Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Mark E. Smith

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #51
    The first I remember hearing of them was Hit The North on a radio station (CFNY Toronto) 'rare tracks' sampler in 1994. I recall the liner notes saying something about 'If you like the sound of this song, don't get too excited. Nothing else they do sounds like this." Which could really have applied to a lot of Fall songs.

    Then, in the early '00s, a friend burned me 'A Sides - The Singles' and I was utterly hooked from the first song (Oh! Brother.)

    Comment


      #52
      First saw them at Leicester Poly in 1982 when Hex Enduction Hour - the first Fall LP I brought - was being toured. Last seen in 2011 in York.

      Comment


        #53
        Saw them in a converted church in Oldham in 1979. My mate Nigel, an early adopter in so many things, was really into them. He knew all the words to all the tracks on Dragnet but didn't know what a dragnet was. Anyway, he dragged a bunch of us to this concert in Oldham. All I can really remember is that the Fall made a catchy racket and the bouncer said if we touched the beermats again he'd "break our fucking fingers". And that in a church!

        Nigel went on to do a PhD in Kantian philosophy.

        Comment


          #54
          The church put temptation in your way. Not everyone has Our Lord's will power and general maturity.

          Originally posted by WOM View Post
          Well, they could always draft a new lead singer and just...
          The Fall + Adam Lambert. You just might be on to something, WOM.

          Comment


            #55
            The Fall According to Terrence Trent D'Arby...

            Comment


              #56
              Also saw them at Deeply Vale at about the same time. Walking up to the festival site we stopped in a café and had something to eat. The owner said a lot of people were stopping and the festival was good for business but some of the punters looked decidedly shifty and she asked them to pay when she took their order. Needless to say, she had our money in her apron pocket long before we got our egg and chips.

              Comment


                #57
                A genius, a one off and a right twat. He'd be happy to be remembered as all three.

                Comment


                  #58
                  I first saw them at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on the Levitate tour - so around 1997 / 1998.

                  The last time I saw them was a couple of years ago in London. My memory is terrible and I can't for the life of me remember the venue.

                  My favourite gig was the last night of the Hammersmith Palais. April 1st 2007. The group at that time was really tight and powerful, and MES was on top form.

                  Comment


                    #59
                    That was right in the midst of the killer Fall Heads Roll / Reformation Post TLC / Imperial Wax Solvent trifecta of albums.

                    Comment


                      #60
                      Yeah. Those three albums are three of my favourite Fall records. MES also did the Von Sudenfed record around that time (between Reformation and IWS I think think) which is another inspired piece of work.

                      The band members around that time (particularly the guys from Darker My Love) were clearly invigorating him; but I suspect a lot of credit has to go to Elena. When I saw them for the last time Elena's absence really struck me - I'd come to associate her with The Fall, and it just wasn't the same without her.

                      Comment


                        #61
                        Yesterday, one of the regulars put on "Time Enough At Last" on his hand-held music-playing device thing.

                        He meant well but, for only the second time since I've had the hut, I ended up raising my voice and telling him to turn it the fuck off. Blubbing in front of the guests wouldn't be good.

                        Comment


                          #62
                          If I heard 'Living Too Late' I would definitely crack.

                          Comment


                            #63
                            Or Bill Is Dead; anything with 'crow's feet' in the lyrics, then.

                            Comment


                              #64
                              Since the early 1980s if anyone asks who my favourite band is I always reply "The Fall and Cabaret Voltaire". I never got to see either of them live.

                              Rest in peace MES you cantankerous old curmudgeon, but I still say that solo album of yours that I bought is utter crap.

                              Comment


                                #65
                                When my daughter was two or three, I used to play Oh! Brother fairly often. She picked up the words pretty well, often saying 'I'm not a comm-a-mist' [communist] to much laughter. I reminder her of this last night, and she pled total ignorance of the song. So, I put it on and she immediately sang it word for word. She was like "how do I know this - uh?"

                                She's 15 now..

                                Comment


                                  #66
                                  All those people saying that he was a genius might have been right.



                                  Last edited by Sean of the Shed; 26-01-2018, 18:31.

                                  Comment


                                    #67
                                    Originally posted by WOM View Post
                                    When my daughter was two or three, I used to play Oh! Brother fairly often. She picked up the words pretty well, often saying 'I'm not a comm-a-mist' [communist] to much laughter. I reminder her of this last night, and she pled total ignorance of the song. So, I put it on and she immediately sang it word for word. She was like "how do I know this - uh?"

                                    She's 15 now..
                                    You don't even have the traditional excuse of there being no internet, and messing with your toddlers head because you're really bored. That's brilliant.

                                    Comment


                                      #68
                                      My other favourite was teaching my son how to ride a bike when he was 5 or so. I was running along behind, holding the seat, and he's quietly singing 'May the road rise with you...may the road rise with you...' over and over as he pedaled.

                                      Comment


                                        #69
                                        One day, after you've lectured him about tattoos or tunnel earrings or whatever, he's going to say, "You could be wrong. You could be right."

                                        Comment


                                          #70
                                          Yeah. Right now it's earrings (diamond) and a pet snake.

                                          No...and no.

                                          Comment


                                            #71
                                            Meet him halfway. Let him do what them youngsters do and slice a "V" into the tip of his tongue. Then he'll look like a snake.

                                            Comment


                                              #72
                                              Think I’ll dig out The Marshall Suite tonight. That record really meant a lot to me for various reasons, back in the beforetime. Hope it stands up to memory.

                                              Comment


                                                #73
                                                I'm pondering a run at the Peel Sessions box set but have been at both 458489 sets, 50,000 Fall Fans... and Bend Sinister in the meantime. The crossover points tend to be my favourites, so not too much skipping required.

                                                Comment


                                                  #74
                                                  About 10 years ago, Taylor posted a link to a compilation of covers by The Fall, it was excellent. The one that stood out was "I'm Going to Spain" by Steve Bent; everything about the lyrics was total MES; I'm 34, I've sold my car, I'm going to live in Spain with uncle Norman. Someone posted before, he really found his medium with The Fall. Beyond The Fall, I'm trying to think of one project he did which could be considered an artistic stain on his career like Tin Machine. It was all good, working with Michael Clark, Inpsiral Carpets, Final Score or Mouse on Mars.

                                                  But he really seemed like a difficult man. That British Masters interview John Doran did with him was horrible to watch. I remember him going on about how much he loved The Fall on here and MES just spent the whole interview belittling him like a total wanker.

                                                  I saw them around 4 or 5 times. First time at Reading Festival in 1991. I knew about them at the time, but thought they would be a boring band for old people because MES wore a suit. Ended up enjoying the show but never totally got into them until I saw them again at Phoenix when Brix briefly returned and they were amazing. Went to see them a few years later at Astoria 2 and it was probably one of the worst gigs I've ever seen, with MES refusing to come onto stage and singing from behind the amplifiers. A few years later they were on the bill at All Tomorrow's Parties and I was expecting the worst, but they were incredible. A few years later I saw them in Portugal and they were poor again, MES was irritable and the band looked like they would rather be anywhere but onstage with him.
                                                  Last edited by steveeeeeeeee; 27-01-2018, 19:52.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #75
                                                    Could have been Headphone Rumpus had I not stopped singing/shouting “A Jew on a Motorbike!” while walking up the road the other day.

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X