― Mike Taylor (mjt), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:02 (twenty years ago) link
there is no other band i can think of who have recorded several HUNDRED tracks i like, as opposed to a handful, a dozen or even a few albums worth. and still the lyrics can be endlessly original.
― kieron, Monday, 16 June 2003 21:04 (twenty years ago) link
Be warned - if you're looking for stodgy professionalism & precision in the Fall's method of madness, then backtracking to their earlier releases is not what you want to do. If fact, if you come around to liking / loving / wanting to spoon w/ the Fall, it's this very lack of precision & professionalism that you'll probably fall for 1st.
― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:05 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:08 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:10 (twenty years ago) link
And the drummer goes whomp-a-whomp-a-whommmp-a.
I guess I'm easy to please.
(Subthread: Great songs about The Fall: "Mark E. Smith & Brix," Barbara Manning)
― JesseFox (JesseFox), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:12 (twenty years ago) link
― Ben Boyer, Monday, 16 June 2003 21:31 (twenty years ago) link
― brains (cerybut), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:34 (twenty years ago) link
What I'm more curious about is how the Fall have such serious devotees. Their formula seems to me to result in pretty wide stretches of less-than-necessary stuff, and it's static enough to leave me pretty confident that, say, a two-disc comp of highlights is more than any person could ever need of them. The dedication of their fans, on the other hand, makes me wonder: are there really little gems scattered all through the discography, enough little shifts of personality to make slogging through the whole thing worth it? The fact that people remember the names of their individual songs so readily would lead me to believe they must settle into very different places, but god, my limited Fall listening has not given me much indication that that's the case.
(Good way of testing this, I guess: start an "essential Fall" thread and see how lively and specific and Smiths-like the debate over what tracks count can get.)
― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:38 (twenty years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:40 (twenty years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:46 (twenty years ago) link
In a word, yes. Sometimes it is often necessary to immerse oneself in a prolific artist's work to fully understand it all. Mark E Smith has changed a lot over the past 30 years, and it shows in his work. The Fall certainly can reward those with a casual interest, but if you really want to appreciate the nuances and details, you can't just be a dilletant with a best-of cd.
(Jess's list is pretty cool, by the way)
If you start an "essential Fall" thread, you will find that a lot of people like a lot of different Fall songs, and it probably won't make getting through the huge discography any easier on you.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:48 (twenty years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:53 (twenty years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:09 (twenty years ago) link
and i swear this has nothing to do with them being cassettes
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:11 (twenty years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:13 (twenty years ago) link
Extricate is pretty weak, I'll admit.
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:14 (twenty years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:15 (twenty years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:18 (twenty years ago) link
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:19 (twenty years ago) link
― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:19 (twenty years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:20 (twenty years ago) link
― Margus Kiis, estonian rock critic (Margus Kiis, estonian rock cri), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:24 (twenty years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:25 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:26 (twenty years ago) link
First Fall I ever heard was _The Wonderful and Frightening World..._, which did nothing for me at the time. _Palace of Swords Reversed_ was my conversion experience.
― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:27 (twenty years ago) link
1. Prole Art Threat (1981)2. How I Wrote “Elastic Man” (1979)3. Totally Wired (1981)4. Inch (1999)5. Fortress/Deer Park (1982)6. New Face In Hell (1980)7. Free Ranger (1992)8. Black Monk Theme, pt. 1 (1990)9. Masquerade (1998)10. U.S. ’80s-’90s (1986)11. Kimble (1993)12. Slang-King (1984)13. Repetition (1977)14. Hit The North (1988)15. Leave The Capitol (1981)16. Edinburgh Man (1991)17. Put Away (1978)
I believe almost every band I've ever been in has covered a Fall song at some point, and sometimes it wasn't even my idea... I have vivid memories of playing "U.S. '80s-'90s," "Frightened" and "Fantastic Life."
― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:34 (twenty years ago) link
― Sam J. (samjeff), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:35 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward, Monday, 16 June 2003 22:36 (twenty years ago) link
― Sam J. (samjeff), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:40 (twenty years ago) link
The ClassicalNew Face In HellI'm Into CB!RepetitionI Am Damo SuzukiNew Face In HellHip PriestCouldn't Get AheadDr. Buck's LetterLiving Too LateHit The NorthCruiser's Creek (live from Seminal Live lp)Dktr FaustusCREEPClear Off!Oh! BrotherImpression of J. TemperanceProle Art Threat
Hopefully this, in addition to what Douglas and others are posting, will give you a nice long list of songs to download from your favorite p2p.
― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:43 (twenty years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:46 (twenty years ago) link
That's a Kinks song, Mike!
Anyway, I think the hype is a bit overblown, and they sound like absolute shit on pot, but they have their moments. Eh.
― Farmer Al (King Kobra), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:50 (twenty years ago) link
1) “steppin out”2) “rebellious jukebox”3) “dice man”4) “rowche rumble-live”5) “pay your rates”6) “fit and working again”7) “totally wired”8) “the classical”9) “room to live”10) “lie dream of the casino soul”11) “i feel voxish”12) “c.r.e.e.p.”13) “rollin’ dany”
14) “couldn’t get ahead”15) “living too late”16) “frenz”17) “wrong place, right time”18) “dead beat descendant”19) “black monk theme part I”20) “free range”21) “strychnine”22) “hey student!”23) “life just bounces”24) “spinetrak”25) “touch sensitive”26) “hands up billy”
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 22:52 (twenty years ago) link
― di smith (lucylurex), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:02 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:05 (twenty years ago) link
― Kris (aqueduct), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:33 (twenty years ago) link
― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:49 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:52 (twenty years ago) link
Ah, lovely. I would happily shell out for a Fall boxset of Peel Sessions from then to now.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:53 (twenty years ago) link
― Pitchblender (Pitchblender), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 00:44 (twenty years ago) link
― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 00:46 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 17 June 2003 01:23 (twenty years ago) link
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 01:27 (twenty years ago) link
Would you believe... USA Today?
― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 01:52 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 17 June 2003 02:19 (twenty years ago) link
― Aaron A., Tuesday, 17 June 2003 02:31 (twenty years ago) link
Hard to see how consulting/getting the blessing of every musician who played on a record would work. As Dave Simpson's book shows, tracking down former members of The Fall is not a straightforward business. And they can't really expect to be given a veto on any aspect of the reissue.
― lord of the rongs (anagram), Sunday, 20 August 2023 04:17 (seven months ago) link
Flashback to Sonic & Jason telling folks to not buy any Spacemen 3 reissues because their old manager owns everything including publishing.
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 20 August 2023 04:17 (seven months ago) link
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
― earlnash, Sunday, 20 August 2023 05:59 (seven months ago) link
"Some of your friends are already this fucked"
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 20 August 2023 06:04 (seven months ago) link
https://scontent-lhr8-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/365730790_6161617713936668_5145401186340326710_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=6ZxWwMpvetwAX866U-M&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-1.xx&oh=00_AfCwxs0lEZzdLuo7ZlDR5oMkOF9vke5pQYRpYFOy86Dozw&oe=64E60C23
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Sunday, 20 August 2023 09:07 (seven months ago) link
― Alba, Sunday, 20 August 2023 09:10 (seven months ago) link
I mean that she said similar, not that Nina Simone co-owned publishing rights to the Spacemen 3 catalogue.
― Alba, Sunday, 20 August 2023 09:14 (seven months ago) link
not sure Salvador Dali wasn't an utter bastard tbh
― Colonel Poo, Sunday, 20 August 2023 11:45 (seven months ago) link
Wouldn’t be too hard to track down the 5 musicians here and offer to send them a few copies at least!
― dan selzer, Sunday, 20 August 2023 23:30 (seven months ago) link
dali def belongs in the hitler intersection there tbh
― imago, Sunday, 20 August 2023 23:31 (seven months ago) link
i’ve been meaning to do a *proper* piece of devil’s advocacy on this question for a while. the trigger for saying this now is just finding out that the spanish falangists had a ~27 point~ programme - this is probably known but it wasn’t by me.
― Fizzles, Wednesday, 20 September 2023 19:28 (six months ago) link
may do it when i get back from espain
Well I’m pretty sure Mark was right wing, I’ve made my peace with that.
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 20 September 2023 19:55 (six months ago) link
people like the fall because they're fuckin awesome
thanks
― ava (paolo), Thursday, 21 September 2023 07:43 (six months ago) link
oh no! do we cancel them now? xpost
― StanM, Thursday, 21 September 2023 07:57 (six months ago) link
Hmm, first I find Eat Y'Self FItter and Smile are missing from (UK) Spotify release of Perverted by Language, now I see Leave the Capitol is missing from Slates. Wtf's going on with the licensing of these tracks? I daren't look at all their other albums and find what else is greyed out.
― Alba, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 11:53 (one week ago) link
Mark’s estate must be a mess.
― from a prominent family of bassoon players (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 12:12 (one week ago) link
Yeah that really fucked me up. I had a perfect playlist built from Apple Music of The Fall in chronological order broken up into 3 phases. Basically pre-Brix, Brix and post-Brix, and suddenly key tracks disappeared. Usually those tracks exist on other releases, like a best-of or some compilation, and there's some rights that have switched or something. It really sucks. Eat Y'Self Fitter is on the 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong compilation so I had to pull it from there. Smile's nowhere. Leave the Capitol's nowhere, just some live version. Lie Dream is on the 50k comp etc.
I def started leaning to heavily on streaming so I could access these playlists in multiple places. Now it's fucked. I'd be better off finding a way to serve the playlists off my computer remotely.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 13:12 (one week ago) link
50,000 Fall Fans comp not available on UK Spotify, alas, so can't plug the Eat Y'Self Fitter hole with that.
― Alba, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:24 (one week ago) link
I'd dig out my old CDs if I still had a CD player! Ah well, there's always soulseek
― Alba, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:25 (one week ago) link
just heard "A Past Gone Mad" for the first time a couple days ago and I was stunned not just that it was The Fall but that it was The Fall from 1993. might have to actually explore those later records I guess.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:26 (one week ago) link
they are great
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:39 (one week ago) link
Infotainment Scan is a really good Fall record!
― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:43 (one week ago) link
the perfection of "Blindness" (the Peel Session version) is completely shocking
― famous instagram dog (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:51 (one week ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAHbSAJjTls
― famous instagram dog (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:52 (one week ago) link
― from a prominent family of bassoon players (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:56 (one week ago) link
I get "Hey! Student" stuck in my head not infrequently.
― grandavis, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 17:03 (one week ago) link
"Noel's Chemical Effluence" is a great lost 90s track, unique in their catalog.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 17:21 (one week ago) link
Probably said this on another Fall thread but I really like Middle Class Revolt, the one time I saw them it was the current album and it was a great set
(xp I actually had Hey! Student stuck in my head for weeks after this show!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rx2Y956Oq0
― Kraal Disorientation Chamber (emsworth), Wednesday, 20 March 2024 01:48 (one week ago) link
yes that tour was the only time I saw them as well, with Brix!
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Wednesday, 20 March 2024 03:03 (one week ago) link
that live version of middle class revolt they toured with was so f’ing good. brix appearing, incredibly, before we heard the amazing peel christmas session with her on. anyway the 27 points version captures it v well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyDVfnCCC1w
― Fizzles, Wednesday, 20 March 2024 19:29 (one week ago) link
I saw that tour too, in Seattle. No way in those times of knowing brix was back in the band. When she came out me and others went nuts
― realistic pillow (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 23 March 2024 04:31 (five days ago) link
MCR the album doesn’t connect for me somehow. The pieces are all in place but it fails to fly.
― realistic pillow (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 23 March 2024 04:32 (five days ago) link
I found "Leave the Capital" on a different album on Spotify, "13”
Don't know if it's the exact same version, you know how these things run w/ The Fall.
There is a "complete fall albums" playlist consisting of the official albums, created by Cherry Red. I daresay some will have dropped off that for the same reason.
― Mark G, Saturday, 23 March 2024 11:35 (five days ago) link
Anyone happen to know if the vinyl version of Sublingual Tablet ever got a non-vinyl release? iirc all the alternative versions were superior to their cd counterparts.
― Fizzles, Saturday, 23 March 2024 15:24 (five days ago) link
now you tell me! lol
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Saturday, 23 March 2024 15:24 (five days ago) link
As with much of the post-Beggars years, "Middle Class Revolt" is half great half meh. My picks for the great stuff:15 WaysBehind The CounterM5#1Middle Class Revolt!Hey! StudentWar
As for the Sublingual Tablet LP, only "Dedication Not Medication", "Auto Chip 2014-2016", "Pledge" and "Fibre Book Troll" were different on the LP. "Dedication" was definitely superior on the LP, "Auto Chip" was just an edit and the other two were a toss-up (I didn't feel "Fibre" should be twice as long).
I have MP3's of them if you're interested, ILXMail me.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 23 March 2024 16:53 (five days ago) link
Starting in 1994 or so I subscribed to the Fall email discussion list (remember those?) so I was aware of the lineup comings and goings. The list was very rockist though, most hated Brix and anything after 1982. (I've always loved Brix and the Beggars albums rule so hard).
― Slorg is not on the Slerf Team, you idiot, you moron (Boring, Maryland), Saturday, 23 March 2024 17:27 (five days ago) link
― eatandoph (Neue Jesse Schule), Saturday, 23 March 2024 18:08 (five days ago) link
As with much of the post-Beggars years, "Middle Class Revolt" is half great half meh. My picks for the great stuff:15 WaysBehind The CounterM5#1Middle Class Revolt!Hey! StudentWarAs for the Sublingual Tablet LP, only "Dedication Not Medication", "Auto Chip 2014-2016", "Pledge" and "Fibre Book Troll" were different on the LP. "Dedication" was definitely superior on the LP, "Auto Chip" was just an edit and the other two were a toss-up (I didn't feel "Fibre" should be twice as long). I have MP3's of them if you're interested, ILXMail me.
― Fizzles, Saturday, 23 March 2024 18:48 (five days ago) link