The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall

Infobox Album |
Name = The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall
Type = Album
Artist = The Fall


Released = October 8 1984
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 40:09 (vinyl)71:39 (cassette)
Label = Beggars Banquet
Producer = John Leckie
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2tkpu3l5an4k link]
*Pitchfork Media (9.6/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/17633/The_Fall_The_Wonderful_and_Frightening_World_of_The_Fall 1 Oct 1997]

|
Last album = "Perverted by Language"
(1983)
This album = "The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall"
(1984)
Next album = "This Nation's Saving Grace"
(1985)

"The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall" is an album by The Fall, released in October 1984. It was the band's first album with the relatively large Beggars Banquet label, and was produced by John Leckie. Paul Hanley left the band immediately after the accompanying UK tour, ending the group's distinctive "twin drummers" period [http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/gig84.html] . On its original release, the album was available in two formats – on vinyl, and as an extended cassette entitled "Escape Route from the Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall" which added all the material from the 3 singles the group issued in 1984.

3 older, previously abandoned songs were returned to during these sessions. "Oh! Brother" and "Copped It" dated back to the group's earliest incarnation (they can be heard on "Live 1977" issued by Voiceprint in 2000) and "Draygo's Guilt" was being performed live in 1981 (it can be heard on the Live In Leeds section of the "Perverted by Language Bis" DVD, issued by Cherry Red in 2003).

Track listing

Original LP

;Side One ("Frightening" side)
#"Lay of the Land"
#"2 × 4"
#"Copped It"
#"Elves";Side Two ("Wonderful" side)
#"Slang King"
#"Bug Day"
#"Stephen Song"
#"Craigness"
#"Disney's Dream Debased"

Original cassette

#"Lay of the Land" (Mark E. Smith, Brix Smith) – 5:45
#"2 × 4" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:38
#"Copped It" (M. Smith, Karl Burns) – 4:15
#"Elves" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:47
#"Oh! Brother" (M. Smith, Burns, Steve Hanley, Craig Scanlon) – 4:01
#*"from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984"
#"Draygo's Guilt" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:29
#*"from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984"
#"God Box" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:18
#*"from the "Oh! Brother" single, June 1984"
#"Clear Off!" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:40
#*"from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984"
#"C.R.E.E.P." (M. Smith, Paul Hanley, S. Hanley, Scanlon. B. Smith) – 4:42
#*"from the 12" edition of the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984"
#"Pat-Trip Dispenser" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:00
#*"from the "c.r.e.e.p" single, 24 August 1984"
#"Slang King" (M. Smith, P. Hanley, B. Smith) – 5:21
#"Bug Day" (M. Smith, Burns, P. Hanley, S. Hanley, Scanlon, B. Smith) – 4:58
#"Stephen Song" (M. Smith, P. Hanley, S. Hanley) – 3:05
#"Craigness" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 3:03
#"Disney's Dream Debased" (M. Smith, S. Hanley, B. Smith) – 5:17
#"No Bulbs" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 7:51
#*"from the Call for Escape Route EP, 12 October 1984"

CD edition

The album was belatedly issued on CD in 1988. The tracklisting duplicated the content and running order of the cassette edition almost exactly, substituting the extended "C.R.E.E.P." for the 7" version, although it added a brief spoken introduction by Brix Smith unheard elsewhere. However, this means that the listener has to programme their CD player accordingly in order to hear the original LP tracklisting without interruption. Despite being modelled on the cassette, the CD does not sport the extended title given to that now-unavailable format.

Personnel

*The Fall:
**Mark E. Smith – vocals
**Brix Smith – guitar, vocals
**Craig Scanlon – guitar
**Steve Hanley – bass guitar
**Paul Hanley– drums, keyboards
**Karl Burns – drums, percussion, bass guitar
*Gavin Friday – vocals on "Copped It", "Clear Off!" and "Stephen Song". Friday is credited as a "friendly visitor".