The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 October 1984 & 12 October 1984 | |||
Recorded | Mid-1984 | |||
Studio | Focus Studios, London | |||
Genre | Post-punk | |||
Length | 40:09 | |||
Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
Producer | John Leckie | |||
The Fall chronology | ||||
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The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... is the seventh studio album by English musical group the Fall, released in October 1984. It was the band's first album after signing to the Beggars Banquet label. Newcomer Brix Smith co-wrote three of the tracks, ushering in a relatively pop-oriented sound for the group. Paul Hanley left the band immediately after the accompanying UK tour, ending the group's distinctive "twin drummers" period. [1]
The album opens with the supernatural-themed "Lay of the Land", which starts with a chant taken from the television series The Quatermass Conclusion . [2] [3] One of three songs on the album co-written by Mark E. Smith and Brix Smith, [4] it was described by Bob Nickas and Nikholis Planck in their book on the album as "sinister rockabilly with swirling guitars, doubled bass (Karl Burns also played bass on this song), double drums, and that killer riff from Brix". [5] "2 x 4" features Steve Hanley's bass prominently, Nickas and Planck considering it the lead instrument on the song. [6] "Copped It" (one of two songs on the album to feature guest vocals from Gavin Friday of the Virgin Prunes) continued Mark E. Smith's common lyrical theme of criticism of the music scene. [7] The last song on side one, "Elves", bears a strong resemblance to the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog". [8] Lyrically it was seen as chastising younger bands, with Mark E. Smith commenting that he was "trying to write about how shitty all Scottish groups are, and how Scottish groups always lecture everybody on how they are from Scotland, and how hard up they are." [9]
Side two opens with "Slang King", which references "The Four of Us Are Dying", an episode of The Twilight Zone . [10] "Bug Day" was seen as "revealing [Mark E.] Smith's interest in dub, and locking his band in a groove". [11] "Stephen Song" is the second song to feature Gavin Friday. "Craigness" has one of Mark E. Smith's downstairs neighbours as its subject, although whether real or fictional is not clear. [12] The album closes with "Disney's Dream Debased", inspired by an incident from the Smiths' visit to Disneyland in January 1984. [13] After they got off the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride, Mark E. Smith was upset and decided the ride was evil; shortly afterwards a female passenger was thrown from the ride and decapitated by an oncoming car, with visitors comforted by employees dressed as Disney characters. [13]
The album was recorded in mid-1984 at Focus Studios on Borough High Street in London, and produced by John Leckie. [14] [2] The songs were largely recorded live in the studio. [2] The recording sessions were so loud that Friday claimed that afterwards his "ears bled for days". [15] Leckie commented on the recording sessions: "Mark would have a can of Special Brew, vodka, and a line of speed going at eleven in the morning, just to start the day." [16]
Three older, previously abandoned songs were revisited during these sessions. "Oh! Brother" and "Copped It" dated back to the group's earliest incarnation (they can be heard on Live 1977 issued by Voiceprint Records in 2000), [17] and "Draygo's Guilt" was being performed live in 1981 (it can be heard in the Live in Leeds section of the Perverted by Language Bis DVD, issued by Cherry Red in 2003).
The album's cover artwork (like that of its predecessor Perverted by Language ) was painted by Danish-born artist Claus Castenskiold. [18]
The album was released on 12 October 1984, with the Call for Escape Route EP released at the same time. The cassette version was titled Escape Route from the Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, and included tracks from the EP and singles released earlier in the year.
The album was released on CD for the first time in 1988, with a similar tracklisting to the original cassette edition. A four-CD 'omnibus edition' box set edition was released in 2010, featuring outtakes, sessions, demos, and live recordings from the Pandora's Music Box Festival, and with a 48-page book included. [19]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Mojo | [20] |
Pitchfork | 9.6/10 [21] |
Q | [22] |
Record Collector | [19] |
Record Mirror | [23] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [24] |
Sounds | [25] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10 [26] |
Uncut | 9/10 [27] |
Richard Cook, reviewing the album for the NME , praised it, stating, "They have their own world, which still has wonder and fright in it, and every time they play, the doors to it swing open." [28] Andy Hurt, for Sounds , was equally positive, commenting, "The preferred line of attack remains insidious subversion, Mr. Smith's nasal nastiness doing its worst over that deceptively straightforward backing", and calling it "the ideal Christmas gift". [25] Record Mirror 's Andy Strike noted the album's "fresh, raw" sound and found that it "exudes a rare spirit." [23] Trouser Press considered it to be "easily one of the band's best records". [29]
Ned Raggett, in a retrospective AllMusic review, feels that the album is not aimed at the commercial market, describing Mark E. Smith's vocals in "Elves" as "audible, tape-distorting spit", Craig Scanlon's guitar work in "Lay of the Land" as "feedback ... over the clattering din" and Smith's lyrics in places as "coruscating and side-splittingly hilarious" and "portray[ing] a Disneyland scenario in hell"; overall his view is that it is a "smart, varied album". [14]
Ryan Schreiber in a Pitchfork review described it as one of the highlights of The Fall's career full of "artsy and other-worldly" songs ranging from "bouncy and insane ... Sex Pistols- meets- Plastic Bertrand new-waviness" to "refreshing pop rock". [21]
The album reached no. 62 on the UK Albums Chart in October 1984. [30] NME ranked it number 14 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1984. [31] In a 2018 list, Billboard selected it as the band's second best album, calling it "furiously catchy". [32] It was voted number 973 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). [33]
The Fall embarked on a month-long tour to support the album release, playing to ever-growing audiences throughout the UK and Ireland. Things took a turn for the worse when in Cardiff the band's van was broken into and almost all the gear was stolen, including Brix Smith's rare Gretsch guitar (which would be recovered years later). After a lacklustre next day's show played on replacement gear hastily provided by Beggars Banquet Records, an argument exploded as a furious Mark E. Smith blamed the band for allowing the theft to happen. Fed up with his treatment, Steve and Paul Hanley immediately left the band. This left The Fall with a single drummer and no bassist. Both Hanleys were persuaded to return for a televised performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test , where The Fall played "Lay of the Land" accompanied by the Michael Clark Dance Company. Eventually, Brix talked Mark into making peace with Steve Hanley, whom she considered as the anchor and the most reliable person in the band; his departure was then changed to a temporary leave, as he was under the additional stress of having to look after his ill premature-born son. In the meantime, the bass player's position was taken by Simon Rogers, a classically trained musician whom Mark E. Smith met through mutual acquaintance Michael Clark. A capable multi-instrumentalist, Rogers remained in The Fall as a keyboardist/guitarist when Steve Hanley finally rejoined in May 1985.
Original UK LP
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lay of the Land" | Mark E. Smith, Brix Smith | 5:44 |
2. | "2 × 4" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:38 |
3. | "Copped It" | M. Smith, Karl Burns | 4:15 |
4. | "Elves" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Slang King" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Paul Hanley | 5:21 |
6. | "Bug Day" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley, Burns, P. Hanley | 4:58 |
7. | "Stephen Song" | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 3:05 |
8. | "Craigness" | M. Smith, Scanlon | 3:03 |
9. | "Disney's Dream Debased" | M. Smith, B. Smith, S. Hanley | 5:18 |
Total length: | 40:09 |
Cassette (titled Escape Route from the Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lay of the Land" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 5:45 |
2. | "2 × 4" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:38 |
3. | "Copped It" | M. Smith, Burns | 4:15 |
4. | "Elves" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:47 |
5. | "Oh! Brother" (from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns | 4:01 |
6. | "Draygo's Guilt" (from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 4:29 |
7. | "God Box" (from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:18 |
8. | "Clear Off!" (from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 4:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "C.R.E.E.P." (from the 12" edition of the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 4:42 |
10. | "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (from the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:00 |
11. | "Slang King" | M. Smith, B. Smith, P. Hanley | 5:21 |
12. | "Bug Day" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns, P. Hanley | 4:58 |
13. | "Stephen Song" | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 3:05 |
14. | "Craigness" | M. Smith, Scanlon | 3:03 |
15. | "Disney's Dream Debased" | M. Smith, B. Smith, S. Hanley | 5:18 |
16. | "No Bulbs" (from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 7:51 |
Total length: | 73:32 |
Original US Version (PVC/Beggars Banquet)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lay of the Land" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 5:44 |
2. | "2 × 4" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:36 |
3. | "Copped It" | M. Smith, Burns | 4:16 |
4. | "Elves" | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:48 |
5. | "C.R.E.E.P." (from B-side of the 12" edition of the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 4:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "No Bulbs 3" (from the 7" bonus included with the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:30 |
7. | "Slang King" (from the 7" bonus included with the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith, P. Hanley | 5:21 |
8. | "Bug Day" | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns, P. Hanley | 4:58 |
9. | "Stephen Song" | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 3:04 |
10. | "Craigness" | M. Smith, Scanlon | 3:04 |
11. | "Disney's Dream Debased" | M. Smith, B. Smith, S. Hanley | 5:17 |
Total length: | 49:18 |
1988 CD edition
The album was belatedly issued on CD in 1988. The track listing duplicated the content and running order of the cassette edition almost exactly, substituting the extended "C.R.E.E.P." for the 7" version, although it added a brief spoken introduction by Brix Smith unheard elsewhere. (The running time for this version of "C.R.E.E.P." is 3:08; all other running times listed above for the cassette apply to the CD version.) The CD was not, however, given the cassette's extended title.
Disc 1 - The Wonderful and Frightening World Of...The Fall
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Oh! Brother" (from the "Oh! Brother" single) | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns | 4:02 |
2. | "God-Box" (from the "Oh! Brother" single,) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:22 |
3. | "O! Brother" (from the 12" edition of the "Oh! Brother" single) | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns | 4:19 |
4. | "c.r.e.e.p." (from the "c.r.e.e.p" single) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 3:10 |
5. | "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (from the "c.r.e.e.p" single) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:01 |
6. | "C.R.E.E.P." (from the 12" edition of the "c.r.e.e.p" single) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 4:43 |
7. | "New Fiend (2 By 4)" (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:36 |
8. | "No Bulbs 3" (un-edited) (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 5:02 |
9. | "Slang King 2" (from the Call for Escape Route EP) | M. Smith, B. Smith, P. Hanley | 5:16 |
10. | "Draygo's Guilt" (from the Call for Escape Route EP) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 4:31 |
11. | "Clear Off!" (from the Call for Escape Route EP) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 4:43 |
12. | "No Bulbs" (from the Call for Escape Route EP) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 7:50 |
13. | "Lay of the Land" (rough mix) (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:17 |
14. | "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (rough mix) (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:05 |
15. | "New Fiend" (rough mix) (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:39 |
16. | "Slang King" (edits version one) (previously unreleased) | M. Smith, B. Smith, P. Hanley | 5:57 |
Total length: | 72:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Creep" (Peel session; recorded 12 December 1983) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 2:37 |
2. | "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (Peel session; recorded 12 December 1983) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:11 |
3. | "2 by 4" (Peel session; recorded 12 December 1983) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:18 |
4. | "Words of Expectation" (Peel session; recorded 12 December 1983) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Burns, S. Hanley, P. Hanley [n 1] | 9:17 |
5. | "God Box" (Jensen session; recorded 12 February 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 2:48 |
6. | "Lay of the Land" (Jensen session; recorded 12 February 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:59 |
7. | "Oh Brother" (Jensen session; recorded 12 February 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, Burns | 3:50 |
8. | "Creep" (Jensen session; recorded 12 February 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 2:51 |
9. | "No Bulbs" (Long session; recorded 9 September 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:20 |
10. | "Draygo's Guilt" (Long session; recorded 9 September 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 4:49 |
11. | "Stephen Song" (Long session; recorded 9 September 1984) | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 3:17 |
12. | "Slang King" (Long session; recorded 9 September 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith, P. Hanley | 6:25 |
13. | "Copped It" (Saturday Live; recorded 29 September 1984) | M. Smith, Burns | 5:59 |
14. | "Elves" (Saturday Live; recorded 29 September 1984) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:10 |
15. | "Fortress/Marquis Cha Cha" (Saturday Live; recorded 29 September 1984) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Marc Riley, Burns/M. Smith, Burns | 5:57 |
Total length: | 68:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lay of the Land" (live) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 5:02 |
2. | "Craigness" (live) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 3:09 |
3. | "2 by 4" (live) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 3:41 |
4. | "Draygo's Guilt" (live) | M. Smith, Scanlon | 5:14 |
5. | "No Bulbs" (live) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 6:00 |
6. | "Kicker Conspiracy" (live) | M. Smith | 5:03 |
7. | "Stephen Song" (live) | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 4:22 |
8. | "Copped It" (live) | M. Smith, Burns | 7:22 |
9. | "Pat-Trip Dispenser" (live) | M. Smith, B. Smith | 4:25 |
10. | "Middle Mass" (live) | M. Smith, Scanlon, Riley, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 6:01 |
Total length: | 50:47 |
The Fall
Additional musicians
Technical
Bonus tracks
BBC radio sessions
The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.
Mark Edward Smith was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester and was its leader until his death. During their 42-year existence, the Fall's line-up included some sixty musicians, with whom Smith released 32 studio albums and numerous singles and EPs.
This Nation's Saving Grace is the eighth studio album by the English post-punk band the Fall, released in 1985 by Beggars Banquet. In contrast to the band's earlier albums, This Nation's... is noted for its pop sensibilities and guitar hooks, and John Leckie's accessible production. This Nation's... was recorded in London between June and July 1985, and is the second of the three consecutive Fall albums produced by John Leckie. The album was accompanied by the singles "Couldn't Get Ahead" and "Cruiser's Creek", and tours of Europe and America.
Grotesque (After the Gramme) is the third studio album by English band the Fall. Released on 17 November 1980, it was the band's first studio album on Rough Trade.
Perverted by Language is the sixth studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in December 1983 on Rough Trade Records.
Brix Smith is an American singer and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a major songwriter for the English post-punk band the Fall during two stints in the band.
Bend Sinister is the ninth studio album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was released in September 1986 by record label Beggars Banquet.
I Am Kurious Oranj is the eleventh studio album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was released on 24 October 1988 through record label Beggars Banquet.
Extricate is the 12th album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced guitarist Brix Smith. Brix's departure helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and relatively pop-oriented guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member Martin Bramah, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Seminal Live is a 1989 album by English rock band The Fall, recorded partly in the studio and partly at live performances in 1988. The album was the last to be released by the group through Beggars Banquet Records, and as such is often seen as a "contractual obligation" album. It was also the last Fall album to feature Brix Smith, former wife of the lead singer Mark E. Smith, until her return for 1995's Cerebral Caustic.
Cerebral Caustic is the seventeenth full-length studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in 1995 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK Albums Chart at number 67, 19 places lower than its predecessor Middle Class Revolt, marking the end of one of the group's relatively more successful periods.
The Light User Syndrome is the 18th album by the Fall, released in 1996 on Jet Records. It was the group's first album to feature keyboard player and guitarist Julia Nagle and the last to feature Brix Smith, while longtime guitarist Craig Scanlon was fired in late 1995 during troubled recording sessions for "The Chiselers" single which preceded the album. A version of "The Chiselers" is included on the album as "Interlude/Chilinism".
Levitate is the 19th album by The Fall, released in 1997 on Artful Records. Levitate became the last album to feature two long-time Fall members, drummer Karl Burns and bass player Steve Hanley.
Fall in a Hole is a live album by the Fall, recorded in Auckland in August 1982 and released in December 1983 on the Flying Nun label of New Zealand.
The Adult Net were a British indie pop band formed by British-based American singer and guitarist Brix Smith in 1984, while she was a member of The Fall.
"Hey! Luciani" is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith with his then-wife Brix Smith and longstanding band member Steve Hanley. Released in December 1986, the record reached number 59 on the UK singles chart, the band's first original song to make the top 75 of the chart. The song was written as part of Smith's play, Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I, concerning conspiracy theories about the 1978 death of the Pope, which was performed for two weeks in London and starred Leigh Bowery.
Hip Priest and Kamerads is a 1985 compilation album by British rock band The Fall, containing tracks taken from their releases on the Kamera label together with a previously unreleased live track from the same era. It was subsequently reissued with a further four live tracks added.
"I Am Damo Suzuki" is a song by the English post-punk band The Fall released on their 1985 album This Nation's Saving Grace. It was written in tribute to the Japanese expat vocalist Damo Suzuki of the Krautrock group Can, whom Fall vocalist Mark E. Smith consistently described as a major influence.
"Cruiser's Creek" is a 1985 single by the English Post-punk band The Fall. The music and lyrics were written by guitarist Brix Smith and lead vocalist Mark E. Smith during sessions in the lead up to recording their 8th album This Nation's Saving Grace, and it was released as single just after the album came out. The b-side of the single was album track "L.A." while the twelve-inch single version contains the song "Vixen", written and sung by Brix.
"Paint Work" is a 1985 song by the English Post-punk band The Fall that first appeared on their album This Nation's Saving Grace. Widely considered the high-point of the album, the track was described in 2019 as "absolutely sublime" by Vulture, and as "mildly psychedelic" in 2011 by critic Mick Middles.