''London 0 Hull 4'' is the debut album by

The Housemartins The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK. Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianit ...

, released in June 1986. It contains the singles " Flag Day" (#124 UK), "

Sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

" (#54 UK), " Happy Hour" (#3 UK) and " Think for a Minute" (#18 UK). The title refers to the band's home city of

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

and is in the format of a football score. It also refers to

Paul Heaton Paul David Heaton (born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the Housemartins, who had success with the singles " Happy Hour" and the UK number one "Caravan of Love" in 1986 before disbanding in 1988. He then form ...

's assertion that the Housemartins were only the fourth best band in Hull. In other words, Hull had four great bands, compared to none from London. The other three Hull bands in question were

Red Guitars Red Guitars were an English indie rock band active from 1982 to 1986. Based in Hull, Red Guitars' first single "Good Technology" was a minor hit, selling 60,000 copies. Their singles "Marimba Jive" and "Be With Me" both reached number one on ...

Everything but the Girl Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Wat ...

and The Gargoyles. The title 'London 0 Hull 4' was used by various newspapers as a headline in October 2008 after the city's newly promoted football team,

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

, beat

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

to take a fourth win out of four against London-based clubs (having previously beaten Fulham, Arsenal and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

). The liner notes and lyrics reflect singer

's interest at that time in Christianity and

Marxism Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...

. For example, the back cover of the album contains the message, "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope". The CD release of the album featured four additional tracks along with the front cover phrase, "16 songs – 17 hits!". The album was re-released on 22 June 2009, as ''London 0 Hull 4 Deluxe'', containing a second CD of bonus tracks, B-sides and live recordings.

Track listing

All songs written by

and

Stan Cullimore Ian Peter Cullimore (born 6 April 1962) is an English musician, journalist and actor. He played guitar, between 1983 and 1988, for the Hull-based indie rock band The Housemartins. Early life He was born in Stapleford, Cambridgeshire. He moved ...

, except for where noted.

Original release (1986)

#" Happy Hour" #"Get Up Off Our Knees" (Paul Heaton, Stan Cullimore, Ted Key) #" Flag Day" (Paul Heaton, Stan Cullimore, Ted Key) #"Anxious" #"Reverends Revenge" (instrumental) #"Sitting on a Fence" #"

" #"Over There" #" Think for a Minute" #"We're Not Deep" #"Lean on Me" (Paul Heaton,

Pete Wingfield William Peter Wingfield (born 7 May 1948) is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist. Career Whilst at Sussex University Wingfield and three other students formed the group Jellybread. In 1969, he ...

) #"Freedom" (Paul Heaton, Stan Cullimore, Ted Key) CD version adds "I'll Be Your Shelter (Just Like a Shelter)", "

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

", "The Mighty Ship" and "

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is a ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for the Hollies later that year and also a hit for Neil Diamond in 1970. It h ...

" to the end of the tracklist.

Deluxe Edition Bonus CD (2009)

#"Flag Day" ingle version#"Stand at Ease " # "You" # "Coal Train to Hatfield Main" # "I'll Be Your Shelter (Just Like A Shelter)" # "People Get Ready" -side# "Drop Down Dead" # "The Mighty Ship" # "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" # "Think for a Minute" ingle version# "Who Needs the Limelight" -side# "I Smell Winter" # "Joy Joy Joy" # "Rap Around the Clock" # "Lean on Me" reviously unreleased/outtake rehearsal# "Anxious" BC_Janice_Long_session_6/11/85.html" ;"title="Janice_Long.html" ;"title="BC Janice Long">BC Janice Long session 6/11/85">Janice_Long.html" ;"title="BC Janice Long">BC Janice Long session 6/11/85# "We're Not Deep" [BBC Janice Long session 6/11/85] # "Freedom" [BBC Janice Long session 6/11/85] # "Think for a Minute" [BBC Saturday Live session 4/1/1986] # "Drop Down Dead" [BBC Saturday Live session 4/1/1986] # "Happy Hour" [BBC John Peel session 6/4/1986] # "Get Up Off Our Knees" BC John Peel session 6/4/1986

Charts

Personnel

The Housemartins

Norman Cook Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist ...

– bass, vocals * Hugh Whitaker – drums, vocals * P.d. Heaton – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, melodica *

– guitar, vocals with: *

- piano on "Flag Day", "Anxious" and "Lean On Me"

Design

* David Storey – album cover design

References

{{Authority control The Housemartins albums 1986 debut albums Go! Discs albums