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Rating: The band of Mark E. Smith is undoubtedly to be counted among the most courageous, original, and relevant realities of the late seventies English post-punk scene. Alongside Wire and Pop Group, it indeed reached the pinnacle expression of the genre, challenging the song form and daring, with intuition and improbable contaminations, new structural/executive solutions to foster that search which led rock of the following decade to change its appearance once again. To renew, to survive.
This means that from that moment on, anyone retracing those paths would draw from the production of these incredible formations; in the case of the group (more or less) reviewed here, it suffices to think of how even the Pavement - a band emblematic of a further metamorphosis occurring in view of the nineties, in which the influence of Smith (and company) is tangible - paid homage to them.
And precisely "The Classical" might perhaps summarize, with much synthesis and much emphasis, the spirit of the multifaceted formation of the Fall: a catchy chorus for a track that could have been of disarming simplicity, had it not been paced by a schizophrenic singing and played in an eccentric manner, with tribalism à la "Sympathy for the Devil" and guitar riffs that anticipate the primordial lo-fi of Beat Happening and the "consecratory" one of Pavement.
The significance of this work, regardless of the aforementioned qualities that, besides recognizing the band, also identify its content, probably lies in its heterogeneity and the inconceivable quality of so much at stake. It seems almost unthinkable that the kraut of "I am Damo Suzuki", a clear testimony of the canian influence metabolized from the previous decade, and the impeccable "Paint Work" can share the grooves with the new wave of "Barmy", which is nothing but the little song, the "pop" track according to Mark E. Smith.
But beyond praise and comparisons (Wire and The Pop Group, ndr), it should be clarified that this "This Nation's Saving Grace" is far from the impeccable avant-garde peaks reached by the aforementioned popolare collective of Mark Stewart (in "Y"), but it is also true that the edginess of Smith's genius did not aspire to that type of research and, on the contrary, raised his spontaneous proposals on foundations of a more classic and less destructive nature. Just to try to frame the exact artistic context, even though both are conventionally referred to as post-punk. But one thing is certain, in fact two: a) no one else sounds (or sounded?) like this; b) we will not have albums like this anymore.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Bombast (03:08)
All those whose mind entitles themselves,
and whose main entitle is themselves,
shall feel the wrath of my bombast!
Clanging in my heart.
Bastard! Idiot!
Feel the wrath of my bombast!
Bastard idiot!
Feel the wrath.
Those who dare mix real life with politics
And go on regardless of the..of the discoveries
Will feel the wrath of bombast
clanging in my heart
All those whose mind entitles themselves
and whose main entitle is themselves
shall feel the wrath of my bombast!
04 What You Need (04:50)
How can I? How can I? How can I?
Get up, make a buck
Get up, make a buck
My race was bred on hash
My race was bred on hash
Get up, make a buck,
Get up, make a buck.
The stolen dark
Please don't [muffled].
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need [band]
What you need [band]
Turn down a corner I
Been bleeding some itch
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need [band]
What you need [MES]
What you need [MES and band]
An oven mitt
What you need for your verbose kitchen
What you need [MES and band]
Present notebook for you
What you need [MES and band]
A bit of Iggy Stooge.
What you need [MES and band]
Whay you need [MES and band]
Reduced smoking habit
What you need [MES and band]
Sex but not having it
What you need [MES]
One face
Two face new
What you need [band]
Slippery shoes for your horrible feet
We're obsessed with [MES and band]
What you need [MES]
What you need is to love her so much
What you need is us as pressure group
Out of reach
What you need [band]
On this we're all agreed
What you need [MES and band]
One: Face with girl past
What you need
Two: a profile that is low-key
And to meet your horrible new dad
With a grudge against me
What you need [MES and band]
What you need [band]
Is a censor for pals like these.
What you need [MES and band]
What you need [band]
What you need [MES and band]
What you need is
One. What face?
Two: face new
Three. Face mag for arse
Four. Three rules of audience
Five. Mug of Geoff Travis, framed
Six. The book Theft is Vision by the brothers Copeland.
What you need [MES]
Finance luck
What you need [band]
What you need [MES]
Out of reach
What you need [band]
What you need [MES]
What you need [MES]
What you need [band]
Get up, make a buck
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need [band]
How can I?
What you need
05 Spoilt Victorian Child (04:13)
Past trees the fairies are flyin
Past trees with rose bushes in
The child was spoilt Victorian
The child was spoilt Victorian
Spoilt Victorian Child
Sugar and cakes appear mean
Sitting at the table
Tigers pop-up from books
Spoilt Victorian Child
Let`s take it ten years on
You`re looking back from then
Under rough grey blankets
Thread loose stained grey blanket
Spoilt Victorian Child
C.L.O. - Pedia
E.N.C.Y.C.L.O. - Pedia
Musical chairs rouge cheeks he remembers
Thru` the aqueduct of five years
Spoilt Victorian Child shall avoid reflection
The child was spoilt Victorian
Spoilt Victorian Child
Mirrors can`t hid the toxic of disfigured Poxes
Spoilt Victorian Child
Past trees the fairies are flyin
Past trees with rose bushes in
The butterfly shrugs to fly in
Sugar and iced cakes appear mean
The child was spoilt Victorian
The child was spoilt Victorian
Spoilt Victorian Child
C.L.O. - Pedia
And you know that servants keep their order knowledge
And as you walk in on the footsteps steed babe
In the encrusted green unwild
You know you are a spoilt Victorian child
06 L.A. (04:10)
Odeon
Sky
Uncanny
Bushes are in disagreement with the heat
L.A.
Uncanny
Person
They have filled boulevards with white snow, scum-ball
L.A.
This is my happening and it freaks me out
07 Gut of the Quantifier (05:16)
Im telling you now and Im telling you this
Life can be an onward, downward
Chip-chit-chip-chit-chip
Im not saying theyre really thick
But all the groups whove hit it big
Make the kane gang look like
An einstein chip
Chip
Nyc
Chip
A place to live
Chip
This is the thule group.
This is the cool group.
Im telling you now and Im telling you this.
Shawn and [the chewerpetula], macabre
Here are your wedding pictures
They are black
Stick it in the gut
Stick in the mud.
Boffins bray
Boffins brag
Stick it in the gut
Stick in the mud.
They take from the medium poor to
Give to the needy poor
Via the government poor
Give it to the poor poor
Theyre knocking on my door
Entrance
Entranced
Stick it in the mud
Stick it in the gut
Cheap fog
Cheap fog
Rotting scout-belt
Stick it in the gut
Who are the riff-makers.
Who are they really?
How old are the stars really?
Half-wit philanthropist, cosy charity gig
If God could see this
Hed stick it
They stick it in the gut
Cheap fog
Rotting scout-belt
Stick it in the gut
Stay in the mud
They take it from the medium poor
To give it to the medium poor
Via the government poor
And give it to the poor poor
Stick it in the gut
Red composite
Wealthy philanthropist
You son of a bitch
Entranced
Entrance
Entranced
Stick in the mud
Stick it in the gut
Im telling you now
And Im telling you this,
Life can be a downward chip.
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