New Big Prinz

Lyrics

(1)

Rockin' records
Rockin' records
Rock the record
Rockin' records
The guy's rock records

Big priest
Big priest
Ah-big priest

Rockin records
Rock the record
Rob's rock record

Drink the long 
Drink the long draught 
Drink the long draught for big priest

Drink the long draught down
Drink the long 
Drink the long draught
Big priest

He is not (appreciated)

Drink the long 
Drink the long draught 
Drink the long draught for big priest

Rock the records
Check the record
Check the guy's track record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record

He is not appreciated

Check the record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record
Big priest

Check the record 
Check the record
Check the guy's track record
Check the record
Check the guy's rock record  (2)

He is not appreciated

Drink the long draught down
Drink the long 
Drink the long for big priest

Check the record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record

He is not appreciated

Rock the records
Rock the records
Rockin' records
Big priest

Drink the long 
Drink the long draught 
Drink the long draught for the big priest

Check the record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record
Check the record
Check the guy's track record

He is not appreciated

Rock the records
Rock the records
Rockin' records
Big prinz

Rockin records
Rockin records
Rockin records
Rockin records

Rockin records
Rockin rec - rock's records

Notes

1. Also called, on various releases, "Big New Prinz" and "New Big Priest." The song's lyrical point of departure is "Hip Priest," from which it takes the line "He is not appreciated," and adapts "drink the long draft, Dan," as "Drink the long draft down," as well as the phrase "Big Priest" which is close to "Hip Priest."  Its musical point of departure is the sound of Gary Glitter, particularly "Rock and Roll Part Two." Other Fall songs that feature Gary Glitter-sounding riffs are "Glam-Racket" and "Mountain Energei." Here the character of the Hip Priest is perhaps meant to loosely fit the theme of I Am Kurious, Oranj, although "priest" would be an odd epithet for William of Orange, who was known for waging more or less religiously-themed wars against the Catholic king of France, Louis XIV.

According to Zack:

"Live performances of this song almost always include more lyrics from 'Hip Priest': "Was shown in a freak show early on / And drunk from small brown bottle since I was so long." And MES can says that it's about William of Orange all he wants, but clearly the song is also about Mark Edward Smith, especially when performed outside the context of the ballet and especially when he hands the microphone to fans so they can sing these lyrics back to him."

^

2.  Dan: "There used to be a rock-album discographical book called Rock Record and New Rock Record, edited by Terry Hounsome...it seems like it was a well-known reference work, and someone working in the music industry might well have had this on their office shelf and might well have said 'check the guy's rock record.' Well, they might!

^

Comments (13)

Morbious
  • 1. Morbious | 24/11/2013
What prompted you to rework it for ‘Big New Prinz’?

MES: What for the ballet? Yeah, it’s a good one that. Well, the song’s about a prince. Prince William of Orange. 1688. A glam rock version of it.
Morbious
  • 2. Morbious | 24/11/2013
http://thequietus.com/articles/03755-becks-induction-hour-a-mark-e-smith-interview-about-the-lp-that-nearly-felled-the-fall
Dom
  • 3. Dom | 11/08/2015
At the beginning in the second lot of rockin records I'm certain I hear Rob's Rock record and not Rock Rock Records.
bzfgt
  • 4. bzfgt | 25/08/2015
It sounds it to me too so I put it in for now, but who's Rob?
Dom
  • 5. Dom | 05/01/2016
It's a bit of a stretch but there is a guy ive met a couple of times in a pub in cheadle (Stockport) called Rob who apparently makes quite a bit of money buying and selling rare vinyl. He claims to know MES and that he used to be very friendly with the band in the early days. He also claims to be very close with Marc Riley still. Could be the Rob from the song. Why he would be mentioned in New Big Prinz though is anyone's guess and I only have the guys word to go on. Maybe MES checked one of his records at some point. Who knows. I definitely hear the line as Rob's Rock record though.
Zack
  • 6. Zack | 21/11/2016
Live performances of this song almost always include more lyrics from 'Hip Priest': "Was shown in a freak show early on / And drunk from small brown bottle since I was so long."

And MES can says that it's about William of Orange all he wants, but clearly the song is also about Mark Edward Smith, especially when performed outside the context of the ballet and especially when he hands the microphone to fans so they can sing these lyrics back to him.
bzfgt
  • 7. bzfgt | 24/11/2016
Yes there's no doubt that in the live setting the lyric seems to refer to MES although that doesn't necessarily mean it's what he had in mind writing it..."He's Gone" by the Grateful Dead became an elegy in live performance around the time when people died, but it's hardly elegiac, for instance it is said that "he" will "steal your face right off your head" which isn't something I'd want on [i]my[i] headstone...
bzfgt
  • 8. bzfgt | 24/11/2016
Of course I hasten to clarify that even if that's so, it fits whatever necessarily loose definition we're working with of what lyrics "mean"...
John O'Reilly
  • 9. John O'Reilly | 11/10/2019
I saw the ballet at Sadlers Wells. This live had a much more intense bass drum and sounded incredible.....one of the greatest things I've ever heard live.
dannyno
  • 10. dannyno | 26/06/2020
There used to be a rock-album discographical book called "Rock Record" and "New Rock Record", edited by Terry Hounsome.

I've got the third edition, which would be the edition closest to the writing of this song.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513altfW7lL._SX391_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Editions to 1987 (taken from the preface, p.xi):


Rock Master 1978; 309 pages. Privately published by Terry Hounsome. Limited edition of 150 copies (Blue cover).

Rock Record 1979; 385 pages; 15,000 LPs; 3,200 entries. Privately published by Terry Hounsome (White cover).

New Rock Record 1981; 526 pages; 30,000 LPs; 4,500 entries. (Black cover) Blandford press. In USA Rock Record, Facts on File.

New Rock Record 1983 second edition; 718 pages; 37,500 LPs; 6,100 entries. (Red cover) Blandford press. In USA New Rock Record, Facts on File.

New Rock Record 1987 third edition; 752 pages; 45,681 LPs; 7,678 entries. (Gold cover) Blandford press. In USA New Rock Record, Facts on File.


After 1987, there were further editions,(http://www.rockrom.com/products/products.shtml), before it went on CDRom in 1995. The last paper edition was the 7th in 1997.

Anyway, it seems like it was a well-known reference work, and someone working in the music industry might well have had this on their office shelf and might well have said "check the guy's rock record". Well, they might!

Having had a look in the third edition, there's no specific textual connections.
Philmaffia
  • 11. Philmaffia | 02/12/2020
Obviously MES s work expresses much of Catholicism and the conquering house of orange, an u undercurrent with this video is if he had any knowledge of Jimmy the peadobeast saville being appoint grand wizard of royal lodges. Everyone and their dog knew Jimmy was pervy. BBC manchester was full of it.MES had freinds in the papers and was quite accurately aware of corrupt masonry in Manchester,as in Lucifer Over Lancashire.
The jock and ginger connection ontuiges me .
Mark E
  • 12. Mark E | 27/01/2022
Is there any chance Rob's records is a reference to Rob Gretton? A Hip Priest if ever there was one
robert loader
  • 13. robert loader | 25/01/2023
The 'Rob' fella from the pub in Cheadle - AKA 'The Lion' - as he used to own Lion Records in the Corn Exchange, infamous Billy Idol obsessive / pest...nah I doubt it's him but it's possible as he certainly knew Riley to an extent (I think Riley is rightly a bit wary/terrified of him). The MES connection is a longshot though unless it was from the Corn Exchange, as they drank in polar suburbs of the two cities.
Another loose connection though, albeit one further degree of separation - Rob gave me the number of a lady in Prestwich who was selling a record collection - turned out it was Hilary Moss and she reckons it was all MES' stuff he'd left behind at hers - original NEU! Tago Mago etc so a good chance! She was after daft money though and they were all in awful condition so I passed, sadly.

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