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The Fall (band)

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The Fall are an English post-punk band, formed in Manchester in 1976. Named after the English translation of Albert Camus' novel, La Chute (The Fall) (1956), they are notable for their music, leader Mark E. Smith's enigmatic lyrics and drawling delivery, and for their subtle influence on several generations of musicians who keep an ear tuned to underground popular culture.

The current line up is essentially Mark E. Smith, and his wife, Elena Poulou, on keyboards augmented by a 'squad rotation system' of accompanying musicians made up of some but never all of : Tim Presley (guitar), Pete Greenway (guitar), Rob 'Spanners' Barbato (bass), Dave 'The Eagle' Spurr (bass), Orpheo McCord (drums) and Keiron Melling (drums).

Career overview

Formed during punk rock's rise, The Fall never quite fit into that movement or its post-punk/new wave offshoots. For over a quarter of a century, The Fall have continued to produce music which varies richly in both character and quality. The abrasive lyrics and instantly recognizable half-droned, half-ranted vocals of frontman Mark E. Smith provide the one consistent note through more than three prolific decades of dizzying personnel changes. An interview with Smith in May, 2004 reported "49 (band) members, 78 albums and 41 singles," and also quoted the opinion of their longstanding fan, the legendary English DJ John Peel: "They are always different, they are always the same." The Fall recorded 24 sessions for the Peel show between 1978 and 2004.

Peel's comment is often cited, rightly or wrongly, in support of a common complaint: that the Fall's prolific output lacks variety. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine makes the same observation, writing that "Only hardcore fans can differentiate between the Fall's many albums.".[1] To the extent that there is any truth in this charge, it would seem at least partly the consequence of a deliberate strategy: in 1989 Smith opined that "if you can't deliver it like a garage band, fuck it."[2] However, although the Fall are always musically recognisable, their sound has undergone relatively dramatic shifts. Compare Levitate (1997) to Extricate (1990), for example. Given the constantly changing line-up of the band, it would be remarkable if there were not some musical evolution within the parameters of Smith's singular vision.

The Fall's influences are worn lightly, though The Monks, Link Wray, The Seeds, Can, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, The Residents, Van der Graaf Generator and the more experimental work of The Velvet Underground are all evident. In the earlier part of their career they were also often compared to Henry Cow. The Fall's regular cover versions are mostly obscure songs by offbeat musicians, including a cover of Hubert Parry's 1916 setting of William Blake's 1804 poem "Jerusalem". The Fall have also covered more pop-oriented material like Sister Sledge's "Lost in Music" and The Kinks' "Victoria". A reggae influence is also evident; Smith is an avid reggae fan (especially during his teen years), and like traditional reggae, most Fall songs are composed of simple, repeating riffs that Smith rants/sings over in his rhythmic drawl that owes a debt to reggae toasting. In terms of lyrical concerns, literary touchstones such as William Blake, Arthur Machen, Wyndham Lewis and H.P. Lovecraft are as significant as musical ones.

The Fall's sound has generally remained constant from the clanking, almost rockabilly guitars of their early work (Smith has confessed to a liking for the music of Johnny Cash) to the amphetamine-rush of the more recent electronic music backing tracks. What unites them is Smith's literate, paranoid, and verbose songwriting. His lyrics are sometimes maddeningly obscure (especially to non-British listeners), and usually caustic in their satire, wildly imaginative in their scope, embracing politics (e.g. "Marquis Cha Cha"), magic and mythology ("Elves", "Wings"), devastating critiques of passing fads (e.g. "C.R.E.E.P" and "Glam Racket"), and some brutal diatribes (e.g. "Sing Harpy").

Smith is not a strong singer in the traditional sense, but his keen sense of rhythm and attack more than compensate for this shortcoming. His ability to improvise and reinterpret songs in a live setting is evocative of Can frontman Damo Suzuki. Perhaps his most distinctive trait is an explosive syllable added after some words, such as in his delivery of a lyric from "Free Range": "This is the spring-uh without end-uh" (Smith himself has expressed annoyance with being picked on for his Manchester accent.)

History

From their first lineup of Smith, Martin Bramah (guitar), Tony Friel (bass), Una Baines (keyboards) and Karl Burns (drums), the group produced a sound quite unlike anything else being played in the run-down dancehalls of northern England's new wave scene. Their performances, together with Smith's confrontational demeanor, often provoked violent audience reactions. Their debut EP Bingo-Master's Break-Out! (1978), two tracks on the compilation Short Circuit - live at the Electric Circus, and debut album Live at the Witch Trials (1979), (minus Baines and, incidentally, not a live album), served up a caustic mix of belligerently provincial urban paranoia and scorn for cultural norms, atop a deceptively unsophisticated musical arrangement.

With Craig Scanlon and Marc Riley on guitar, Steve Hanley on bass and Mike Leigh on drums (subsequently to be replaced by Paul Hanley, and then a two-drummer lineup with a returned Burns), 1979's low-fi L.P. Dragnet signalled a sparser, more jagged feel, which on subsequent albums filled out into a more grinding, industrial sound. The live album "Totales Turns" documents the band during various appearances, with Smith announcing last orders at the bar and berating his band members throughout.

With the album Grotesque (After the Gramme) (1980) came a significant improvement in production and content, which continued throughout the period which saw the release of 10-inch Slates (1981), Hex Enduction Hour (1982) and Room to Live (1982). Arguably the most experimental and consistently brilliant period of the group's career, this was perhaps reflected by the relatively settled band line-up.

The autumn of 1983 heralded another dramatic change, this time to a relatively more conventional rock-oriented sound, with the departure of Riley and the arrival of Smith's American girlfriend and later wife, Californian Brix Smith, as guitarist alongside Scanlon. A last album for Rough Trade Records (Perverted by Language, 1983) was followed by the Fall signing to Beggars Banquet Records, a more sympathetic and supportive label than any they had been signed to before.

This era found The Fall scoring a few modest hits with singles from a string of highly acclaimed albums: The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall (1984), This Nation's Saving Grace (1985), Bend Sinister (1986), The Frenz Experiment (1988). I Am Kurious, Oranj is notable as the fruit of a ballet project between Smith and dancer Michael Clark. Simon Rogers and later Marcia Schofield played keyboards, and Simon Wolstencroft replaced Burns on drums after This Nation's Saving Grace.

With Brix's departure in 1989, Bramah returned briefly for 1990s Extricate, the first of the Fall's three albums for Phonogram Records. Bramah and Schofield left in advance of 1991's Shift-Work. Dave Bush joined on keyboards for 1992's Code: Selfish, followed by the band's return to an independent record label for The Infotainment Scan (1993), Middle Class Revolt (1994) and Cerebral Caustic (1995). The latter album saw the unexpected return of Smith's ex-wife Brix, who left again in 1996.

With Bush gone and Scanlon sacked after 16 years (a decision later regretted by Smith), 1996 saw the arrival on keyboards, guitars and computers of Julia Nagle for The Light User Syndrome. That year also saw the start of a torrent of compilations of live, demo and alternate versions of songs, on the Fall's new label Receiver Records.

In 1995 and 1996 The Fall played at the Phoenix Festival in Stratford, England - the 1996 appearance being one of much surprise to many fans as they were not scheduled to play. They followed novelty keyboardist, Margarita Pracatan.

The next album, Levitate (1997), toyed with drum and bass and polarised opinion (long-serving drummer Simon Wolstencroft left halfway through the recording sessions, and was replaced by Karl Burns). Steven Wells in the NME (11 October 1997) wrote, "Imagine pop without perimeters. Imagine rock without rules. Imagine art without the wank. If you've never heard The Fall then Levitate will be either the best or the worst record you've ever heard." The group was temporarily reduced to Smith and Nagle when a disastrous U.S. tour ended in April 1998 with a violent onstage row and the departure of Hanley (bassist for 19 years), Burns and guitarist Tommy Crooks. The following day, Smith was arrested and charged with assaulting Nagle in their hotel.[3]

From this nadir, the Fall achieved another comeback with Smith and Nagle being joined by Neville Wilding on guitar, Karen Leatham and later Adam Halal on bass, and Tom Head on drums for the albums The Marshall Suite (1999) and The Unutterable (2000). Further rifts followed in 2001, in which the new lineup of Smith, Ben Pritchard (guitar), Jim Watts (bass) and Spencer Birtwistle (drums) released Are You Are Missing Winner to mixed reviews. In September 2002 Elena Poulou - Smith's third and current wife - filled the vacant position of keyboards player. The Real New Fall LP (reputedly renamed from Country on the Click after an earlier mix of the album appeared on Internet file sharing networks) followed in 2003, with a slightly different mix and some extra tracks for the US version. Interim, was released in November, 2004.

In 2002 Q magazine named The Fall one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die".

In January 2005, The Fall (described as "one of the most enigmatic, idiosyncratic and chaotic garage bands of the last 30 years") were the subject of a BBC 4 TV documentary, The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E Smith. Later that year, a 97-song box set containing all of the sessions the group recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme was issued to widespread acclaim. Their 25th studio album, entitled Fall Heads Roll, was issued on 3 October 2005, preceded by a single "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (a cover of The Move song) on 6 September 2005 (US) and 19 September 2005 (UK).

Ben Pritchard (guitar), Steve Trafford (bass), Spencer Birtwistle (drums), all of whom played on Fall Heads Roll, left the group somewhat acrimoniously during the group's Summer 2006 tour of the US after just four dates. In a US radio interview, Smith described their departures as "the best thing that ever happened" to The Fall although it was some months before he confirmed that they would not be returning to the group.[4]

From May 9, 2006, Smith and Poulou were joined by Tim Presley (guitar), Rob Barbato (bass) and Orpheo McCord (drums) who joined them for the remainder of the US tour, a flagship show in Manchester held in June 2006 and an appearance at the Oya Festival in Oslo, Norway in August 2006. Presley and Barbato are members of the band Darker My Love while McCord is one half of the experimental duo The Hill.

With Barbato and Presley fulfilling Darker My Love commitments back in the US in late August, the first 'squad rotation system' of Fall musicians emerged with new members Pete Greenway (guitar) of West Midlands group Pubic Fringe (more recently known as Das Fringe), and Dave 'The Eagle of Ramsbottom' Spurr (bass) making their Fall debuts alongside Smith, Poulou and McCord at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August 2006. Since that time, the group has taken many forms on stage, at various times incorporating either one or even two of the bass guitarists alongside just the one guitarist. Drummer Keiron Melling has since been added to the 'squad' having replaced McCord for a Dublin show in October 2006. Melling and Spurr play together in the group Motherjohn.

Influence

Regarding the group's influence on later musicians, Stephen Thomas Erlewine notes that "the Fall, like many cult bands, inspired a new generation of underground bands, ranging from waves of sound-alike indie rockers in the U.K. to acts in America and New Zealand, which is only one indication of the size and dedication of their small, devoted fan base."[5]

Sonic Youth covered three Fall songs (and one, "Victoria" by the Kinks, memorably covered by the Fall) in a 1988 Peel Session.

1990s indie acts like Pavement (especially early songs such as "Two States" and "Conduit For Sale") and Elastica (Mark E Smith contributed vocals to their final EP and album) have an obvious Fall influence. Meanwhile Suede parodied The Fall with "Implement Yeah!", a B side found on the cassette edition of their 1999 single "Electricity".

The Fall's influence has even extended to rap music and hip hop, with artists such as Buck 65, DJ Shadow, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan both reflecting elements of The Fall's sound and giving 'props' to the band; (a noted example being a flattering radio interview by the latter's RZA, in which he says he learnt the 'beauty of chaos' from them).[citation needed]

The early part of the 21st Century has seen the emergence of a number of bands who claim to have been inspired by The Fall; two examples being Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand (who appeared, to pay tribute, in the BBC 4 documentary). However, in an interview with The Metro in July 2005, Smith stated that he didn't think the acts in question were much like The Fall: "I see a lot of bands are influenced by us but I don't see them getting the core spirit of it... To me, there's no belief in what they're doing. The motives are suspicious. It's like they just want a career in music. I'm always suspicious of people like that".[6]

The debt is more explicit in some of LCD Soundsystem's songs. "Movement" borrows a line from The Fall's "Telephone Thing", and there are similarities of vocal style.

In a live video from the band At the Drive-In for the song "Pattern Against User" lead singer Cedric Bixler Zavala states, "this is dedicated to a band from the UK called The Fall, if you don't know who The Fall is, you're listening to too much hip hop and heavy metal..."

Discography

For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography.
Studio albums

Trivia

  • Frank Skinner's house band are now performing snippets of Fall songs in between guests on his current show
  • Former Black Flag singer and current Rollins Band leader Henry Rollins is an avid fan of The Fall, stating of Smith "after well over 27 albums the man still keeps spewing forth the highest quality vitriol. I never get tired of this guy. I have pretty much all those records. I like 'em a lot, and I wouldn't wanna be caught in an elevator with him when it wasn't working." [1] Rollins traditionally plays at least one Fall song per week on his radio show, Harmony In My Head[2][3]
  • The Fall's 1982 song "Hip Priest" was used as the soundtrack to the climax of the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
  • From Saturday 6 August 2005, The Fall's "Theme From Sparta F.C." (2003) was used as the theme music to the Final Score section on BBC Television's afternoon sports show Grandstand. Also, Smith was recently invited to read out the classified football results on the BBCi interactive service "Score".
  • "Touch Sensitive" (from The Marshall Suite) was used in the UK as a soundtrack to an advert for the Vauxhall Corsa, for which Smith claims he was not paid.
  • This Morning With Richard Not Judy – a late-nineties British comedy programme – had a regular sketch involving a creature called The Curious Orange. Its name was derived from the song Kurious Oranj (from I Am Kurious Oranj), which was played at the beginning of each sketch. Stewart Lee, one half of the comedy partnership who wrote the show, is an ardent Fall fan and regularly promotes the group in his articles for such publications as The Wire and The Guardian.
  • The Fall is referenced in the Jens Lekman song Maple Leaves- "And when she talked about her fall, I thought she talked about Mark E. Smith."
  • "Blindness", a track off 2005's Fall Heads Roll, is being used as the soundtrack to Japanese automaker Mitsubishi's current U.S. broadcast advertising campaign (the "Out Everything" one).
  • Rod Stewart used to use the Fall's "Totally Wired" as introductory music before he took to the stage.
  • The band's "Hey! Luciani" is about Pope John Paul I.[7]

Sound Files

Year Song title Album Label
1980: "Totally Wired"
Audio file "The Fall Totally Wired.ogg" not found 		Grotesque (After the Gramme) Rough Trade Records
1981: "Leave the Capitol"
Audio file "The Fall Leave the Capitol.ogg" not found 		Slates Rough Trade Records
1981: "Middle Mass"
Audio file "The Fall Middle Mass.ogg" not found 		Slates Rough Trade Records
1982: "Hip Priest"
Audio file "The Fall Hip Priest.ogg" not found 		Hex Enduction Hour Kamera
1984: "Elves"
Audio file "The Fall Elves.ogg" not found 		The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall Beggars Banquet
1985: "Paint Work"
Audio file "The Fall Paint Work.ogg" not found 		This Nation's Saving Grace Beggars Banquet
1987: "Hit the North"
Audio file "The Fall Hit The North.ogg" not found 		The Frenz Experiment Beggars Banquet
1987: "Carry Bag Man"
Audio file "The Fall Carry Bag Man.ogg" not found 		The Frenz Experiment Beggars Banquet

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. ""The Fall: Biography"". Allmusic.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Reynolds, Simon (1989). ""The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse"". New Musical Express. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Tortorici, Frank (1999). ""The Fall's Mark E Smith"". VH1.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ McNaughton, Allan (2006). ""Mark E Smith on drugs, fascists, and lazy musicians"". Maximum Rock'n'Roll. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:lyh9kect7q7x~T1
  6. ^ Mark E Smith, Graem (2005). ""Mark E Smith: 60 Second Interview"". Metro.co.uk. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Conkerton, Peter. Hey! Luciani: Historical Notes The Fall unofficial website

Bibliography

  • Edge, Brian (1989). Paintwork: A Portrait of The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1740-X
  • Ford, Simon (2003). Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-8167-2
  • Middles, Mick & Smith, Mark E (2003). The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9762-4
  • Smith, Mark E (1985). The Fall Lyrics. Berlin: Lough Press.
  • Thompson, Dave (2003). A User's Guide To The Fall. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-57-9.
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