The Fall are one of those bands whose influence is so deeply ingrained into independent and alternative music that it’s hard to imagine the musical landscape without them. They are one of those bands about whom (and most often about iconic frontman Mark E Smith) so many stories have been told that it’s hard to unravel the facts from the mythology. They are one of those bands so prolific and with such an imposingly massive catalogue of music that it’s almost impossible to know where to start. And they are perhaps one of the most documented bands from an era before everything was available instantly, bootlegs of live performances duplicated tape to tape, changing hands via a network of jiffy bags; recordings that easily number well into the hundreds, spanning their forty-two year run.
Here to help with at least a couple of those are four of the longest serving of Smith’s sixty-six bandmates: Steve Hanley (bass, 1979-1998), Craig Scanlon (guitar/keys, 1979-1995), Paul Hanley (drums/keys/guitar, 1980-1985) and Marc Riley (bass/guitar/keys, 1978-1982) and their label Popstock Records, created specifically to release live Fall recordings.
As well as bringing some semblance of order to the chaotic multitude of Fall live recordings and bootlegs out in the world by recreating studio album tracklistings through a patchwork of live recordings, the label also sets out to provide recognition, consultation and remuneration for the musicians featured on the recordings, something often missing from other recordings out there, whether ‘official’ or otherwise.
Following live renderings of Slates and Grotesque, the label began to compile performances of the band’s singles, with a first volume featuring tracks from 1978-81 due to be followed on 28th May by a second collection focussed on singles from 1980-83. The LP features eight remastered tracks, specially created artwork and a booklet with sleeve notes by Kid Congo Powers
We caught up with Steve, Paul and Marc to find out more about the release and their plans for future releases.
How did this series of compilations come about and who’s involved?
MR: I think the initial thought was a direct reaction to the endless array of Fall bootlegs (‘official’ or otherwise) that were ending up in record shop racks. It was getting beyond a joke. So I suggested we start a label to see if we could take back control of our own work – to an extent at least. The tricky part was coming up with an idea that made our releases stand out from the rest. I think we did that with the ‘reimagining’ (awful word – apologies) of Fall releases but in a live format. I don’t think this has ever been done before. We started with Slates which worked well and was well received – and then on to Grotesque. Ditto. At which point we went slightly off piste and did a ‘Singles Vol 1 ‘ release…. And here we are with the follow up, ‘Vol 2’.
Can you paint us a picture of this time period please – from your standpoint what was going on in the UK, in music and more specifically in The Fall?
PH: 1981 was quite a transitory time in Manchester, the end of an era in many ways. Buzzcocks and Joy Division were both gone, leaving The Fall as the last of the big three post-Lesser Free Trade Hall groups. I just remember being incredibly busy, we seemed to be playing all the time. It was also when we started the two drummer line up, which was incredibly exciting for me.
How has it felt trawling back through all of these archive recordings? What memories has the process evoked? And with so many live recordings to choose from, how did you whittle it down to these eight performances?
MR: It’s been a really enjoyable process largely. We get help from some Fall aficionados (Barrie Reilly specifically) who not only knew the best recordings out there – but actually had the files. The only real problem we’ve encountered was in trying to source songs that we rarely did live. A couple have been a hard listen – but in order to fulfil the track listings they have to be on there. Ha.
Are there any recordings that you feel capture a different take on the songs compared to the album versions?
PH: It’s nice to finally get ‘The Man Whose Head Expanded’ with Marc’s keyboards on onto a vinyl record. They add a whole new element.
The tracks are taken from a number of different gigs – do you have any particular memories of these specific shows?
PH: The version of ‘Putta Block’ was recorded less than two months after I joined, and if you look at the set list it’s one of five or six new songs. We didn’t hang about! The gig was at The Beach Club in Manchester, which was run by Buzzcocks’ management Richard Boon. He was quite the visionary – New Hormones had a label and a club before Factory ever did.
There have been somewhere in the region of 100 Fall live albums released over the years. Is there anything on this one that Fall fans might not have heard on the others, or anything in the way its been packaged together that might give new insights into the band?
MR: We take great pride in the artwork for these Postock releases. Slates was put together by Craig and the follow up – Grotesque – was a homage to the original artwork (by Suzanne Smith) by a brilliant artist called Mark Reynolds. Again with Craig compiling the back cover. Then we discovered an artist called Gareth Davis who had been creating Fall related artwork online. We loved his style so asked if him he’d join us in the project. Both Singles Vol 1 + 2 have been the result of lots of back and forths between Craig and Gareth. Both are brilliant.
Stephen, aside from Mark, you were the longest serving member of The Fall. How did you manage to keep going when so many other musicians left or were given their marching orders?
SH: Not sure why. I suppose during the earlier years I was quiet and just stood at the back and played the Bass tried not to get involved in any of the arguments; this obviously became more difficult as the years went on. The longer I was in the band I grew to hate the thought of it carrying on without me as I believed I’d put a lot into it. Something I had to come to terms with after I left as we all had to. Now having worked with many ex-members who came before and after me I think one of Mark Smith’s talents was choosing great people to work with, even if it was for a short time.
Aside from putting these compilations together, what else are the four of you up to at the moment?
MR: Annoying people on the wireless. Touring with Mark Radcliffe. Plotting a short horror film.
PH: Me and Steve play with House of All and host the Oh! Brother podcast. We’ve also been helping to organise ‘Futures and Pasts’, a festival celebrating The Fall at Band on the Wall in June. I’m also working on my next book, which has nowt to do with The Fall!
Looking ahead, what can we expect from the upcoming editions in this series of releases?
MR: We are hoping to tackle what many Fall fans consider to be up there with the best… Hex Enduction Hour. One problem we face (as was something of a conundrum at the time) is that getting an hour’s worth of material on a single album is very very tricky. Add to that the fact that some of the live versions we did were even longer than the original releases… so it’s either an impossibility… or a double album. We appear to have gone for the latter.
The Fall – Singles Live Vol. Two 1980-83 is out on 29th May through Popstock Records in association with Bella Union – pre-order now on vinyl, CD and digital download via Bandcamp
The Fall: Website / Facebook
Popstock Records: Website / Facebook
Marc Riley: BBC 6Music / Instagram
House of All: Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Oh! Brother Podcast: Youtube / Instagram / Blue Sky
Futures & Pasts Festival: Info & Tickets / Facebook / Instagram
Interview by Paul Maps
Header photograph by Eric Blugeon
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