The Wonderful and Frightening World Of.... by The Fall - Uhune

ALBUM

The Fall made the leap to a semi-major label -- Beggars Banquet -- with The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, hooking up with noted producer John Leckie to create another smart, varied album. Contemporaneous with the slightly friendlier "Oh! Brother" and "C.R.E.E.P." singles without actually including them, Wonderful and Frightening World makes few concessions to the larger market -- every potential hook seemed spiked with the band's usual rough take-it-or-leave-it stance. Mark E. Smith's audible, tape-distorting spit on the descending chord blast of "Elves" -- already spiked with enough vocal craziness as it is -- gives a sense of where the album as a whole aims. Brix Smith co-writes about half the tracks, creating a strong partnership with many highlights. It may start with a semi-low-key chant, but when "Lay of the Land" fully kicks in, it does just that, Craig Scanlon in particular pouring on the feedback at the end over the clattering din. Smith sounds as coruscating and side-splittingly hilarious as ever, depicting modern Britain with an eye for the absurdities and failures (and crucially, no empathy -- it's all about a gimlet eye projected at everyone and everything). Two further standouts appear on the second half -- "Slang King," a snarling portrayal of a cool-in-his-mind dude and his increasingly pathetic life, and the concluding "Disney's Dream Debased." Though unquestionably the most conventionally attractive tune on the album, ringing guitars and all, Smith's lyrics portray a Disneyland scenario in hell, however softly delivered. Elsewhere, Gavin Friday from the Virgin Prunes takes a bow with his own unmistakable, spindly vocals on the trebly Krautrock chug of "Copped It" and the slightly more brute rhythm of "Stephen Song." ~ Ned Raggett

1. Lay of the Land

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

2. 2 X 4

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

3. Copped It

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

4. Elves

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

5. Oh! Brother

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Steve Hanley; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

6. Draygo's Guilt

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

7. God-box

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Lyricist: Mark E. Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

8. Clear Off!

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Gavin Friday
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

9. c.r.e.e.p.

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Brix Smith
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

10. Pat-trip Dispenser

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

11. Slang King

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Paul Hanley
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

12. Bug Day

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

13. Stephen Song

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Simon Wolstencroft
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Steve Hanley; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

14. Craigness

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Simon Wolstencroft
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

15. Disney's Dream Debased

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Simon Wolstencroft
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Steve Hanley
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith
Steve Hanley; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

16. No Bulbs

Primary Artist: The Fall; Main Performer
Performer: Simon Wolstencroft
Mark E. Smith
Craig Scanlon
Karl Burns
Brix Smith
Paul Hanley
Steve Hanley; Performer
Composer: Mark E. Smith
Brix E. Smith
Brix Smith; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Mark E. Smith
Brix Smith; Other
Music Publisher: Minder Music Ltd.; Other

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

16 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

1 hour, 11 minutes and 29 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 4000x4000 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

All tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

8/16 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Pop/Rock, Alternative & Indie, Alternative, College Rock, Adult Alternative, Post-Punk, Indie

Label

Beggars Banquet

Music Distribution Service

Beggars Group Digital LTD

Country

United Kingdom

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Dec 31, 1983

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

607618005801