The Fall

donfers

Various people have mentioned the fall to me in the past and I've read interviews with musicians who I like stating they love the fall or that the fall are a big influence on them

I never got around to listening to them though

so are they any good and if so where shall I begin?

Nolanger

The first Madchester tune!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIljbEJidv4

Android 666

donfers wrote: »

Various people have mentioned the fall to me in the past and I've read interviews with musicians who I like stating they love the fall or that the fall are a big influence on them

I never got around to listening to them though

so are they any good and if so where shall I begin?

Start with the albums Grotesque, Slates and Hex Enduction Hour and then move onto This Nation's Saving Grace...

TwoCanDan

The guys above seem to be well informed and on the money (I only have Grotesque and This Nation's Saving Grace), but here's a link to an AV Club Gateways to Geekery on The Fall, just in case it's of any use to you...

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-fall,40395/

My favourite Mark E Smith tale is from an interview he gave to Mojo a few years ago. He said that when he was younger, his Dad gave him some advice to the effect that he should have a glass of water and a jog around the garden if he should ever need to get rid of unwanted sexual urges...random guy...
...it doesn't work btw...

ValJester

Start with This Nation's Saving Grace, or a compilation such as 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong. I love The Fall, me.
Top 5 Fall Albums.
1.Hex Enduction Hour
2.The Real New Fall LP
3.This Nation's Saving Grace
4.Live At The Witch Trials
5.The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall

Nolanger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJG192yPdsQ

smokedeels

As mentioned above, you're best starting with one of the Brix Smith era albums like TNSG or The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall, they carry the usual "fall sound" but they've got a commercial polish about them too.

I'd advise you to go, in this order

This Nations Saving Grace - Very catchy with intermittent weirdness

Grotesque (After the Gramme) - Lo-Fi post-punk album, little sloppy at times but there's some great lyrics, particularly if you're a HP Lovecraft fan.

I think the sound of those two albums will prepare you to listen to Hex Enduction Hour. Which is - imo - The Falls best album and my personal favourite record, of all time.

Class band, a great Garage group fed on a diet of Gene Vincent, Can, Beefheart and The Sonics. M.E.S is the worlds finest caucasian rapper

The later era stuff, particularly the last two release, is very good too, he's got a great line-up going at the moment but they sound pretty straight at times, he'll never make an album as special as Hex again.

Nolanger

Would anyone here know how many Irish-born musicians played in the band over the years?

nlgbbbblth

My favourite band.

Got This Nation's Saving Grace for Christmas in 1985 and never looked back. It's recently been given the "deluxe" treatment and is a great starting point.

After that I'd move onto Grotesque, Slates and Perverted By Language. Then Hex Enduction Hour.

smokedeels

Nolanger wrote: »

Would anyone here know how many Irish-born musicians played in the band over the years?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Fall_members

have fun looking...

afaik, there have been no Irish born members, only a few - like Smith - from Irish families.

bullpost

One of the best singles ever made imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9zhucKnLDE

nobby grande

Be prepared to enter the wonderful and frightening world of the Fall. They are nothern white scum that talks back. Prepare to meet one of your new favourite bands.

Excellent band, excellent lyrics. MES is a true one off.

I would go for 50,000 fall fans can't be wrong, a wonderful compilation to start with. Generally taking in all their best moments.

I was surprised with how obsessive i became over this band, their songs have a way of working their way into your head.

There is also a great doco on you tube - the wonderful and frightening world of the Fall - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Ff-7ui9BY

Nolanger

smokedeels wrote: »

afaik, there have been no Irish born members, only a few - like Smith - from Irish families.

Regular Fall member Stephen Hanley was born in Dublin.

smokedeels

I'm a Pavement fan, but I'm amazed at the extent to which they ripped off The Fall on their first album, this comparison always makes me chuckle.

Conduit for Sale

New Face in Hell

emo72

bought the single "Freerange". Thought it was a great song and thats all i ever heard from them. never delved any further:o

lordgoat

Thank the lord for threads like this or else we'd be left with ****e like The view/vaccines.

To quote a song:

"and when she talked a bout the fall, i thought she talked about Mark E Smith...
i never understood at all"

ElasticMan

bullpost wrote: »

One of the best singles ever made imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9zhucKnLDE

Now you're speaking my language :cool:.

DublinWriter

Curious Oranj...FTW.

smokedeels

this is one of my favourites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m2lfk4Bm34

The lyrics are a strange Lovecraft inspired tale of a time-traveller altering events in the past (i think), it's all very abstract, but I love it.

M.E.S's delivery is impeccable on this track, who cares if he can't sing, the sort of bite he possess can't be thought.

On another note, has anyone seen him interviewed on the likes of the Culture Show, he really doesn't buy into their sh!t. imo There's a section of liberal journalists in the UK who've tried for decades to hoist him up as this sort of working class poet, you know... because he has a strong accent and reads Blake, but he has always responded with total apathy. For all his faults he's stayed true to his ideals (as best he could)

Android 666

smokedeels wrote: »

this is one of my favourites

The lyrics are a strange Lovecraft inspired tale of a time-traveller altering events in the past (i think), it's all very abstract, but I love it.

M.E.S's delivery is impeccable on this track, who cares if he can't sing, the sort of bite he possess can't be thought.

Wings is an absolute gem. Here is a couple more from around that time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD3Y6qn_oOA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnunhozizjM

Android 666

I never knew there was a video to this:

smokedeels

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd2rvt_beleaguered-fall-fan_creation

"My Fuhrer I thought it was an interesting reworking of the Bo Demmick riff"

darkdubh

The book "The Fallen" is worth a read.About the numerous past members of the Fall.

mewso

Despite also being an obsessive Fall fan (less so these days) my favorite albums are the early 90s stuff. Extricate, Shiftwork, Code Selfish and Infotainment Scan are fantastic albums with Shiftwork probably being one of my favorites.

I've seen them live many times but the last time I felt a bit jaded. It's getting tiresome going to see them knowing you will never hear anything bar the current album they are pimping. I'd love to see them playing some of their old classics.

Seeing them at Reading many years ago was a particular highlight. The band started playing and it took maybe 10 minutes for a completely inebriated Smith to finally appear and spend most of the gig lying on the stage mumbling into his mic. I read later he had fired his drummer earlier that day and drafted someone in a couple of hours before the gig.

Love this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBepA_2iH6o

Who could forget Mark E. Smith's unique version of Lost in Music:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P0OYWZeiCI

and not forgetting his classic collaboration with the Carpets:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X-alu02GPE

Nolanger

mewso wrote: »

and not forgetting his classic collaboration with the Carpets:-

Which was used on a Lucozade TV commercial!

smokedeels

I was reading some Fall album reviews earlier, just randomly surfing music sites… and allmusic mentioned that The Fall covered a Lee “Scratch” Perry tune, I can’t for the life of me think of the song, was it a misprint or can somebody educate me?

mewso

smokedeels wrote: »

I was reading some Fall album reviews earlier, just randomly surfing music sites… and allmusic mentioned that The Fall covered a Lee “Scratch” Perry tune, I can’t for the life of me think of the song, was it a misprint or can somebody educate me?

Why are People Grudgeful? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Infotainment_Scan

The CD edition of The Infotainment Scan also includes "Why Are People Grudgeful?", the only track to be released as a single. It is based on two reggae songs: "People Grudgeful" by Joe Gibbs and "People Funny Boy" by Lee "Scratch" Perry[2].

smokedeels

Cheers, although I'm a little disappointed; I guess I was expecting a Garage Rock version of Soul Fire or something. I never liked the sound on albums like Infotainment Scan, Extricate, or much from the early half of the 90’s, sounds too clean and the electronics sound cheesy and dated to me.

Thanks for clearing it up man.

ValJester

Nolanger wrote: »

Would anyone here know how many Irish-born musicians played in the band over the years?

The Fallen by Dave Simpson is a great read if you wanna know the story of the bizarre cult-like initiation rituals that joining The Fall involves.

mewso

smokedeels wrote: »

I never liked the sound on albums like Infotainment Scan, Extricate, or much from the early half of the 90’s, sounds too clean and the electronics sound cheesy and dated to me.

Ha probably why I liked it. Cheese and Mr. Smith go well together if you ask me

nlgbbbblth

smokedeels wrote: »

I was reading some Fall album reviews earlier, just randomly surfing music sites… and allmusic mentioned that The Fall covered a Lee “Scratch” Perry tune, I can’t for the life of me think of the song, was it a misprint or can somebody educate me?

mewso wrote: »

Why are People Grudgeful? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Infotainment_Scan

smokedeels wrote: »

Cheers, although I'm a little disappointed; I guess I was expecting a Garage Rock version of Soul Fire or something. I never liked the sound on albums like Infotainment Scan, Extricate, or much from the early half of the 90’s, sounds too clean and the electronics sound cheesy and dated to me.

Thanks for clearing it up man.

It was Kimble. Released as a single in 1992.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5DbpViL2QI

Ally Dick

How can anyone consider The Fall to be in any way musical ? I don't understand it. Honestly. It must be something to do with bigging up all things Manchester, that became hip to do from the 80s to date

Android 666

Ally Dick wrote: »

How can anyone consider The Fall to be in any way musical ? I don't understand it. Honestly. It must be something to do with bigging up all things Manchester, that became hip to do from the 80s to date

It's beyond musical and it's nothing to do with bigging up manchester. Once the Fall click with you all the other manchester bands can go sh1te. It's about one expanding head mapping out an alternative to what is fed to you by the music press. Long live Mr Mark E Smith, the only thing hip about him is the replacement he is sure to have...

AnonoBoy

Ally Dick wrote: »

How can anyone consider The Fall to be in any way musical ? I don't understand it. Honestly. It must be something to do with bigging up all things Manchester, that became hip to do from the 80s to date

Brilliant.

Yeah that's why people like the Fall because of where they're from. Sure we all only say we like them because in the late 80's (over a decade after the Fall formed) the Manchester music scene became popular. Because you don't enjoy their music then there's no way that anyone else could like it. We must all just be jumping on some weird band-wagon that's been successfully riding along the hip trail for the past 20 years or more. This fleeting fad will be over soon and everyone will look back and realise how silly we were for these two decades listening to a band whose music and lyrics we enjoy.

Cheers for letting us know that mostly we like them just because of where they're from. I'm so sick of people going on about how great The Mock Turtles and Inspiral Carpets are to this day as well!

Oh wait.....


Nope. It's probably more to do with people liking their music because they believe it to be good music rather than some sort of ill-placed notion that you have that the only praise they've gotten is because they are from Manchester.

Ally Dick

The media were the ones who started the Manchester agenda. It's considered an act of heresy if you say that Ian Curtis, Ian Brown, Morrisey or Mark E Smith are bad singers. Well Smith is the worst of the bunch. Musically The Fall can play their instruments but Smith sounds like an extremely drunk uncle who grabbed the microphone at the karaoke. Or am I missing something?

mewso

Ally Dick wrote: »

It's considered an act of heresy if you say that Ian Curtis, Ian Brown, Morrisey or Mark E Smith are bad singers.

By who? Smith has already been described as a bad singer in this thread. Nothing worse than musical chips on shoulders. The Fall are an aquired taste. Nothing more. I'm probably the only Fall fan amongst my friends. It's no big deal. I'm not preaching a religion. It's always amusing how some people hate bands more than they love their favorites.

smokedeels

I don't generally like "singers".

Nolanger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utjyI3WpGNg

ValJester

Ally Dick wrote: »

The media were the ones who started the Manchester agenda. It's considered an act of heresy if you say that Ian Curtis, Ian Brown, Morrisey or Mark E Smith are bad singers. Well Smith is the worst of the bunch. Musically The Fall can play their instruments but Smith sounds like an extremely drunk uncle who grabbed the microphone at the karaoke. Or am I missing something?

"All my favourite singers can't sing"-David Berman(Silver Jews)

Nolanger

Brix is in this week's RTÉ Guide!

orourkeda

My own personal favourite track would have to be blindness from the album fall heads roll.

One of the better versions I've heard is one he recorded on the Peel Sessions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTOXOYTFC0g

The original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rU-1gFKPmo

Nolanger