Extricate is a 1990 album by post-punk band The Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader
Mark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole constant member of English post-punk band The Fall.-Biography:...
divorced
Brix SmithBrix Smith-Start is an American singer and guitarist, best known for being a member of British post-punk band The Fall, and as lead singer with The Adult Net.-Biography:...
. Brix's departure influenced more than just the subject matter of the album, it also helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and post-punk guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member
Martin BramahMartin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids.Bramah met Mark E. Smith and original keyboard player Una Baines towards the end of 1975; Bramah and founding bassist Tony Friel were friends with Smith's sister Barbara...
, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Lead-off single "Telephone Thing" could have been seen as a nod to the
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
scene of the time as the sound is quite similar to the dance-influenced music that was being released by The Happy Mondays and
The Stone RosesThe Stone Roses were an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1984. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
in 1989.
Extricate is a 1990 album by post-punk band The Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader
Mark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole constant member of English post-punk band The Fall.-Biography:...
divorced
Brix SmithBrix Smith-Start is an American singer and guitarist, best known for being a member of British post-punk band The Fall, and as lead singer with The Adult Net.-Biography:...
. Brix's departure influenced more than just the subject matter of the album, it also helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and post-punk guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member
Martin BramahMartin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids.Bramah met Mark E. Smith and original keyboard player Una Baines towards the end of 1975; Bramah and founding bassist Tony Friel were friends with Smith's sister Barbara...
, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Lead-off single "Telephone Thing" could have been seen as a nod to the
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
scene of the time as the sound is quite similar to the dance-influenced music that was being released by The Happy Mondays and
The Stone RosesThe Stone Roses were an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1984. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
in 1989. However, its origins were in Smith's previous collaboration with
ColdcutColdcut are an English dance music duo comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music.-1980s:...
on their track "I'm In Deep", which, in turn, led to Coldcut producing the track and "Black Monk Theme Part II", one of two tracks by 60's garage band The Monks to be covered on the album (the other being "Black Monk Theme" - The Fall retitled both tracks). Elsewhere, Bramah, appearing on his first Fall album since
Live at the Witch TrialsLive at the Witch Trials is the debut album by The Fall, first released on 16 March 1979. It is not, despite its title, a live album, but was recorded in the studio in one day and mixed by producer Bob Sargeant the next. In 2004, bassist Marc Riley told the BBC that the group had been booked into...
adds a distinctly raw, even rockabilly sound to some of the songs. However, the album's best known track was one of the least typical of the group's catalogue; "Bill Is Dead", a slow-paced tender love song, topped
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and...
's
Festive FiftyThe Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
that year, the only occasion in the DJ's lifetime when his favourite band would do so. Although originally conceived by Smith and Craig Scanlon as a parody of
The SmithsThe Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Smith changed lyrical tack when he decided Scanlon's music deserved better, delivering a highly personal lyric. However, at Smith's insistence, it was not released as a single (Simon Ford,
Hip Priest, Quartet 2003 pp 200-201).
The critical reception to
Extricate was largely positive, with
Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s-1960s:Originally the Melody...
suggesting that it was"possibly their finest yet"
http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/90feb17rev.html and
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
giving the album a full 10/10
http://www.visi.com/fall/news/pics/90feb17_nme-extricate.jpg. During the Australian leg of the tour accompanying the album, both Martin Bramah and Marcia Schofield were sacked from the group, leaving The Fall as a quartet for the first time in their career.
The album was re-released in an expanded and re-mastered edition by
UniversalUniversal Music Group is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
in May 2007.
Original vinyl tracklisting
Side 1
- "Sing! Harpy" (M. Beddington, Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole constant member of English post-punk band The Fall.-Biography:...
) – 5:24 (note - M. Beddington is a pseudonym used by Martin BramahMartin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids.Bramah met Mark E. Smith and original keyboard player Una Baines towards the end of 1975; Bramah and founding bassist Tony Friel were friends with Smith's sister Barbara...
)
- "I'm Frank" (Craig Scanlon
Craig Scanlon is a British guitarist, best known as a member of The Fall between 1979 and 1995. During this period he co-wrote over 120 of the group's songs; Mark E. Smith excepted, this tally is unmatched by any other musician to have passed through the group.-Career:Scanlon joined the band...
, Smith) – 3:21
- "Bill Is Dead" (Scanlon, Smith) – 4:32
- "Black Monk Theme, Part I" (The Monks
The Monks are a garage rock band, primarily active in Germany in the mid to late 1960s. They reunited in 1999 and have continued to play concerts, although no new studio recordings have been made...
- originally titled "I Hate You") – 4:35
- "Popcorn, Double Feature" (Scott English
Scott English is an American singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the composer of "Brandy", which became a number-one hit for Barry Manilow in 1974 under the title "Mandy"...
, Weiss) – 3:43
Side 2
- "Telephone Thing" (Matt Black
Matt Black is a British DJ and one half of music duo Coldcut .As a college student, he was a member of a band called The Jazz Insects, whose first single was played by John Peel in his radio show...
, Jon More, Smith) – 4:12
- "Hilary" (Smith) – 2:30
- "Chicago, Now!" (Smith) – 5:59
- "The Littlest Rebel" (Steve Hanley
Steve Hanley is an English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing bass guitar in The Fall from 1979 to 1998, and afterwords in The Lovers....
, Scanlon, Smith, Wolstencroft) – 3:36
- "And Therein..." (Bramah, Smith) – 2:53
CD and cassette editions
- "Sing! Harpy"
- "I'm Frank"
- "Bill Is Dead"
- "Black Monk Theme, Part I"
- "Popcorn, Double Feature"
- "Arms Control Poseur"* (Scanlon, Smith, Simon Wolstencroft
Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between June 1986 and August 1997.Wolstencroft was a member of an early incarnation of Stone Roses; having previously been a member of The Weeds and The Colourfield. He was also drummer for Freak...
) – 4:44
- "Black Monk Theme Part II"* (Monks - originally titled "Oh, How to Do Now") – 2:01
- "Telephone Thing"
- "Hilary"
- "Chicago, Now!"
- "The Littlest Rebel"
- "British People in Hot Weather"* (Hanley, Scanlon, Smith, Wolstencroft) – 3:07
- "And Therein..."
- "Extricate"* (Hanley, Scanlon, Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy.He is co-founder of Carib Gems and Pressure...
, Smith) – 3:46
Of the 4 bonus tracks, "Arms Control Poseur" and "Black Monk Theme Part II" were released as b-sides to "Popcorn Double Feature", the former in an alternate version. "British People In Hot Weather" was released as the b-side to "Telephone Thing".
2007 reissue
- "Sing! Harpy"
- "I'm Frank"
- "Bill Is Dead"
- "Black Monk Theme, Part I"
- "Popcorn, Double Feature"
- "Telephone Thing"
- "Hilary"
- "Chicago, Now!"
- "The Littlest Rebel"
- "And Therein..."
- "Telephone Thing (Extended)" - 4:19 (from "Telephone Thing" 12" single)
- "Telephone Dub" - 4:27 (from "Telephone Thing" 12" single)
- "British People In Hot Weather"
- "Butterflies 4 Brains" (Smith, Scanlon, Hanley, Wolstencroft) - 4:15 (from "Popcorn Double Feature" single)
- "Arms Control Poseur" - 5:03 (from "Popcorn Double Feature" single)
- "Arms Control Poseur" (CD album version)
- "Zandra" (Smith, Beddington) - 2:47 (from limited edition "Popcorn Double Feature" single)
- "Black Monk Theme Part II"
- "Extricate"
- "Theme From Error-Orrori" (compilation track originally credited to "M Smith, M Beddington, S Hanley and S Wolstencroft") - 4:11
- "Chicago Now" - 5:34 (Peel session)
- "Black Monk Theme" - 4:07 (Peel session - this is "Part 1")
- "Hilary" - 2:23 (Peel session)
- "Whizz Bang" - 3:01 (Peel session, not originally broadcast, later reworked as "Butterflies 4 Brains")
Personnel
- The Fall:
- Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole constant member of English post-punk band The Fall.-Biography:...
– vocalsSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist...
- Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids.Bramah met Mark E. Smith and original keyboard player Una Baines towards the end of 1975; Bramah and founding bassist Tony Friel were friends with Smith's sister Barbara...
– guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
, backing vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Craig Scanlon
Craig Scanlon is a British guitarist, best known as a member of The Fall between 1979 and 1995. During this period he co-wrote over 120 of the group's songs; Mark E. Smith excepted, this tally is unmatched by any other musician to have passed through the group.-Career:Scanlon joined the band...
– guitar
- Steve Hanley
Steve Hanley is an English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing bass guitar in The Fall from 1979 to 1998, and afterwords in The Lovers....
- bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Marcia Schofield – percussion
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
, keyboardsA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Simon Wolstencroft
Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between June 1986 and August 1997.Wolstencroft was a member of an early incarnation of Stone Roses; having previously been a member of The Weeds and The Colourfield. He was also drummer for Freak...
– drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
- Kenny Brady – fiddle
The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
- Charlotte Bill - flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, oboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
- Mike Edwards (of Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones is a British rock group. The London-based group recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s.-Formation and Liquidizer :...
) - guitar on "Popcorn Double Feature"
- Craig Leon
Craig Leon is anAmerican born record producer, composer and arranger. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many recording artists including The Ramones and Blondie...
- backing vocals, organThe organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet...
- Cassell Webb (wife of Craig Leon; credited as "Castle") - backing vocals, organ
External links