Mancunian genius Clive E. Smith and his band of uncannily skilled musicians burst onto the music scene in 1979 with Clive At The Watch Trials. This debut LP was influenced by Clive’s attempt to try on every watch in his local department store to find the one he liked best. The songs were so surreal that many speculated there had been illegal substances involved in the LP’s creation. The follow-up LP, Drugnut (1979), addressed these rumours. Just as the band’s profile was on the up, the lead guitarist left the group in acrimonious circumstances. Grotesque (After The Graham) (1980) was Clive’s sarcastic account of the ugly band politics surrounding the musician’s departure. The NME hated the record. In fact, it was so heavily panned by the music weekly that The Fall’s next LP was titled Slated (1981) so as to pre-empt further criticism.

The band entered its golden era in the early 1980s. Clive E. Smith’s obsession with farms and farming had first surfaced on the live LP Totale’s Turnips (1980). In 1982 Smith explored farm life further on Hen's Enduction Hour, an album many consider his best. After the unexpected sideways step of the speech-impediment-themed follow up, Room To Lisp (1982), Clive stunned fans and critics by boasting that he possessed psychic powers. Indeed, Perverted By Bandwidth (1983) predicted the internet era with chilling accuracy – something Smith has only gained credit for several years later.

For The Fall, nothing is ever certain. Smith’s time spent outdoors on farms developed into an interest in weather systems, as heard on 1984’s The Thunderful & Lightning World Of... album.

Smith’s other driving passion is food and drink. This Nation’s Saving Gravy (1985), Extra-cake (1990) and The Marshmallow Sweet (1999) all indulged Clive’s love of eating. But his constant quest for calories has often got him into trouble – a vicious row about a cough sweet with a sales assistant in a Manchester chemist inspired the rock opera I Am Furious, Lozenge (1988). When Smith announced The Fall were about to release the LP Cod: Shellfish in 1992, critics complained that this was two food references too many. At the very last minute the album was re-named Code: Salford (1992).

More recently food references have crept back into the Fall’s vast discography as Clive has become increasingly obsessed with bread, baking and bakeries. The Unbutterable (2000) was a concept album about a piece of toast which simply would not allow itself to be smothered by Smith’s favourite spread. This year’s eagerly anticipated Bread(s) Roll LP continues the saga.

Smith is also known to be fond of a drink. The Twenty Seven Pints (1995) was recorded live in a pub garden at the end of a particularly wild night out. Are You Are Moss Side Winebar (2001) detailed Smith’s later rejection of the Manchester pub scene, whilst a collection of live tracks and rehearsals, Into-rum (2004), dealt with his ever-changing beverage preferences.

But it hasn’t been food and drink all the way. The Fonz Experiment (1988) was Smith’s concept album about the TV show Happy Days and The Lightsaber Syndrome (1996) was his attempt to predict exactly the entire contents of all three Star Wars prequel films. And he was back on the farm for 1995’s Terrible Horse-lick – the album universally considered The Fall’s worst.

Two spoken word LPs have also been released. The better of the two, The Most-Nearly Pan (1998), was a 40-minute rant about the saucepan Smith considered “most nearly” his favourite.

Finally, The Fall cannot be mentioned without a nod to their many concert releases. Seminal Clive (1989) mixed material from 1988 gigs with some studio outtakes, whilst Clive To Air In Melbourne ‘82 (1998) was recorded onto a dictaphone at six thousand feet as the band and singer went parachuting in Australia. Also notable are Clive Various Years (1998), a rather sloppy collection of highlights from 1990s gigs, Clive 77 (2000), Clive In Cambridge 1988 (2000) and Clive At Deeply Vale (2005).

Long may this remarkable band continue to confound and startle. Vote now for your favourite of their albums!

Brilliant!!!

funny!

i didnt think it cold get better than i am furious, lozenge and then i got to unbutterable. tough choice!

The Unbutterable - Brilliant! :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:

That post has really made my week Stephen :) :applaud:

Gone for (Dear Lord!!!) Seminal Clive :lol:

The Fonz Experiment.

That's an LP I'd actually like to go away and record :applaud: ^_^

Great bit of writing that, had to stifle a couple of laughs and got some funny looks here in the office ;)

The Unbutterable for me....excellent stuff Stephen :applaud:

I still like "Hypothetical Kurious Oranj" best... :huh:

I was all ready to dismiss this as silly season stuff.. but The Unbutterable is brilliant!!

'Clive At The Witch Trials' !! The 'Clive' albums, were of course his most personal statements. :lol:

So what's yer fave version of "Backrub"? I like the Ireland-recorded version on "PassTheJarBoyo" better than the "Fall On The Dole" one.

And is 'Delete Y'self Fitter' the best track on 'Perverted By Bandwidth'?

No way! Rectum diffinitive/Clive Knot wins by a country mile....

nice thread :applaud:

seminal clive for me with the unbutterable a close 2nd

And who can forget this one: "Larden" inspired by bandmember Lard Riley!

Looks like The Unbutterable is unstoppable. And not a single vote for the mighty Hen's Enduction Hour featuring such classics as Chick Priest and And This Lay.

I've always felt that The Marshmallow Sweet is CES's definitve work. How can you not love an album with songs such as Tooth Sensitive?

'Ham slap part 2/ Like to suck' is unfairly overlooked in some quarters...

Excellent Stephen :applaud: Had to dig out Grotesque (after the Graham) for another spin - Paint Your Gates is a particularly vindictive putdown of the guitarists new occupation as a handyman, and I still think The Dough Will Rise Again nicely predicts The Unbutterable many years later.

The best thing about Clive is the way he writes about subjects no other lyricist would consider - who else could write New Mace In Hull?

Never been too fond of the 15 Days to Flea Your Gran live album though. Getting Tony Bennett to do the backing vocals was inspired, but the band ruin his performance throughout.

And indeed the "lashings-of-jam" cream-tea classic, On My Scone.
My fave on The Marshmallow Sweet is the vinyl-only reggae track, Into Food: Tum Rumbly.

Yes, but the turgid Pinter rather lets it gown ( I mean two experimental minimalist tracks to end side one and start side two just makes you think yer stereos bust), although I still have a fondness for Pinter ((St) Austell - Waxy) over Pinter Loo; the extremity of the silence is more intense and the additional parenthesis emphasises the constricted uncommunication to these ears

Always liked the way that The Thunderful & Lightning World Of... wrong footed you by starting with Bay of the Sand. Great opener mind, and followed by the immortal 2 x 99 (Flake)

Of course the most poignant track on Grotesque (After The Graham) was the one that detailed the sacked guitarist's move away from Manchester to begin a lonely life in an unfamiliar town – New Face In Hull.

I think I went to school with Ben Sinister.
Used to hang round with Stanley Knife.

It has to be the Fonz Experiment with the fantastic admition of the Fonz, on the opening track, that he has his 'friends' in his hands regularly. More specifically their boobies.

And the extended Ehhhhhhhh :thumbsup: at the beginning of Carry Bag Man being a fitting tribute to his jovial cheekyness

Time to add "Deformation Post TBC" to the poll.

and (Mint) Imperial Axle Bent?


:unsure:

maybe not


I voted for Extra-cake, cause I'm hungry

Imperial Bank Insolvency

Nah, thats this universe

Clive is to appear in an advert for margarine, with the title track from his album The Unbutterable playing in the background.
With the line 'The Trying MARgarine spread on brown 15 times' some feel clive has sold out his punk root's.

I'm still loving their recent foray into religious themes underpinned with slinky latin rhythms on Brazilian Wax Convent.

Are You Are Moss Side Wine Bar!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: