and remixes which have been sequenced by Julian himself. With notes by Ian Harrison and updated art this is a great testament to one of Julian Copes best and well-loved albums.
Saint Julian Deluxe Edition
Disc 1
01. Trampoline
02. Shot Down
03. Eve’s Volcano
04. Spacehopper
05. Planet Ride
06. World Shut Your Mouth
07. Saint Julian
08. Pulsar
09. Screaming Secrets
10. A Crack in the Clouds
Disc 2
01. I’ve Got Levitation
02. Umpteenth Unnatural Blues
03. Disaster
04. Warwick the Kingmaker
05. Non-Alignment Pact
06. Mock Turtle
07. Almost Beautiful Child (I & II)
08. Transporting
09. Trampoline Warne Out Mix
10. World Shut Your Mouth Trouble Funk Mix
11. Pulsar Nx Live
12. Shot Down Live
13. Eve’s Volcano (Covered in Sin)/Vulcano Lungo 12″ Remix
14. Spacehopper – Annexe
