Essential Links
1998
This Perfect Day
Auld punk reminiscence alert! I remember seeing the original of this by The Saints on Top of the Pops in 1977 and really liking it at the time. Having just listened to it again, it still sounds OK, but that's it - just OK - another sub Ramones/Stooges song. The Fall, however, add something else to it - more bite - and it sounds great, especially the pin sharp Peel version.
Shake-Off
Drug soaked powerhouse of a song. The great waves of synth blasting out from the album version give way to explosive stabbing guitars on the Peel version with added plumbing noises to complement the bathroom references in the lyrics. It's all happening - 'Eyeball injecting with Domestos' and 'all their crackpot viewpoints deny the strong pot.' It's a mad mish mash of 'crackpot' observations and dads who listen to Simple Minds and 'play guitars all night.' Mental. I love it.
Antidotes
The sparse Peel version is a wondrous beast with some tremendous aaaaaaaaaaaaaahs. It drags the Adams Family into its cast of characters along with the wacky sports teacher and Sports Minister in this 'carry on sir' 'second rate' country. There's also a nice curt 'Alright' at the end to stop it. The album version, meanwhile, is an altogether more bombastic production with creepy strings, dramatic guitar chunks and deep booming drumming. Plays around with the old 'Mairsie Dotes and Dosey Dotes' gibberish song to come up with 'Antidotes and those who vote.' Great song. But remember, 'Where chewing-gum is chewed/The chewer is pursued.'
Scareball
Only heard the live version of this. Has a Motown like thump to it and fairly basic chord progression. Not much more to report, going on this, but I note the studio version has some interesting lyrics, eg, 'Sheets up on face in dreams/It includes your nose blowing with a handkerchief.' Will report back if I ever get the Masquerade extra CD. EDIT: Reporting back - Now heard the studio version, and a fine slice of guitar pop it is, with added allure of female vocals and organ. Apparently, Julia Nagle brought this into the Fall arena from her previous gruppe, What? Noise, who recorded it as a demo.
Bound
Originally titled Love Bound, this was an instrumental by The Audio Arts that appeared on a couple of Northern Soul compilation albums. MES added the lyrics which include a great stuttering 'you just c-c-c-couldn’t say it' refrain and a nod to kiddie TV - 'Ah man, woman admit you’re teletubbied again.' It shuffles and shimmies along at a dancehall pace and there's some marvellous discordant piano tinkling on the Peel version which beats the synth used on 'The Marshall Suite.' Also love the way the guitar goes up key on the album track. Almost jazz.
Touch Sensitive
A latter day Fall classic, given wider prominence by its use on the Vauxhall Corsa adverts on telly - to which MES refers jokingly on the live version, running through a list of 'Who wrote the Vauxhall advert?' which includes Paul Morley. Ho ho. And how fast it's got by then. The song itself is a masterpiece of simplistic construction and cries of 'I know, I know' and 'Hey, hey, hey, hey.' The single version has some storming drumming, while the Peel version is fantastically different and bassy with more nutty lyrics finishing off with, 'The best thing is to stay home and have a wank.'
Video: Touch Sensitive
Calendar
Featuring Badly Drawn Boy, as you can tell from the fiddly guitar bits. The Peel version has a horrible prog type synth on it, but the bass is good. Not that much substance to it, really, and nonsense lyrics mainly along the lines of 'It was a very good month last week' et al.
Ivanhoe's Two Pence
That chord sequence is driving me mad. I just can't remember where I've heard it before. It's sort of like 'Flat of Angles' and Elvis's 'His Latest Flame' but not. Oh, never mind. Fine lumbering song anywise, utilising a bit of Ivanhoe TV/film soundtrack and also a paraphrasing of Shakespeare's sonnet 28: 'How can I then return in happy plight, that am debarred the benefit of rest.' Woo. 'It's only two pence.'