The Fall album by album

 

John Peel's favourite band. Let's take a closer look....

Wikipedia: 

The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Marc Riley, Craig Scanlon and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.

First associated with the late 1970s punk movement, the Fall's music underwent numerous stylistic changes, often concurrently with changes in the group's lineup. Nonetheless, their music has generally been characterised by an abrasive, repetitive guitar-driven sound, tense bass and drum rhythms, and Smith's caustic lyrics, described by critic Simon Reynolds as "a kind of Northern English magic realism that mixed industrial grime with the unearthly and uncanny, voiced through a unique, one-note delivery somewhere between amphetamine-spiked rant and alcohol-addled yarn." While the Fall never achieved widespread success beyond minor hit singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they have maintained a strong cult following.

The Fall have been called "the most prolific band of the British post-punk movement." From 1979 to 2017, they released thirty-two studio albums, and more than three times that number when live albums and compilations (often released against Smith's wishes) are taken into account. They were long associated with BBC disc jockey John Peel, who championed them from early on in their career and described them as his favourite band, famously explaining, "they are always different; they are always the same." Smith's death in 2018 effectively put an end to the group.

AllMusic: 

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 they've 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, Smith's 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 Nation's 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 2017's New Facts Emerge, and the group came to an end when Smith died at the age of 60 in 2018.

Recordings

 

Live At The Witch Trials (1979)

A generous opening album full of songs and ideas. Quite stimulating. A strong debut. 
 

Released	16 March 1979
Recorded	15 December 1978
Studio	Sound Suite, Camden, England
Genre	Post-punk
Length	38:33
Label	Step-Forward
Producer	The Fall, Bob Sargeant

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Frightened"	Mark E. Smith, Tony Friel	5:02
2.	"Crap Rap 2/Like to Blow"	Martin Bramah, Smith	2:04
3.	"Rebellious Jukebox"	Smith, Bramah	2:51
4.	"No Xmas for John Quays"	Smith	4:38
5.	"Mother-Sister!"	Smith, Una Baines	3:20
6.	"Industrial Estate"	Smith, Bramah, Friel	2:00

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Underground Medecin"	Bramah, Smith	2:08
2.	"Two Steps Back"	Bramah, Smith	5:03
3.	"Live at the Witch Trials"	Smith	0:51
4.	"Futures and Pasts"	Bramah, Smith	2:36
5.	"Music Scene"	Bramah, Yvonne Pawlett, Smith, Marc Riley	8:00

• Mark E. Smith – vocals, guitar ("Live at the Witch Trials"), tapes ("Music Scene")
• Martin Bramah – guitar, backing vocals
• Marc Riley – bass guitar
• Karl Burns – drums
• Yvonne Pawlett – keyboards

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8 

Score: 6 

 

The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall 
(1984)

Released	12 October 1984
Recorded	Mid-1984
Studio	Focus Studios, London
Genre	Post-punk
Length	40:09
Label	Beggars Banquet
Producer	John Leckie

Side One ("Frightening" side)

1. "Lay of the Land"
2. "2 × 4"
3. "Copped It"
4. "Elves"

Side Two ("Wonderful" side)

1. "Slang King"
2. "Bug Day"
3. "Stephen Song"
4. "Craigness"
5. "Disney's Dream Debased"

CD:

1. "Lay of the Land" (Mark E. Smith, Brix Smith) – 5:45
2. "2 × 4" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:38
3. "Copped It" (M. Smith, Karl Burns) – 4:15
4. "Elves" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:47
5. "Oh! Brother" (M. Smith, Burns, Steve Hanley, Craig Scanlon) – 4:01 from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984
6. "Draygo's Guilt" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:29 from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984
7. "God Box" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:18 from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984
8. "Clear Off!" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:40 from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984
9. "C.R.E.E.P." (The Fall) – 3:08 from the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984
10. "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:00 from the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984
11. "Slang King" (M. Smith, P. Hanley, B. Smith) – 5:21
12. "Bug Day" (M. Smith, Burns, P. Hanley, S. Hanley, Scanlon, B. Smith) – 4:58
13. "Stephen Song" (M. Smith, P. Hanley, S. Hanley) – 3:05
14. "Craigness" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 3:03
15. "Disney's Dream Debased" (M. Smith, S. Hanley, B. Smith) – 5:17
16. "No Bulbs" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 7:51 from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984

• Karl Burns – drums, percussion, bass guitar on 'Lay of the Land' & 'Pat the Trip Dispenser', backing vocals
• Paul Hanley – drums, keyboards; grand piano on "Clear Off!", guitar, backing vocals
• Steve Hanley – bass guitar, acoustic guitar on 'Disney's Dream Debased', backing vocals
• Craig Scanlon – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mark E. Smith – vocals, tapes
• Brix Smith – lead and rhythm guitar, vocals

with:

• Gavin Friday – vocals on "Copped It", "Clear Off!" and "Stephen Song" (credited as a "friendly visitor")

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 



  

 This Nation’s Saving Grace     (1985)

 

Released	23 September 1985
Recorded	1985
Genre	Post-punk, art punk, art rock
Length	47:17
Label	Beggars Banquet
Producer	John Leckie

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mansion"	Brix Smith	1:21
2.	"Bombast"	Steve Hanley, Mark E Smith	3:08
3.	"Barmy"	M. Smith	5:21
4.	"What You Need"	Craig Scanlon, M. Smith	4:50
5.	"Spoilt Victorian Child"	Simon Rogers, M. Smith	4:13
6.	"L.A."	Brix Smith, M. Smith	4:10

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"Gut of the Quantifier"	Karl Burns, M. Smith	5:16
8.	"My New House"	M. Smith	5:16
9.	"Paint Work"	Scanlon, M. Smith	6:38
10.	"I Am Damo Suzuki"	Burns, B. Smith, M. Smith	5:41
11.	"To Nk Roachment: Yarbles"	B. Smith, M. Smith	1:23

• Mark E. Smith – vocals, violin on "I Am Damo Suzuki", guitar; harmonica on "Couldn't Get Ahead"
• Steve Hanley – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Craig Scanlon – guitar, backing vocals
• Brix Smith – guitar, vocals
• Simon Rogers – keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, drum machine, backing vocals
• Karl Burns – drums, backing vocals

Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 

 

Infotainment Scan   (1993)

 

Released	26 April 1993
Studio	Suite 16, Rochdale
Genre	Alternative rock,  post-punk,  alternative dance
Length	40:36 (LP and cassette) 50:08 (CD)
Label	Permanent,  Matador
Producer	Rex Sergeant,  Simon Rogers,  Mark E. Smith

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ladybird (Green Grass)"	Mark E. Smith, Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley, Dave Bush, Simon Wolstencroft	3:59
2.	"Lost in Music"	Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards	3:49
3.	"Glam-Racket"	Smith, Hanley	3:12
4.	"I'm Going to Spain"	Steve Bent	3:27
5.	"It's a Curse"	Smith, Scanlon	5:19
6.	"Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room"	Smith, Scanlon	4:27
7.	"Service"	Smith, Scanlon	4:11
8.	"The League of Bald-Headed Men"	Smith, Hanley	4:07
9.	"A Past Gone Mad"	Smith, Bush, Wolstencroft	4:19
10.	"Light/Fireworks"

• 
  Mark E. Smith – vocals, tapes, production (2, 10)
• Craig Scanlon – guitar
• Steve Hanley – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Simon Wolstencroft – drums, programming
• Dave Bush – keyboards, programming, backing vocals

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 
Score: 







Discography

Live at the Witch Trials (1979) Dragnet (1979) Grotesque (After the Gramme) (1980) Hex Enduction Hour (1982) Room to Live (1982) Perverted by Language (1983) The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... (1984) This Nation's Saving Grace (1985) Bend Sinister (1986) The Frenz Experiment (1988) I Am Kurious Oranj (1988) Extricate (1990) Shift-Work (1991) Code: Selfish (1992) The Infotainment Scan (1993) Middle Class Revolt (1994)

Cerebral Caustic (1995) The Light User Syndrome (1996) Levitate (1997) The Marshall Suite (1999) The Unutterable (2000) Are You Are Missing Winner (2001) The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) (2003) Fall Heads Roll (2005) Reformation Post TLC (2007) Imperial Wax Solvent (2008) Your Future Our Clutter (2010) Ersatz GB (2011) Re-Mit (2013) Sub-Lingual Tablet (2015) New Facts Emerge (2017)