The Frenz Experiment

The Frenz Experiment
Studio album by The Fall
Released 29 February 1988
Recorded St John's Wood, Brixton and Manchester
Genre Alternative rock
College rock
Post-punk
Length 42:20 (LP)
64:53 (CD)
Label Beggars Banquet
Producer Simon Rogers,
Grant Showbiz
Dian Barton (CD & cassette only)
Professional reviews

The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space.
The Fall chronology
Bend Sinister
(1986)		 The Frenz Experiment
(1988)		 I Am Kurious Oranj
(1988)

The Frenz Experiment is a 1988 album by The Fall. It was released on Beggars Banquet Records, and like the group's other albums with the label, it has a different track listing across the various formats on which it was released: LP, CD and cassette. A number of the tracks are credited exclusively to the group's leader, Mark E. Smith, but the album also incorporates two cover versions (or one, depending on the format). "Victoria" was written by Ray Davies and originally performed by The Kinks, who released it as a single and on their album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969). The Fall issued their version as a single and it made number 35 in the British charts. "There's a Ghost in My House", meanwhile, was a somewhat forgotten Northern soul track, first recorded by R. Dean Taylor in 1966, and written by Taylor with the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. The latter only appears on the CD version, having been issued as a single the preceding summer, whereupon it reached number 30. This was the group's highest singles chart position to date, and remains so as of 2011. Several sources note a strong similarity between "Athlete Cured" and Spinal Tap's "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight". [1] [2]

Smith originally intended to call the album Gene Crime Experience until he realized that it spelled "GCE".

Despite a comparatively cool critical reception, The Frenz Experiment reached number 19 in the UK album chart, making it their first Top 20 album. The group promoted the release with a live appearance in HMV's Oxford Street store in London. Typically, they opened their short set with "Cab It Up!", a brand new song which would appear on their next album, I Am Kurious Oranj.

Contents

Track listing

Vinyl record

Side one ("Crime Gene")

  1. "Frenz" (Mark E. Smith) – 3:28
  2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
  3. "Get a Hotel" (Steve Hanley, Craig Scanlon, M. Smith) – 4:38
  4. "Victoria" (Ray Davies) – 2:45
  5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51

Side two ("Experience")

  1. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
  2. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, Brix Smith) – 3:56
  3. "Bremen Nacht" (M. Smith) – 7:00
  4. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
  5. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59

Limited copies of the LP also came with a 7" single, featuring:

  1. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44
  2. "Mark'll Sink Us" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – a live version of a track from the "There's A Ghost In My House" single – 4:21

CD version

  1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:28
  2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
  3. "Get a Hotel" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 4:38
  4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:45
  5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51
  6. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
  7. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:56
  8. "Bremen Nacht Alternative" (M. Smith) – 9:19 – a longer version than the (now unavailable) vinyl one
  9. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
  10. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59
  11. "Tuff Life Booogie" (Hanley, M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:44
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single, January 1988
  12. "Guest Informant" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 5:47
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single
  13. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:07
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single
  14. "There's a Ghost in My House" (Holland-Dozier-Holland, R. Dean Taylor) – 2:37
    • Originally released on the "There's a Ghost in My House" single, 27 April 1987
  15. "Hit the North" (Simon Rogers, M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:00
    • Originally released on the "Hit The North" single, 19 October 1987

Cassette version

  1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:28
  2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
  3. "Get a Hotel" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 4:38
  4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:45
  5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51
  6. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
  7. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:56
  8. "Bremen Nacht Alternative" (M. Smith) – [note: this is a different mix to the vinyl version]
  9. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
  10. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59
  11. "Guest Informant" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 5:47
  12. "Tuff Life Booogie" (Hanley, M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:44
  13. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:07
  14. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44

Another cassette version, which has red lettering on the cover image, has the following track listing - including credits and timings:

  1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:24
  2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:00
  3. "Get a Hotel" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:29
  4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:40
  5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 4:45
  6. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44
  7. "Guest Informant" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 5:51
  8. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:15
  9. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:55
  10. "Bremen Nacht" (M. Smith) – 7:00
  11. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Scanlon, Hanley) – 0:40
  12. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (M. Smith) – 5:30
  13. "Tuff Life Booogie" (M. Smith, B. Smith, Hanley) – 2:42
  14. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:08

Personnel

External links

The Fall
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Former members
Collaborators
Related articles