The Fall (band)

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{{infobox band | band_name = The Fall | image = Image:TheFallPromo2005.jpg | caption = The Fall in 2005 | years_active = 1976–present | origin = Manchester, UK | country = | music_genre = Rock, post-punk | record_label = | current_members = Mark E. Smith
Ben Pritchard
Steve Trafford
Spencer Birtwistle
Elena Poulou | past_members = Simon Archer (2003-04)
Una Baines (1977-78)
Ed Blaney (intermittently band member/manager, 2000-04 [1])
Kenny Brady (1990-91)
Martin Bramah (1977-79; 1989-90)
Jonnie Brown (1978)
Karl Burns (1977-78; 1981-86; 1993-96; 1997-98)
Dave Bush (1991-95)
Kay Carroll (1981-83)
Tommy Crooks (1997-98)
Brian Fanning (2001)
Adrian Flanagan (1997)
Tony Friel (1977)
Paul Hanley (1980-85)
Steve Hanley (1979-98)
Tom Head (1998-2000)
Adam Helal (1998-2001)
Karen Leatham (1998)
Mike Leigh (1979-80)
Eric McGann (1978)
Dave Milner (2001-04)
Julia Nagle (1995-2001)
Yvonne Pawlett (1978-79)
Marc Riley (1978-82)
Simon Rogers (1985-86)
Craig Scanlon (1979-95)
Marcia Schofield (1986-90)
Brix Smith (1983-89; 1994-96)
Kier Stewart (1997)
Kate Themen (1998)
Jim Watts (2001-03; 2004)
Neville Wilding (1998-2001)
Simon Wolstencroft (1986-1997)
Dave (last name unknown) (1977)
source: [2] }}

The Fall are a British rock music group, formed in Manchester in 1976, and named after Albert Camus's novel. Never a chart band, they remain important for both their music - "always different, always the same" (John Peel) - and for their subtle influence on several generations of musicians who keep an ear tuned to underground culture.

The current line up is Mark E. Smith, Ben Pritchard (guitar), Steve Trafford (bass), Spencer Birtwistle (drums) and Elena Poulou (keyboards).


Contents

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Critical career summary

Formed during punk rock's rise, The Fall never quite fitted into that movement or its post-punk/new wave offshoots. The Fall have continued for a quarter of a century in producing 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 constant note through more than two 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." [3] 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." [4]. 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."[5] 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 HP 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 ad hominem diatribes (e.g. "Sing Harpy").

Smith is not a great vocalist, but his keen sense of rhythm and attack more than compensate for this shortcoming. 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.)

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History

From their first lineup of Smith, Martin Bramah (guitar), Tony Friel (bass), Una Baines (keyboards) and Karl Burns (drums) onward, the group produced a sound quite unlike anything else playing in the run-down dancehalls of northern England's new wave scene. Their performances (and Smith's confrontational demeanor) sometimes drew violent audience reactions. Their 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 hitherto bassist 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), late 1979's L.P. the determinedly low-fi Dragnet signalled a sparser, still more jagged feel, which was to fill out into a more grinding, industrial sound. The live album "Totales Turns" documents the band at various venues, 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, as Smith's vitriol focused on the post-punk apocalyptic nightmare of "Thatcher's Britain". This continued throughout the 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. This era found The Fall scoring a few modest hits with singles from a string of highly acclaimed albums: Perverted by Language (1983), 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 1990's Extricate, leaving (along with Schofield) in advance of 1991's Shift-Work. Dave Bush joined on keyboards for 1992's Code: Selfish, followed by The Infotainment Scan (1993), Middle Class Revolt (1994) and Cerebral Caustic (1995).

With Bush gone and Scanlon sacked after 16 years (a decision later regretted by Smith), 1996 saw Brix's brief return and the arrival on keyboards, guitars and computers of Julia Nagle for The Light User Syndrome. The next album, Levitate (1997), toyed with drum and bass and polarised opinion. 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: Steve Hanley (bassist for 19 years), Burns (back for a final spell on drums) and guitarist Tommy Crooks all left or were sacked.

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, the new lineup of Smith, Ben Pritchard (guitar), Jim Watts (bass) and Spencer Birtwistle (drums) releasing Are You Are Missing Winner to mixed reviews. 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 as 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).

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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."[6]

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 live b-side found on some editions of their 1999 single "Electricity".

The early part of the 21st Century has seen the emergence of a number of bands who 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" [7]. Musically, Franz Ferdinand have moved away from the Fall influence that can be heard very clearly on an early track like 'Shopping for Blood' (a B-Side to the 'Darts of Pleasure' single), being closer now to Gang of Four or Josef K. The debt is more explicit in some of LCD Soundsystem's songs. "Movement" borrows a line from The Fall's "Telephone Thing". There are some similarities of vocal style too.

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Discography

For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography.

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Bibliography

  • Edge, Brian (1989). Paintwork: A Portrait of The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 071191740X
  • Ford, Simon (2003). Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0704381672
  • Middles, Mick & Smith, Mark E (2003). The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711997624
  • 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 1900924579.
  • The Pseud Mag - fall fanzine - [[8]]
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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." [9] Rollins traditionally plays at least one Fall song per week on his radio show, Harmony In My Head[10][11]
  • From Saturday 6th August 2005, The Fall's "Theme From Sparta FC" (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) is currently being used in the UK as a soundtrack to an advert for the Vauxhall Corsa.
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External links

nl:The Fall

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