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the latest:

• Those lost Fall Christmas songs...
• Mark's interview with the Independent appeared on December 7, 2002; many thanks to Stuart Newman for typing it in and to Steven Dean for scanning the photos (including a terrific recent portrait of Mark).
• Mark was on Virgin Radio's Razor Cuts on December 1st, chatting to Pete Mitchell and choosing a few songs (Bo Diddley, "Hey Bo Diddley"; R. Dean Taylor, "Indiana Wants Me"; Aqua, "Barbie Girl"; Big Youth, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"; Can, "Vitamin C"; The Impressions, "First Impressions"; Velvet Underground, "I Heard Her Call My Name."
• Stephen Bending's ever-changing Fall multimedia website currently has the above Razor Cuts interview, the Telephone Thing video from the Late Show, and Bombast from the Tube (as well as Mark and Brix's interview with that show's Muriel Grey).
• The Fall are in "a real posh" studio recording tracks for the new album, which should be out early next year.
• The band are booked to record their 23rd Peel session on January 15.
• Rebellious Jukebox is on this month's Uncut free CD.
• Pascal's video finally made it to Berkeley's Fine Arts cinema for one night only - December 22.
• There's a good chance of more US dates in the days before or after the Los Angeles ATP in June.
• Live at the Witch Trials was declared #17 out of 25 essential punk LPs in Record Collector's "Punk Special." Many thanks to Jon Anderson for scanning in the relevant page. Jon also sent in a jpg of the painting mentioned in this piece: Glenn Brown's Portrait of Mark E. Smith as Pope Innocent X from 1999. Can't see the resemblance myself, I'm afraid.
• If you haven't listened to the Resonance FM mp3 stream yet, you should give it a try.
• In the shops soon, two new Blue Orchids CDs.

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New single is out now (it reached #64 on the UK singles chart and #22 on John Peel's Festive 50).

7" 1. Susan vs. Youthclub (Smith / Milner) 2. Janet vs. Johnny (Smith / Pritchard) CD single 1. Susan vs. Youthclub 2. Janet vs. Johnny 3. Susan vs. Youthclub - remix (remixed by Vertical Smile) Engineered by blzproductions.com The 7" was supposed to come out on blue vinyl, but due to a pressing plant error, it's regulation black after all.

NME, 7 December, 2002 (p. 35):

THE FALL
The Fall Vs 2003 (Action)

Mark E Smith - for those who don't know, he's sort of a cross between Victor Meldrew, Scrooge, the kid out of Kes and The Hobbit - licks no spittle and (unlike almost every other motherlover on the Manc 'scene') he has not one single dirty, rotten ,stinking, filthy , fucking hippy bone in his entire curiously tortoise-like body. The best thing here is 'Susan Vs Youthclub', which sounds like a track that was left off the last but one Primal Scream album because it was just too damn good. Proving once again that Mark E Smith is a national treasure - a living punk rock fossil. A bit like a crocodile. Only nastier. And without quite so many teeth.

Steven Wells

Matt Bryden:

Susan is back with Karl in Neighbours!

more Fall vs. 2003 reviews and lyrics in the previous Fall news.

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Out now on Voiceprint:

Also out now are 24-bit remasters of Witch Trials (guaranteed 100% skip-free!), Dragnet, and Hex Enduction Hour.

"Live at the Witch Trials +" (COGVP138CD) includes the bonus tracks Bingo Master's Break-out, Psycho Mafia, and Repetition.

"Dragnet +" (COGVP140CD) includes the bonus tracks Rowche Rumble, In My Area, Fiery Jack, 2nd Dark Age, and Psykick Dancehall No.2.

"Hex Enduction Hour" (COGVP141CD) includes the bonus tracks Look, Know and I'm Into C.B.

Each of the above five and the forthcoming three Voiceprint remasters (Room to Live, In a Hole, and Extricate) includes a coupon for you to collect and send in for a "free CD." All we know about this mystery CD is that it will be compiled by Mark and that he hasn't done it yet. You need to send in seven of these eight coupons to get it (Voiceprint is waiving the Early Singles coupon, since if you buy the rest you're getting most of the Early Singles as bonus tracks anyway). Obviously no one in their right mind is going to buy all these rereleases when they already have perfectly good copies of Dragnet, Hex, RTL, and Extricate, so perhaps Voiceprint will rethink this most generous offer.

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John Henderson:

Haven't seen any notice on the Fall page about these two Blue Orchids releases, due in less than two weeks. NB: "Underground Breakfast" is apparently an instrumental version of the Fall's "Underground Medicine", and I am told that the C81 cassette demo version of "Low Profile" is to be included as well in all the fun. Yeah!

THE SLEEPER (LTMCD 2340)
Recorded in London over several months in 1993, The Sleeper confirms Martin Bramah as a major (yet sorely underrated) talent. In addition to surging pop numbers such as Lover of Nothing, Diamond Age, Dream Boat and Butterfly Effect, the set also encompasses the soft (Blue Grey Boy), the sinister (Weird World) and the intimate ballad Out of Sight, one of Martin's best-realised arrangements to date. In addition to the entire lost album, this CD includes tracks from the Sleepy Town, Diamond Age and Secret City singles. The digitally mastered set runs for a full 70 minutes, and the booklet includes extensive sleevenotes. Tracklist: Weird World, Dream Boat, Lover of Nothing, Blue Grey Boy, Diamond Age, Butterfly Effect, NY Gargoyles, The Gun is a Coward's Weapon, Dark Matter Kid, Out of Sight, Love Fiend, NY Gargotles (Secret City Mix), NY Gargoyles (Subway Mix), Moth, Sleepy Town, Thirst, Diamond Age (12"), Sleepy Town (12").

FROM SEVERE TO SERENE (LTMCD 2354)
In addition to all seven tracks recorded for their legendary John Peel sessions in 1980 and 1982, this CD includes the rare Riding the Times ep recorded in 1987 as Thirst with ex-Fall drummer Karl Burns, plus several live tracks recorded in Manchester in 1981. This digitally remastered set runs for 71 minutes, and the booklet includes detailed sleevenotes. Tracklist: Work, The House That Faded Out, Low Profile, Sun Connection, Bad Education, A Year With No Head, No Looking Back, Crystal Kiss, The Unknown, Let Go, Riding the Times, Tighten My Belt (live), The Flood (live), Sun Connection (live), Hanging Man (live), Disney Boys (live), Work (live), Underground Breakfast (live).

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Peter Murphy:

The Observer last Sunday (December 1) had a list of celebrities' books of the year, including this entry:

Stewart Lee:

Camden Joy and Colin Morton collaborated on Pan (Highwater) by transatlantic e-mails. The novel sees various fans of the Manchester band The Fall make their way to the group's notoriously poor 1998 New York show, bringing with them hopes, regrets, emotional baggage and the severed head of a Welsh pagan god. Kate Braverman's The Incantation of Frida K (Seven Stories) posits the last days of Frida Kahlo as a hallucinatory dream, and John Seabrook's Nobrow (Vintage) analyses the impact of marketing on the arts from a uniquely personal perspective that touches on all aspects of modern life.

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Chris Goodhead:

Dear Fall people,

Here's a little something; a Fall ringtone for your Nokia mobile phones if you have them. Since those companies that advertise in the back of magazines are NEVER going to have your favourite Fall tune to download, follow these instructions and Spoilt Victorian Child will play whenever your phone rings. It's free too! Because you have to do all the work yourself.

I've got a Nokia 3410 but I reckon it'll probably be the same for all Nokia mobiles.

1. Select Menu. Then Extras. Then Composer. Pick an (empty) slot.
2. You're probably best off reading the instructions on how to use the actual thing because it's quite confusing.
3. And this is what you want to program in...

4f2 / 8#a1 / 4#a1 / 8#a1 / 4c2 / 8c2 / 4#d2 / 4f2 / 8- / 4f2 / 8- / 8f2 / 4f2 / 8#a1 / 4#a1 / 8#a1 / 4c2 / 8c2 / 4f2 / 4e2 / 8- / 4e2 / 8- / 8e2 / 4f2 / 8#a1 / 4#a1 / 8#a1 / 4c2 / 8c2 / 4#d2 / 4f2 / 8- / 4#a2 / 8- / 8#a2 / 4#a2 / 8- / 4g2 / 8- / 2g2 / 16- / 16- / 32- / 4g2 / 8- / 2g2

NB the / symbol is just for the purpose of this post to show a space between each 'note'.

4. Set TEMPO to 225BPM.

Simple, eh? Just to give you some pointers:

To get, for example 8#a1
Press 6 (4a1 appears)
Press ^# (4#a1 appears)
Press 8 (8#a1 appears)
Move onto next note.

To get 32-
Press 0 (2- appears)
Press 8 four times (goes 4- / 8- / 16- / 32-)
Move onto next note.

It's not EASY but I'm sure if you can work the internet, you stand a good chance of some success. Good luck.

Simon's sad confession:

my nokia plays the following:

bremen natch

tempo 90bpm

16c1 16- 16g1
16- 16c1 16-
16f1 16- 16c1
16- 16#d1 16c1
16- 16.c1 16-
32- 16.c1 32-
32g1 32- 16g1
16.c1 32- 32f1
32- 16f1 16.c1
32- 16#d1 16c1
16- 16c1

sorry about all the rests but it doesnt sound right without them

Chris' even sadder confession:

I've, er, modified your bremen nacht ringtone Simon.

16c1 16- 16g1
16- 16c1 16-
16f1 16- 16c1
16- 16#d1 16c1
16- 16c1 8-
16c1 16- 16g1
16g1 16c1 16c1
16f1 16f1 16c1
16c1 16#d1 16c1
16- 16c1

Sound better? Excuse me, I think I hear my life calling... C. Goodhead

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Shaun Brennan:

Thought this might be of interest to readers in the San Francisco / Berkeley area. The relevant bit's right down at the bottom of the page. http://www.fineartscinema.com/home.cgi

November 30 to December 4
Special Late Nite: THE FALL 11:15 nightly

A rare collection of entrancing work based in and supported by the music of Mark E. Smith and The Fall.

The Fine Arts Theater
2451 Shattuck Avenue (at Haste)
Berkeley
phone 510-848-1143

Eliot:

Mark and I went to the screening last night, with his wife and my gf obligingly in tow. Evidently, what was *supposed* to happen is that Pascal Le Gras was going to send them a video he's created of material from 1992-2000, with audio. Top notch, right? Wrong.

We go to the pub, drink pints, "take a walk," and then arrive at the Fine Arts Theater. The guy at the door tells us that they're showing Perverted By Language, the *only* Fall video that I own and have seen countless times, since Le Gras never sent the tape. WTF. Something about an assistant who does not speak English. I was tempted to ask if the assistant understood "send the fucking package." It was a bit of a disappointment, as we'd made a rare sojourn across the Bay Bridge to Berkeley late at night, to watch something I could have seen at home.

I remarked that it only makes sense for even video representations of the Fall to cancel on Americans...the band won't play for us anymore, so why should the fucking video bother either. What I really don't understand is that this was the fifth day this had been going on, and they didn't have the fucking courtesy to change the one sentence on the website to say "now showing Perverted by Language instead." What is the Internet for, if not that?

Anyway, I suppose it was marginally worth it...we had a good time, and it was nice to see the thing on the big screen with full audio and all that. These two girls in the back laughed uncontrollably at Mark during the interview, I think in a good way.

Keith and Eric (of the Fine Arts Cinema):

Gentle readers,

The Pascal Le Gras tape arrived today. Conway, through Julia Nagle, put us in touch with Pascal's secretary, Isabelle, last September. We have been in sporadic contact since and she has been very enthusiastic about the project. A number of circumstances contributed to the delay, however, mainly video transfer problems and numerous strikes in France producing serious postal delays.

Le Gras' collection here is similar to the NYC show, including pieces with music not only from The Fall but from John Cale, John Cage, Tom Waits and Fred Frith. The Fall pieces are "Shift-Work" (1991), "Code: Selfish" (1992), "Middle Class Revolt" (1994), "The Light User Syndrome" (1996), "Levitate" (1997), "Masquerade" (1998) and "Two Librans" (2000). We look forward to showing this and after we screen the material, full information on Pascal and complete program details will be posted on this site and our own.

We apologize for not updating our site, please be aware that our cinema is run by an army of few. Thanks to The Fall fans that did show up, we hope to see you at future shows.

Surmount All Obstacles (including Container Drivers),
Keith & Eric
Fine Arts Cinema

later on:

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
SUNDAY DECEMBER 22ND 10:30 PM
AT FINE ARTS CINEMA IN BERKELEY

--VIDEOS OF PASCAL LE GRAS--featuring music by The Fall, Fred Frith, Tom Waits, others

Pascal Le Gras is a French painter and video artist. His work is closely tied to music, his driving force, and is influenced by The Velvet Underground, John Cage, William S. Burroughs, Jonas Mekas and Nam June Paik. He paints, designs album covers, and creates music videos for and with such musicians and bands like The Jazz Butcher, Bruce Joyner, The Fall, and Mark E. Smith solo. His next project is with Jad Fair of Half Japanese. This retrospective documents the evolution of his videos from the first work by a friend filming one of Pascal's paintings to his most recent videos in which he uses a computer program allowing sounds to act upon images. His last screening was at the Marseille Poetry Center in France with the poet Michel Bulteau, and was previously exhibited at Anthology Film Archive in NYC in September 2000.

THE VIDEOS BEING SCREENED:
1984 "My Ever Changing Moods" (directed by Philippe Boudet)
1991 "Agited" music extracts John Cale (directed by Antoine Roch)
1992 "Code: Selfish" music The Fall
1994 "Middle Class Revolt" music The Fall
1994 "Roaratworio" music extracts John Cage
1996 "The Light User Syndrome" music The Fall
1996 "The Light User Syndrome (long version)" music The Fall mix Pascal
1997 "Dream Dream Machine Forever" music Tom Waits
1997 "TÍtatutÍte" music chosen by children and mixed by Pascal
1997 "Levitate" music The Fall
1998 "Lilith" text Michel Bulteau / sound Pascal
1998 "Masquerade" music The Fall
1999 "Accident 02 - antifrustration mix music Fred Frith
2000 "2 Librans" music The Fall
2001 "Accident 03 - radical mix" music Fred Frith

NOTE: These pieces were filmed in a variety of formats, Pascal chose video format for this presentation.
Total time: 92 mins VHS 10:30 pm $6.

FINE ARTS CINEMA
2451 Shattuck Ave (at Haste),
Berkeley
(510) 848-1143
www.fineartscinema.com

Crazy Toots:

The infamous Pascal Le Gras video thing was shown at the Fine Arts Cinema in Berkeley, CA last night. A total of six people were in the audience, including me and my sleepy wife. Eliot VB was not in attendance - no doubt he was either relaxing at his cattle ranch, hiring seasonal workers for his avocado orchards in Chile, or buying xmas trinkets for his four wives.

Seemed to be a cross-section of work from the last 10 years or so. It started with mostly symbols repeated over and over, magnified, multiplied, flashing on the screen. The first half was nearly all computer-generated images like this. Basically the same symbols - such as the cover of Code-Selfish and Infotainment - shown at different angles and in different color schemes and spinning at different speeds. The first fall related stuff included the aformentioned crazy flashing symbols over Immortality, Everything Hurtz, City Dweller. The Light User Syndrome (v1) was a live action filming of about 40 cut out MES figures in a diorama with other cut out b+w figures. Flashing lights and zooming in and out created movement in the figures. He Pep provided the backing. LUS (v2) was simply screeches sampled from the very beginning of Cheetham and Last Exit over 20 minutes of star symbols and the same cut-out figures. Very repetitive. We had been warned by the curator (theatre employee) before the show that this was a good time for a smoke break.

Masquerade and Two Librans were almost "proper" videos. This later material was more sophisticated, partly due no doubt to easier technology to work with than earlier work and a more layered approach to the screen. Less focus on a single symbol, with much more animation and movement. Some of it reminded me of Rauschenberg, but on speed. Also, Pascal seems a bit obsessed with MES - maybe has a little crush on him? How cute!

Worth seeing for the curiosity factor and that I don't see too many 90 minute video art projects. Wife slept through the whole thing...

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Stephen, posted to Fallnet, then revised on Dec. 11 and with a further contribution from Graham Lamour:

In response to several messages from a few weeks ago, I decided to try and compile all of the known Fall chart positions together. If anyone knows of any others (or any foreign ones. Did Lie Dream... really do so well in NZ?) then shout them out.

For space reasons, I've excluded all of the non charting stuff. Unless stated, all positions are for the UK Record Retailer chart.

Month released: release title - highest position (weeks on chart)) - type of chart if not national

1979
Jul: Rowche Rumble - 31 (2) - Indie chart

1980
Jan: Fiery Jack - 4 (20) - Indie chart
May: TOTALE'S TURNS - 1 (31) - Indie chart
Jul: How I Wrote 'Elastic Man' - 2 (16) - Indie chart
Sep: Totally Wired - 2 (23) - Indie chart
Nov: GROTESQUE - 1 (29) - Indie chart

1981
Apr: SLATES EP - 3 (9) - Indie chart
Apr: A PART OF AMERICA WITHIN - 9 (9) - Indie chart
Sep: EARLY YEARS - 6 (10) - Indie chart
Nov: Lie Dream of a Casino Soul - 5 (17) - Indie chart

1982
Feb: LIVE IN LONDON (Chaos tape) - 7 (10) - Indie chart
Mar: HEX ENDUCTION HOUR - 71 (3) - Indie chart
Apr: Look, Know - 4 (10) - Indie chart
Oct: ROOM TO LIVE - 4 (10) - Indie chart

1983
Jan: A PART OF AMERICA THEREIN - 9 (9) - Indie chart
Jun: The Man Whose Head Expanded - 3 (14) - Indie chart
Oct: Kicker Conspiracy - 5 (19) - Indie chart
Dec: PERVERTED BY LANGUAGE - 1 (14) - Indie chart

1984
Oct: THE WONDERFUL AND FRIGHTENING WORLD OF... - 62 (2)

1985
Apr: HIP PRIESTS AND KAMERADS - 4 (9) - Indie chart
Sep: THIS NATION'S SAVING GRACE - 54 (2)

1986
Sep: Mr. Pharmacist - 75 (1)
Oct: BEND SINISTER - 36 (3)
Dec: Hey! Luciani - 59 (1)

1987
Apr: There's A Ghost In My House - 30 (4)
Jun: Peel Session EP (Dec. 78 session) - 3 (13) - Indie chart
Oct: Hit The North - 57 (5)
Dec: IN THE PALACE OF SWORDS REVERSED - 1 (12) - Indie chart

1988
Jan: Victoria - 35 (3)
Feb: THE FRENZ EXPERIMENT - 19 (4)
Oct: I AM KURIOUS, ORANJ - 54 (2)
Nov: Jerusalem/Big New Prinz - 59 (2)

1989
Jun: SEMINAL LIVE - 40 (2)

1990
Jan: Telephone Thing - 58 (1)
Feb: EXTRICATE - 31 (3)
Aug: White Lightning - 56 (2)
Dec: 458489 (A sides comp) - 44 (2)

1991
Apr: SHIFT-WORK - 17 (2)

1992
Mar: Free Range - 40 (1)
Mar: CODE: SELFISH - 21 (1)

1993
Apr: Why Are People Grudgeful? - 43 (1)
Apr: THE INFOTAINMENT SCAN - 9 (3)
Dec: Behind the Counter - 75 (1)

1994
Apr: 15 Ways - 65 (1)
May: MIDDLE CLASS REVOLT - 48 (?)

1995
Feb: CEREBRAL CAUSTIC - 67 (?)

1996
Feb: The Chiselers - 60 (1)
Jun: THE LIGHT USER SYNDROME - 54 (?)
???: Plug Myself In (with DOSE) - 50 (1)

1997
?Oct: LEVITATE - 117 (?)

1998
Feb: Masquerade - 69 (1)

1999
Feb: Touch Sensitive - 102 (?)
Apr: THE MARSHALL SUITE - 84 (?)
?Aug: F-'Oldin' Money - 114 (?)

2000
Nov?: THE UNUTTERABLE - 136 (?)

2002
Oct: 2G+2 - 116 (1?)
Dec: The Fall vs. 2003 - 64 (1) (9 (?) - indie chart)

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Pat-Trip:

This via Bent Crayon, www.bentcrayon.com (good luck finding it on their site though)

JOHN THE POSTMAN "Puerile" (Overground) CD

A collection of both of the records recorded by this beer-drinking British postman in 1978, who got his start hijacking the Buzzcocks' equipment for a drunken rendition of "Louie Louie." Twelve tracks of mucking-around punk including the first-ever vinyl appearance by MARK E. SMITH of THE FALL. John is portrayed in the film 24 Hour Party People. $8.99

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Spoon-fed:

Peel, John (Various) Fabriclive 07 comp CD in metal tin

John Peel has compiled/produced? an album of remixes of some of his favourite songs. Included on the cd is a version of Mr Pharmacist. Has anyone heard it?

Described in this week's NME: "The 14th in the Fabric series of mix albums, this time compiled by veteran DJ John Peel. Possibly the only record in the world where shouty punk lies down with speaker-rattling drum 'n' bass."

"These are some of my favourite songs... there's a real risk I'll listen to nothing else ever again"
- John Peel

Full tracklisting available at - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000794FM/ref=sr_aps_music_1_3/202-5763094- 3105434

Also reviewed in this month's Record Collector:
"Resolutely unmixed (apart form some fantastic echo at the end of The Fall's Mr Pharmacist), this is the dance collection that it is ok for oldies to enjoy"

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Alan:

Good to see that the lads have a sideline business!

http://www.smithhanley.com

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Tom Hingley (ex-Inspiral Carpet) and the Lovers (including Steve and Paul Hanley) tour date(s):

Feb. 06    The Witchwood

more information on Tom's website: http://www.tomhingley.co.uk/

(note that Tom's website says that the Lovers are also playing a few dates in December/ January, but he wrote me saying those are all solo acoustic gigs.)

Jan. 9, 2003

This is the latest news and gossip off FallNet for those with weak stomachs.

If you have anything to say, you can mail Stefan, but you can't mail the FallNet mailing list direct anymore. To subscribe to FallNet, send mail to fallnet-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com. The Freedonia list is out of action.