The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)

The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)
Studio album by The Fall
Released 27 October 2003 (UK)
15 June 2004 (US)
Recorded 2003
Genre Post-punk
Length 44:25 (UK)
52:25 (US)
Label Action Records (UK)
Narnack (US)
Producer The Fall
The Fall chronology
2G+2
(2002)		 The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)
(2003)		 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
(2004)
Alternative cover
Cover of the US version
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
The Guardian 24 Oct. 2003
Pitchfork Media7.9/10 22 Jan 2004
PopMattersfavourable link
The Sunday Times3/3 9 Nov. 2003
Stylus MagazineA- 14 Apr. 2004

The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) is an album by The Fall. It was released on Action Records in the United Kingdom in 2003, and then on Narnack Records in the United States, with a slightly altered tracklisting, in 2004.

The subtitle is explained by the fact that the tracks were originally scheduled for release under the title Country on the Click. The tracks were recorded between December 2002 and January 2003, and mixed, by Grant Showbiz and Jim Watts, in February 2003. Promos were sent out and three of the new songs were previewed in the band's 23rd Peel Session, recorded 19 February and broadcast 13 March 2003. The release was delayed after a mix appeared on the internet, prompting Mark E. Smith to remix, partially re-record, re-sequence and rename the album. However, the original title still appears on the CD spine.

The album features the song "Theme from Sparta F.C.", which, since 2005, has been used as the theme music to the Final Score section of BBC television's Saturday afternoon sports coverage. In 2006, Smith was also invited to read out the classified football results on the BBCi interactive service "Score"; this performance was in turn released by the Sonic Arts Network on their Stewart Lee-compiled album The Topography of Chance. An alternative version of the tune, "Theme from Sparta F.C. #2", was released as a UK single in 2004, and this version also appears on the US versions of the album. Yet another version appeared on Interim.

Comparison between original and released UK versions

Of the twelve tracks on the album, many were altered drastically. Some songs were rewritten substantially, whilst others were re-recordings of essentially the same material. Songs rewritten were:

Mike's Love Xexagon: This song underwent the most major changes, from what was a fairly normal bass/drums/guitar/keyboard arrangement to something more avant garde. The lyrics from the second verse onwards were rewritten, and the previously two-part chorus (featuring a solo lead vocal in the first and a group chorus-vocal in the second) was condensed to one, the two vocal parts now doing call-and-response. The bass was all but mixed out of this version, making for a more tribal sound.

Boxoctosis: The new version was simplified, and what in the original was a basic four-chord preamble to the winding chorus riff, now supplanted the latter as the main riff of the song. The backing vocals also played a more prominent role.

Mountain Energei: Whereas the original version had a very dense sound, with layered vocals in the chorus and shorter verses, the new version was very sparse, mainly driven by bass and drums with minimal interjection from guitar and keyboard. In the chorus, the backing vocal harmony from the old version becomes the solo lead-vocal in the new version. There were also some lyrical changes.

Janet, Johnny + James: On the released version of the album, this song replaced the single A-side "Susan Vs. Youthclub" from the previous year. An earlier version had appeared as the B-side to that single, under the name "Janet Vs. Johnny." This version is a faster, more assured run through than the slower, more ethereal early version.

Other songs were partially or completely rerecorded, whilst the material remained essentially the same:

Green Eyed Loco-Man: The vocals were rerecorded in a manner closer to the Peel version, the group vocals were removed from the chorus, and the keyboards were lowered in the mix.

Theme From Sparta F.C.: Rerecorded from scratch, this version was faster and more guitar centred. The keyboard arrangements were removed leaving a sparser sound, and parts of the bassline were changed.

Contraflow: Another slightly faster version, with a sung section removed from the vocals, and most of the keyboards taken out.

The Past: This was previously a fully fleshed out punk song featuring the whole band. The released version has bass and guitar removed, leaving only drums, keyboards and vocals. Additionally the vocals are rerecorded and the original lyrical hook ('Only humans carry their past around') is now just a one-off aside.

Recovery Kit: Layered vocals are removed, the keyboards are less to the forefront and the lyrics are altered. The phrase 'Oh father', which originally played a key role, is absent here.

Houston: The intro is excised and replaced with "Loop 41", which was commonly used as the group's intro tape for live performances.

Last Commands of Xyralothep Via M.E.S.: Features additional nonsense words by Smith and Poulou during the intro, similar to those spoken on the Peel Session recording of "Grooving With Mr. Bloe."

Only "Proteinprotection" remains unchanged. In addition to the noted changes, there also appear to be sarcastic references to the leaking of the album on the internet, most obviously in the new title, but also in various lyrical asides (The song "The Past" was incorrectly titled "The Fast" on the file-sharing networks. In the new version he sings 'Only humans carry their fast around, their past around'. "Mike's Love Xexagon" originally started with the line 'The room was a hexagon'. Fans speculated online that he could be referring to the hexagonal Maida Vale Studio 4 where bands – including the Fall – recorded for John Peel. The released version starts with 'Studio was a hexagon').

Track listing

UK version

  1. "Green Eyed Loco-Man" (Mark E. Smith, Jim Watts) – 3:47
  2. "Mountain Energei" (Dave Milner, Smith) – 3:22
  3. "Theme From Sparta F.C." (Ben Pritchard, Smith, Watts) – 3:43
  4. "Contraflow" (Smith, Watts) – 4:06
  5. "Last Commands of Xyralothep Via M.E.S." (Milner, Smith) – 3:20
  6. "Open the Boxoctosis #2" (Smith, Watts) – 3:46
  7. "Janet, Johnny + James" (Pritchard, Smith) – 4:15
  8. "The Past #2" (Smith, Watts) – 2:20
  9. "Loop41 `Houston" (Lee Hazlewood) – 3:20
  10. "Mike's Love Xexagon" (Smith, Watts) – 4:59
  11. "Proteinprotection" (Milner, Pritchard, Smith, Watts) – 3:19
  12. "Recovery Kit" (Pritchard, Smith) – 3:58

US version

The American release is remastered, features an alternate cover and abbreviates the titles of several tracks, although most are identical to their UK counterparts. "Sparta 2#" and "Recovery Kit 2#" are alternate recordings, while "Mod Mock Goth" and "Portugal" were not included on the UK version of the LP but did feature on UK singles.

  1. "Green Eyed" – 3:46
  2. "Mountain" – 3:22
  3. "Sparta 2#" – 3:49
  4. "Contraflow" – 4:05
  5. "Xralothep" – 3:20
  6. "Janet vs. Johnny" – 4:15
  7. "Boxoctosis" – 3:45
  8. "The Past" – 2:19
  9. "Mod Mock Goth" (Smith, Elenor Poulou) – 4:12
  10. "Protein Protection" – 3:17
  11. "Mike's Love Hexagon" – 4:59
  12. "41.Loop / Houston" – 3:28
  13. "Portugal" (Smith, Simon Archer, Milner, Poulou, Pritchard) – 3:37
  14. "Recovery Kit 2#" (Pritchard, Smith, S. Beswick [uncredited], Rob Lally [uncredited]) – 4:03

Country on the Click (unreleased original version)

  1. "Theme From Sparta F.C." – 3:48
  2. "Proteinprotection" – 3:19
  3. "Mountain Energei" – 3:29
  4. "Contraflow" – 4:41
  5. "Green Eyed Loco-Man" – 3:57
  6. "Last Commands of Xyralothep Via M.E.S." – 3:20
  7. "Boxoctosis" – 3:40
  8. "Ho(e)uston" – 3:20
  9. "The Past" – 2:20
  10. "Mike's Love Xexagon" – 5:15
  11. "Recovery Kit" – 4:10
  12. "Susan Vs Youthclub" (Milner, Smith) – 3.40

Personnel

External links

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