Julian Cope is not a fan of his 1988 album, My Nation Underground, as can be seen from his comments in a later interview:-
“It was just me figuring I ought to do another album and not feeling sure of what I wanted to do. That was a bad time. A bad album… “Charlotte Anne” is a good song, but one good song is not enough. Perhaps it was a coherent album, but it was nothing like what I had inside me. I couldn’t put it out, I just could not get it out. If anyone thinks it’s even halfway decent then I’m pleased ’cause I was trying, blasting my mind apart.”
The afore-mentioned Charlotte Anne was the first single to be lifted from the album.
mp3: Julian Cope – Charlotte Anne
It’s a decent enough pop song with an infectious chorus. If you don’t pay too much attention, you’ll probably think it’s an ode to a girl of Julian’s dreams. But the tune actually hides the fact it’s quite a bleak and self-deprecating number, and he is most certainly not singing Charlotte Anne……
The 12″ release is quite interesting for its choice of b-sides. Two covers and an original.
mp3: Julian Cope – Books
mp3: Julian Cope – A Question of Temperature
mp3: Julian Cope – Christmas Mourning
The first being one he co-wrote with Ian McCulloch back in the days before either of them were pop stars. The Bunnymen would record it as Read It In Books while The Teardrop Explodes kept the original title. Julian’s solo effort sort of goes down the road of garage-rock.
The same sound is very much to the fore on A Question of Temperature, a song dating back to 1967 when it was recorded by The Balloon Farm, a New Jersey-based band, and Julian’s take on things is quite faithful to the original. It’s good fun.
The final song might have Christmas in the title, but I don’t think it would find its way onto all that many festive compilations. It’s a damn good song, another of those that deserved a fate much better than stuck away on an obscure b-side.
Charlotte Anne got to #35 in the singles chart.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
That’s not bad.
‘Head On’ – there’s one for the book club. What a story.
WinterInMark
Well, funnily enough I picked up a vinyl copy of My Nation Underground some time last year and being the completely out of touch saddo that I am and knowing absolutely nothing of Cope’s solo career I thought it was absolutely fine. No accounting for taste, least of all mine.
Fraser
MNU is a long sight better than some of the crap he released asa druid.
I like this album too but Charlotte Anne is definitely the best thing on it. Good B-sides on this single- 4 song 12″ singles were a thing of wonder.