Perverted by Language
| Perverted by Language | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Fall | ||||
| Released | 12 December 1983 | |||
| Recorded | Pluto, Manchester, England | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 47:04 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer | Steve Parker | |||
| The Fall chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B–[2] |
Perverted by Language is the sixth studio album by English post-punk band The Fall. It was released on 12 December 1983 through Rough Trade Records.
Background
Perverted by Language is the first Fall album to feature Brix Smith, then-wife of Mark E. Smith, who performs lead vocals on "Hotel Blöedel". However, the bulk of the album was recorded before she had joined the band.
The album contains the track "Eat Y'self Fitter", which John Peel picked as one of his Desert Island Discs; when Peel had first heard the track – in a session the band recorded in March 1983 – he stated on air that he had fainted and that his producer, John Walters, had to resuscitate him.
The album was the only full-length product of the band's renewed relationship with Rough Trade, whom they had previously left in 1981. This time, they fell out over the full-length video the band wished to make for the album. The video Perverted by Language Bis went ahead funded by the group themselves and producers Ikon (Factory Records), who released the finished product on VHS in 1984 (a DVD edition was released by Cherry Red in 2003). By that time, the group had signed to Beggars Banquet.
Track listing
*Note: writing credits as per original vinyl editions.
| Side A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Eat Y'self Fitter" | Mark E. Smith[n 1] | 6:38 |
| 2. | "Neighbourhood of Infinity" | M. Smith, Karl Burns, Steve Hanley, Paul Hanley, Craig Scanlon | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Garden" | M. Smith, Scanlon [n 2] | 8:42 |
| 4. | "Hotel Blöedel" | M. Smith, S. Hanley, Brix Smith[n 3] | 3:47 |
| Side B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Smile" | M. Smith, Scanlon [n 4] | 5:06 |
| 2. | "I Feel Voxish" | M. Smith, Marc Riley [n 5] | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Tempo House" (recorded live at The Haçienda, Manchester in July 1983) | M. Smith, S. Hanley | 8:51 |
| 4. | "Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot" | M. Smith, Burns, Adrian Niman, Scanlon [n 6] | 6:57 |
| 1998 & 2005 Castle CD bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 9. | "The Man Whose Head Expanded" | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley | 4:19 |
| 10. | "Ludd Gang" | M. Smith, Scanlon, S. Hanley, P. Hanley, Burns | 2:31 |
| 11. | "Kicker Conspiracy" | M. Smith | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Wings" | M. Smith, S. Hanley, P. Hanley | 4:25 |
| 13. | "Pilsner Trail" | M. Smith, Scanlon, Burns | 4:49 |
| 2005 Castle bonus disc | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Smile" (Peel Session, March 1983) | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Garden" (Peel Session, March 1983) | 10:00 |
| 3. | "Hexen Definitive / Strife Knot" (Peel Session, March 1983) | 9:07 |
| 4. | "Eat Y'Self Fitter" (Peel Session, March 1983) | 7:01 |
| 5. | "Garden" (1998 remix) | 8:42 |
| 6. | "Neighbourhood of Infinity" (live in Munich, April 1984) | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Smile" (live in New York, May 1983) | 5:39 |
| 8. | "Tempo House" (live in New York, May 1983) | 7:17 |
| 9. | "Perverted by Language" (live in London, December 1983) | 1:34 |
| 10. | "Wings" (live in London, March 1982) | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Backdrop" (live in Brighton, October 1983) | 11:11 |
Reissues
There have been five CD editions of the album. The first three (Line's 1984, Castle's 1993 and Cog Sinister's 1998) duplicated the original vinyl. The album was reissued through Castle Music in 1998 in a slightly different mix (only "Garden" was noticeably altered) and adding five bonus tracks.
The 2005 edition, again on Castle Music, carried the original mix of the album, all the bonus tracks from the 1998 version and came with an additional disc carrying live recordings from the era and a Peel Session, as well as the remixed "Garden" from the previous edition.
Legacy
Pitchfork Media listed Perverted by Language as 82nd best album of the 1980s.
Personnel
- The Fall
- Mark E. Smith – vocals, piano, violin, guitar
- Steve Hanley – bass guitar, backing vocals on "Eat Y'Self Fitter"
- Paul Hanley – drums, keyboards, backing vocals on "Eat Y'Self Fitter"
- Craig Scanlon – guitar, backing vocals on "Eat Y'Self Fitter" and "Tempo House"
- Karl Burns – drums, percussion, bass guitar, backing vocals on "Eat Y'Self Fitter"
- Brix Smith – guitar and lead vocals on "Hotel Blöedel", backing vocals on "Eat Y'Self Fitter"
- Technical
- Steve Parker – production
- Heather Hanley – recording of "Tempo House"
- Oz McCormick – recording of "Tempo House"
Notes
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, S. Hanley
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, Burns, Scanlon, P. Hanley, S. Hanley
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, S. Hanley
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, Scanlon, Burns, S. Hanley, P. Hanley
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, Riley, S. Hanley
- ↑ Alternatively credited on all the CD editions to: M. Smith, Scanlon, Burns
References
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Perverted by Language – The Fall : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: The Fall". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
External links
- Perverted by Language at Discogs (list of releases)