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| Louie Louie | The Fall version: | 1977 live performances, as captured on the Live 77 CD. |
| Originally by: | Richard Berry & The Pharaohs
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| Infotainment: | Written in 1955, first released in 1957 as single A-side on Flip Records. Over 1600 cover versions are known to exist, making it one of the most covered songs in history (the most popular being Yesterday by The Beatles). Another well-known early version is by The Kingsmen from 1963.
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| Brand New Cadillac | The Fall version: | 1978 live performances, no released recording. |
| Originally by: | Vince Taylor & The Play-Boys
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| Infotainment: | A 1958 single B-side on Parlophone-Odeon. Vince Taylor was the inspiration for D. Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character. The song was also famously covered by The Clash around the same time as The Fall and released on their 1979 album London Calling (MES claims in the October 2003 Uncut magazine to have done the song live first).
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Black Night
| The Fall version: |
1982 live performances in Australia & New Zealand, released as a bonus track on the 2003 Fall In A Hole+ reissue.
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| Originally by: |
Deep Purple
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| Infotainment: |
A 1970 single A-side on Harvest-EMI. Recorded at the very end of the sessions for Deep Purple In Rock, after the group's manager asked where the single was. Then it wasn't included on the LP. The melody was "borrowed" from Ricky Nelson's Summertime.
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Rollin' Dany
| The Fall version: |
1985 single AA-side & also found on This Nation's Saving Grace CD.
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| Originally by: |
Gene Vincent
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| Infotainment: |
1958 album track on Gene Vincent Rocks & The Blue Caps Roll on Capitol Records. Danny had 2 n's back then!
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Mr Pharmacist
| The Fall version: |
1986 single A-side & Bend Sinister album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Other Half
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| Infotainment: |
A 1968 single A-side on GNP Crescendo Records. May contain obscure drug references. Possibly.
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There's A Ghost In My House
| The Fall version: |
1987 single A-side.
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| Originally by: |
R Dean Taylor
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| Infotainment: |
A 1965 single A-side on Motown. Richard Dean Taylor was a non-African-American, in fact he was non-American (from Canada), making a precedent for someone like MES signing to Motown....
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Victoria
| The Fall version: |
1987 single A-side.
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| Originally by: |
The Kinks
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| Infotainment: |
A 1969 single A-side on Pye.
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Jerusalem
| The Fall version: |
1988 single and I Am Kurious Oranj album track.
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| Originally by: |
words by William Blake
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| Infotainment: |
A poem written by Blake in 1804. It was used as a preface to his book of the same name containing 100 engravings, which he produced between 1804 and 1818.
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A Day In The Life
| The Fall version: |
1988 recording for a Various Artists compilation album of Beatles tracks put together by NME, Sgt Pepper Knew My Father.
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| Originally by: |
The Beatles
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| Infotainment: |
Closing track from the fairly well-known 1967 album St Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on Parlophone.
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Pinball Machine
| The Fall version: |
1989 Seminal Live album track.
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| Originally by: |
Lonnie Irving
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| Infotainment: |
A 1960 single A-side on Starday Records. Lonnie released just one more single before he died at the end of 1960. The song has appeared on a number of trucking music compilations:
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Race With The Devil
| The Fall version: |
1989 live performance played at John Peel's 50th birthday celebration at Subterrania, London on 29 August 1989.
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| Originally by: |
Gene Vincent
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| Infotainment: |
A 1956 single A-side on Capitol. One of 4 tracks recorded by Vincent in his first recording session, along with Be Bop A Lula. Released as his second single.
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Black Monk Theme Part I
| The Fall version: |
1990 Extricate album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Monks
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| Infotainment: |
The Monks original was titled I Hate You, and was a track on the 1966 album Black Monk Time on Polydor Germany. They were well known for their haircut, which didn't start any major trends in the late 60s.
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Black Monk Theme Part II
| The Fall version: |
1990 single B-side.
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| Originally by: |
The Monks
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| Infotainment: |
Another track from the 1966 album Black Monk Time on Polydor Germany. The original title was Oh How To Do Now.
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Popcorn Double Feature
| The Fall version: |
1990 single A-side and Extricate album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Searchers
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| Infotainment: |
A 1967 single A-side on Pye. The Searchers were one of the most famous groups to emerge from Liverpool in the 1960s. There was another one too...
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White Lightning
| The Fall version: |
1990 single A-side.
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| Originally by: |
The Big Bopper
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| Infotainment: |
A track on the 1958 album Chantilly Lace on Mercury Records. Known to his mother as Jiles Perry Richardson, The Big Bopper was a radio DJ who fancied himself making records rather than just playing them. Unfortunately, he died in 1959 in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, just as he was making his name as a rock 'n' roll hitmaker.
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Just Waiting
| The Fall version: |
1992 Code: Selfish album track.
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| Originally by: |
Hank Williams
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| Infotainment: |
A 1951 single A-side on MGM Records, recorded by Hank Williams under the pseudynom Luke The Drifter. And Hank was waitin' rather than waiting.
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Kimble
| The Fall version: |
1992 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
Lee Perry
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| Infotainment: |
A 1968 single A-side on Amalgamated Records, released under the name The Creators. The song was inspired by the The Fugitive TV series.
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Legend Of Xanadu
| The Fall version: |
1992 recording for a Various Artists compilation album put together by NME, Ruby Trax.
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| Originally by: |
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
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| Infotainment: |
A 1968 single A-side on Fontana. Topped the UK charts for Dave Dee on vocals, Dozy on bass, Beaky on rhythm guitar, Mick on drums and Tich on lead guitar. Some of these may not have been their real names.
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Lost In Music
| The Fall version: |
1993 Infotainment Scan album track.
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| Originally by: |
Sister Sledge
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| Infotainment: |
Oh, the shame of it! A 1979 single A-side on Cotillion/Atlantic, well-known in popular discos of the time.
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I'm Going To Spain
| The Fall version: |
1993 Infotainment Scan album track.
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| Originally by: |
Steve Bent
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| Infotainment: |
A single A-side on Bradley's Records 1974-75. Bent was a contestant on the English TV talent quest New Faces in 1974, singing this self-penned song. The song came to the attention of Mark E Smith on a 1978 album entitled The World's Worst Record (on YUK Records/K-Tel), compiled by British DJ and comedian Kenny Everett. The album contains a selection from the World's All-Time Bottom 30 as determined by listener votes after Everett's Capitol Radio show on 14 May 1978. I'm Going To Spain was voted in at number 18.
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Strychnine
| The Fall version: |
1993 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
The Sonics
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| Infotainment: |
A track from the 1965 album Here Are The Sonics on the Etiquette label. Also included on the famous Nuggets compilation of 60s garage bands.
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Why Are People Grudgeful?
| The Fall version: |
1993 single A-side.
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| Originally by: |
Joe Gibbs
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| Infotainment: |
People Grudgeful was released by Joe Gibbs, the boss of Amalgamated Records, under the name Sir Gibbs. It was a musical response to Lee Perry's People Funny Boy, which had been a vitriolic attack on Perry's former producer and label owner, Gibbs. Musically the two songs are rather similar.
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Jingle Bell Rock
| The Fall version: |
1994 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
Bobby Helms
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| Infotainment: |
A 1957 single A-side on Decca, it has sold more than 120 million copies. Words and music by Joe Beal and Jim Boothe.
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Hark The Herald Angels Sing
| The Fall version: |
1994 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
traditional Christmas carol
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| Infotainment: |
The words were written in 1739 by Charles Wesley whose brother, John, founded the Methodist Church. The music is from the second chorus of a contata by Felix Mendelssohn, written in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg and the invention of printing. The words and music were put together in 1855 (8 years after the death of Mendelssohn) by Dr William Cummings. It's most likely that the author and composer would both have strongly disapproved the pairing - Mendelssohn had made it clear that his music was for secular use and Wesley had specifically requested slow solemn music for his words.
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War
| The Fall version: |
1994 Middle Class Revolt album track.
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| Originally by: |
Henry Cow/Slapp Happy
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| Infotainment: |
A 1975 album track from In Praise Of Learning on Virgin, a collaborative album between the two prog-rock groups. The song was composed by Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad from Slapp Happy.
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Junk Man
| The Fall version: |
1994 Middle Class Revolt album track.
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| Originally by: |
Groundhogs
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| Infotainment: |
A track from the 1971 album Split, on Liberty Records. Originally called Junkman (all one word).
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Shut Up
| The Fall version: |
1994 Middle Class Revolt album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Monks
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| Infotainment: |
A third Monks track covered from the 1966 album Black Monk Time on Polydor Germany.
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The City Never Sleeps
| The Fall version: |
1995 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
Nancy Sinatra
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| Infotainment: |
The original, titled The City Never Sleeps At Night, was the B-side to Nancy's chart-topping 1965 hit These Boots Are Made For Walkin' on Reprise. Both songs on the single were written and produced by Lee Hazlewood. He wanted City as the A-side but Nancy disagreed, and her dad (who had made the odd record himself) said "The one about the boots is the song". Daddy owned the record label too.
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I'm Not Satisfied
| The Fall version: |
1995 Cerebral Caustic album track.
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| Originally by: |
Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention
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| Infotainment: |
A track from Zappa's 1966 debut album Freak Out on Verve. And it was a double album.
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Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones
| The Fall version: |
1996 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
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| Infotainment: |
A track from the 1968 album Strictly Personal on Blue Thumb Records.
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Birthday
| The Fall version: |
1996 recording only available on the Receiver compilation Sinister Waltz.
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| Originally by: |
The Idle Race
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| Infotainment: |
The Birthday was an album track on the 1968 album The Birthday Party on Liberty. Written by the group's singer/guitarist Jeff Lynne, who later formed Electric Light Orchestra and was a Travelling Wilbury amongst his other crimes. At the time the Fall recorded this song, they were signed to ELO's record label, Jet. The Idle Race had earlier been name-checked in No Xmas For John Quays.
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Stay Away (Old White Train)
| The Fall version: |
1996 The Light User Syndrome album track.
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| Originally by: |
Johnny Paycheck
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| Infotainment: |
Originally titled (Stay Away From) The Cocaine Train, a 1979 single A-side on Epic. Mr Paycheck checked out of this life in February 2003.
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Last Chance To Turn Around
| The Fall version: |
1996 The Light User Syndrome album track.
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| Originally by: |
Gene Pitney
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| Infotainment: |
Also known as Last Exit To Brooklyn, a 1965 single A-side on Musicor.
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I'm A Mummy
| The Fall version: |
1997 Levitate album track.
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| Originally by: |
Bob McFadden & Dor
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| Infotainment: |
A 1959 single A-side on Brunswick under the title The Mummy, and subsequently included on the 1960 album Songs Our Mummy Taught Us. Bob McFadden was a mimic/voice-over artist and Dor was singer Rod McKuen (Dor = Rod spelt backwards). McFadden played the mummy who rises from the swamp and scares everybody... except an unimpressed beatnik-type, played by McKuen. The original did not include the Paul McCartney lyric, obviously.
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Jungle Rock
| The Fall version: |
1997 Levitate album track.
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| Originally by: |
Hank Mizell
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| Infotainment: |
A 1958 single A-side on the Eko label, re-issued in 1959 on the bigger King label. William Mizell was nicknamed Hank after Hank Williams. The song was re-released in 1976 on Charly Records and reached number 3 in the UK charts, prompting a Mizell tour (source of photo above). It was also covered by Shakin' Stevens in 1976.
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I Come And Stand At Your Door
| The Fall version: |
1997 Levitate album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Byrds
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| Infotainment: |
I Come And Stand At Every Door was a track from the 1966 album Fifth Dimension on Columbia. The words are based on an anti-war poem by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet (1902-1963):
The missing verse in the Fall's version is: I'm only seven although I died / In Hiroshima long ago / I'm seven now as I was then / When children die they do not grow. This explains why the instrumental version of the song on Levitate is called Jap Kid. The song was also covered by This Mortal Coil.
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Jet Boy
| The Fall version: |
1999 live performances, no released recording.
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| Originally by: |
New York Dolls
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| Infotainment: |
A 1973 single A-side on Mercury, taken from the New York Dolls debut album.
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Kill Your Sons
(Ketamine Sun)
| The Fall version: |
1999 live performances & the final version of the song emerged as Ketamine Sun on the 2000 album The Unutterable.
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| Originally by: |
Lou Reed
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| Infotainment: |
A track from the 1974 album Sally Can't Dance on RCA Records.
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F-'Oldin' Money
| The Fall version: |
1999 single A-side & The Marshall Suite album track.
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| Originally by: |
Tommy Blake
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| Infotainment: |
A 1959 single A-side on the Recco label. Tommy had a fairly eventful life, illegitimately born as Thomas LeVan Givens, he never knew his father. He was jailed for statutory rape as a teenager; joined the US Marines at 19 and lost an eye, probably at training camp, although he claimed it was in combat in Korea. He went through various record labels in the late 50s and early 60s, including RCA and Sun, but made some bad business decisions like signing away the rights to his best songs. He had a heart attack aged 40 and fell into a downward spiral of alcoholism and drug abuse. On Christmas eve 1985 he was shot dead by his third wife!
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Bound
| The Fall version: |
1999 The Marshall Suite album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Audio Arts
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| Infotainment: |
Originally titled Love Bound, an instrumental track that has appeared on a couple of Northern Soul compilation albums, like the one below. MES added the lyrics.
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This Perfect Day
| The Fall version: |
1999 The Marshall Suite album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Saints
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| Infotainment: |
A 1977 single A-side on EMI/Harvest by the band from Brisbane, Australia. The song was recorded in the UK and made the charts there, leading to an appearance on Top Of The Pops the same week as the Sex Pistols performed Pretty Vacant. A rerecorded version appeared on The Saints second album, Eternally Yours.
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Now I Wanna Be Your Dog
(Clint Boon Experience w/MES)
| The Fall version: |
1999 Clint Boon Experience single B-side, live recording with MES on guest vocals.
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| Originally by: |
The Stooges
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| Infotainment: |
I Wanna Be Your Dog was an album track on the 1969 debut album The Stooges on Elektra.
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Bourgeois Town
| The Fall version: |
2001 Are You Are Missing Winner album track.
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| Originally by: |
Leadbelly
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| Infotainment: |
Based on The Bourgeois Blues, a song recorded for the US Library of Congress archives in 1938. It tells the story of Leadbelly's earlier visit to Washington DC in June 1937 with his wife and getting turned away from hotels & restaurants because they were black. Leadbelly's real name was Huddie Ledbetter. The songwriting credit on Are You Are Missing Winner incorrectly refers to Robert Johnson. The song most probably was brought to Mark E Smith's attention by Tav Falco & The Panther Burns - Mark had met him while on the Fall's 1981 US tour and Tav Falco released the song in 1981 on his album From Behind The Magnolia Curtain, released in the UK on... Rough Trade.
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Gotta See Jane
| The Fall version: |
2001 Are You Are Missing Winner album track.
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| Originally by: |
R Dean Taylor
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| Infotainment: |
A 1968 top 20 UK hit single A-side on Motown, subsequently reissued in the US in 1971.
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Ibis-Afro Man
| The Fall version: |
2001 Are You Are Missing Winner album track.
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| Originally by: |
Iggy Pop
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| Infotainment: |
Originally titled African Man, a 1979 album track from New Values on Arista.
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Classical Gas
| The Fall version: |
2002 live performances, no released recording.
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| Originally by: |
Mason Williams
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| Infotainment: |
A guitar picking instrumental single A-side in 1968 on Warner Bros. Williams was a comedy writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour TV show and he wrote the tune in the downtime between the first and second series of the show. It topped the US charts & earned a Grammy award.
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Groovin' With Mr. Bloe
| The Fall version: |
2003 John Peel session track.
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| Originally by: |
Mr Bloe
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| Infotainment: |
A 1970 UK number 2 single A-side on DJM. And a harmonica-led instrumental, what's more! Mr Bloe was a pianist by the name of Harry Pitch aka Zack Laurence. He also played harmonica on several TV commercials and the theme to the BBC comedy Last Of The Summer Wine. More recently he's played in a jazz band called Rhythm n' Reeds. Groovin' has also made appearances on the odd compilation album:
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Houston
| The Fall version: |
2003 The Real New Fall LP Formerly Country On The Click album track.
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| Originally by: |
Dean Martin
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| Infotainment: |
Houston was a 1965 single A-side on Reprise. Written and produced for Dino by Lee Hazlewood, who recorded it himself a couple of year later. Houston is pronounced by MES as Euston, which is the British Rail station where you get the train from London to Manchester.
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Walk Like A Man
| The Fall version: |
2003-04 live performances, turned into Breaking The Rules when recorded for Fall Heads Roll.
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| Originally by: |
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
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| Infotainment: |
A 1963 US number one hit single A-side on Vee Jay Records. Also covered in 1985 by Divine.
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I Can Hear The Grass Grow
| The Fall version: |
2005 single and Fall Heads Roll album track.
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| Originally by: |
The Move
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| Infotainment: |
A 1967 UK number 5 single A-side on Deram Records. Played by the Fall for the first time live in Birmingham, the home of the Move.
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Higgle-Dy Piggle-Dy
| The Fall version: |
2005-06 live performances and recorded for Monks tribute album & single.
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| Originally by: |
The Monks
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| Infotainment: |
Unprecedented 4th cover version taken from one album - Black Monk Time.
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White Line Fever
| The Fall version: |
2006 live & 2007 Reformation Post TLC.
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| Originally by: |
Merle Haggard
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| Infotainment: |
From the 1969 album Okie From Muskogee.
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Coming Down
| The Fall version: |
2006 live, subsequently became Scenario & Over! Over! on 2007 Reformation Post TLC.
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| Originally by: |
The United States Of America
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| Infotainment: |
Track from 1968 psychedelic forerunner of prog rock. Originally played live as a straight cover version, but subsequently mutated with new original lyrics into Scenario live, then when recorded for Reformation Post TLC formed the basis for Scenario and also Over! Over!
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Hungry Freaks, Daddy
| The Fall version: |
2006 live performances.
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| Originally by: |
The Mothers Of Invention
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| Infotainment: |
The opening track of the Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention album Freak Out! from 1966.
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Strange Town
| The Fall version: |
2007 live performances.
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| Originally by: |
Groundhogs
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| Infotainment: |
The opening track from the Groundhogs 1970 album Thank Christ For The Bomb.
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