Billy Childish

Style : Rock, Punk, Garage. Cynic, vitriolic, quirky.
Bands: Thee Headcoats, Thee Headcoatees, Thee Mighty Caesars, The Milkshakes

AMG comment: Few performers in rock history have been as ferociously prolific as Billy Childish. In fact, a complete discography of his work as a solo performer and with his various bands would take up quite a few pages. A singer, songwriter, artist, poet, critic, fanzine editor, and guitarist who suffers from severe dyslexia, he's a punk-inspired Renaissance man. However, you may have never heard of him, or heard one of the over 50 recordings he's made either solo or with one of his many bands (Pop Rivets, the Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars, the Delmonas, Thee Headcoats and the Natural Born Lovers), or read his over 40 books of poetry and assorted scribblings. Surprisingly, Childish has been recording since 1979, playing a rough-and-tumble, punk-inspired approximation of what is normally called garage rock. Not one for elaborate production techniques, the consistent element of Childish's music is that all of it sounds as though it was recorded and mixed in about an hour. He values immediacy and intensity and frequently seems itching to move on to to the next song, or, more specifically, the next band. A truly primitive talent (due to his learning disability, he has had little formal education) who, a la Jad and David Fair of Half Japanese, eschews technical ability for pure emotion, Childish occupies an artistic role somewhere between mad genius and bratty goofball. Unfailingly sure of himself and his vision, his music is as honest and emotionally direct as one is likely to hear. Unfortunately, he also lacks the discipline of self-editing, and as a result, some of his lesser work rambles incoherently or simply sounds so similar as to be uninteresting. Years after his first single, "Fun in the U.K." (a tongue-in-cheek send-up of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K."), Childish is still producing material at an amazing rate, epitomizing the endurance and drive of an artist who in many ways is the archetypal rock outsider. — John Dougan

From http://www.grunnenrocks.nl

Billy Childish ...
1. was in The Pop Rivets.
2. was in Thee Milkshakes.
3. was in Thee Mighty Caesars.
4. was in Del-Monas.
5. was in Thee Headcoats.
6. was in Thee Stash.
7. plays on loads/all (?) recordings of Thee Headcoatees.
8. did loads of solo-projects, (not fully) listed below.
9. now is in The Buff Medways.

Discography

Billy Childish completely on his own:

Singles/Albums
I've Got Everything Indeed LP (Hangman Records, hang-1 up)
1982 Cassettes LP (Hangman Records, hang-9 up)
I Remember LP (Hangman Records, hang-13 up)
Poems Of Laughter & Violence LP (Hangman Records, hang-16 up)
50 Albums Great LP (Hangman Records, hang-37 up)
I Am The Billy Childish 2xCD (Subpop US, SP 116)
Actually this has tracks by Billy in various bands and projects, fifty songs from his first fifty albums in fact.
Sudden Fart Of Larfter LP (Dog Meat, DOG 037, 1992)
Torment's Nest 10" (Ay Carramba Rekkids, EL BARTO 002, 1993)
Made With A Passion, Kitchen Demo's LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 449)
The Ballad Of Hollis Brown 7" (Subpop US, SP 151)
The Ballad Of Hollis Brown (Bob Dylan)
Grizzerly Bear
Trembling Of Life 3x7" with book (Damaged Goods, dambook 1)
a collection of 30 poems
Billy Childish, Crimes Of The Future 2xLP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI ???)
Splits:
Split 7" with Thee Headcoats (Damaged Goods, 1995, DAMGOOD 62)
A-Z Of Your Heart
Tracks on compilations:
The Final Countdown LP (Re-Elect The President, 1988, nixon4)
Fast Forward Sampler Compilation CD (Brinkman Records, 1994, BRCD 024)
The Girl Who Mutilated Everybody's Heart
split 7" with Thee Headcoats, Art Or Arse 7" (Sun & Fun, 1997, Sun&Fun 002)
Notebooks Of A Naked Youth
Hangman Communication 7" (Kill Rock Stars, 1999, KRS-110)

Billy Childish with Armitage Shanks:
Shirts Off 7" (Damaged Goods, 1993, DAMGOOD 23)
Shirts Off
Kray Twins
Icon Schmicon
Bernard Manning
Dutch Courage 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1993, SFTRI 286)
Dutch Courage
Dutch Cap

(Wild) Billy Childish With The Blackhands:
Play Captain Calypso's Hoodoo Party LP (Hangman Records, hang-21 up)
The Original Chatham Jack LP/CD (Subpop US)
green or black vinyl
The Original Chatham Jack LP/CD (Subpop GER, 47/209)
The Original Chatham Jack CS (Subpop GER, SPMC 162-4)
Live In The Netherlands LP (Hangman Records, hang-53 up)
A part is recorded in VERA, Groningen.
Play Captain Calypso's Hoodoo Party + Live In The Netherlands CD (Hangman's Daughter, SCRAGCD 3)
Black Girl 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, SFTRI 222)
Black Girl
The Double Axe
The Original Chatham Jack 7" (Damaged Goods, DAMGOOD 15)
The Original Chatham Jack
Fine And Mellow
Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr. Hitler? 7" (Twist, twist 8)
recorded in VERA, Groningen.
Who Do You Think You're Kidding Mr. Hitler?
It's A Long Way To Tipperary

Wild Billy Childish And The Deltamen:
Troubled Times 2 x 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, SFTRI 181)
Troubled Times
Hangman
I Just Wanna Make Love To You
I Remember

Billy Childish with Dan Melchior:
Devil In Me LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, SFTRI 529)

Billy Childish with Mudhoney:
You're Gone 7" (Subpop US, SP 63)
You're Gone 7" (Au-Go-Go, ANDA 115)
Billy Childish appears on You Make Me Die.
You Make Me Dance one-sided 12" (Damaged Goods, DAMGOOD 25)
record is actually by H2F, thats is Billy Childish with Mudhoney.
You Make Me Dance

Billy Childish With Natural Born Lovers:

Long Legged Baby LP (Hangman Records, 1989, hang-30 up)
Tracks on compilations:
Medway Poets LP (Hangman Records, 1988, hang-15-up)
Medway Powerhouse Vol. 3 LP (Hangman Records, 1988, hang-17-up)
The Final Countdown LP (Re-Elect The President, 1988, nixon4)

Wild Billy Childish With Big Russ Wilkins:
Laughing Gravy 10" (Empire, 1987, CP 195)
Baby What You Want Me To Do?
We Are What We Own
2 x 7
Black Girl
Little Bettina
Laughing Gravy
I Need Lovin'
Got To Get You Outside My Head
1/4 After 9
Bring It On Home
Tracks on compilations:
Medway Powerhouse Vol. 2 LP (Hangman Records, 1987, hang-8-up)
A Hangman Sampler LP (Hangman Records, 1988, hang-22-up)

Billy Childish With Sexton Ming:
Which Dead Donkey Daddy? LP (Hangman Records, hang-5 up)
Plump Prizes And Little Gems LP (Hangman Records, hang-10 up)
Ypres 1917 Overture (Verdun Ossuary) LP (Hangman Records, hang-12 up)
Mussel Horse 7" (Hangman's Daughter, ketch 5 up)
Mussel Horse
Gaud Bless Old Mitchel

Billy Childish With Singing Loins:
At The Bridge LP (Hangman's Daughter, 1993, SCRAGLP 1)
At The Bridge CD (Damaged Goods, 1993, DAMGOOD 22)
A Man With Eyes Like Fishes 7" (Lissy's Records, 1996, LISS 10)
A Man With Eyes Like Fishes
Stupid Song

Jack Ketch & The Crowmen:
Brimfull Of Hate LP (Hangman Records, 1988, hang-19 up)
Tracks on compilations:
Medway Powerhouse Vol. 3 LP (Hangman Records, 1988, hang-17-up)

Links:
http://www.theebillychildish.com/
http://www.domw.demon.co.uk/billy.htm