1984 - No Bulbs
3 January: 7th John Peel Session - Pat Trip Dispenser, 2 x 4, Words of Expectation, Creep
8 June: Single - Oh! Brother
24 August: Single - c.r.e.e.p.
12 October: Album - The Wonderful and Frightening World of
12 October: EP - Call for Escape Route
It was a Happy New Year for Fall fans as Tuesday the 3rd of January brought a new John Peel session. Recorded in mid-December (but included here as I go with transmission dates) it shows (with one exception) a move away from the intensity of Perverted By Language.
The exception was Words of Expectation - a nine-minute Smith rap/ramble that wouldn't see an official release for more than ten years. Pat Trip Dispenser, 2x4 and creep all display a coming, more accessible, Fall sound.
It took a while for that sound to find it's way to vinyl as there was another label change this year - Beggars Banquet were now the home of The Fall. Another independent but one with a bit more clout. Two singles were released over the summer. Oh! Brother and c.r.e.e.p were both a bit more singalong than previous efforts but were still excellent singles and still very much The Fall.
The last releases of 1984 came on the same October day. The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall was the album and that was joined by the Call for Escape Route EP.
The Wonderful and Frightening is a bit hit and miss for me. First side a big hit, second side a bit of a miss. Lay of the Land just missed out on being the choice for this year and with two bass guitars on it suits me just fine. (Do I love The Fall because I like bass or do I like bass because I love The Fall?)
It's an attack dog of a track and the energy continues with 2x4 and Copped It. Gavin Friday of The Virgin Prunes brings guest vocals to the record and they work brilliantly with MES on Copped It. Elves has one of my favourite Smith lines of the time: "It's him in nearly '85, hanging around with pop scum." It's a picture of a man who knows he's making a move into a different layer of the pop music firmament and is not entirely comfortable with it.
The second side of Wonderful and Frightening slows down, quietens down, and in Bug Day gives a glimpse of the spoken word records Smith would make much later in his career. I don't love this half of the record - I think in general I prefer my Fall louder.
The Call for Escape Route EP was a 12" single with a free 7". Draygo's Guilt is the opening track. It had popped up briefly on the Perverted By Language Bis video release but this version felt slightly faster and catchier. Clear off is a slower, reflective number with Smith and Gavin Friday making reference to 'killer civil servants.' Nice, but not a classic. No Bulbs is the standout and the lyric gave the name to Fall Fanzine 'The Biggest Library Yet'.
We're into remix territory in 1984 so we have another version of No Bulbs plus an extra Slang King on the single that came with it.
The choice is the full, near eight minutes, No Bulbs from the EP. Throughout the Fall's career some Smith vocals are indecipherable and many lyrics impenetrable but this is a song about a man who can't find a belt because a lightbulb has blown in his untidy flat. (There are darker theories over at the Annotated Fall.)
It's a great example of mid-eighties catchy Fall and is - dare I say it - Fun!
8 June: Single - Oh! Brother
24 August: Single - c.r.e.e.p.
12 October: Album - The Wonderful and Frightening World of
12 October: EP - Call for Escape Route
"Meant well, but it came to nothing"
It was a Happy New Year for Fall fans as Tuesday the 3rd of January brought a new John Peel session. Recorded in mid-December (but included here as I go with transmission dates) it shows (with one exception) a move away from the intensity of Perverted By Language.
The exception was Words of Expectation - a nine-minute Smith rap/ramble that wouldn't see an official release for more than ten years. Pat Trip Dispenser, 2x4 and creep all display a coming, more accessible, Fall sound.
It took a while for that sound to find it's way to vinyl as there was another label change this year - Beggars Banquet were now the home of The Fall. Another independent but one with a bit more clout. Two singles were released over the summer. Oh! Brother and c.r.e.e.p were both a bit more singalong than previous efforts but were still excellent singles and still very much The Fall.
The last releases of 1984 came on the same October day. The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall was the album and that was joined by the Call for Escape Route EP.
The Wonderful and Frightening is a bit hit and miss for me. First side a big hit, second side a bit of a miss. Lay of the Land just missed out on being the choice for this year and with two bass guitars on it suits me just fine. (Do I love The Fall because I like bass or do I like bass because I love The Fall?)
It's an attack dog of a track and the energy continues with 2x4 and Copped It. Gavin Friday of The Virgin Prunes brings guest vocals to the record and they work brilliantly with MES on Copped It. Elves has one of my favourite Smith lines of the time: "It's him in nearly '85, hanging around with pop scum." It's a picture of a man who knows he's making a move into a different layer of the pop music firmament and is not entirely comfortable with it.
The second side of Wonderful and Frightening slows down, quietens down, and in Bug Day gives a glimpse of the spoken word records Smith would make much later in his career. I don't love this half of the record - I think in general I prefer my Fall louder.
The Call for Escape Route EP was a 12" single with a free 7". Draygo's Guilt is the opening track. It had popped up briefly on the Perverted By Language Bis video release but this version felt slightly faster and catchier. Clear off is a slower, reflective number with Smith and Gavin Friday making reference to 'killer civil servants.' Nice, but not a classic. No Bulbs is the standout and the lyric gave the name to Fall Fanzine 'The Biggest Library Yet'.
We're into remix territory in 1984 so we have another version of No Bulbs plus an extra Slang King on the single that came with it.
The choice is the full, near eight minutes, No Bulbs from the EP. Throughout the Fall's career some Smith vocals are indecipherable and many lyrics impenetrable but this is a song about a man who can't find a belt because a lightbulb has blown in his untidy flat. (There are darker theories over at the Annotated Fall.)
It's a great example of mid-eighties catchy Fall and is - dare I say it - Fun!
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