Vanity and Presumption

27 April: Single - There's a Ghost in My House 11 May: 11th John Peel Session - Australians in Europe, Twister, Guest Informant, Athlete Cured 19 October: Single - Hit The North "I can't get over ye" The first year without an album release since 1978. It's ok, there are two next year! You'd think not having many tracks to choose from would make my life easier but not so. I can't imagine there was any pressure on the group to have a hit but there was another cover version chosen as the first single of the year. There's a Ghost in My House by R.Dean Taylor hadn't troubled the charts when released in 1967 but became a Northern soul favourite and reached number three in 1974. The Fall's take on it (which doesn't mess around with it too much - Smith wanted "to retain the spirit of it") was their biggest hit, peaking at number 30. The group recorded another of Taylor's songs, Gotta See Jane , for 2001's Are you Ar...

7 July: Single - Living Too Late 9 July: 10th John Peel Session - Hot Aftershave Bop, R.O.D., Gross Chapel/British Grenadiers, US 80's/90s 1 September: Single - Mr. Pharmacist 29 September: Album - Bend Sinister 8 December: Single - Hey! Luciani "I'll put you down" An American tour plus writing and recording new material meant there was no new Fall output until the second half of the year. It started with the brilliant, thoughtful single Living Too Late. A reflection on people entering middle-age, the Reformation page on the song has a great analysis. The John Peel session first aired in the same week gave us a different take on Hot Aftershave Bop, b-side of the Living Too Late single, plus three tracks that would show up on autumn's album Bend Sinister. (Another thing for me to remember is that I was at The Festival of the Tenth Summer at G-Mex in Manchester to see the Fall alongside the likes of New Order, OMD, The Smiths and John Cooper-Clar...