The Fall | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Out of all the bands who formed during the 70s punk revolution, none were longer-lived, more prolific, or more innovative than the Fall. Throughout their career, the band underwent myriad lineup changes, but at the center of it all was vocalist Mark E. Smith. The Mancunian artist established an unmistakably unique style which generally avoided conventional song structures, instead preferring free-form prose ranted over raucous, primitive rhythms inspired by garage rock, Krautrock, dub, and other styles, with common ground being hypnotic repetition. Drawing from influences such as dystopian and paranormal literature, he delivered his cryptic, bitterly cynical lyrics in a nearly incomprehensible snarl, and his recordings were graced with collage-like artwork strewn with hand-written scribbles. Smith also employed unusual recording techniques, incorporating passages captured at home on a dictaphone or audio cassettes into professionally mixed studio productions. All of these factors made the Fall stand out, and theyve remained a lasting influence on generations of alternative rock, indie, post-punk, and lo-fi musicians, with acknowledged disciples including Sonic Youth, Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, and Gorillaz. During the late 70s and early 80s, when they released albums like Live at the Witch Trials and Hex Enduction Hour, the Fall were at their most abrasive and atonal. In 1984, Smiths American wife, Brix, joined the band as a guitarist, bringing a stronger sense of pop melody to the group, resulting in two U.K. Top 40 hits, as well as acclaimed full-lengths like The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall and This Nations Saving Grace. The band experimented with dance music during 90s albums such as Extricate and Levitate, while 2000s-era albums like The Real New Fall LP and Fall Heads Roll went in more of a garage rock direction. The Fall continued releasing eclectic, unpredictable albums up until 2017s New Facts Emerge, and the group came to an end when Smith died at the age of 60 in 2018. Prior to forming the Fall in 1977, Smith worked on the docks in Manchester, where he had auditioned and failed with a number of local heavy metal groups. Smith wasnt inspired by metal in the first place; his tastes ran more toward the experimental rock & roll of the Velvet Underground, as well as the avant-garde art rock of Can. Eventually, he found several similarly inclined musicians -- guitarist Martin Bramah, bassist Tony Friel, keyboardist Una Baines, and drummer Karl Burns -- and formed the Fall, taking the groups name from the Albert Camus novel. The band cut an EP, Bingo-Masters Break-Out!, which was funded by the Buzzcocks label, New Hormones, but it sat unreleased for nearly a year, simply because the band couldnt find anyone who wanted to sign them. The Fall were outsiders, not fitting in with either the slick new wave or the amateurish, simple chord-bashing of punk rock. Consequently, they had a difficult time landing a record contract. After a while, the group had gained some fans, including Danny Baker, the head of the Adrenaline fanzine, who persuaded Miles Copeland to release the EP on his Step Forward independent label. During 1978, Smith replaced bassist Friel with Marc Riley (bass, guitar, keyboards) and keyboardist Baines with Yvonne Pawlett because they wanted to make the Fall more accessible. The new lineup recorded the bands first full-length album, Live at the Witch Trials, which was released in 1979. The Fall continued to tour, playing bars and cabaret clubs, and, in the process, began to slowly build a fan base. Radio 1 DJ John Peel had become a fervent fan of the band, letting them record a number of sessions for his show, which provided the group with a great deal of exposure. Before recording the Falls second album, Smith changed the bands lineup, firing Pawlett, Bramah, and Burns, and hiring guitarist Craig Scanlon, bassist Steve Hanley, and drummer Mike Leigh; Riley moved to lead guitar from bass during this lineup shift. Scanlon and Hanley would become integral members of the Fall, staying with the band for a great part of their career. The new lineup recorded and released Dragnet late in 1979. The following year, the Fall parted with Step Forward and signed with Rough Trade, where they released the live album Totales Turns (Its Now or Never), the studio Grotesque (After the Gramme), and several acclaimed singles, including "Totally Wired" and "How I Wrote Elastic Man," in 1980. Paul Hanley joined the group as a second drummer before the Grotesque album. Though several Fall recordings appeared in 1981, they were all archival releases with the exception of the Slates EP. After the release of Slates, drummer Karl Burns rejoined the group. In early 1982, the band released the full-length Hex Enduction Hour, which received some of the groups strongest reviews to date. Since the group was having trouble with Rough Trade, the album was released on Kamera Records, as was its follow-up, Room to Live, which also appeared in 1982. Following its release, Riley left the band. The major turning point in the Falls career arrived in 1983, when Smith met Brix Smith (born Laura Elise Salinger) in Chicago while the Fall were on tour. The pair married within a few months and Brix, who originally played bass, joined the group as their second guitarist, replacing Riley; her first record with the group was 1983s Perverted by Language. Brix brought a more melodic pop sense to the band, as demonstrated by 1984s The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, their first album for Beggars Banquet. Following the Call for Escape Route EP, the Fall struck up an alliance with ballet choreographer Michael Clark, who eventually collaborated on a ballet called I Am Kurious Oranj with Mark E. Smith. The Fall wrote the music and libretto for the ballet and performed the work several times in late 1984 and early 1985; an album of the music eventually appeared in 1988. By 1985, the Smiths were collaborating with each other, resulting in more structured, melodic songs like the singles "No Bulbs" and "Cruisers Creek." Midway through 1985, Steve Hanley had to take a leave of absence, and classically trained Simon Rogers joined as the temporary bassist. Once Hanley returned, Rogers moved over to keyboards. The new lineup with Rogers recorded This Nations Saving Grace, which was released in the fall of 1985 to terrific reviews. Rogers stayed for one more album, 1986s Bend Sinister, yet he remained involved with the Fall for several years. Bend Sinister was recorded with Burns replacement, Simon Wolstencroft, and, following its release, Rogers was replaced by keyboardist Marcia Schofield, who had previously played in Khmer Rouge. In 1986, the Fall unexpectedly began to have charting singles, as their cover of the Other Halfs "Mr. Pharmacist" became a minor hit in the fall. Over the next few years, the group consistently appeared in the lower reaches of the charts, breaking into the Top 40 with 1987s "Hit the North" and 1988s cover of the Kinks "Victoria," which signaled how much more accessible the band had become with the addition of Brixs arrangements. After the 1988 release of the Simon Rogers-produced The Frenz Experiment, Brix divorced Smith and left the Fall in 1989; original guitarist Martin Bramah replaced her. The musical result of the separation was a shift back to the darker, more chaotic sound of their early albums, as shown on the first post-Brix album, 1990s Extricate. Though Extricate was well-received, Smith decided to alter the lineup that recorded the album. He fired both Schofield and Bramah while the Fall was touring Australia. Featuring new keyboardist Dave Bush, Shift-Work was released in 1991, followed by Code: Selfish the next year. In 1993, the Fall signed with Matador Records, which provided them with their first American record label in several years. Their first release for the label, The Infotainment Scam, was recorded with the returning Karl Burns, who provided drums. Neither The Infotainment Scam nor its 1994 follow-up, Middle Class Revolt, sold many records in the U.S., despite good reviews, and the Fall was again left without an American label as of 1995. Not that it mattered; they retained their devoted following in Britain, where both albums performed respectively. Brix rejoined the Fall during the supporting tour for Middle Class Revolt and appeared on 1995s Cerebral Caustic. At the beginning of 1996, keyboardist Julia Nagle joined the band for the recording of The Light User Syndrome, an album that featured liner notes from longtime supporter and BBC DJ John Peel. The band recorded their 20th BBC session for the DJ in June, followed by the departure of Brix in October and Karl Burns in December. By this time a steady stream of compilations and live recordings started appearing, the majority of them on the Receiver label, mostly without the bands involvement. The year 1997 saw seven of them released along with reissues of Live at the Witch Trials and Fall in a Hole. Karl Burns rejoined the band in May for a U.K. tour and the Levitate album, which appeared in September. New guitarist Tommy Crooks was brought on board and the band headed to the U.S. in March 1998 to support the new album. During an April gig in New York City at Brownies, Smith was in rare form. The band played large parts of the set with Smith off-stage, at one point Smith said something to Karl Burns that made him jump over his drum kit and attack the singer, and Crooks and Smith were at odds throughout the whole show, with Crooks kicking Smith and Smith flicking lit cigarettes at Crooks. Burns, Crooks, and Steve Hanley were out of the band and Smith spent a night in jail on assault charges. The live and outtake CDs kept coming and Smith released his first spoken word album, The Post Nearly Man, in September. A new single, "Touch Sensitive," appeared in February 1999. It ended up as the soundtrack to a car commercial, giving it extra exposure in the U.K., setting the stage for the April release of new album The Marshall Suite. Nagle was now more involved with songwriting while guitarist Neville Wilding, bassist Adam Halal, and drummer Tom Head rounded out the new Fall. Another batch of reissues appeared, followed by the successful "F-oldin Money" single and more U.K. tours. In April 2000, Smith made a guest appearance on Elasticas album The Menace and in November a new Fall album, The Unutterable, appeared. The same month, Spencer Birtwistle replaced Tom Head while Ben Pritchard and Jim Watts would replace Wilding and Halal, respectively, in February 2001. Julia Nagle was next to leave the band, and the more garage rock-oriented Fall released the extremely limited single "Rude (All the Time)" in August 2001, with the full-length Are You Are Missing Winner hitting the streets in November. The stripped-down band toured the world to support the ill-received album and documented the tour on the even more poorly received, half-live, half-studio 2G+2, released in June 2002. The disappointing "official" albums were now being balanced with some decent compilations for a change, with Sanctuarys Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology and Cog Sinisters Listening In: Lost Singles Tracks 1990-92 being the best. Smiths second spoken word album, Pander! Panda! Panzer!, appeared in September 2002, the same month his new wife, Eleni Poulou, joined the Fall on keyboards. Released in December 2002, "The Fall vs. 2003" single ushered in the next great era of the band, with Poulou offering a melodic base for Smiths abrasiveness the same way Nagle and Brix had before. Jim Watts discovered he was fired when Smith held a band meeting in a bar in March 2003 and bought everyone a drink but Watts. Bassist Simon "Ding" Archer would take his place for a June-July American tour. An early version of the bands next album was leaked to the Internet, inducing Smith to re-record and add and drop some tracks. The leak was referenced in the albums new title, The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click), released in October. A Christmas single, "(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas," appeared in December. The Sanctuary label reissued two classic albums -- Live at the Witch Trials and Dragnet -- in January of 2004 with much better sound than ever before, and some bonus tracks were added to Dragnet. A tour of America was planned, but on a visit to Newcastle, Smith slipped on some ice, breaking his leg. A bystander came to help him up, but Smith fell again, this time cracking his hip. Despite a metal rod running from his knee to hip, the Fall went ahead with the American tour, with Smith delivering his vocals while seated at a table. In June, Beggars Banquet released the first true career-spanning compilation of the band, 50,000 Fall Fans Cant Be Wrong. Bassist Archer went "on loan" to PJ Harveys band around this time and was replaced by Steven Trafford. The leftovers, live tracks, and outtakes compilation Interim was released in November 2004 in the U.K. and in January 2005 in America. The new year also saw the departure of guitarist Jim Watts, a fantastic box set that collected all the bands sessions for John Peel, and the new album Fall Heads Roll. In the summer the band toured America in support of the new album, but after a few dates, Smith fired all of the members of the band save his wife and keyboardist Eleni Poulou. Members of the American bands the Cairo Gang and Darker My Love joined the band for the remainder of the tour. The 2007 album Reformation Post T.L.C. featured a hybrid group of U.S. and U.K. members. That same year, Smith collaborated with Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner of electronica duo Mouse on Mars on the Von Südenfed project. He published his typically challenging and entertaining autobiography in 2008. In 2010, they signed with the Domino label for the album Your Future Our Clutter. Ersatz G.B. was released on Cherry Red Records in the fall of 2011. They remained on the label for 2013s Re-Mit, a milestone release as it featured the same band lineup as the previous three efforts. Sub-Lingual Tablet, from 2015, made it album number four, and featured a cover version of the Stooges "Cock in My Pocket" retitled "Stout Man." The Wise Ol Man EP followed in 2016 and featured a couple new tracks along with remixes from Sub-Lingual Tablet. That same year, Smith announced that Poulou had resigned from the band. By 2017 the Fall were set to release another full-length studio album. New Facts Emerge arrived that summer, and was co-produced by Smith and bandmember Kieron Melling. However, the multi-decade Fall saga came to a close when Smith died in January 2018 at the age of 60. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 49 Title: Live at the Witch Trials Released: 1979-03-16 Tracks: 10 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Frightened (?) 2 Crap Rap 2 / Like to Blow (?) 3 Rebellious Jukebox (?) 4 No Xmas for John Quays (?) 5 Various Times (?) 6 Underground Medecin (?) 7 Two Steps Back (?) 8 Live at the Witch Trials (?) 9 Futures and Pasts (?) 10 Music Scene (?) |
| Live at the Witch Trials : Allmusic album Review : That the first Fall album in a near endless stream would not only not sound very punk at all but would be a downright pleasant listen (thanks to Yvonne Pawletts electric piano on "Frightened") seems perfectly in keeping with Mark E. Smiths endlessly contrary mind. His inimitable drawl/moan and general vision of the universe (idiots are everywhere and idiotic things are rampant) similarly sprawl all over the music -- theres no question who this is or whose band it is, either. That said, most of Live at the Witch Trials is co-written with Martin Bramah, whose guitar work here is noticeably much more inclined to chime and ring instead of brutally scratch away like Craig Scanlons awesome work would soon do. Bramahs not just here to sound tuneful, though, and the killer Marc Riley/Karl Burns rhythm section both keeps up the energy and provides surprising grooves. On chugging tracks like "Two Steps Back," its not hard to tell that Smiths Krautrock fandom is coming into play. With Pawletts keyboards providing a pretty garage kick on top of it all, the result is an all-around treat. Brilliantly scabrous tracks are everywhere, one of the most memorable being "Rebellious Jukebox," simultaneously one of the most tuneful and aggressive songs from the early lineup, Smith pouring it on along with the band. The driving funk of "Music Scene," meanwhile, redefines misanthropy (and more) with a particularly central Smith target in mind. "No Xmas for John Quays," meanwhile, almost establishes the Fall formula on its own: Smith chanting and yelling over a quick, semi-rockabilly shamble and attack punctuated by unexpected stops and starts. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 49 Title: Dragnet Released: 1979-10-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 45:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Psykick Dancehall (03:51) 2 A Figure Walks (06:13) 3 Printhead (03:17) 4 Dice Man (01:45) 5 Before the Moon Falls (04:34) 6 Your Heart Out (03:07) 7 Muzorewi’s Daughter (03:44) 8 Flat of Angles (04:58) 9 Choc‐Stock (02:40) 10 Spectre vs. Rector (07:57) 11 Put Away (03:26) |
| Dragnet : Allmusic album Review : The Falls second album was also one of the hardest to find in later years, getting only sporadic represses and reissues. Though some opinions would have it that there was a good reason for this -- namely, that it was something of a dead end sonically -- its not as bad as all that. Its true that more than a few tracks come across as Fall-by-numbers (even then, already better than plenty of other bands), but there are some thorough standouts regardless. Theres also another key reason to rate Dragnet -- its the debut album appearance of Craig Scanlon, who picked up on the off-kilter rockabilly-meets-art rock sensibilities of the initial lineup and translated it into amazing guitar work. No less important is the appearance of Steve Hanley, who would soon take over fully on bass from Marc Riley, who in turn moved to guitar, forming one heck of a partnership with Scanlon that would last until Riley jumped ship to form the Creepers. Generally the songs which work the best on Dragnet throw in some amusingly odd curves while still hanging together musically. The full winner is unquestionably "Spectre vs. Rector," an amazing combination of clear lead vocals and buried, heavily echoed music and further rants, before fully exploding halfway through while the rhythm obsessively grinds away. Another odd and wonderful cut is "Muzorewis Daughter," which starts out sounding like stereotypical Hollywood music for Native American tribes before shifting between that and quicker choruses. "Dice Man," with its rave-up melody and slower vocal- and guitar-only chorus, not to mention the weird muttering elsewhere in the mix, says it all in under two minutes and has fun while doing it. Through it all, Smith rants and raves supreme, spinning out putdowns, cracked vocals, and total bile with all the thrill and energy one could want from a good performer. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 49 Title: Grotesque (After the Gramme) Released: 1980-11-17 Tracks: 14 Duration: 55:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 How I Wrote Elastic Man (04:24) 2 City Hobgoblins (02:24) 3 Totally Wired (03:25) 4 Putta Block (03:48) 5 Pay Your Rates (03:03) 6 English Scheme (01:59) 7 New Face in Hell (05:41) 8 CnC-s Mithering (07:43) 9 The Container Drivers (03:10) 10 Impression of J. Temperance (04:22) 11 In the Park (01:46) 12 WMC - Blob 59 (01:23) 13 Gramme Friday (03:22) 14 The NWRA (09:14) |
| Grotesque (After the Gramme) : Allmusic album Review : Kicking off with the thrilling bite of "Pay Your Rates," on Grotesque, the Fall really started hitting its stride, with Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon now a devastatingly effective combination, somehow managing to sound exactly placed between random sloppiness and perfect precision. The sharp rockabilly leads and random art rock racket thrived on both counts, with Smith as always the mad jester ripping into anything and everything while having a great time doing so. The final song of the album was especially fierce -- "The N.W.R.A.," short for "the north will rise again," Smiths own take on the long-standing "soft south/grim north" dichotomy in English society given extremely bitter life. Throughout the record, a slew of really good producers keep an eye on things -- besides the band themselves, there are Grant Showbiz, Geoff Travis, and Mayo Thompson all contributing. The end result is crisp without being polished, rough while packing its own smart punch (though "W. M. C.-Blob 59" intentionally sounds like it was recorded eight rooms over). Some nice variety starts appearing more and more in the Fall approach as well -- "CnC-s Mithering," a brilliant vivisection of California and its record business, and the attendant perception of the Fall themselves, relies on acoustic guitars instead of electric, creating an understated but still great groove. "Impression of J. Temperance" fits more immediately with what had come before, but the martial drums from Paul Hanley and Rileys freaky keyboards create some crazy atmospheres. Of course, Smith sends everything over the top, whether its his rant about governments, dead neighbors, and scandals on the hilarious romp "New Face in Hell" or "In the Park." As a side note, the hilarious music scene caricatures on the front cover and wind-up liner notes add just the right level of acidic wit to the proceedings. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 49 Title: 77 - Early Years - 79 Released: 1981 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Repetition (05:10) 2 Bingo Masters Breakout (02:15) 3 Psycho Mafia (02:16) 4 Various Times (05:14) 5 Its the New Thing (03:31) 6 Rowche Rumble (04:00) 7 In My Area (04:09) 8 Dice Man (01:45) 9 Psykick Dancehall No. 2 (03:36) 10 Second Dark Age (02:02) 11 Fiery Jack (04:44) |
 | Album: 5 of 49 Title: Hex Enduction Hour Released: 1982-03-08 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:00:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Classical (05:16) 2 Jawbone and the Air-Rifle (03:43) 3 Hip Priest (07:45) 4 Fortress / Deer Park (06:41) 5 Mere Pseud Mag. Ed. (02:49) 6 Winter (Hostel-Maxi) (04:26) 7 Winter 2 (04:33) 8 Just Step S’ways (03:22) 9 Who Makes the Nazis? (04:27) 10 Iceland (06:42) 11 And This Day (10:18) |
| Hex Enduction Hour : Allmusic album Review : The Fall already had a slew of brilliant records under their belt by the time Hex Enduction Hour emerged, but when it did, the result was a bona fide classic on all fronts. Honing the vicious edge of his lyrics to a new level of ability, Smith led his by-now seasoned band -- at this time sporting the double-drumming lineup of Paul Hanley and Karl Burns -- to create a literal hours worth of entertaining bile. The Marc Riley/Craig Scanlon team had even more of a clattering, industrial edge than before, now inventing its own style of riff and melody that any number of later groups would borrow, with varying degrees of success. "Iceland" itself tips its hat toward where part of the album was recorded, and its little surprise that the Sugarcubes and any number of contemporaneous bands from that country ended up with a deep Fall fetish. Of the many song highlights, perhaps the most notorious was the opening "The Classical," an art rock groove like no other, racketing around with heavy-duty beats and stabbing bass from Steve Hanley. Apparently, the band was on the verge of signing with Motown, at least until they heard Smith delivering the poisonous line, "Where are the obligatory niggers?/Hey there, f*ckface!" Politically correct or not, it set the tone for the misanthropic assault of the entire album, including the hilarious dressing down of "misunderstood" rock critics, "Hip Priest" ("He...is...not...ap-PRE-ciated!") and the targeting-everyone attack "Who Makes the Nazis?" Musically, all kinds of approaches are assayed and the results are a triumph throughout, from "Hip Priest" and its tense exchange between slow, dark mood and sudden guitar bursts to the motorik drone touch of "Fortress/Deer Park." As a concluding anti-anthem, "And This Day" ranks up with "The N.W.R.A.," ten minutes of ramalama genius. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 49 Title: Room to Live Released: 1982-09-27 Tracks: 7 Duration: 44:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Joker Hysterical Face (04:46) 2 Marquis Cha Cha (04:30) 3 Hard Life in Country (06:08) 4 Room to Live (04:13) 5 Detective Instinct (05:39) 6 Solicitor in Studio (05:18) 7 Papal Visit / Lie Dream of a Casino Soul / Fantastic Life (14:00) |
 | Album: 7 of 49 Title: Perverted by Language Released: 1983-12-12 Tracks: 8 Duration: 47:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Eat Yself Fitter (06:37) 2 Neighbourhood of Infinity (02:41) 3 Garden (08:42) 4 Hotel Bloedel (03:46) 5 Smile (05:07) 6 I Feel Voxish (04:18) 7 Tempo House (08:51) 8 Hexen Definitive / Strife Knot (06:58) |
| Perverted by Language : Allmusic album Review : Punk may have been the initial spark for the Fall, but by 1983 they had made it clear that whatever trend was next was not for them. Brix Smith made her debut with the band on Perverted by Language, helping to introduce the slightly more pop-friendly era of the group with another fine album. She takes lead vocals at various points throughout, notably "Hotel Bloedel," while her husband plays violin and adds extra spoken word thoughts along the way. The hints of strange beauty that the Fall can sometimes let into its world appear here more than once -- whether its Brixs influence or not isnt clear, and why not? "Garden" still hits hard while using a softer chime at its heart, while "Hexen Definitive" is almost a country (and western) stroll. Even for all the slightly more accessible touches for a wider audience, the Fall remain the Fall. "Smile" shows the bands abilities at tense audio drama excellently, a relentless, steady build with the Steve and Paul Hanley and Karl Burns rhythm section leading the way, winding up to a total explosion that never comes. Smiths increasingly frenetic vocals match the looming dread of the track to a T. "Neighbourhood of Infinity," notable for its appearance on Palace of Swords Reversed, crops up here in a studio take, again a sequel of sorts to "The Man Whose Head Expanded." Musically it hits its own stride, another of the many motorik-tinged tunes that helped give the Fall its own particular edge ("I Feel Voxish" also fills that bill, and quite well at that). "Eat YSelf Fitter," touching on everything from meeting heroes (maybe) to returning late rental videos, makes for a great start to things, an endlessly cycling rockabilly chug with extra keyboard oddities and sudden music-less exchanges for the chorus. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 49 Title: The Wonderful and Frightening World of… The Fall Released: 1984-10-12 Tracks: 11 Duration: 49:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Lay of the Land (05:44) 2 2 by 4 (03:36) 3 Copped It (04:16) 4 Elves (04:48) 5 C.R.E.E.P. (04:40) 6 No Bulbs (04:30) 7 Slang King (05:21) 8 Bug Day (04:58) 9 Stephen Song (03:04) 10 Craigness (03:04) 11 Disney’s Dream Debased (05:17) |
 | Album: 9 of 49 Title: This Nation’s Saving Grace Released: 1985-09-23 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:05:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mansion (01:21) 2 Bombast (03:08) 3 Barmy (05:21) 4 What You Need (04:50) 5 Spoilt Victorian Child (04:12) 6 L.A. (04:10) 7 Vixen (04:04) 8 Couldnt Get Ahead (02:36) 9 Gut of the Quantifier (05:16) 10 My New House (05:16) 11 Paint Work (06:38) 12 I Am Damo Suzuki (05:41) 13 To Nkroachment: Yarbles (01:23) 14 Petty Thief Lout (05:23) 15 Rollin’ Danny (02:24) 16 Cruisers Creek (04:16) |
| This Nation’s Saving Grace : Allmusic album Review : "Feel the wrath of my Bombast!" exhorts Smith on this follow-up to their groundbreaking Wonderful and Frightening World of... the Fall, and this collection is ample proof of the pure confidence the group had at this time. Stompers like "Barmy," "What You Need," and the mighty "Gut of the Quantifier" are all led by Brix Smiths twanging lead hooks, filled by distorted guitars and bludgeoning drums, on top of which Smith rants with conviction. But its the departures from this sound that mark the real interest here: The synth-driven "L.A." looks ahead to the Falls experiments with electronica; "Paint Work" is an impressionist piece interrupted by Smith accidentally erasing over some of the track at home; and "I Am Damo Suzuki," a tribute to Cans lead singer, which borrows its arrangement from several of that groups songs. The Fall sound mysterious, down-to-earth, and hilarious all at the same time. The CD reissue adds the singles "Cruisers Creek" and "Couldnt Get Ahead" as well as their B-sides making this an essential purchase. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 49 Title: Nord-West Gas Released: 1986 Tracks: 12 Duration: 57:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 My New House (05:16) 2 Bombast (03:08) 3 Disney’s Dream Debased (05:17) 4 Couldnt Get Ahead (02:36) 5 No Bulbs (07:51) 6 Paint Work (06:38) 7 C.R.E.E.P. (03:08) 8 I Am Damo Suzuki (05:41) 9 Rollin’ Danny (02:24) 10 L.A. (04:10) 11 Barmy (05:21) 12 Lay of the Land (05:44) |
 | Album: 11 of 49 Title: Bend Sinister Released: 1986-09-29 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 R.O.D. (04:36) 2 Dktr. Faustus (05:35) 3 Shoulder Pads 1 (02:55) 4 Mr. Pharmacist (02:19) 5 Gross Chapel – British Grenadiers (07:21) 6 U.S. 80s-90s (04:33) 7 Terry Waite Sez (01:38) 8 Bournemouth Runner (06:05) 9 Riddler! (06:22) 10 Shoulder Pads 2 (01:56) |
| Bend Sinister : Allmusic album Review : Again working with John Leckie on production, the Falls third Beggars album, Bend Sinister, was a distinctly down affair -- not that the Fall were ever a shiny happy band, of course, but both music and lyrics seemed like a darker corner to dwell in. Happily there was no worry that the Fall would ever go goth; one suspects Mark E. Smith would rather have his tongue removed. Still, opening track "R.O.D." makes for a distinctly lower-key start in comparison to recent leadoffs like "Lay of the Land" and "Bombast," almost sounding a bit like fellow Mancunian legends Joy Division, Smiths lyric his own depressing vision of a beast slouching toward Bethlehem. Leckies production emphasizes space in the recording, while the band as a whole sounds generally more deliberate and understated, even Craig Scanlons guitar not leaping quite as much to trebly life as is normally the case. Songs like "Gross Chapel - British Grenadiers" favor Steve Hanleys bass work as much as anything, while the almost industrial/hip-hop beat of "US 80s-90s" sets the tone for a glowering vision of the States from, as Smith puts it, "the big-shot original rapper." Elsewhere, theres Smiths vision of the eternal outsider comes to life once again -- "Shoulder Pads 1," a hardly disguised sneer against being surrounded by people who "cant tell Lou Reed from Doug Yule," for all that theres a slightly quirky arrangement thanks to Simon Rogers keyboards. Still, there are certainly moments of sheer fun -- in keeping with the bands regular ear for good cover versions, this time around psych-era obscurities the Other Half get the nod with a brisk rip through the obvious drug references of "Mr. Pharmacist." Brix again shares vocal leads with Smith at various points, notably "Dktr. Faustus," a distinctly reworked version of that particular legend that turns into a frantic, audibly unhappy dance groove. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 49 Title: The “Domesday Pay‐Off” Triad‐Plus! Released: 1987 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 There’s a Ghost in My House (02:36) 2 U.S. 80’s – 90’s (04:34) 3 Shoulder Pads (version 1) (02:54) 4 Mr. Pharmacist (02:17) 5 Riddler (06:28) 6 Hey! Luciani (03:34) 7 Haf Found Bormann (02:42) 8 Terry Waite Sez (01:42) 9 R.O.D! (04:32) 10 Shoulder Pads (version 2) (01:56) 11 Gross Chapel—G.B. Grenadiers (07:20) |
| The “Domesday Pay‐Off” Triad‐Plus! : Allmusic album Review : This is effectively the American version of the British release Bend Sinister. As well as an amended running order, the album also includes the singles "Hey! Luciani" and a workmanlike cover of R. Dean Taylors "Theres a Ghost in My House." As neither constitutes a classic moment in the Falls distinguished history, youre better off with Bend Sinister, the album the Fall intended you to hear. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 49 Title: In: Palace of Swords Reversed Released: 1987-11-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Prole Art Threat (01:57) 2 How I Wrote ‘Elastic Man’ (04:18) 3 Totally Wired (03:24) 4 Pay Your Rates (02:58) 5 Putta Block (04:21) 6 An Older Lover (04:31) 7 Fit and Working Again (02:54) 8 Marquis Cha‐Cha (04:30) 9 The Man Whose Head Expanded (04:21) 10 Neighbourhood of Infinity (03:06) 11 Kicker Conspiracy (04:13) 12 Wings (04:27) |
 | Album: 14 of 49 Title: Hip Priest and Kamerads Released: 1988 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:19:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Lie Dream of a Casino Soul (03:09) 2 The Classical (05:17) 3 Fortress (01:21) 4 Look, Know (04:48) 5 Hip Priest (07:34) 6 Who Makes the Nazis? (06:58) 7 Just Step Sideways (03:23) 8 Room to Live (04:15) 9 Mere Pseud Mag. Ed. (05:42) 10 Hard Life in Country (06:04) 11 Im Into C.B.! (06:33) 12 Fantastic Life (05:19) 13 Jawbone and the Air-rifle (04:05) 14 And This Day (15:19) |
 | Album: 15 of 49 Title: The Frenz Experiment Released: 1988-02-29 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Frenz (03:28) 2 Carry Bag Man (04:25) 3 Get a Hotel (04:38) 4 Victoria (02:45) 5 Athlete Cured (05:51) 6 In These Times (03:25) 7 The Steak Place (03:56) 8 Bremen Nacht (alternative) (09:19) 9 Guest Informant (excerpt) (00:39) 10 Oswald Defence Lawyer (05:59) 11 Tuff Life Booogie (02:44) 12 Guest Informant (05:47) 13 Twister (05:07) 14 There’s a Ghost in My House (02:37) 15 Hit the North (04:00) |
| The Frenz Experiment : Allmusic album Review : After the dark morass of Bend Sinister, the sound of 1988s Frenz Experiment comes as a bit of a shock. The arrangements are spare and broken down to the essentials, with the distorted guitars brought down low and Wolstencrofts drums high in the mix. Marcia Schofield had also joined the band to add keyboards. With most of the songs credited only to Smith himself, this could be seen as a solo album of sorts, or an indication of some rift within the group -- it certainly doesnt translate into the music. For the first time too, his vocals are loud and clear, though certainly not comprehensible; "Bremen Nacht" hints at some sort of run in with a ghost in Germany, "Athlete Cured," with its Spinal Tap-borrowed riff, tells of a "German athletic star" made ill from unusual circumstances -- the narrative turns strange, then funny until wandering off, a classic Smith tactic. Their cover of the Kinks "Victoria" marked the Falls first entry into the British charts, but also fit in with Smiths continuing explorations of Britains history and how it translates into issues of class identity. The CD contains their other two singles from this time -- "Hit the North" and a cover of R. Dean Taylors "Theres a Ghost in My House," which the group makes their own -- plus several B-sides. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 49 Title: I Am Kurious Oranj Released: 1988-10-24 Tracks: 13 Duration: 56:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 New Big Prinz (03:25) 2 Overture From "I Am Curious, Orange" (02:48) 3 Dog Is Life / Jerusalem (08:54) 4 Kurious Oranj (06:19) 5 Wrong Place, Right Time (02:52) 6 Guide Me Soft (02:15) 7 C.D. Win Fall 2088 AD (04:41) 8 Yes, O Yes (03:25) 9 Van Plague? (04:56) 10 Bad News Girl (05:21) 11 Cab It Up! (04:54) 12 Last Nacht (03:56) 13 Big New Priest (03:08) |
| I Am Kurious Oranj : Allmusic album Review : The last thing most Fall fans expected the group to do in 1988 was provide music for a ballet, but in fact this is what they did. Of course, it helped that the Michael Clark company of dancers were some of the most avant-garde at the time in Britain and were inspired originally by the Falls "Hey! Luciani" single. The concept, very loosely, centers around William and Mary of Orange, and finds Smith arranging William Blakes "Jerusalem" for the band, adding his own lyrics ("It was the fault of the government," providing ironic contrast to the self-sufficiency espoused in Blake). As a cohesive Fall album it fails: The strongest tracks are those that have little to do with the ballet (and are available elsewhere). "New Big Prinz" updates their own "Hip Priest" into one of their heaviest tracks, full of threat and wonder. "Cab It Up!" features all forward momentum and jingling keyboards. For the first time tracks felt like filler, and indeed they were. The CD booklet contains photographs from the performance full of giant pop-art hamburgers and cans of baked beans, suggesting I Am Kurios Oranj would have been more interesting to see than hear. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 49 Title: Extricate Released: 1990-02-19 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:34:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sing! Harpy (05:24) 2 I’m Frank (03:22) 3 Bill Is Dead (04:32) 4 Black Monk Theme, Part I (04:35) 5 Popcorn Double Feature (03:43) 6 Telephone Thing (04:11) 7 Hilary (02:28) 8 Chicago, Now! (05:59) 9 The Littlest Rebel (03:36) 10 And Therein… (02:53) 1 Telephone Thing (extended mix) (04:21) 2 Telephone Dub (04:26) 3 British People in Hot Weather (03:07) 4 Butterflies 4 Brains (04:15) 5 Arms Control Poseur (single version) (05:04) 6 Arms Control Poseur (04:44) 7 Zandra (02:47) 8 Black Monk Theme, Part II (02:01) 9 Extricate (03:45) 10 Theme From Error Orrori (04:13) 11 Chicago, Now! (BBC John Peel session) (05:34) 12 Black Monk Theme (BBC John Peel session) (04:06) 13 Hilary (BBC John Peel session) (02:23) 14 Whizz Bang (BBC John Peel session) (03:01) |
| Extricate : Allmusic album Review : The Smiths had divorced around the time of Extricate, but Brixs presence could still be felt on Fall records. Some thought the mid-80s signaled an end to the ragged, jagged Fall of old; the 90s must have made them apoplectic. Working with producers Rex Sergeant, Craig Leon, and Adrian Sherwood, the post-apocalyptic sound of the 70s had been smoothed to a sheen. There were still moments of anarchy and dissonance, but generally they were swaddled in synth-driven beats and high-tech production that smoothed out any remaining rough edges. Again, this was not a bad thing; after all, Mark E. Smith was still upfront and still ranting, but even he was singing more, and shocking as that was, it made for even better music. For this period, the place to start is Extricate, which proved beyond a doubt that the Fall were not too old to still be a part of this punk rock thang. Since this record follows on the heels of the Smiths divorce, its tempting to assume that Mark E. Smiths ranting has a more conspicuous target, but enigmatic as he tends to be, this is mere speculation. Still, "Sing! Harpy" and the title track will give you pause as to the source of Smiths considerable consternation. The band sounds great, especially longtime members Steve Hanley and Craig Scanlon. Extra kudos to the solid backbeat provided by Simon Wolstencroft. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 49 Title: 458489 A Sides Released: 1990-12 Tracks: 17 Duration: 57:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Oh! Brother (04:00) 2 C.R.E.E.P. (02:56) 3 No Bulbs 3 (04:28) 4 Rollin’ Danny (02:24) 5 Couldnt Get Ahead (02:36) 6 Cruisers Creek (04:16) 7 L.A. (04:10) 8 Living Too Late (04:30) 9 Hit the North (04:00) 10 Mr. Pharmacist (02:19) 11 Hey! Luciani (03:36) 12 There’s a Ghost in My House (02:37) 13 Victoria (02:45) 14 Big New Prinz (03:23) 15 Wrong Place, Right Time No. 2 (02:53) 16 Jerusalem (03:49) 17 Dead Beat Descendant (02:23) |
| 458489 A Sides : Allmusic album Review : Bypassing their edgy, early singles and concentrating on their artier, more eclectic work of the mid- and late 80s, 458489 A-Sides encapsulates nearly all of the Falls many attributes. All of the singles on A-Sides are culled from the era when Brix Smith was in the band, arguably the bands most cohesive and rewarding years. Drawing from their strongest albums -- The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, This Nations Saving Grace, Bend Sinister, The Frenz Experiment -- A-Sides offers an excellent introduction to the Fall. It is both a useful retrospective and a kind of road map, pointing out the differences between albums. For neophytes and the uninitiated, there is no better sampler, and for longtime fans, the collection reiterates what a fine singles band the Fall were in their heyday. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 49 Title: 458489 B Sides Released: 1990-12-31 Tracks: 31 Duration: 2:23:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 O! Brother (12″ version) (04:25) 2 God‐Box (03:24) 3 C.R.E.E.P. (12″ version) (04:44) 4 Pat‐Trip Dispenser (04:03) 5 Slang King (05:18) 6 Draygo’s Guilt (04:32) 7 Clear Off! (04:43) 8 No Bulbs (07:54) 9 Petty Thief Lout (05:23) 10 Vixen (04:04) 11 Hot Aftershave Bop (03:48) 12 Living Too Long (07:12) 13 Lucifer Over Lancashire (05:13) 14 Auto-Tech Pilot (04:53) 1 Entitled (03:18) 2 Shoulder Pads #1B (05:05) 3 Sleep Debt Snatches (06:21) 4 Mark’ll Sink Us (04:55) 5 Haf Found Bormann (02:45) 6 Australians in Europe (05:18) 7 Northerns in Europ (02:21) 8 Hit the North, Part 2 (03:38) 9 Guest Informant (05:52) 10 Tuff Life Boogie (02:44) 11 Twister (05:10) 12 Bremen Nacht Run Out (04:44) 13 Mark’ll Sink Us (alternative version) (04:24) 14 Acid Priest 2088 (04:29) 15 Cab it Up! (03:48) 16 Kurious Oranj (05:59) 17 Hit the North (03:10) |
| 458489 B Sides : Allmusic album Review : The title cleverly encapsulates the contents - the Falls B-sides (45s) from 1984 to 1989. The Fall were a first-rate singles band, and the flip sides were often their equals. There is the odd dud here -- there are a thousand Fall songs to hear and "Clear Off" and "Markll Sink Us" wouldnt be high on ones list of priorities. But there are also many genuinely great tracks: "Petty Thief Lout," "Australians in Europe," "No Bulbs." It should be noted that in the Falls turbulent history, their six-year spell at Beggars Banquet was their most productive and artistically rewarding. There are actually 31 tracks on view here, including a handful of remixes -- rich pickings (the album was never originally issued outside of Europe). | ||
 | Album: 20 of 49 Title: Shift‐Work Released: 1991-04-22 Tracks: 14 Duration: 51:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 So What About It? (03:24) 2 Idiot Joy Showland (03:43) 3 Edinburgh Man (04:44) 4 Pittsville Direkt (04:01) 5 The Book of Lies (02:57) 6 High Tension Line (03:47) 7 The War Against Intelligence (03:16) 8 Shift‐Work (04:37) 9 You Haven’t Found It Yet (04:07) 10 The Mixer (03:37) 11 White Lightning (02:13) 12 A Lot of Wind (03:46) 13 Rose (03:20) 14 Sinister Waltz (04:12) |
| Shift‐Work : Allmusic album Review : Shift-Work marked the sophomore effort from a new Brix-less Fall and is a slightly more subdued effort than the raging Extricate. It also marked a new direction for Mark E. Smith and the band as what once was repetitious grooves became interspersed with pop song structures. Dont worry, the classic riffage is still here in "The War Against Intelligence," "Idiot Joy Showland," and "So What About It." But there does seem to be a softening of Smith, albeit slightly. He still rails against foolish pop stars, mass media, and the spawn of the Manchester scene (side two is headed "Notebooks Out Plagiarists") but also here are paeons to Edinburgh ("Edinburgh Man," surprisingly malice-free), social observation ("Shift Work" looks at a modern marriage and is more wistful than angry), and an electronics and violin led portrait of a DJ ("The Mixer"). Probably whats most surprising is that in retrospect most of this works, although it begins to run out of steam near the end. There are hooks and melodies here, and the group ineffably remain the Fall. The following years Code: Selfish would return to a much harder sound, leaving this a melancholic, introspective album. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 49 Title: Code: Selfish Released: 1992-03-23 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:51:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Birmingham School of Business School (06:45) 2 Free Range (03:58) 3 Return (04:03) 4 Time Enough at Last (03:47) 5 Everything Hurtz (04:07) 6 Immortality (04:30) 7 Two-Face! (06:00) 8 Just Waiting (04:38) 9 So-Called Dangerous (03:45) 10 Gentlemens Agreement (04:32) 11 Married, 2 Kids (02:45) 12 Crew Filth (05:22) 1 Free Range (single version) (04:21) 2 Return (single version) (04:04) 3 Dangerous (04:01) 4 Everything Hurtz (single version) (04:07) 5 Eds Babe (03:17) 6 Pumpkin Head Xscapades (03:49) 7 The Knight the Devil and Death (03:23) 8 Free Ranger (04:04) 9 Noels Chemical Effluence (06:24) 10 Legend of Xanadu (03:29) 11 Free Range (Peel session) (04:05) 12 Kimble (Peel session) (03:55) 13 Immortality (Peel session) (04:27) 14 Return (Peel session) (04:10) |
| Code: Selfish : Allmusic album Review : An underrated and hard-to-find Fall album, this 1992 release returned to a harder, more caustic band than found on the previous years Shift Work. Slimmed down to a four- piece (with added keyboards by David Bush) and produced by Craig Leon and Simon Rogers, the Fall yet again returned with an experimental and menacing collection of songs. The centerpiece and only single off the album was "Free Range," a bit of Mark E. Smiths "prepsicognition" about the coming Balkan wars. "Pressure guilt! Grudge match!" Smith yelps, stringing together images and streams of consciousness. "It pays to talk to no-one!" Years later, it has the same chilling foresight of Yeatss "The Second Coming." Smiths writing was beginning to pare itself down to the essence, relying on repetition and imagery, while the backing of Scanlon, Wolstencroft, and Hanley were translating the feel of sequenced techno into their guitars and drum attack (especially on "Immortality" and "So Called Dangerous"). An album that improves with age. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 49 Title: The Collection Released: 1993-03-01 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:17:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:45) 2 Fiery Jack (04:27) 3 Muzorewis Daughter (03:41) 4 Choc-stock (02:35) 5 Cary Grant’s Wedding (03:37) 6 Middle Mass (03:32) 7 Slates, Slags Etc. (06:33) 8 Leave the Capitol (04:04) 9 Container Drivers (03:08) 10 Impression of J. Temperance (04:23) 11 W.M.C. - Blob 59 (01:22) 12 City Hobgoblins (02:24) 13 Totally Wired (03:25) 14 How I Wrote ‘Elastic Man’ (04:20) 15 Hip Priest (07:17) 16 The N.W.R.A. (09:13) 17 Smile (05:07) 18 Medical Acceptance Gate (03:28) 19 A Day in the Life (04:21) |
| The Collection : Allmusic album Review : The surplus of unnecessary, often downright insulting Fall compilation CDs can be confusing. Though they provide employment for underused sleevenote writers, all they otherwise serve to do is misdirect attention away from a perfectly adequate selection of official releases. This is a prime suspect, with its "seen it, done it" running order, though it deserves some sort of mention for being among the most widely distributed of Fall compilations. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 49 Title: The Infotainment Scan Released: 1993-04-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ladybird (Green Grass) (04:00) 2 Lost in Music (03:50) 3 Glam‐Racket (03:13) 4 I’m Going to Spain (03:28) 5 It’s a Curse (05:20) 6 Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room (04:28) 7 Service (04:13) 8 The League of Bald-Headed Men (04:09) 9 A Past Gone Mad (04:21) 10 Light / Fireworks (03:49) 11 Why Are People Grudgeful? (04:32) 12 League Moon Monkey Mix (04:36) |
| The Infotainment Scan : Allmusic album Review : Returning to the indie label world with a bang, the Fall unleashed a winner and a half with Infotainment Scan, one of the bands most playful yet sharp-edged releases. The choice of covers alone gives a sense of where Smiths head was at -- tackling Lee Perrys "Why Are People Grudgeful?" is one tall order to start with, while a cover of the novelty tripe "Im Going to Spain" is just silly fun (even if the guitar does sound like early Cure!). Even more astounding, though, is what the band does to the Sister Sledge disco classic "Lost in Music" -- nobody will ever mistake Smiths singing for that of the threesome, but the bands overall performance is an honest-to-god tribute to the tight but full Chic Organization sound. Craig Scanlon throws in some scratchy work around the edges, but otherwise the group takes it as it is and does a great job. As for the originals, Smith and crew are in fine form once again, Scanlon, Steve Hanley, Dave Bush, and Simon Wolstencroft once again a dynamic, inventive unit. After the explicitly techno nods of the recent past, Infotainment balances that off with more straight-ahead rock, though with Wolstencrofts strong, sharp drumming still setting a brisk, danceable pace while Scanlon whips up his usual brand of tight, memorable riffing and Bush adds subtle textures and catchy melodies. One of the best numbers is the explicitly Gary Glitter-styled romp "Glam-Racket," a great shout-along, while the beat-crazy "A Past Gone Mad" wins for this line alone: "And if I ever end up like U2/slit my throat with a garden vegetable." "The League of Bald Headed Men" also deserves note, as does another strong motorik-inspired number, "Its a Curse." Best song title of the bunch? "Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room," with a high-strung and aggressive arrangement to boot. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 49 Title: Middle Class Revolt Released: 1994-05-03 Tracks: 14 Duration: 50:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 15 Ways (03:17) 2 The Reckoning (03:38) 3 Behind the Counter (03:11) 4 M5#1 (03:32) 5 Surmount All Obstacles (03:55) 6 Middle Class Revolt! (03:05) 7 War (02:57) 8 You’re Not Up to Much (04:05) 9 Symbol of Mordgan (03:10) 10 Hey Student (04:31) 11 Junk Man (04:24) 12 The $500 Bottle of Wine (02:34) 13 City Dweller (04:14) 14 Shut Up! (03:40) |
| Middle Class Revolt : Allmusic album Review : A mixture of lackluster performances and songs filled with vigor and fury, Middle Class Revolt is a puzzling proposition from the Fall. After two opening tracks that seem ready to convince worried fans that Smith couldnt care less ("15 Ways" and "Reckoning") there follows the poppish "Behind the Counter" and their devilish cover of Henry Cows "War," with Smith making up half the lyrics. Other highlights include the furious "Hey! Student" (a rewrite of a 1977 tune, "Hey! Fascist"), and yet another Monks cover: "Shut Up!" All find Smith in fine form, impassioned and deeply sarcastic. The band experiments with some techno, some tape manipulation, and sparse rock arrangements, though the vocals on this disc are the most layered of any Fall release. Theres also some local (Manchester, that is) social criticism going on in tracks, such as "M5#1" and "City Dweller," which takes on the aborted attempt to hold the Olympic games in Smiths city (the nerve!). | ||
 | Album: 25 of 49 Title: Cerebral Caustic Released: 1995-02-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Joke (02:51) 2 Dont Call Me Darling (03:35) 3 Rainmaster (03:27) 4 Feeling Numb (02:45) 5 Pearl City (02:47) 6 Life Just Bounces (04:48) 7 Im Not Satisfied (02:56) 8 The Aphid (02:46) 9 Bonkers in Phoenix (06:03) 10 One Day (03:22) 11 North West Fashion Show (03:09) 12 Pine Leaves (03:40) |
| Cerebral Caustic : Allmusic album Review : Smith once again landed on his feet after departing a label, ditching Matador in favor of Permanent, but Cerebral Caustic is notable for many other reasons. First, of all people, Brix Smith (still going by the name) rejoined the lineup, while future events made this the last studio album featuring Craig Scanlon. Though not an original member, his guitar playing for many made the Fall as much as Smiths vision and vocals, and knowing in retrospect that this was his unintentional final bow makes Cerebral that much more of interest. On top of that, Dave Bush would also leave after this album and its tour to join Elastica. Musically, Cerebral followed in the vein of recent albums like Infotainment Scan, blending techno-derived touches and glam-era sonic tributes to the usual stew of approaches. Generally the band sounds like theyre having a great time, pulling out some odd arrangements and fun little touches, like the rising and falling melody of "Life Just Bounces." Smith himself sounds a touch disconnected around the edges, but makes up for it with some interesting vocal treatments and sudden interjections to leaven things up. Perhaps the strangest of the bunch is "Bonkers in Phoenix," with Brixs voice turned into overdubbed Chipmunks while the music combines a soft, low volume lope with sudden bursts of noise and Smith rants. One of the sharpest songs in context is "Dont Call Me Darling" -- while the truth cant be known, hearing Brix deliver the chorus with a roaring edge in response to Smiths verses makes a listener wonder. As is often the case, a cover version helps to spice things up -- having paid tribute to Frank Zappa elsewhere, here the band cover his "Im Not Satisfied" in low-key but well-paced fashion. Smith has good fun blurring and double-tracking his vocal, and the result is another winner in the Falls series of remakes. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 49 Title: Sinister Waltz Released: 1996-01-22 Tracks: 14 Duration: 50:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Lot of Wind (03:46) 2 Couldnt Get Ahead (02:40) 3 Blood Outta Stone (03:28) 4 Arid Al’s Dream (04:49) 5 The Knight, the Devil and Death (03:00) 6 Chicago, Now! (05:25) 7 Birthday (02:13) 8 Pumpkin Head Escapes (03:52) 9 Wings (03:26) 10 Dr Faustus (02:11) 11 Telephone Thing (04:37) 12 Black Monk Theme (04:00) 13 Gut of the Quantifier (02:47) 14 Edinburgh Man (04:37) |
| Sinister Waltz : Allmusic album Review : In 1996, before the Fall released The Light User Syndrome on Jet, Receiver, a subsidiary of the label (and of Trojan) gained access to a slew of unreleased and rare Fall tracks and began doling them out across a series of CDs. Sinister Waltz was the first of a trio that included Fiend With a Violin and Oswald Defence Lawyer. All three are marked with shoddy packaging, useless liner notes, and a complete lack of documentation. Are these live recordings (if so, when?), demos, or outtakes? At least this first compilation offers some rarities: a cover of Jeff Lynnes "Birthday" (of all things) and the Shift Work-era B-sides "Blood Outta Stone," "The Knight, the Devil, and Death" (an instrumental), and "Pumpkin Head Escapes." Best of the lot is "Arid Als Dream," a lost Fall song that only appeared in an issue of the CD magazine Volume. In it Smith ruminates over his interest in "prepsycognition" through a tale of the sexually frustrated title character. An unnerving hoot of a song. The sound quality varies throughout, reaching its nadir in "Wings," which has all the hallmarks of a fans tape recording. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 49 Title: Fiend With a Violin Released: 1996-02-19 Tracks: 13 Duration: 56:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Feel Voxish (04:12) 2 The Man Whose Head Expanded (03:21) 3 Ed’s Babe (03:28) 4 What You Need (07:53) 5 L. A. (04:57) 6 Petty Thief Lout (07:24) 7 Fiend With a Violin (03:05) 8 Spoilt Victorian Child (04:35) 9 Bombast (03:39) 10 Married, Two Kids (03:27) 11 Haven’t Found It Yet (03:59) 12 Gentlemen’s Agreement (04:53) 13 Fiend With a Violin (vox) (01:14) |
| Fiend With a Violin : Allmusic album Review : The second in a series of hastily cobbled together outtakes and demos from Receiver, this collection has little to recommend it. What is one to make of a "techno" remix of "The Man Whose Head Expanded" that samples the original to no effect, or an instrumental of "Eds Babe" that is slowed down with naff sound loops added? The live tracks even sound bogus. "Bombast" has some whistler in the audience, sounding looped, too. Strangely enough the most promising track is "Married, Two Kids" (from Code Selfish), live and just that more lively. Otherwise dont believe the hype (the "new track" "Fiend With a Violin" is actually a demo of "2x4"). Shoddy. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 49 Title: The Light User Syndrome Released: 1996-06-10 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:08:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 D.I.Y. Meat (02:37) 2 Das Vulture ans ein Nutter-Wain (03:00) 3 He Pep! (03:07) 4 Hostile (03:59) 5 Stay Away (Old White Train) (02:49) 6 Spinetrak (03:08) 7 Interlude / Chinilism (07:05) 8 Powder Keg (03:16) 9 Oleano (03:08) 10 Cheetham Hill (03:31) 11 The Coliseum (08:08) 12 Last Chance to Turn Around (03:24) 13 The Ballard of J. Drummer (03:21) 14 Oxymoron (04:02) 15 Secession Man (04:49) 16 The Chiselers (03:14) 17 Chilinist (06:15) |
| The Light User Syndrome : Allmusic album Review : The Falls first post-Craig Scanlon album also introduced Julia Nagle, who took over keyboards from the departing Dave Bush and also contributed some guitar. Brix Smith and Karl Burns covered the rest of the guitar, and while Scanlon is missed, the end results work well enough. The crisp live edge to the recording is attractive, but oddly enough leaves a lot of space in the mix -- Mark E. Smith and Nagles keyboards have pride of place along with Steven Hanleys bass guitar (give an ear to "Das Vulture Ans Ein Nutter-Wain" for an example). Smith himself seems to be searching for lyrics more than once, and while he comes up with a usual collection of acid-tongued zingers, other times he seems to be making vocal noise for the sake of it -- nothing wrong with that, but still, one expects more. Though the album takes a little while to get started, when it does, the winners start coming in droves, such as the attractive Smith/Brix duet "Spinetrap" and the nervy, brisk bite of "Oleano," which sounds like an endless alarm bringing out the paranoia. Theres some fiery aggression flaring up more than once as well, as "He Pep!" and especially the lengthy, roaring clatter and blast of "Interlude/Chilinism" in particular show. The addition of another pretty/sharp exchange between Brix and Smith makes the latter all the more entertaining. In terms of unexpected covers, the Fall do have another winner -- Johnny Paychecks "Stay Away (Old White Train)," sung by Smith with an appropriate if terribly amusing drawl. Speaking of singing -- more than once co-producer Mike Bennett shares the vocals with Smith, a surprising change to say the least! The odd geographical confusion track "Cheethan Hill" shows how well that can actually work, with Bennett taking a clearer lead while Smith, unsurprisingly, does the "sing from one room over" approach. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 49 Title: The Less You Look the More You Find Released: 1997 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:22:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Edinburgh Man (04:37) 2 Couldnt Get Ahead (02:42) 3 Blood Outta Stone (03:28) 4 The Knight, the Devil and Death (03:03) 5 Arid Al’s Dream (04:49) 6 Birthday (02:13) 7 Telephone Thing (04:38) 8 Black Monk Theme (04:00) 9 Gut of the Quantifier (02:47) 10 Wings (03:29) 11 I Feel Voxish (04:11) 12 The Man Whose Head Expanded (03:22) 13 What You Need (07:54) 14 Bombast (live version) (04:04) 15 Married, Two Kids (03:31) 16 Hostile (03:59) 1 L.A. (04:58) 2 Petty Thief Lout (07:23) 3 Oswald Defence Lawyer (06:54) 4 You Havent Found It Yet (04:00) 5 Gentlemens Agreement (04:55) 6 A Lot of Wind (03:46) 7 Just Waiting (06:56) 8 Victoria (02:44) 9 2 × 4 (03:28) 10 Bad News Girl (05:17) 11 Get a Hotel (05:13) 12 Guest Informant (04:58) 13 Big New Prinz (07:26) 14 Carry Bag Man (04:05) 15 Bombast (alternative version) (03:41) 16 Oxymoron (04:04) |
| The Less You Look the More You Find : Allmusic album Review : The Less You Look the More You Find is an utterly pointless two-disc condensation of three CDs Receiver Records released in 1996, a time when the Falls future was in serious doubt: Sinister Waltz, Oswald Defence Lawyer, and Fiend With a Violin. These three discs were themselves hodgepodges of alternate mixes, re-recordings, live tracks, and other ephemera from various periods in the Falls career, randomly slung together with little regard for continuity or, frankly, quality control. This reduction does clear away some of the more obvious deadwood, but it still sounds like it was programmed by a computer from a play list filled with castoffs and failed experiments. Not even worthwhile for Fall completists, The Less You Look the More You Find is pretty much entirely useless. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 49 Title: Archive Series Released: 1997-04 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Feel Voxish (04:14) 2 Guest Informant (05:00) 3 Arid Al’s Dream (04:49) 4 Bad News Girl (05:17) 5 Fiend With a Violin (01:16) 6 Edinburgh Man (04:38) 7 Get a Hotel (05:14) 8 Blood Outta Stone (03:29) 9 Carry Bag Man (04:07) 10 Gut of the Quantifier (02:46) 11 The Man Whose Head Expanded (03:22) 12 Pumpkin Head Escapes (03:53) 13 Oswald Defence Lawyer (07:01) 14 Doktor Faustus (02:15) 15 Just Waiting (06:54) |
 | Album: 31 of 49 Title: Cheetham Hill Released: 1997-08 Tracks: 16 Duration: 54:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Time Enough at Last (live) (04:54) 2 Cheetham Hill (03:46) 3 Free Range (live) (04:05) 4 The Chiselers (02:58) 5 U.S. 80s-90s (live) (04:32) 6 Spinetrak (live) (02:42) 7 Idiot Joy Showland (live) (03:38) 8 Oleano (05:19) 9 The Joke (live) (02:55) 10 Eds Babe (live) (01:49) 11 Hit the North (live) (01:40) 12 White Lightning (live) (01:31) 13 Seccession Man (04:45) 14 Last Chance to Turn Around (03:26) 15 The Coliseum (live) (04:45) 16 Eat Yourself Fitter (01:30) |
| Cheetham Hill : Allmusic album Review : Cheetham Hill is a cheap (and cheap-sounding) collection of poor live tracks and demos aimed at the collector. While there are a couple of cuts that will be of interest to the hardcore fan, the overall poor quality of the sound and performances will make this rough sailing even for the most dedicated follower of Mark E. Smith. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 49 Title: Levitate Released: 1997-09-29 Tracks: 14 Duration: 49:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ten Houses of Eve (03:39) 2 Masquerade (03:58) 3 Hurricane Edward (05:52) 4 I’m a Mummy (02:37) 5 The Quartet of Doc Shanley (03:13) 6 Jap Kid (03:03) 7 4½ Inch (03:56) 8 Spencer Must Die (03:59) 9 Jungle Rock (03:10) 10 Ol’ Gang (03:59) 11 Tragic Days (01:29) 12 I Come and Stand at Your Door (03:31) 13 Levitate (02:49) 14 Everybody but Myself (04:15) |
| Levitate : Allmusic album Review : The late 90s were tumultuous years for the Fall. Several long-term members of the band were fired or quit, and the group played some of the most disastrous gigs of its entire career. Levitate, the bands 1997 full-length, ended up being the final album to feature bassist Steve Hanley (who had been in the Fall since the 70s) as well as drummers Karl Burns and Simon Wolstencroft, and it wound up being produced by leader Mark E. Smith himself after producers Keir Stewart and Simon Spencer quit a week into the recording sessions, taking most of their session tapes with them. The result is easily one of the weirdest, most scattered releases in the entire Fall catalog, and one that has always proven to be divisive with fans and critics. The accessibility and pop hooks of the groups 80s run have all but vanished, and Smiths vocals are rough and loud in the mix, sounding like hes shouting directly at you rather than singing. The songs themselves are a haphazard mess of junky breakbeats (somewhat resembling drumnbass, especially on opener "Ten Houses of Eve"), abrasive guitars, and smeared, squirming electronics courtesy of Julia Nagle, who played a crucial role in the group during this era. As on 1990s Extricate, the Fall flirt with dance music on many of these tracks, but as wonderful as songs like the single "Masquerade" are, theyre only likely to confuse ravers. The same can be said for "4½ Inch" (apparently a nod to Nine Inch Nails), a barrage of smushed breakbeats and multiple Marks yelling about a house on fire. Perhaps the most outright fun moment on the album is "Im a Mummy," a rocked-up cover of a hilarious 1959 novelty tune by Bob McFadden & Dor (the latter being a pseudonym for Rod McKuen). It loses the punch line of the original, which was a playful jab at the beatnik generation, but the Fall make the song their own. They also cover Hank Mizells 1958 rockabilly single "Jungle Rock," presumably as a play on the musical genre known as jungle, but its a very sideways interpretation of the genre; the drums are too slow and basic, and theres not enough bass. Of course, comparing the Fall to any trends or styles of music is entirely beside the point. They always existed on their own terms (or more accurately, Smiths own terms), and the confounding Levitate stands as one of the purest examples of their creative freedom. Although its undoubtedly going to sound off-putting to anyone who isnt familiar with the band already, its certainly worth hearing if youre already a fan. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 49 Title: Oxymoron Released: 1997-11-19 Tracks: 15 Duration: 59:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Oxymoron (03:59) 2 Powder Keg (03:23) 3 White Lines (03:09) 4 Pearl City (03:37) 5 Birmingham School of Business School (04:30) 6 Hostile (04:14) 7 Glam Racket (03:42) 8 Italiano (03:25) 9 He Pep! (03:18) 10 Rainmaster (01:51) 11 Behind the Counter (03:58) 12 Bill Is Dead (05:16) 13 E.S.P. Disco (03:41) 14 Interlude/Chilinism (09:33) 15 Life Just Bounces (01:58) |
| Oxymoron : Allmusic album Review : Oxymoron is one of many cheap indie-label collections of alternate takes, live cuts and outtakes that clutter the Falls discography. There is some good music buried in here, somewhere, but only hardcore fans could be bothered to dig it out. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 49 Title: Smile... Its the Best Of Released: 1998-03-30 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:14:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Smile (05:08) 2 An Older Lover Etc. (04:34) 3 Rowche Rumble (live) (04:40) 4 D.I.Y. Meat (02:39) 5 Totally Wired (04:07) 6 New Face in Hell (05:41) 7 Prole Art Threat (01:58) 8 New Puritan (03:23) 9 Tempo House (live) (08:54) 10 Pay Your Rates (03:03) 11 He Pep! (03:09) 12 Spectre vs. Rector (live) (05:51) 13 Oxymon (04:04) 14 Lie Dream of a Casino Soul (03:00) 15 Impression of J. Temperance (04:21) 16 No Xmas for John Quays (live) (07:42) 17 That Man (01:42) |
 | Album: 35 of 49 Title: Northern Attitude Released: 1998-06 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:13:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Telephone Thing (04:38) 2 Das Vulture ans ein Nutter-Wain (03:00) 3 Oxymoron (04:02) 4 M5 6-7PM (04:40) 5 Powder Keg (03:16) 6 Victoria (02:41) 7 Edinburgh Man (04:37) 8 Oswald Defence Lawyer (06:54) 9 I Feel Voxish (04:11) 10 L.A. (04:16) 11 Guest Informant (04:58) 12 E.S.P. Disco (03:42) 13 Mr. Pharmacist (02:14) 14 Italiano (03:26) 15 Fiend With a Violin (03:04) 16 Bremen Nacht (06:06) 17 The Man Whose Head Expanded (03:21) 18 Bombast (04:03) |
 | Album: 36 of 49 Title: The Marshall Suite Released: 1999-04-19 Tracks: 33 Duration: 1:44:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Touch Sensitive (03:16) 2 F‐‘oldin’ Money (02:45) 3 Shake‐Off (03:03) 4 Bound (03:19) 5 This Perfect Day (02:10) 6 (Jung Nev’s) Antidotes (03:27) 7 Inevitable (03:51) 8 Anecdotes + Antidotes in B# (02:59) 9 Early Life of Crying Marshal (00:50) 10 The Crying Marshal (04:39) 11 Birthday Song (03:38) 12 Mad.Men‐Eng.Dog (02:18) 13 On My Own (03:12) 14 Tom Raggazzi (Finale) (?) 1 Touch Sensitive (dance mix) (07:11) 2 Antidote (03:04) 3 This Perfect Day (new version) (02:21) 4 Birthday Song (new mix) (03:39) 5 The REAL Life of the Crying Marshal (new version) (04:05) 6 Tom Raggazzi (new mix) (04:05) 7 Touch Sensitive (03:36) 8 Bound Soul One (03:50) 9 Antidotes (04:59) 10 Shake-Off (Peel session) (01:46) 11 This Perfect Day (02:18) 1 Shake Off (03:55) 2 F-oldin Money (02:41) 3 Jet Boy (01:56) 4 Touch Sensitive (03:21) 5 Antidotes (02:46) 6 10 Houses of Eve (03:43) 7 Inevitable (02:43) 8 This Perfect Day (02:30) |
| The Marshall Suite : Allmusic album Review : With the release of The Marshall Suite, there are probably an even dozen comeback albums in the Fall discography. Featuring virtually a new lineup comprised of untested musicians, The Marshall Suite returns Mark E. Smith to the music industry after a debacle of sorts. Given his unswerving control of any new Fall material that appears on the shelves, its unsurprising that this edition of the band sounds similar to its recent forebears -- this is still a shambling, energetic garage band whose members record right next to their mics for maximum speaker-thrashing. If anything, this group is even more propulsive and noise-oriented than other editions of the Fall, which suits Smith perfectly. He sounds much more focused than hes been in a while, working in that marvelous state of genius artistry that resists any attempt to explain how its happened. The album is a three-part suite that cycles through a variety of roughshod originals and a few excellent covers (Tommy Blakes "F-Oldin Money," the Saints "This Perfect Day"). In many ways, The Marshall Suite is similar to previous Fall albums -- a couple of British psychobilly stomps balanced with several experimental pieces featuring Smith ranting over a skeletal musical framework. Though it appears to usher in a new era of the Falls incredible history, The Marshall Suite also thankfully displays that Mark E. Smith is still in complete control of his unique artistic vision. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 49 Title: A Past Gone Mad Released: 2000-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:09:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The CD in Your Hand (00:45) 2 Touch Sensitive (03:16) 3 High Tension Line (03:50) 4 Rose (03:20) 5 The Birmingham School of Business School (06:45) 6 Free Range (03:58) 7 Lost in Music (03:50) 8 I’m Going to Spain (03:28) 9 It’s a Curse (05:20) 10 A Past Gone Mad (04:21) 11 Behind the Counter (03:11) 12 Hey Student (04:31) 13 Ten Houses of Eve (03:39) 14 F‐‘oldin’ Money (02:45) 15 Shake Off (03:07) 16 (Jung Neys) Antidotes (03:04) 17 Bonkers in Phoenix (06:03) 18 Bill Is Dead (04:32) |
 | Album: 38 of 49 Title: Early Fall 77–79 Released: 2000-03 Tracks: 13 Duration: 43:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Repetition (04:59) 2 Bingo Masters Breakout (02:25) 3 Psycho Mafia (02:15) 4 Various Times (05:14) 5 Its the New Thing (03:26) 6 Rowche Rumble (04:02) 7 In My Area (04:06) 8 Dice Man (01:45) 9 Psykick Dancehall (03:37) 10 Second Dark Age (02:00) 11 Fiery Jack (04:43) 12 Stepping Out (02:43) 13 Last Orders (02:20) |
 | Album: 39 of 49 Title: The Unutterable Released: 2000-11-06 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:40:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cyber Insekt (03:18) 2 Two Librans (03:57) 3 W.B (03:30) 4 Sons of Temperance (03:47) 5 Dr. Bucks Letter (05:18) 6 Hot Runes (02:17) 7 Way Round (03:21) 8 Octo Realm / Ketamine Sun (05:36) 9 Serum (04:55) 10 Unutterable (01:05) 11 Pumpkin Soup and Mashed Potatoes (02:54) 12 Hands up Billy (02:46) 13 Midwatch 1953 (05:32) 14 Devolute (04:36) 15 Das Katerer (02:42) 1 Serum (04:53) 2 Two Librans (03:39) 3 Hands Up Billy (02:46) 4 Cyber Insect (03:25) 5 Dr Bucks Letter (05:16) 6 Midwatch 1853 (05:47) 7 Sons of Temperance (03:43) 8 W.B (02:07) 9 Octo Realm / Ketamine Sun (02:30) 10 Devolute (03:31) 11 Hot Rune (01:53) 12 Instrum One (02:05) 13 Instrum Two a.k.a. Two (03:31) |
| The Unutterable : Allmusic album Review : For The Unutterable, Mark E. Smith settled in with the (mostly) new lineup that debuted on 1999s The Marshall Suite and recorded yet another gorgeous, rambunctious, only occasionally scrutable masterpiece. Though its not overly chocked with new ideas (especially for those already well-versed in the Fall canon), The Unutterable benefits from excellent songwriting and the crisp production of soundman extraordinaire Grant Showbiz, on loan from Billy Bragg. The far-too-short opener "Cyber Insekt" immediately launches the listener into a dense, chaotic soundworld thats only amplified throughout the album. The heavy rockabilly guitars and pummeling drums heard on The Marshall Suite are practically overwhelmed by the rich variety (and quantity) of synthesizer effects accompanying most tracks. And whereas most Fall albums have little explicit humor (though much implicit in the lyrics), Smith even sounds downright pleasant on the hilarious technology send-up (and Charles Bukowski tribute) "Dr. Bucks Letter," laughing through a few of his lines over a heavily distorted bassline thats closer to percussion than harmony. The brief track "Octo Realm" is also fun (each of the bandmates takes turns introducing different characters in odd voices), though it prefaces a hazy, heat-stroked rant named "Ketamine Sun" (one that definitely earns its title). Despite a few tracks whose blueprints have been heard on countless Fall LPs in the past (just listen to the jaunty garage stomp "Hot Runes"), and a dangerously wizened-sounding Mark E. Smith on several tracks, The Unutterable is another excellent work from a band that, by all rights, couldve burned out before some of their youngest present-day fans were even born. | ||
 | Album: 40 of 49 Title: Are You Are Missing Winner Released: 2001-11-05 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jims "The Fall" (02:39) 2 Bourgeois Town (03:40) 3 Crop-Dust (05:32) 4 Kick the Can (05:12) 5 My Ex-Classmates Kids (04:51) 6 Gotta See Jane (02:23) 7 Ibis-Afro Man (09:31) 8 The Acute (03:19) 9 Hollow Mind (03:32) 10 Reprise: Jane / Prof Mick / Ey Bastardo (07:02) |
| Are You Are Missing Winner : Allmusic album Review : After a winning streak that stretched clear through the last half of the 90s, Are You Are Missing Winner represents a rare misstep for the mighty Fall. Mark E. Smith sounds curiously lackluster on this ten-track set; the accompaniment, usually unhinged, is much more pedestrian than on late masterpieces like The Marshall Suite and The Unutterable. The real problem, however, is the production and engineering; with a few shining exceptions, the sound is soft and muddy, whereas a great Fall LP continually pushes the red line. One of the bare few highlights is "My Ex-Classmates Kids," with Smith summoning some much-needed venom and the band sounding a bit more inspired. (It comes complete with a hilarious aside from Smith at the end: "Up your nose! Aftershave! Like little twigs! Twigs.") A promising cover of the obscure Motown nugget "Gotta See Jane" (originally by R. Dean Taylor) turns out to be a back-and-forth rockabilly snorefest, and the "avant" (or just difficult) piece "Ibis-Afro Man" is pretty difficult to take as well -- understandably, it all breaks down when Smith begins dueting with what sounds like an enraged monkey, then starts back up again with five minutes of a completely different song, recorded live. Frustrating, bizarre, confusing (in a bad way), and pasted together with the same haphazardness of the innumerable cut-rate albums that constantly aggravate Fall collectors and fans. | ||
 | Album: 41 of 49 Title: The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) Released: 2003-10-27 Tracks: 14 Duration: 52:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Green Eyed Loco-man (03:46) 2 Mountain Energy (03:22) 3 Sparta 2# (03:49) 4 Contraflow (04:05) 5 Xracothep (03:20) 6 Janet Vs. Johnny (04:15) 7 Boxoctosis (03:45) 8 The Past (alternative version) (02:19) 9 Mad Mock Goth (shorter) (04:12) 10 Proteinprotection (03:17) 11 Mikes Love Hexagon (04:59) 12 Loop41 Houston (03:28) 13 Portugal (03:37) 14 Recovery Kit 2 (alternative version) (04:03) |
| The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) : Allmusic album Review : Two years and 32 compilations, box sets, books, DVDs, and so on, since their last studio album (the lukewarm Are You Are Missing Winner), the Fall returned as a hungry, grumpy band once again with the excellent The Real New Fall L.P. (Formerly Country on the Click). The subtitle is a reference to the fact that even the Fall arent exempt from having early versions of albums leaked to the Internet, but it could just as well be a way to separate the album from the numerous substandard releases. One listen to the opening "Green Eyed Loco-Man" (a rare love song from the group) and its easy to see the band is trying harder than it had lately. A higher percentage of leader Mark E. Smiths lyrics are audibly intelligible, and his writing has returned to the jocular and enthusiastic style fans adore. "Mountain Energei" may be the second song in recent memory that Smith has written about credit problems, but he delivers the song with that wry authority that makes him special, rhyming Dolly Parton and Lord Byron over a skipping beat. Musicwise, the 2003 band is tight enough to handle the albums twist and turns, sounding garage and punk on "Open the Boxoctosis #2" and like Can when they really throbbed on "Last Commands of Xyralothep via M.E.S." The antipastoral anthem "Contraflow" ("I hate the countryside/so much") and the football hooligan commentary "Theme From Sparta F.C." ("stay at home/with TV set") are rocking highlights. Producer Grant Showbizs contribution is as crisp and complimentary as it was on The Unutterable while new keyboardist Elini Poulou fills the melodic hole left by Julia Nagles exit. Making up for some momentum lost last time out, The Real New Fall L.P. gives the faithful another reason to believe. | ||
 | Album: 42 of 49 Title: Fall Heads Roll Released: 2005-10-03 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ride Away (05:02) 2 Pacifying Joint (03:47) 3 What About Us? (05:52) 4 Midnight in Aspen (03:14) 5 Assume (04:08) 6 Aspen Reprise (01:54) 1 Blindness (07:25) 2 I Can Hear the Grass Grow (02:50) 3 Bo Demmick (04:16) 4 Youwanner (05:03) 5 Clasp Hands (02:44) 6 Early Days of Channel Führer (03:49) 7 Breaking the Rules (02:27) 8 Trust in Me (03:34) |
| Fall Heads Roll : Allmusic album Review : Having exorcised enough bile for two bands on their rickety release Interim, the Fall loosen up their attitude, tighten up their delivery, and squeeze out a rocking album that relies heavily on its highlights. Fortunately, theres plenty, most hitting with the thwack of the "Sparta FC" single or the Light User Syndrome album. "Pacifying Joint" is a punchy exercise in hooks and sheen, "What About Us" is snide Mancabilly of the highest order, and "Blindness" hypnotizes and chugs its way into the Top 25 original Fall tracks ever. Flashiest of the lot has to be a soaring cover of the Moves hippy anthem "I Can Hear the Grass Grow," a raucous singalong adaptation that brings sweet reminders of the groups take on the Kinks "Victoria." Bringing up the second line are the usual brainy meanders like "Bo Demmick" and "Youwanner," plus the hip-shaking rave-up "Clasp Hands." Less ambitious songs and quirky numbers like the country-bumpkin reggae "Ride Away" and the lazy, acoustic "Early Days of Channel Führer" round out the album well, but some B-side-worthy leftovers tacked onto the end keep this from being Dragnet -- or Country on the Click, for that matter. Instead of just stealing the riff, "Breaking the Rules" would do better if it actually turned into "Walk Like a Man" and the Mark E. Smith-less "Trust in Me" is a fair Placebo-meets-Comsat Angels track thats horribly out of place here. Vocalist/Fall czar Smith is writing and singing with plenty of purpose up to this point, and if you hack off the misguided finish, Fall Heads Roll proves they can still live up to their legend. | ||
 | Album: 43 of 49 Title: Reformation Post TLC Released: 2007-02-12 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:01:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Over! Over! (04:04) 2 Reformation! (06:58) 3 Fall Sound (03:53) 4 White Line Fever (03:00) 5 Insult Song (05:40) 6 My Door Is Never (03:39) 7 Coach and Horses (01:48) 8 The Usher (01:17) 9 The Wright Stuff (05:47) 10 Scenario (03:24) 11 Das Boat (10:06) 12 The Bad Stuff (02:25) 13 Systematic Abuse (08:38) 14 Outro (00:35) |
| Reformation Post TLC : Allmusic album Review : Being a fan of Mark E. Smiths the Fall is no doubt nowhere near as frustrating as it must be to be in his band, what with the way he fires people, it must go as far as demoralizing. Still, the fans were hit pretty hard on the way to Reformation Post-T.L.C. when commander Smith dumped the cracking Fall Heads Roll band in the middle of an American tour, save the keyboard-playing wife. They were just awful, he claimed, and while they certainly were not, the new Fall ("Fall #45" or something) and their new album (dont even try to count them) is filled with new life, new ideas, and every reason the cult needs to keep worshiping this fickle, inconsiderate, and ungracious band. Pulling another obscure idea out of an extremely eclectic record collection (Lee "Scratch" Perry, the Move, and the Monks have been covered before, Merle Haggard, Amon Düül, and Captain Beefheart are all referenced later on this album) the opening "Over! Over!" rips a bit of the United States of Americas "Coming Down" and adds that Fall throb, that simple and infectious Fall sense of melody. Typically literate and wandering Smith lyrics are in effect, plus a gravelly grumble from some backup singer imitating a Muppet. Smith joins said Muppet and starts grumbling right along towards the end as the drummer kicks it double time, working the hi-hat. The track is representative of so many other surprises on the album since "muso" moves Smith would normally balk at often mix with the leaders extremely loose and mischievous delivery, bringing to mind nothing theyve done before. There may even be a whammy bar on this album and, for the first time, incidental chatter with bandmembers actually laughing clearly audible. The albums title is supposedly inspired by fellow Manchester bands that are "Totally Lecherous C-Words" reuniting and its easy to see how Smith is flippantly using this half-American band -- another first -- to make sure he has no connection to legend, reverence, or anything else graying musicians receive from their graying fans. Hes inspired, as are the band who are given more room to roam than previous editions and in turn offer more ideas. The sprawling Krautrock of "Das Boot" might scare away the meek with its ten minutes of slowly churning basses and Michael Karoli-inspired guitars, but if you can handle that the only problem left is the loose-to-a-fault "Insult Song." The track is unmistakably B-side material and while that wont ruin anything for fans it does speak to the albums inability to play nice and save the glib ideas for peripheral releases. Course the way Reformation fights importance with such enthusiasm and muscle is what makes it such a fascinating album. It also suggests Smiths firings arent as arbitrary as they seem and even if he doesnt care about fans, in some strange way he cares about the Fall. | ||
 | Album: 44 of 49 Title: Imperial Wax Solvent Released: 2008-04-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Alton Towers (03:26) 2 Wolf Kidult Man (03:02) 3 50 Year Old Man (11:33) 4 Ive Been Duped (02:41) 5 Strange Town (05:39) 6 Taurig (02:56) 7 Can Can Summer (03:06) 8 Tommy Shooter (03:43) 9 Latch Key Kid (03:18) 10 Is This New (02:11) 11 Senior Twilight Stock Replacer (03:06) 12 Exploding Chimney (02:29) |
| Imperial Wax Solvent : Allmusic album Review : Recorded after a tour that found leader/vocalist/lyricist Mark E. Smith handing out his umpteenth set of pink-slips and changing about half the band, Imperial Wax Solvent is a surprisingly vital and solid release, benefiting from a hungry young band under the guidance of a veteran who is inspired, jaded, and often sounds twice as hungry as the young bucks. After getting the artful, "difficult" number out of the way ("Alton Towers") and riffling through the garage rock-loving song ("Wolf Kidult Man") thats a hallmark of every great Fall album, Smith speaks to his age with the monolithic, 11-plus minute highlight "50 Year Old Man" ("Im a fifty year old man/What you gonna do about it?") where buzzing, throbbing, and quintessential riffing from the band gives way to rustic banjo plucking right before the free jazz freak-out comes in. Even in a discography filled with legendary maverick tracks, "50 Year Old Man" is a standout, one that contains the great Smith insult "Youre a gym teacher/Youre a cancer/And I expect/A little shit." This beast is tempered with the following "Ive Been Duped" where Eleni Polou -- returning bandmember and Smiths wife -- delivers a punkish and ever so simple hook as the gripping guitar and drum throb returns. "Taurig" brings the early Devo-styled electronics, "Tommy Shooter" is a midtempo, full-bodied winner, while "Latch Key Kid" returns to the first person rebellion against the stereotypes with "Got my muso wit/Cant do up my zip/Im a latch key kid." Every necessary bit of Imperial Wax Solvent proves Smith is not the mess hes been painted as, and while it would be nice to say its everything great about his Fall in equal shares, that breakaway single like "Cruisers Creek" or "Touch Sensitive" is missing, unless the rock-solid hook of "Senior Twilight Stock Replacer" can overcome its the unmanageable title. This is top-shelf Fall, but its best for those who have already studied one or two of their other masterpieces. | ||
 | Album: 45 of 49 Title: Your Future Our Clutter Released: 2010-04-26 Tracks: 9 Duration: 50:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 O.F.Y.C. Showcase (05:50) 2 Bury, Parts 1 & 3 (06:36) 3 Mexico Wax Solvent (06:13) 4 Cowboy George (05:42) 5 Hot Cake (03:17) 6 Y.F.O.C. / Slippy Floor (07:41) 7 Chino (05:20) 8 Funnel of Love (02:55) 9 Weather Report 2 (06:36) |
| Your Future Our Clutter : Allmusic album Review : Entering on “O.F.Y.C. Showcase” with that lurch and throb that they do so well -- guitar, drums, and bass in perfect Mancabilly sync -- the Fall sound as vital as ever on Your Future Our Clutter, their 28th studio album leader/vocalist Mark E. Smith describes perfectly with the songs line “a showcase of proud talent.” Add the cover artwork which, in a rare move, features pictures of the bandmembers, and fans can correctly assume that everything is good in the Falls often tumultuous world as the members from their previous effort all show up here. It’s also safe to assume and that this album is going to feature some esoteric references to their previous work along with some other oddball moves that are best appreciated by Fall regulars. Two songs in and Smith is giving us a minute and a half of recordings off his cheap hand-held tape recorder, a regular stage prop as of late, but part three of “Bury” is the stomping payoff, rewarding those who have learned to savor the mans eccentricities with a serious kick in the gut. “Mexico Wax Solvent” references the bands previous effort, Imperial Wax Solvent, and maybe even its universally positive reviews with Smith’s declaration “I am invincible!” Then the bizarre happens as layers of Western guitars and Smiths cut-up tale of “Cowboy George” combine for an unexpected Fall classic. From here on through its back to the usual business with two tight hook/sharp riff/caustic Smith tracks (“Hot Cake,” “Y.F.O.C./Slippy Floor”) mixing with the surprise rave-up cover song (Wanda Jacksons “Funnel of Love”) along with two of those elaborate numbers (“Chino,” “Weather Report 2”) that take time to untangle. These knotty tracks are worth the effort as they are two prime Fall epics, and when Smith exits with “You dont deserve rock & roll” on the closer, the whole theme of the band and fan relationship has come full circle. Too insider to cross over or consider one of their classics, but an otherwise solid Fall effort offering everything fans require. | ||
 | Album: 46 of 49 Title: Ersatz G.B. Released: 2011-11-14 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Cosmos 7 (02:48) 2 Taking Off (04:01) 3 Nate Will Not Return (06:02) 4 Mask Search (02:41) 5 Greenway (04:13) 6 Happi Song (04:19) 7 Monocard (08:08) 8 Laptop Dog (04:00) 9 Ive Seen Them Come (06:05) 10 Age of Chang (03:27) |
 | Album: 47 of 49 Title: Re-Mit Released: 2013-05-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 40:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Respects (Intro) (01:03) 2 Sir William Wray (03:33) 3 Kinder of Spine (02:26) 4 Noise (02:28) 5 Hittite Man (05:46) 6 Pre-MDMA Years (01:08) 7 No Respects Rev. (04:57) 8 Victrola Time (03:54) 9 Irish (03:42) 10 Jetplane (03:12) 11 Jam Song (05:00) 12 Loadstones (02:56) |
| Re-Mit : Allmusic album Review : In the pre-release press for any given Fall album (and yes, there are well over 30 of them) leader Mark E. Smith issues either no comment or one cryptic slogan for fans to decipher. Bucking the trend, M.E.S. issued two talking points for their 2013 release Re-Mit, one being that he didnt quite care for the bands previous album (2011s Ersatz G.B. was "too flat") and two, that the group had "had enough and were coming for you." That latter bit is quite the threat as the band membership here makes for one of the longest-standing lineups in the groups revolving-door-members history, but the crisp and yet extremely goofy Re-Mit is like an anti-culmination of all these points, filled with as many interludes as songs and more laughs than lyrics. Biggest laugh has to be the LCD Soundsystem shout-out "James Murphy is their chief/They swing their bullocks while they eat" which happens during "Irish," a throbbing monster that time-changes into a swinging -- although not bullocks swinging -- jazz-prog affair, the whole band turning on dime. The group is nothing short of amazing throughout and offers a crackling, attractive intro during the opening "No Respects," plus they do a wonderful impression of debut album Devo on the nod-along new waver dubbed "Victrola Time," all while Smith mumbles his way through the lyrics parade for whats arguably the least intelligible Fall album to date. Long stretches of the lyrics could be transcribed with "(growl)" and "(groans)," and then the aptly titled "Noise" gives up "Kiddies, as we get older, we must try and understand, people who are different from us" as if Smith has come to the end of his scrawled-up notebook. A confounding set of song sketches and hot riffs, this one belongs with 2005s Interim, 2001s Are You Are Missing Winner, and others that are considered "for hardcore fans only." | ||
 | Album: 48 of 49 Title: Sub‐Lingual Tablet Released: 2015-05-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Venice With the Girls (04:11) 2 Black Roof (01:46) 3 Dedication Not Medication (04:47) 4 First One Today (02:45) 5 Junger Cloth (04:55) 6 Stout Man (03:15) 7 Auto Chip 2014–2016 (10:03) 8 Pledge (06:32) 9 Snazzy (02:29) 10 Fibre Book Troll (05:59) 11 Quit iPhone (04:09) |
| Sub‐Lingual Tablet : Allmusic album Review : A well-rounded and surprisingly busy album from the Fall, Sub-Lingual Tablet finds leader Mark E. Smith taking the producers chair for LP number 31. Clean-sounding and intricately built tracks suggest he trusts the current lineup of the long-running band, while the return of cassette-taped interludes and other found sounds recall the bands 1984-1988 stretch, a golden age when they were regulars on the indie charts. Follow the wandering, twangy riff of "Venice with the Girls" ("Too beautiful/Best thing for you to do is hide") and it leads Fall fans to a satisfying land where they receive all the drive, the snarl, and tribal drums they require, while late album highlights "Quit iPhone" and "Fibre Book Troll" (which is really "Facebook Troll") are screaming examples of the bands rockabilly-punk in overdrive, both of them bitter with the current climate and tech-aware enough to drop the right names. The rolling robo-bass on "Dedication Not Medication" means theres at least one Burial 12" in the bands record box, while the great and too short "Black Door" is back to the future music with keyboard lines that point to the first two Devo albums. The numerous time changes and song twists are more Captain Beefheart-inspired than Yes- or Genesis-styled show-offery, but this tight lineup of the group could show off if they chose, and sometimes give a hint of it as Smith ascends into a total, roaring performance during both "Augo Chip 2014-2016" and "Pledge." "Jungle Cloth" checks off the simple and pure rock & roll cut while Iggy Pop is the source for this albums excellent cover as the Stooges "Cock in My Pocket" gets a brilliantly titled redo in "Stout Man." The kids are alright. | ||
 | Album: 49 of 49 Title: New Facts Emerge Released: 2017-07-28 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Segue (00:30) 2 Fol de Rol (06:34) 3 Brillo de Facto (03:49) 4 Victoria Train Station Massacre (01:14) 5 New Facts Emerge (04:02) 6 Couples vs Jobless Mid 30’s (08:44) 7 Second House Now (04:27) 8 O! Zztrrk Man (03:50) 9 Gibbus Gibson (02:37) 10 Groundsboy (03:37) 11 Nine Out of Ten (08:48) |
| New Facts Emerge : Allmusic album Review : The Falls New Facts Emerge opens with a track that sounds a bit like a mean-spirited parody of the Fall, as an incomprehensible Mark E. Smith spouts gibberish over some random noise hovering in the background. Then "Fol de Rol," the first proper song, kicks in, and as the band lays into a minimalistic but ferocious slab of garage-centric punk rock, Mark E. Smith...well, he spouts gibberish, or at least its pretty hard to tell what hes on about most of the time. The difference is, this time Smith sounds fully energized and ready to tear a hole in your sound system with the tension and power of his vocals. Smith has long been one of the great ranters in British rock, and as the passage of time has weathered his instrument and softened his articulation, his delivery recalls that of an eccentric old man bellowing at passers-by from a park bench. Which not only isnt a criticism, it is pretty much perfect for the Fall in the year 2017, and if New Facts Emerge isnt likely to be remembered as one of the crowning achievements in their catalog, it sounds like the work of a band thats still full of blood and thunder on its 31st studio album. Smith is fully engaged with his lunacy on these 11 tracks, and this lineup of the Fall -- Peter Greenway on guitar, Dave Spurr on bass, and Keiron Melling on drums -- sounds taut and muscular, creating a genuinely exciting backdrop for Smith as he lays out his barrage of verbiage. While the extended guitar coda at the end of "Nine Out of Ten" closes the album on a weak note, New Facts Emerge is still rowdy and absorbing stuff, and proves that Mark E. Smith and his compatriots are growing old in a gloriously ungraceful fashion. | ||