Another track rediscovered via that incredible 'reference of female-fronted punk rock' 12-CD compilation (still free to download).
And yes, it's fronted by a female singer (Brix Smith). And yes, it's The Fall - Perverted By Language from 1983, to be precise. It's the final album from the initial golden era or the first album of the silver era (depending on where you're seated, of course) and certainly the last time I paid strict attention to Mr E. Smith for several years. I'd paid way too much attention to him before then, of course. So that made us even.
Damn, this is so great. I'm going to have to drag my extra-special deluxe reissue edition out my iTunes mothballs and give it a thorough going-over. This track is so... it's a bit stupid to say "if you don't like The Fall, then you might well like this" because this is The Fall and so if you don't like The Fall there's every chance you won't like this but... Mark E. Smith is only the backing vocalist. Incredible vocal from Brix. Incredible. And Jesus, that guitar sound...!
Listen. Do you mind if I post their version of 'Victoria' here as well? Thank you.
P.S. This is an entirely random and rather gratuitous note, but I was asked to feel Brix Smith's boobs once, as part of a comparison test with a recently-acquired pair of fake ones. No, I'm not making it up.
I'd say end of the golden era - partly because I was just watching Smile on The Tube the other day on YouTube and it kicked so much arse.
ReplyDelete(from Facebook)
ReplyDeleteEverett True
new blog post. Song of the day - 81: The Fall
*The Fall track for folk who don't really like The Fall, i.e. most females
* Um, also the Fall track for folk who do like The Fall.
Jeff Jeffypop Bryant, Christophe Basterra and 2 others like this.
Ringo P Stacey
Word from their Brighton gig this month is the audience was 70% female. I've always been suspicious of that cliche, anyways.
Sunday at 19:24 ·
Hannah Levin
That's ridiculous. I know plenty of ladies who love the Fall.
Sunday at 19:24 ·
Franny Glass
quote Hannah. why shouldn't ladies love the Fall?
Sunday at 19:45 ·
Everett True
it's a theory a couple of female music critics I know once had...
Sunday at 19:57 ·
Ashleigh Fleur Malin
What is there not to like about The Fall? ... Ok, i have friends who will agree with those female music critics but i love them!! ♥ xoxoxoxoxox
Sunday at 20:30 ·
Larry Pickleman
Those female critics are confusing females with themselves
Sunday at 21:29 ·
Stephen Graham
My girlfriend loves them!
Sunday at 23:42 ·
Julie Cafritz
Poppycock! Don't make silly generalizations and even worse, cloak them in the opinions of nameless, faceless, FEMALE critics unless you want to eat yrself shitter, Mr. True. Maybe stupid english gits didn't see the charm in the wonderful and frightening world of the fall but over here there are loads of lasses who love themselves some Fall. I have a special love for this mid-period and yes, miss brix but NOT this lame-ass song...with so many good ones to choose from, you insult on many fronts with this post.
Yesterday at 07:44 ·
Everett True
fuck no. this song is AWESOME Julie. Call yrself a Fall fan...grumble grumble
Yesterday at 08:40 ·
Everett True
Also, you know me better than that Julie! I'd never hide a controversial remark behind a cloak of anonymity if I can claim it for myself! It was inspired by a particularly volatile thread on the Plan B message board a few years back - Ringo P Stacey can back me up here! Me, I think it's self-fulfilling. Of course my female Facebook friends are likely to like The Fall .
Yesterday at 08:50 ·
Larry Pickleman
Julie says don't make stupid generalizations then goes on to make one about stupid English gits? Duh!
Yesterday at 11:39 ·
Julie Cafritz
oh Larry, you got it. and then you lost it. we call that clever hear. And HEre, I completely agreed with you Mr. Pickleman that, " Those female critics are confusing females with themselves".
What I don't/didn't understand was Everett bothering to quote such nonsense.
The fact is that the Fall are an acquired taste, one that doesn't follow gender lines or many other lines either. The sheer deluge, not just of releases, but torrent of words, repetitive single note riffs or 2 chords, and those busy but simple drums, all of it simultaneously overwhelming and underwhelming many a listener.
But I remember the first time I heard them, Slates, in a record store and for me it was LOVE from the get go. Perfection. Everything I thought a band should be. And it just kept getting better, as I went from buying all the early stuff to getting to this nation's saving grace right when it came out...if I could have made PG a total Fall rip-off band I would have or even better gladly changed places with brix, one coarse american girl for another, one asshole tyrant for another.
Yesterday at 12:29 ·
Maggie Vail
uh, I think most of the ladies I know love the fall
Yesterday at 12:59 ·
Maggie Vail
and my first band was trying to be a rip off of the fall/gories/pussy galore for the record
Yesterday at 13:01 ·
Larry Pickleman
OMG I'm getting sarcasm lessons now too!! Ain't life rich!!
Yesterday at 16:27 ·
(from Facebook)
ReplyDeleteMark Headley, Sarah Datblygu and Rod Sáez Chávez like this.
Mark Headley
I'd way prefer Wings myself. Or Eat Y'Self Fitter. Or Lie Dream of a Casino Soul. But hurrah for how hawt Brix was yeah :o)
Yesterday at 10:00 ·
Mark Headley
Been reflecting on this...IMHO Brix was way more interesting artistically when lead (structural/writing) guitarist (with Scanlon textural) than as a front person/singer...I love her influence on the Wonderful and Frightening World of...immense, poppy, psychedelic and really opens up the sound from the previously claustrophobically masculine grinding of PBL
Yesterday at 22:28 ·
Jacen Valerian girls love the fall!mine isn't as into the brix songs...
15 hours ago ·