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The Fall are a British Rock Music group, formed in Manchester in 1976 . Named after Albert Camus 's novel, '' The Fall '' (1956), they have never been a chart band, but remain notable both for their music and for their subtle influence on several generations of musicians who keep an ear tuned to Underground Culture . The current line up is Mark E. Smith , Ben Pritchard (guitar), Steve Trafford (bass), Spencer Birtwistle (drums) and Elena Poulou (keyboards). CRITICAL CAREER SUMMARY Formed during Punk Rock 's rise, The Fall never quite fit into that movement or its Post-punk / New Wave offshoots. The Fall have continued for a quarter of a century in producing music which varies richly in both character and quality. The abrasive lyrics and instantly recognizable half-droned, half-ranted vocals of frontman Mark E. Smith provide the one constant note through more than two prolific decades of dizzying personnel changes. An interview with Smith in May, 2004 reported "49 (band) members, 78 albums and 41 singles," and also quoted the opinion of their longstanding fan, the legendary English DJ John Peel : "They are always different, they are always the same." {Link without Title} The Fall recorded 24 sessions for the Peel show between 1978 and 2004. Peel's comment is often cited, rightly or wrongly, in support of a common complaint: that the Fall's prolific output lacks variety. Critic , fuck it." {Link without Title} However, although the Fall are always musically recognisable, their sound has undergone relatively dramatic shifts. Compare ''Levitate'' (1997) to ''Extricate'' (1990), for example. Given the constantly changing line-up of the band, it would be remarkable if there were not some musical evolution within the parameters of Smith's singular vision. The Fall's influences are worn lightly, though ". The Fall have also covered more pop-oriented material like Sister Sledge 's "Lost in Music" and The Kinks ' "Victoria". A Reggae influence is also evident; Smith is an avid reggae fan (especially during his teen years), and like traditional Reggae , most Fall songs are composed of simple, repeating Riff s that Smith rants/sings over in his rhythmic drawl that owes a debt to reggae Toasting . In terms of lyrical concerns, literary touchstones such as William Blake , Arthur Machen , Wyndham Lewis and H.P. Lovecraft are as significant as musical ones. The Fall's sound has generally remained constant from the clanking, almost Rockabilly guitars of their early work (Smith has confessed to a liking for the music of Johnny Cash ) to the amphetamine-rush of the more recent Electronic Music backing tracks. What unites them is Smith's literate, paranoid, and verbose songwriting. His lyrics are sometimes maddeningly obscure (especially to non-British listeners), and usually caustic in their satire, wildly imaginative in their scope, embracing politics (e.g. "Marquis Cha Cha"), magic and mythology ("Elves", "Wings"), devastating critiques of passing fads (e.g. "C.R.E.E.P" and "Glam Racket"), and some brutal diatribes (e.g. "Sing Harpy"). Smith is not a great vocalist, but his keen sense of Rhythm and attack more than compensate for this shortcoming. Perhaps his most distinctive trait is an explosive Syllable added after some words, such as in his delivery of a lyric from "Free Range": "This is the spring-uh without end-uh" (Smith himself has expressed annoyance with being picked on for his Manchester accent.) HISTORY From their first lineup of Smith, Martin Bramah (guitar), Tony Friel (bass), Una Baines (keyboards) and Karl Burns (drums) onward, the group produced a sound quite unlike anything else playing in the run-down dancehalls of northern England's new wave scene. Their performances (and Smith's confrontational demeanor) sometimes drew violent audience reactions. Their EP ''Bingo-Master's Break-out'' ( 1978 ), two tracks on the compilation ''Short Circuit - live at the Electric Circus'', and debut album '' Live At The Witch Trials '' ( 1979 ), (minus Baines and, incidentally, not a live album), served up a caustic mix of belligerently provincial urban paranoia and scorn for cultural norms, atop a deceptively unsophisticated musical arrangement. With Craig Scanlon and hitherto bassist Marc Riley on guitar, Steve Hanley on bass and Mike Leigh on drums (subsequently to be replaced by Paul Hanley and then a two-drummer lineup with a returned Burns), late 1979's L.P. the determinedly low-fi '' Dragnet '' signalled a sparser, still more jagged feel, which on subsequent albums filled out into a more grinding, industrial sound. The live album "Totales Turns" documents the band at various venues, with Smith announcing last orders at the bar and berating his band members throughout. With the album '' Grotesque (After The Gramme) '' ( 1980 ) came a significant improvement in production and content, as Smith's vitriol focused on the post-punk apocalyptic nightmare of "Thatcher's Britain". This continued throughout the 10-inch '' Slates '' ( 1981 ), '' Hex Enduction Hour '' ( 1982 ) and '' Room To Live '' (1982). Arguably the most experimental and consistently brilliant period of the group's career, this was perhaps reflected by the relatively "settled" band line-up. The autumn of '' (1983), '' The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall '' ( 1984 ), '' This Nation's Saving Grace '' ( 1985 ), '' Bend Sinister '' ( 1986 ), '' The Frenz Experiment '' ( 1988 ). '' I Am Kurious, Oranj '' is notable as the fruit of a Ballet project between Smith and dancer Michael Clark . Simon Rogers and later Marcia Schofield played keyboards, and Simon Wolstencroft replaced Burns on drums after ''This Nation's Saving Grace''. With Brix's departure in '', followed by '' The Infotainment Scan '' ( 1993 ), '' Middle Class Revolt '' ( 1994 ) and '' Cerebral Caustic '' ( 1995 ). With Bush gone and Scanlon sacked after 16 years (a decision later regretted by Smith), 1996 saw Brix's brief return and the arrival on keyboards, guitars and computers of Julia Nagle for '' The Light User Syndrome ''. The next album, '' Levitate '' ( 1997 ), toyed with Drum And Bass and polarised opinion. Steven Wells in the NME ( 11 October 1997 ) wrote, "Imagine pop without perimeters. Imagine rock without rules. Imagine art without the wank. If you've never heard The Fall then ''Levitate'' will be either the best or the worst record you've ever heard." The group was temporarily reduced to Smith and Nagle when a disastrous U.S. tour ended in April 1998 with a violent onstage row: Steve Hanley (bassist for 19 years), Burns (back for a final spell on drums) and guitarist Tommy Crooks all left or were sacked. From this nadir, the Fall achieved another comeback with Smith and Nagle being joined by Neville Wilding on guitar, Karen Leatham and later Adam Halal on bass, and Tom Head on drums for the albums '' The Marshall Suite '' ( 1999 ) and '' The Unutterable '' ( 2000 ). Further rifts followed in 2001 , in which the new lineup of Smith, Ben Pritchard (guitar), Jim Watts (bass) and Spencer Birtwistle (drums) released '' Are You Are Missing Winner '' to mixed reviews. '' The Real New Fall LP '' (reputedly renamed from ''Country on the Click'' after an earlier mix of the album appeared on Internet File Sharing networks) followed in 2003 , with a slightly different mix and some extra tracks for the US version. '' Interim '', was released in November , 2004 . In 2002 ''Q'' Magazine named The Fall one of the " 50 Bands To See Before You Die ". In January containing all of the sessions the group recorded for John Peel 's BBC Radio 1 programme was issued to widespread acclaim. Their 25th studio album, entitled '' Fall Heads Roll '', was issued on 3 October 2005, preceded by a single "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (a cover of The Move song) on 6 September 2005 (US) and 19 September 2005 (UK). INFLUENCE Regarding the group's influence on later musicians, Stephen Thomas Erlewine notes that "the Fall, like many cult bands, inspired a new generation of Underground bands, ranging from waves of sound-alike indie rockers in the U.K. to acts in America and New Zealand , which is only one indication of the size and dedication of their small, devoted fan base." {Link without Title} Sonic Youth covered three Fall songs (and one, "Victoria" by The Kinks , memorably covered by the Fall) in a 1988 Peel Session . 1990s indie acts like Pavement (especially early songs such as "Two States" and "Conduit For Sale") and Elastica (Mark E Smith contributed vocals to their final EP and album) have an obvious Fall influence. Meanwhile Suede parodied The Fall with "Implement Yeah!", a live b-side found on some editions of their 1999 single "Electricity". The early part of the or Josef K . The debt is more explicit in some of LCD Soundsystem 's songs. "Movement" borrows a line from The Fall's "Telephone Thing". There are some similarities of vocal style too. DISCOGRAPHY ''For a detailed discography, see The Fall Discography .'' BIBLIOGRAPHY
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