A compilation to celebrate the release of the brand-new book – To Ease My Troubled Mind: The Authorised Unauthorised History of Billy Childish written by Ted Kessler. When the idea for the book was mooted Billy wanted to put a succinct double album compilation together to summarise his 47 years of making music. This is the result. My name is William Ivy Loveday, aka Steve Hamper, aka Guy Hamper, aka Jack Ketch, aka Billy Childish. I paint and write poetry and novels. Along with the music I play nothing I do has ever been particularly fashionable but that is rather the point. Even in 1977 we enjoyed saying no. Then, when punk turned into new romanticism, we descended backwards into early rock ‘n’ roll and the blues. In The Milkshakes we were told that we released too many LPs and were committing commercial suicide, so we released four different LPs on one day.Every now and then someone famous comes along and a small crumb rolls across the table and splashes into our tepid soup. Other times nobodies emulate us and prove to be only better. I love pop, but not pop stars. I am only interested in sound and colour and being small scale. I don’t hide behind volume and off stage mixing. I don’t need to play a show because I prefer to sit and have a cup of tea. My work belongs low, close to the ground, to instinct and the elemental. I believe in homemade music, homemade art and homemade cooking. I want to bring back the tram and the horse. Music has been a rewarding hobby over the years. I have met and worked with many good friends, and God saved me from fame.
TRACKLISTING 1 – Thee Mighty Caesars – You Make Me Die 2 – The Buff Medways – Archive from 1959 3 – The Milkshakes – For She 4 – The William Loveday Intention – You Gotta Move 5 – Thee Headcoats – Fingers in the Sun 6 – The Spartan Dreggs – Headlong Fly the Achaens 7 – Thee Headcoats – Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot 8 – CTMF – Last Punk Standing 9 – CTMF – Bob Dylan’s Got a Lot to Answer For 10 – The Buff Medways – Troubled Mind 11 – Billy Childish and The Singing Loins – I Don’t Like the Man I Am 12 – Billy Childish and Holly Golightly – Upside Mine 13 – The Guy Hamper Trio feat. James Taylor – Moon of the Popping Trees 14 – CTMF – All Our Forts are With You 15 – The Musicians of the British Empire – Christmas 1979 16 – The Delmonas – I Feel Like Giving In (French) 17 – The Musicians of the British Empire – Thatcher’s Children 18 – Thee Mighty Caesars – Lie Detector 19 – The Pop Rivets – Fun in the UK 20 – Thee Headcoatees – Hurt Me 21 – CTMF – A Song for Kylie Minogue 22 – The Shall I Say Quois feat. CTMF – It’s so Hard to be Happy 23 – Jack Ketch and The Crowmen – Brimful of Hate 24 – CTMF – Failure Not Success (ALT) 25 – Thee Headcoats – Davey Crockett 26 – The Musicians of the British Empire – Joe Strummer’s Grave 27 – The Buff Medways – Medway Wheelers 28 – CTMF – You Can’t Capture Time (Slight Return) 29 – The Spartan Dreggs – A Shropshire Lad 30 The William Loveday Intention – Sex and Flies 31 – Thee Headcoats – The Same Tree 32 – Thee Mighty Caesars – Cowboys are Square 33 – Billy Childish and The Singing Loins – Song of the Medway