40 Odd Years Of The Fall

The original Story Of The Fall website has now been updated and converted into a book - 40 Odd Years Of The Fall - with illustrations for each year by Greg Moodie and a foreword by Aidan Moffat. You can buy the book here.

2017

2016

2015

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987

1986

1985

1984

1983

1982

1981

1980

1979

1978

1977

Essential Links

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2013

Touchy Pad

RemaindererAlmost conventional rock tune here. Subject matter subject to Does it matter? It's a different vibe and the second vocal by Tamsin Middleton is a bonus, especially the half hysterical, 'Where's my time machine?' There appears to be a mixture of Lovecraft imagery and slagging of officious customs officers at work judging by the line, 'Your lousy country stinks anyway.' Strangely subdued.

 

 

 

posted @ 11.10 PM, December 19, 2013

 

Say Mama/Race With The Devil

RemaindererGene Vincent medley. More smashed together than segued smoothly, but it's the join I really like with its echoey descending bass line. I think one of these is from one of John Peel's birthday parties. The Fall could knock this stuff out in their sleep but it still sounds fun.

 

 

 

posted @ 14.00 PM, December 18, 2013


Rememberance R

RemaindererRe: Reformation, repetition et al. The resurgence of regurgitated bands rears its head again. After initial gurgling (what the hell's 'canajetta?), there's a weirdly straight sung 'He sits' which sounds like a real singer. Then the return of Iggy's 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' riff (see also 'Elves'). The annunciation of 'rememberance' throws up some interesting interpretations, including a funny wavering one whilst the 'R' bit gives plenty excuses for various 'aaaaaarrrr's. Producer Simon "Ding" Archer does spoken bit at end including 'They appear out of nowhere and expect you to treat them like an equal, whilst they've been decorating or teaching for the last 10 years, having a life and wife and kids.'

 

posted @ 13.10 PM, December 17, 2013


Mister Rode

RemaindererA throbbing intro, gradually building expectation is joined by some powerful rolling drums getting ever madder, eventually exploding with a guitar riff reminiscent of Fire Engines. The simple and effective repetitive vocals echo the guitar riff while MES echoes himself in the mist in the background. The drums go mad sporadically and at one point a prolonged pause at 'They had a ............say!' when he waits for the beat to come back in almost makes you want to punch the air. The end veers off in a new direction after 'It's taking off' when a buzzsaw guitar comes in and the drums go batshit mental again. Thrilling.

 

posted @ 13.00 PM, December 16, 2013


Amorator!

Remainderer'Never forget - your brain is a bubble of water.' Excellent. The remembering and brain motifs continue in this Yee fucking ha rockabilly train drums and chirpy guitar driven number. This is the gear. There's also another MES vocal trope of the 'unexpected pause where he appears to struggle to remember the next word' variety at the 'and.......summer' bit. I am now discerning a distinct pop sensibility running through this EP. And I love it.

 

 

 

posted @ 13.30 PM, December 13, 2013

The Remainderer

RemaindererStrong drumming and farting keyboards buzz around a fuzzy riff. Two versions of this. The 'promo' vinyl version sounds sharper. The CD version has added phlegm, missing backing vocals and extra lyrics e.g. 'It was a good day...Whatever that is!' At one point MES sounds about to retch amid the gargling, whilst the ending finds him even more dalek like with a lingering intake of breath ala Weather Report 2 ending. After a few listens, though, the 'whatever it is, it is always remainderer r' refrain lodges into your brain and sounds like a classic pop line.

 

 

posted @ 13.40 PM, December 12, 2013

Loadstones

Re-MitIt's chant time. 'Local loadstones' gets things going, followed by the best guitar riff on the album with a cowboybilly bounce to it. Most definetely the best keyboards on the album, keeping a sinister undercurrent throughout. 'Shoes for the dead' fits perfectly into the rhythm too. If you want to know what the lyrics might mean, there's an incredibly in depth analysis on The Fall Annotated here.

 

 

 

posted @ 13.15 PM, July 1, 2013

Jam Song

Re-MitBleeps begin it. Then an aside from MES - 'Could do with a fucking chorus.' After what appears to be an attempt at making up some kind of tune/rhythm, it sounds like he's rustling paper and reading lyrics off it while trying to make up a melody on the spot. Some nice guitar chopping, some more words, culminating in 'and make truck with porcelain.' Back to a watery bass, more ratatat drums and finally brought round full circle to bleeps.

 

 

 

posted @ 13.40 PM, June 28, 2013

Jetplane

Re-MitThis is more like it - a meandering little narrative about Diane Worstock and Dr. Jeffery Henning standing in an airline queue against a militaristic backbeat and some great lines, my favourite being, 'the Italians certainly like their Sundays.' Other great moments include 'elbows and euros,' the hilarious 'whoooosh!' and Eleni's interjections. The melodic ending has MES singing (!) something like 'Suddenly, certainly, sullenly...'

 

 

 

posted @ 13.00 PM, June 27, 2013

Irish

Re-MitOk, so it's a very competent guitar riff with MES growling over it. Really, that's all it boils down to. Apart from the mumbles in one channel over the other guitar part, there's nothing strange, exciting or unexpected happening here. MES says 'I had to make up some lyrics quick for that one.' It shows. LCD Soundsystem get a desultory namecheck: 'James Murphy is their chief/They show their bollocks when they eat.'

 

 

 

posted @ 13.00 PM, June 26, 2013

No Respects Rev.

Re-MitIn contrast to the jaunty music, the lyrics suggest a supernatural, menacing scenario, though unclear. Amazingly, according to MES, he was approached to write a song for the 'Twilight' movies which he apparently did, this possibly being the one. Obviously, they didn't use it as, to quote the man himself, 'They don't know anything about horror.' Real horror, that is. Which, in MES's mind equates to Lovecraft, Machen and all things 'eldritch.' The unearthly 'aaah' bears witness to this and the speeding up at the end feels like a chase.

 

 

 

posted @ 13.05 PM, June 25, 2013

 

Pre - MDMA Years

Re-MitThe 'speaking randomly over four bloops on a keyboard' track. Not that I'm saying The Fall are getting formulaic or anything, but this is a somewhat predictable turn of events.

 

 

 

 

 

posted @ 12.55 PM, June 24, 2013

 

Hittite Man

Re-MitPromising rumbling start, some wobbly electronics, then another 60s reverb guitar line provides the main thrust of this. The power chords behind the 'you don't hear me' bits spark it into life sporadically. More growling interspersed with whispering - becoming a staple and not particularly ennervating or scary anymore. The wheezing cough at the end's just horrible. Subject matter? I only have this extract from MES: 'The Hittites didn’t believe in debt or insurance...they didn’t believe in wrongful communication, which I believe is the cause of a lot of trouble in the world.'

 

 

posted @ 14.10 PM, June 21, 2013

 

Noise

Re-MitAnother of those 'joking with the band' type improvised tracks a la 'Insult Song.' Mildly amusing description of 'nasty noise' guitarist Pete Greenway - 'Kiddies as we get older, we have to try and understand people who are different from us. Peter is one of these people.' Then some ill-advised info - ' 'the F-frets, that's what they're called on the guitar.' After the bassist ('Here he is now!') and engineer's namecheck he signs off with a nod to the studio where some of Re-Mit was recorded: 'Trapped on the altar of Konk.'

 

 

posted @ 13.25 PM, June 20, 2013

 

Kinder Of Spine

Re-MitThe Monks influence is strong in this one. Some kind of jolly rant about spiders that's even more bonkers than They Might Be Giants' 'Spider.' The hilariously high pitched way MES says 'spider' and 'help me' like Vincent Price at the end of the original 'The Fly' reminds me of how I used to laugh at the end of that film too. I'm sure it became a playground chant thing at school - 'help me!' MES himself breaks into chuckles near the end. Of the litany of absurd phrases, this is one of the corkers: 'One time I hurt my paw in a warren under the duvet.'

 

 

posted @ 13.30 PM, June 19, 2013

 

 

Sir William Wray

Re-Mit'G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-Gish! Gish!' Now, that's what I call an opening. Here, amongst the chants and riffage, MES takes screaming gibberish to a higher level. It's very nearly catchy but just manages to avoid that. As he told an Independent reporter, 'The idea of the song was to be anti-music...It's the bare bones of it, no lyrics, just the nasty bits. Stick that up your arse, X Factor. Anti-music.' Quite.

 

 

 

posted @ 08.05 AM, June 18, 2013

 

No Respects (Intro)

Re-MitChipper opening instrumental with a very 60s garage vibe, fleshed out later in the album. Fairly innocuous but sets you up expectantly.

 

 

 

 

 

posted @ 09.00 AM, June 17, 2013