Saint Julian (album)

Background

Saint Julian was the first album recorded under a new Cope deal with Island Records, following two poorly selling albums on the Mercury/Polygram label. Encouraged by his new manager Cally Callomon, Cope cleaned up and 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, informally known as the "Two-Car Garage Band". This featured lead guitarist Donald Ross Skinner and former Waterboys drummer Chris Whitten (both of whom had played on Cope’s previous and ill-fated album Fried), plus bass player 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", although Richard Frost joined the band to play keyboards for live appearances. Cope also used the DeHarrison pseudonym for the "Oregon guitar" playing on "A Crack in the Clouds" and would go on to use it again on subsequent solo albums.

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" may date back to late 1970s writing sessions with Ian McCulloch (although only Cope was credited as songwriter).

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", but the fresh momentum did not last. Cope fell out with Callomon, and the Two-Car Garage band disintegrated as James Eller joined The The and Chris Whitten left for Paul McCartney’s band.

Cope played a red Gibson ES-335 12-string guitar strung with 9 strings (a single course of E, A and D strings, with the G, B and high E strings doubled) to get a fuller sound. The distinctive electronic peal which punctuates "World Shut Your Mouth" is the start-up tone of Cope’s main keyboard

Cope has subsequently described Saint Julian as not being one of his favourite albums, although he acknowledges that "it has its moments."

Track listing

All tracks written by Julian Cope, except where noted..

The above is the original UK track listing. For the US release, "World Shut Your Mouth" was placed at the beginning of the album, and "Spacehopper" moved to the slot between "Saint Julian" and "Pulsar".

2013 expanded edition

The first disc of the expanded edition contains the ten tracks from the original album. The tracks on the second disc were previously released as b-sides and extended remixes on 7-inch and 12-inch singles from Saint Julian.

Note

"I've Got Levitation" was originally recorded by The 13th Floor Elevators and "Non-Alignment Pact" by Pere Ubu.

Personnel

Some sources say that future Marillion singer Steve Hogarth sang backing vocals on the album, although he is uncredited on the inlay.

Production credits adapted from the original 7-inch and 12-inch releases.