The Pool Of Life is the first album released by Mike Badger

Mike Badger

Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...

 and The Onset

The Onset

The Onset were formed in 1987 by Mike Badger after he left his former band The La's. Mike teamed up with local Liverpool legend Danny Dean on guitar, Hamish Cameron on Piano and Colin Becket on Drums. The first demo "Let's Go Home" can be found on the 2006 compilation CD, Lo Fi Electric...

. It was released by the Probe Plus

Probe plus

Probe Plus is a record label based in Liverpool, England. It was founded by Geoff Davies, an enthusiastic promoter of small, unsigned bands, who describes the label as "Music to drive you to drink"....

 Label in 1988. The story of the boundless Universe and all its wondrous Worlds. Dedicated to Rainbow Warriors, Freedom Fighters and Sun Dancers.

Track listing

All words and music by Mike Badger

Mike Badger

Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...

, except Mansion On The Hill by Williams/Rose arr. Danny Dean.
Side One

1. Rakin 'Em Down - 0.19
2. The Taker – 3:48
3. For You – 3:18
4. Down At The Space Rocketry – 2:16
5. Peace Chain – 2:00
6. In The Red – 2:22
7. Moon Bather – 2:15
8. Glad Rags – 1:18

Side Two

1. Crying Shame – 3:02
2. Too Proud To Start – 2:38
3. The Pool Of Life – 1:30
4. Mansion On The Hill – 2:36
5. Precious Love
   Precious Love (The Onset song)
   "The Onset were formed in 1987 by Mike Badger and guitarist Danny Dean, who had met the previous yearon a short lived scheme for unemployed musicians. Precious Love was first played to three people at The Pink Parrot in Liverpool, though this unashamed ode to love eventually reached as far as...
   
    – 2:33
6. Rockin Out The Depression – 2:23
7. Talkin' Space Travel Blues – 1:32
8. Let's Go Home – 3:05

• Produced by Bald Brothers, Mike Badger and Simon Cousins
  Simon Cousins
  Simon Cousins is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of Liverpool indie country rock band The Onset and folk rockers Ophiuchus. He studied music at the Liverpool Music College and has a degree in philosophy from Liverpool University...
  
  .
• "Down at The Space Rocketry" produced by Jon Cousins and Simon Cousins.
• Engineered by Mike Harvey and John Dooley

Recorded May 1988 at the Ameritz Studio (Birkenhead)

Musicians

• Mike Badger
  Mike Badger
  Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...
  
   - vocals, guitar, Jews harp
• Danny Dean - lead guitar, backing vocals
• Simon Cousins
  Simon Cousins
  Simon Cousins is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of Liverpool indie country rock band The Onset and folk rockers Ophiuchus. He studied music at the Liverpool Music College and has a degree in philosophy from Liverpool University...
  
   - backing vocals, bass, whistle
• Paul Hemmings
  Paul Hemmings
  Paul Hemmings is a Liverpool based musician and photographer. He played with The La's, Mike Badger and The Onset and Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds...
  
   - slide guitar
• Tony Russell - drums, percussion
• Roger Llewellyn - banjo, melodica, harmonica
• Sue Dring - vocals
• Bernard Nolan - fiddle
• Nick Hrydowy - mandolin
• Hamish Cameron - moonbeam guitar

Reviews

"One of the more original of local groups... The Onset's debut LP, on Probe Plus, manages to combine hippy sentiments with gusty catchy roots music, from rock 'n' roll to country to space age talking blues. As befits a record called The Pool Of Life. it manages to mix humour, compassion and style with a background of inner city reality and a slice of idealism. It all works even better on stage, with singer Mike Badger (the coolest thing in the original La's lineup) introducing a song as "the only country song Pink Floyd ever did" one minute and the next claiming everything they do was written by Hank Williams (one of them was). The LP's pretty good value with sixteen diverse tracks. The live shows are just as good."

Penny Kiley (Liverpool Echo)

"Really and truly, all the Hillbilly carpings are one of the finest things that Probe Plus have delivered-this irreverent bunch must be a dream band"

Simon Jones (Folk Roots)

"Dedicated to Rainbow Warriors, Freedom Fighters and Sun Dancers, The Pool of Life explores the World, the Universe and everything else, from war games to starving children, through the love of God to more human weaknesses. It is the sparsest of sounds that an eleven piece band can make - soft country accapella with lifting blues harmonica. The Pool Of Life makes no harsh demands, it merely suggests that you listen. The soft shoe shuffle of tracks like Precious Love, the hard edge of Rockin Out The Depression, The Pool Of Life proves to be a worldly Hobos' guide to the galaxy."

Cathi Unsworth (Sounds)