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Molecules · 04-11-2009, 04:12 PM

Here's part one of the only guide that matters to the only band that matters.
It's chronological. DOWNLOAD IT, JERKS!

00002 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong (1978-1989)

Intro
A perfect Mark E. Smith intro if ever there was one. Confident and dismissive of all.

1. Psycho Mafia
The first track from the Fall's debut EP in 1978, 'Bingo Master's Break-out!'. For the first year of their existence they were still a democratic unit and provided an acerbic slant on the punk wave.
Spitting on the streets
Shot heads and teeth
Our eyes are red
Our brains are dead

2. Repetition
The Fall's manifesto in song form.
Same old blank generation
Groovy blank generation
Swinging blank generation

3. Rowche Rumble (Live)
This is 'top 5 pieces of music ever' business, honestly. Relentless and unpolished. The song is an attack on La Roche Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss company which thrives to this day on mental 'illnesses' defined only by a checklist of physical symptoms and written by imperfect humans in the late 70's.

4. Psykick Dancehall
A young Smith lays out his sonic ambitions on the opener from the supernaturally-charged 'Dragnet'. His literary influences were properly starting to influence the lyrics by this point (Burroughs, Lovecraft and Wyndham Lewis to name a few).

5. Your Heart Out
For all their cult status and anti-pop reputation, the Fall's sound is quintessentially accessible, and MES is clever enough to know that pop can be subversive and artistic in the right hands. This also marked the beginning of their lo-fi era, which arguably left the biggest mark on future generations of annoying bands.

6. English Scheme
Just sheer poetry. Brings grim middle-England to life and has a good poke at the middling-classes

The commune crap, camp bop, middle-class, flip-flop
Guess that's why they end up in bands

7. How I Wrote Elastic Man
A classic Fall single in the character of a disillusioned hit songwriter (/author?). It's songs like this where Smith was in his element displaying a command of the language I could only dream of. I love the discordant, apparently abstract lyrics he wrote as well, but this is what all pop songs would aspire to in an ideal world. *sigh*

Life should be full of strangeness
Like a rich painting
But it gets worse day by day
I'm a potential DJ

8. Fortress/Deer Park
From the album 'look back bores' like us are always droning on about. Production-wise I am still yet to hear anything as brutal as 'Hex-Enduction Hour'. Bristling with malevolence. Also marks the beginning of the devastating two-drummer line-up. Listen out for the debut of the dictaphone Mark was rather fond of holding up to the mic.

9. Smile
This epitomises what many consider to be the definitive Fall line-up. Like a dream coming-together of Beefheart and Can's never-ending consciousness jams with amphetamines instead of psychotropics... But this is MES, and the surreal is merely the all-too-real, the internal monologue screaming at you from the back of your mind... Unless it isn't. In which case why are you still here?

10. Ludd Gang
I was split between this and 'Neighbourhood of Infinity'; but when I was 17 this was one of the first Fall songs that grabbed me by the throat and made me realise I would probably be listening to them on my death bed. Probably helped by the few MES lyrics I could actually make out at the time (pre-internet), which now seems exceptionally stupid of me.

Ports, Jap, fella, missed, film, swiz, quartz, lorry, back, tread, damn,
ludd gang /
Carve a hole in the rain for yer
Carve a hole in the rain for yer /
I hate the guts of Shakin' Stevens
For what he has done
The massacre of "Blue Christmas"
On him I'd like to land one on

11. Wings
Has the same relevance as the above track; a rather haunting, shamelessly repetitive cyclical post-punk riff that is soberly psychedelic (i.e. in an eyes-wide-open, speed comedown-nightmare kinda way). MES was a devotee of Philip K. Dick and this is pure 70's short-story science fiction, coming off like some kind of cautionary fable on time-travel; although I am convinced there is a subtext at work.

This promo is typically po-faced and grounded (music videos were not par for the course back then and you could tell they weren't keen to look like prats), I especially love the few unexpected angles and violent frames at the end. Mark's drinking partner at the pub is American ex-wife and ex-guitarist Brix Smith, who now owns a London boutique and has appeared on Gok Wan's thrifty fashion fluff hour.

12. No Bulbs
Can you imagine how any other band nowadays purporting to be 'indie' would handle the subject matter of living in a demolished flat and trying to find a belt in the dark? Not like this
They say damp records the past
if that's so I've got the biggest library yet
the biggest library yet.

13. R.O.D. (John Peel BBC Session)
Classic from yet another Fall album that could be said to be different from all the rest whilst still being unmistakably them.

14. Gut Of The Quantifier (John Peel BBC Session)
Who are the riff-makers.
Who are they really?
How old are the stars really?
Half-wit philanthropist, cosy charity gig
If God could see this
He'd stick it
They stick it in the gut
Cheap fog
Rotting scout-belt

To NK Roachment: Yarbles (Interlude)
Serves as a good breaker, also one of many great little moments tucked away on easily the Fall's most ambitious album - 'This Nation's Saving Grace'. To be honest it probably was.

15. Hey! Luciani
1988 was the year Mark E. Smith and his erstwhile gruppe tasted chart success, I was stuck for a song to epitomise this and Urban helped me out. It has harpsichord (!) and was a single release to coincide with Smith's play of the same name.

16. New Big Prinz
A sequel to Hex's 'Hip Priest' and, along with 'Touch Sensitive', I would argue it is the closest you will get to a Fall anthem. We appreciate you Mark, you old git!

17. Wrong Place, Right Time
At their tightest here, it's worth noting that this album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet 'I am Curious, Orange'.

18. Frenz
The outro of the misanthrope

04-11-2009, 04:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
Molecules daddy don't Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 2,577	Here's part one of the only guide that matters to the only band that matters. It's chronological. DOWNLOAD IT, JERKS! 00002 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong (1978-1989) Intro A perfect Mark E. Smith intro if ever there was one. Confident and dismissive of all. 1. Psycho Mafia The first track from the Fall's debut EP in 1978, 'Bingo Master's Break-out!'. For the first year of their existence they were still a democratic unit and provided an acerbic slant on the punk wave. Spitting on the streets Shot heads and teeth Our eyes are red Our brains are dead 2. Repetition The Fall's manifesto in song form. Same old blank generation Groovy blank generation Swinging blank generation 3. Rowche Rumble (Live) This is 'top 5 pieces of music ever' business, honestly. Relentless and unpolished. The song is an attack on La Roche Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss company which thrives to this day on mental 'illnesses' defined only by a checklist of physical symptoms and written by imperfect humans in the late 70's. 4. Psykick Dancehall A young Smith lays out his sonic ambitions on the opener from the supernaturally-charged 'Dragnet'. His literary influences were properly starting to influence the lyrics by this point (Burroughs, Lovecraft and Wyndham Lewis to name a few). 5. Your Heart Out For all their cult status and anti-pop reputation, the Fall's sound is quintessentially accessible, and MES is clever enough to know that pop can be subversive and artistic in the right hands. This also marked the beginning of their lo-fi era, which arguably left the biggest mark on future generations of annoying bands. 6. English Scheme Just sheer poetry. Brings grim middle-England to life and has a good poke at the middling-classes The commune crap, camp bop, middle-class, flip-flop Guess that's why they end up in bands 7. How I Wrote Elastic Man A classic Fall single in the character of a disillusioned hit songwriter (/author?). It's songs like this where Smith was in his element displaying a command of the language I could only dream of. I love the discordant, apparently abstract lyrics he wrote as well, but this is what all pop songs would aspire to in an ideal world. sigh Life should be full of strangeness Like a rich painting But it gets worse day by day I'm a potential DJ 8. Fortress/Deer Park From the album 'look back bores' like us are always droning on about. Production-wise I am still yet to hear anything as brutal as 'Hex-Enduction Hour'. Bristling with malevolence. Also marks the beginning of the devastating two-drummer line-up. Listen out for the debut of the dictaphone Mark was rather fond of holding up to the mic. 9. Smile This epitomises what many consider to be the definitive Fall line-up. Like a dream coming-together of Beefheart and Can's never-ending consciousness jams with amphetamines instead of psychotropics... But this is MES, and the surreal is merely the all-too-real, the internal monologue screaming at you from the back of your mind... Unless it isn't. In which case why are you still here? 10. Ludd Gang I was split between this and 'Neighbourhood of Infinity'; but when I was 17 this was one of the first Fall songs that grabbed me by the throat and made me realise I would probably be listening to them on my death bed. Probably helped by the few MES lyrics I could actually make out at the time (pre-internet), which now seems exceptionally stupid of me. Ports, Jap, fella, missed, film, swiz, quartz, lorry, back, tread, damn, ludd gang / Carve a hole in the rain for yer Carve a hole in the rain for yer / I hate the guts of Shakin' Stevens For what he has done The massacre of "Blue Christmas" On him I'd like to land one on 11. Wings Has the same relevance as the above track; a rather haunting, shamelessly repetitive cyclical post-punk riff that is soberly psychedelic (i.e. in an eyes-wide-open, speed comedown-nightmare kinda way). MES was a devotee of Philip K. Dick and this is pure 70's short-story science fiction, coming off like some kind of cautionary fable on time-travel; although I am convinced there is a subtext at work. This promo is typically po-faced and grounded (music videos were not par for the course back then and you could tell they weren't keen to look like prats), I especially love the few unexpected angles and violent frames at the end. Mark's drinking partner at the pub is American ex-wife and ex-guitarist Brix Smith, who now owns a London boutique and has appeared on Gok Wan's thrifty fashion fluff hour. 12. No Bulbs Can you imagine how any other band nowadays purporting to be 'indie' would handle the subject matter of living in a demolished flat and trying to find a belt in the dark? Not like this They say damp records the past if that's so I've got the biggest library yet the biggest library yet. 13. R.O.D. (John Peel BBC Session) Classic from yet another Fall album that could be said to be different from all the rest whilst still being unmistakably them. 14. Gut Of The Quantifier (John Peel BBC Session) Who are the riff-makers. Who are they really? How old are the stars really? Half-wit philanthropist, cosy charity gig If God could see this He'd stick it They stick it in the gut Cheap fog Rotting scout-belt To NK Roachment: Yarbles (Interlude) Serves as a good breaker, also one of many great little moments tucked away on easily the Fall's most ambitious album - 'This Nation's Saving Grace'. To be honest it probably was. 15. Hey! Luciani 1988 was the year Mark E. Smith and his erstwhile gruppe tasted chart success, I was stuck for a song to epitomise this and Urban helped me out. It has harpsichord (!) and was a single release to coincide with Smith's play of the same name. 16. New Big Prinz A sequel to Hex's 'Hip Priest' and, along with 'Touch Sensitive', I would argue it is the closest you will get to a Fall anthem. We appreciate you Mark, you old git! 17. Wrong Place, Right Time At their tightest here, it's worth noting that this album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet 'I am Curious, Orange'. 18. Frenz The outro of the misanthrope __________________ [SIZE="1"]Eff em tumble her Last edited by Molecules; 04-12-2009 at 05:02 PM.