The
Fall play:
Bristol Fleece & Firkin on 14 December. Tickets GBP 8, available through the NME Ticketline (0870 1212 500 - unspecified markup)
London Astoria on 16 December. Support: Goldblade and Gabrielle's Wish. Tickets GBP 10.50 available from box office 0171 434 9403/4, Stargreen 0171 734 8932 ( + unspecified large markup), Ticketmaster 0171 344 4444 (+ 4 quid markup), Rough Trade, Rhythm (Camden). NME ticketline (see above); Melody Maker ticketline (0870 1212 600)
Manchester Ritz on 29 December. Tickets GBP 10 plus Booking from Piccadilly 832 1111 Virgin, HMV or Ticketmaster.
============
ANOTHER Fall live CD has reached the shops. I assume it's on Cog Sinister, cos the cover is the same as 'Live Various Years' except it's blue not pink: "Nottingham 92".
Pete Kulawec:
Sleeve notes for your amusement (grammatical and punctuation errors intact):
"March 1992 and it's the opening date of a short UK tour. With everyone in the band on tip-toe, best behaviour for the first night, Mark E Smith slouches across the stage to blurt, slur and soul-kiss the mic with a personal, and - by his standards - introverted set. Opening with the almost melancholy self-help manual "Time Enough At Last" and the reflective, carefully-worded misery of "Blood Outta Stone", we're gently wheeled us into a quiet alley where he can work on us in peace.
At the time, lurking between the Shift Work and Code: Selfish albums, Mark and the band were experimenting with new sounds extracted from keyboards and dubious-sounding "machines". The set gives us "Free Range", "Everything Hurtz" and "Birmingham School Of Business School" as works in progress.
You get the impression that this was not the happiest period of MES's life.
Even so, the Fall are pro musicians; experienced troupers who know you've got to give the public something to jump up and down to, and intermittent, rousing crowd pleasers such as "Big New Prinz", "Return" and "Everything Hurtz" punctuate the gig's but even these come out a little thoughtful and misty-eyed.
In short then, what we have here is another prime Fall Live recording; another great night out as MES lays out the seedier end of his psyche for our entertainment."
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<article> NOV98 Rolling Stone (Australian) (album)Northern Attitude: An Alternative Selection Mark Demetrius p115
THE FALL Northern Attitude: An Alternative Selection (Music Club/ Festival)
(sub-headline) Black-hearted brilliance from a Manchunian misanthrope
Manchester's Mark E. Smith has drawn from punk, so-called Krautrock and rockabilly, and the Fall have had countless line-up changes, but the end result has always been cohesive and often thrilling. For all it's avant-garde elements, this collection of "live performances, alternative takes and original tracks" has the moist relentless chugging momentum this side of the Jesus and Mary Chain. There are a few recycled Modern Lovers riffs, but somehow it doesn't matter. "Telephone Thing" sounds simulataneously dirge-like and vivacious, "Edinburgh Man" is sweetly melodic and atmospheric, and Smith's vocals - sometimes megaphonic, sometimes distorted - are a treat. So is the dominant rhythm section, and even the drolly cynical song-titles themselves: "Oswald Defence Lawyer", "Guest Informant"... This is great, angry, intelligent, industrial (and industrial-strength) rock & roll. Mark Demetrius (4 1/2 stars out of 5)
-=-=-=-
From: Graham Coleman
Bands you can easily get confused:
Steely Dan and Steeleye Span
The Fall and the Call
Hmm. Steely Dan and The Fall, the twin peaks in my musical landscape.
Both refer to themselves in songs:
'they got their Steely Dan t-shirts'
'McGinty thought he could fool The Fall'
Both take names from mod.lit.
The Fall - Camus
Steely Dan - Wm Burroughs
Both have songs about time travel & exotic drinks!
Wings/ $500 Bottle of Wine
Pretzel Logic/Black Cow
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Recent news....
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981123 NME and MM news
items
981116 nothing special
981109 Peel session reactions
981102 Melody Maker singles review, Action Records
details
981026 St Bernadette's Hall reviews, Astoria ticket
details, Nottingham 92 album
981019 various
981009 NME interview, TBLY #13
981005 F-olding Money lyrics, couple of PNM reviews,
Simon Rodgers' career
980927 Live Various Years details/review, 1994
interview
980920 more snippets
980914 bits & pieces
980907 NME interview, Post Nearly Man reviews,
Mojo's How to Buy The Fall, Something Beginning With O
980831 Inertia tour details
980825 various snippets
980817 Observer interview, Manchester and LA2 gig
reports
980811 Melody Maker interview, Live Various Years
details, previews. Rick.
980802 Spoken word LP press release, Northern Attitude
key & sleevenotes, Edwyn Collins, TBLY #12 details
Old stuff: Nov 1997 - July 1998
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