| The Frenz Experiment | ||||
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| Released | 29 February 1988 [1] | |||
| Recorded | mid-late 1987 | |||
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| Length | 42:20 | |||
| Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
| Producer |
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| The Fall chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Frenz Experiment | ||||
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The Frenz Experiment is the tenth studio album by English post-punk band The Fall. It was released on 29 February 1988 through record label Beggars Banquet. In October 2020, an expanded remastered edition was produced, containing singles, b-sides and other tracks recorded in the same era.
Smith originally intended to call the album Gene Crime Experience, until he realised that its initials are "GCE". The phrase does still feature on the back cover of the CD.
A strong similarity between "Athlete Cured" and Spinal Tap's "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" has been noted. [2] In his autobiography The Big Midweek, bassist Steve Hanley confirms that the resemblance was not accidental, admitting that the group had been jamming the Spinal Tap song in soundchecks and that Mark E. Smith had decided to make use of the results. Hanley also states that producer Simon Rogers had been so annoyed by the lift that he came close to walking off the project. [3]
Guitarist Brix Smith claimed she co-wrote a number of the tracks but was largely omitted from the song writing credits.
The Frenz Experiment was released on 29 February 1988. It reached number 19 in the UK album chart, making it the Fall's first Top 20 album. [4] The group promoted the release with a live appearance in HMV's Oxford Street store in London. They opened the short set with "Cab It Up!", a new song that would appear on the group's following album, I Am Kurious Oranj .
Like the group's other albums with Beggars Banquet, Frenz has a different track listing across various formats (LP, CD and cassette). A number of tracks are credited exclusively to Mark E. Smith, but the album also incorporates two cover versions (or one, depending on the format): "Victoria", originally by The Kinks, and "There's a Ghost in My House", a northern soul track first recorded by R. Dean Taylor in 1966. The Fall's version of "Victoria" was released as a single, making it to No. 35 in the British charts. The latter cover version only appears on the CD version of the album, having been issued as a single in April 1987 and reaching number 30. This was the group's highest singles chart position to date and remains so.
In October 2020, a remastered, expanded edition of the album was released on double vinyl and CD, including tracks from the singles "There's a Ghost in My House", "Hit the North" and "Victoria". The CD version also contains the Fall's cover of A Day in the Life by The Beatles, from the NME charity album Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father , and a BBC Janice Long session. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [8] |
The Frenz Experiment was generally well received by music critics. Pitchfork , in a 2000 review, gave the album a positive rating but described it as "a bit of a mixed bag. On no other record than the weak 1994 effort Middle Class Revolt do they sound more like they're on autopilot." [8]
Original UK LP
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frenz" | Mark E. Smith | Simon Rogers | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Carry Bag Man" | M. Smith | Grant Showbiz | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Get a Hotel" | M. Smith, Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley | Rogers | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Victoria" | Ray Davies | Rogers | 2:40 |
| 5. | "Athlete Cured" | M. Smith | Rogers | 5:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "In These Times" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 3:25 |
| 7. | "The Steak Place" | M. Smith, Brix Smith | Rogers | 3:56 |
| 8. | "Bremen Nacht" | M. Smith | Rogers | 7:00 |
| 9. | "Guest Informant" (excerpt) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Showbiz | 0:39 |
| 10. | "Oswald Defence Lawyer" | M. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 5:59 |
Bonus 7": Bremen Nacht Run Out(UK/German first pressings only)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bremen Nacht Run Out" | M. Smith | Ian Grimble | 4:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Mark'll Sink Us" (live at Biskuithalle, Bonn, August 1987) | M. Smith, Scanlon | Dian Barton | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frenz" | M. Smith | Rogers | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Carry Bag Man" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Get a Hotel" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Rogers | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Victoria" | Davies | Rogers | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Athlete Cured" | M. Smith | Rogers | 5:55 |
| 6. | "In These Times" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 3:26 |
| 7. | "The Steak Place" | M. Smith, B. Smith | Rogers | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Bremen Nacht Alternative" | M. Smith | Barton | 9:19 |
| 9. | "Guest Informant Excerpt" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Showbiz | 0:39 |
| 10. | "Oswald Defence Lawyer" | M. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 5:59 |
| 11. | "Tuff Life Booogie" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 2:44 |
| 12. | "Guest Informant" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Barton | 5:47 |
| 13. | "Twister" | M. Smith, B. Smith | Rogers | 5:07 |
| 14. | "There's a Ghost in My House" | Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, R. Dean Taylor | Showbiz | 2:37 |
| 15. | "Hit the North (Part 1)" | M. Smith, Simon Rogers, B. Smith | Rogers | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frenz" | M. Smith | Rogers | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Carry Bag Man" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Get a Hotel" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Rogers | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Victoria" | Davies | Rogers | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Athlete Cured" | M. Smith | Rogers | 5:55 |
| 6. | "In These Times" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 3:26 |
| 7. | "The Steak Place" | M. Smith, B. Smith | Rogers | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Bremen Nacht" | M. Smith | Rogers | 7:09 |
| 9. | "Guest Informant" (excerpt) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Showbiz | 0:39 |
| 10. | "Oswald Defence Lawyer" | M. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 5:59 |
| 11. | "Bremen Nacht Run Out" | M. Smith | Grimble | 4:44 |
| 12. | "Mark'll Sink Us (2)" (live) | M. Smith, Scanlon | Barton | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There's a Ghost in My House" (single A-side, 1987) | Holland, Dozier, Holland, Taylor | Showbiz | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Sleep Debt Snatches" ("There's a Ghost in My House" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith | Showbiz | 6:19 |
| 3. | "Mark'll Sink Us" ("There's a Ghost in My House" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Showbiz | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Haf Found Bormann" ("There's a Ghost in My House" single B-side) | M. Smith | Showbiz | 2:43 |
| 5. | "Hit the North" (Part 1) (single A-side, 1987) | M. Smith, Simon Rogers, B. Smith | Rogers | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Australians in Europe" ("Hit the North" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith | Rogers | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Northerns in Europ" ("Hit the North" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith | Rogers | 2:21 |
| 8. | "Guest Informant" ("Victoria" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Barton | 5:51 |
| 9. | "Tuff Life Boogie" ("Victoria" single B-side) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 2:44 |
| 10. | "Twister" ("Victoria" 12" single B-side) | M. Smith, B. Smith | Rogers | 5:07 |
| 11. | "Bremen Nacht" (alternative) (1988 CD version)) | M. Smith | Barton | 9:18 |
| 12. | "A Day in the Life" ( Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father , 1988) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | Showbiz | 4:24 |
| 13. | "Frenz" (Janice Long session; recorded 13 May 1987) | M. Smith | Peter Watts | 3:20 |
| 14. | "There's a Ghost in My House" (Janice Long session; recorded 13 May 1987) | Holland, Dozier, Holland, Taylor | Watts | 3:07 |
| 15. | "Get a Hotel" (Janice Long session; recorded 13 May 1987) | M. Smith, Scanlon | Watts | 4:15 |
| 16. | "Haf Found Bormann" (Janice Long session; recorded 13 May 1987) | M. Smith | Watts | 3:30 |
Record 1as per original LP.
Record 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There's a Ghost in My House" | Holland, Dozier, Holland, Taylor | Showbiz | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Sleep Debt Snatches" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 6:19 |
| 3. | "Mark'll Sink Us" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Showbiz | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Haf Found Bormann" | M. Smith | Showbiz | 2:43 |
| 5. | "Bremen Nacht Run Out" | M. Smith | Grimble | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Northerns in Europ" | M. Smith | Rogers | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hit the North" (Part 1) | M. Smith, Rogers, B. Smith | Rogers | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Australians in Europe" | M. Smith | Rogers | 5:17 |
| 9. | "Guest Informant" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Hanley | Barton | 5:51 |
| 10. | "Tuff Life Boogie" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Hanley | Rogers | 2:44 |
| 11. | "Twister" | M. Smith, B. Smith | Rogers | 5:07 |
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