The Fall: Grotesque (After the Gramme)

The Fall: Grotesque (After the Gramme)

1980

Castle Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Pay Your Rates  2. English Scheme  3. New Face in Hell  4. C'n'C-S Mithering  5. The Container Drivers  6. Impression of J. Temperance  7. In the Park  8. W.M.C. – Blob 59  9. Gramme Friday  10. The N.W.R.A.  11. How I Wrote 'Elastic Man  12. City Hobgoblins  13. Totally Wired  14. Putta Block  15. Self Interview


As much as I appreciate and love Mark E Smith's more recent, incoherent, drunken, insane, babbling work there's just no way around the fact that once upon a time Mark E Smith was one of the finest lyricists of all-time (come to think of it, he still might be, but not because he's honed his skills or even came close to maintaining his craft. It more has to do with how little everyone tries these days).  And "Grotesque" contains at least two of his most epic, lyrical masterpieces, in the form of "C'n'C-S Mithering" and "The N.W.R.A."

"C'n'C-S Mithering"  is a cranky, exhausted, hilarious look at the Fall's chosen profession (played on a slightly out of tune acoustic guitar). He takes us from a dance party in a Cash N' Carry to the California offices of "Big A&M Herb." The most amusing bits (to me) are his well-worded takedowns of the British new wave bands making it in the US at the time:

"All the English groups act like peasants with free milk, 
On a route to the loot, 
 To candy mountain, 
 Five wacky English proletariat idiots...

You think you've got it bad with thin ties, 
Miserable songs synthesized, or circles with 'A' in the middle, 
Make joke records, hang out with Gary Bushell, 
Go on Roundtable: "I like your single," 
(dopey Voice) "Yeah, great!" 
A circle of low IQ's. '
There are three rules of audience. 
My journalist acquaintances, go soft, go places, 
On record company expenses. 
 I lose humor, manners become bog writers, don't know it. 
The smart hedonists, 
same as last verse, allusions with H in electronics, 
on stage false histrionics, 
Dogs mauling dicks, 
pose through a good film..."

This is  also where Mark E Smith tackles the Johnny Rotten comparisons. Just all around brilliant if you're a close listener. If you're more casual with your music listening the song probably won't register at all (until that ferocious snare roll into "Containment Drivers" blasts your head off). 

And "The N.W.R.A" would probably make a bit more sense to me if I wasn't a yank (I yank it often, in fact), but I love the slightly apocalyptic vibe of tossed bricks and  toppled governments. And the callbacks to other Fall songs are intriguing fun ("Junior Choice played one morning. The song was 'English Scheme.' Mine. They'd changed it with a grand piano and turned It into a love song. How they did it I don't know. DJs had worsened since the rising. Elaborating on nothing in praise of The track with words they could hardly pronounce, in telephone voices."). 

Lots of other goodies here too. "English Scheme" is great dinky-keyboard driven pop, "New Face in Hell" invents Pavement.  And most fascinating is possibly "Impression of J. Temperance," which is another horror epic in the mold of "Spector Vs Rector" except waaaayyy more unnerving. As a creepy  bassline crawls out of the speakers Mark tells the story of a guy who impregnates his dog and everybody watches in horror as a human/puppy hybrid is born (at least that's what I get out of the song).   

Fantastic album. One of their best, I think. It's where the band's signature sound comes together. A sort of bass-driven amphetamine rockabilly with scratchedy guitars and Mark E Smtih's honking sing/speak-a. Addictive as hell once you're accustomed to it. Be sure to snag the copy that has the "How I Wrote Elastic Man" and "Totally Wired" singles, since they contain some of the album's best tracks. "Totally Wired" is a complete classic and should have resulted in the Fall playing stadiums to throngs of adoring fans (which I'm sure Mark would immediately alienate) and "Putta Block" is catchy and melancholy and wonderful. 

Let's listen to some music. Here's "English Scheme" by the Fall...Enjoy...