by Rob Jones

• ‘The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)’ is the 23rd studio album by The Fall.

• Originally released in the United Kingdom in 2003, Cherry Red Records is delighted to present this 20th anniversary re-issue on 26 January 2024 (Pre-order via https://www.cherryred.co.uk/).

Originally recorded at Lisa Stansfield’s Gracieland Studios in between December 2002 and January 2003 with producer Grant Showbiz.

The subtitle is explained by the fact that the tracks were originally scheduled for release in April 2003 under the title ‘Country on the Click’. Promotional copies were sent out and three of the new songs were previewed in the band’s 23rd Peel Session, but Mark. E Smith was unhappy with the mix and decided it needed further work.

Alex Linhardt of Pitchfork called it “as valuable an album as anything The Fall ever released in the 1990s” and stated that “Smith’s lyrics are at a near career-best of insolence and nonsense.” AllMusic’s David Jeffries wrote that the album “gives the faithful another reason to believe”. Helen Pidd, reviewing the album for The Guardian, viewed Smith as being “on magnificently mad form”. Uncut called it “Great by Smith’s standards. Practically genius by everybody else’s.” Spin praised it as “an atavistic orgy of recycled riffs and lifelong obsessions”. MOJO reviewed it as “as good as anything in this group’s monstrous catalogue”. Pop Matters called it “their best record in a decade”. In 2023, Rob Jones of www.rhonddacynontaff.comcites the record as ‘yet another masterpiece from the gurus of gungo ho grooves. If this record came out as a contemporary release it would still demand the gaze of anyone outside of the mainstream, while putting the pop pretenders to shame. Recovery Kit still remains as one of my favourite tunes and has The Fall in a funky vibe but among this fare there is alt. rock. aplenty feeding into and out of genres galore. The bonus material with the Interim album adds to the appeal and even though Mark E Smith is no longer with us – we can be grateful to Cherry Red for their support of one of our greatest treasures.’

The Real New Fall Album (Formally Country on the Click) was originally released in 2003 on the Action label and contains the Fall classic Sparta FC and was produced by Grant Showbiz, this 5CD version contains the original album as well as Interim, a disc of B-sides and a live Show from the time.

A 1LP vinyl version is also being released alongside.

This Set as with the other Fall reissues has been compiled in conjunction with Fall expert Conway Patton and has notes by Fall guru Daryl Easlea and was mastered by long time engineer Andy Pearce with art by Becky Stewart.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE
The Real New Fall LP Formerly ‘Country on The Click’
1 Green Eyed Loco-Man
2 Mountain Energei
3 Theme From Sparta F.C.
4 Contraflow
5 Last Commands of Xyralothep Via M.E.S.
6 Open The Boxoctosis #2
7 Janet, Johnny + James
8 The Past #2
9 Loop41 `Houston
10 Mike’s Love Xexagon
11 Proteinprotection
12 Recovery Kit

DISC TWO
Country on The Click (Original Version)
1 Sparta
2 Protein Protection
3 Mountain Energei
4 Contraflow
5 Green Eyed
6 Boxoctosis
7 Ho(E)uston
8 The Past
9 Recovery Kit
10 Mike’s Love Xexagon
11 Susan V Youthclub

DISC THREE
Interim
1 All Clasp Hands
2 Blindness
3 What About Us?
4 I’m Ronney The Oney
5 Green-Eyed Snorkel
6 Mod Mock Goth
7 Wrong Place
8 Sparta FC No:3
9 Mere Pseud Mag Ed
10 Spoilt Victorian Childe
11 Boxoctosis Alarum

DISC FOUR
Singles / Sessions
1 Susan Vs Youthclub – Single
2 Janet Vs Johnny – B-Side
3 Susan Vs Youthclub – Remix
4 (We Wish You A) Protein Christmas – Single
5 (We Are) Mod Mock Goth – Single
6 (Birtwistle’s) Girl in Shop – Single
7 Recovery Kit 2 # – Single
8 (We Are) Mod Mock Goth – US Album Edit
9 Theme From Sparta F.C. #2 – Single
10 My Ex-Classmate’s Kids (Live Cologne 2001) – B-Side
11 Portugal (aka Debacle (For the Record)) – B-Side
12 Theme from Sparta F.C. – Peel Session
13 Contraflow – Peel Session
14 Grooving With Mr Bloe / Green-Eyed Loco Man – Peel Session
15 Mere Pseud Mag Ed. – Peel Session

DISC FIVE
Live at The Knitting Factory – New York – 9 April 2004
1 Horror In Clay
2 Boxoctosis
3 Contraflow
4 Middle Mass
5 Mere Pseud Mag Ed
6 Mountain Energei
7 I Can Hear the Grass Grow
8 Telephone Thing
9 Theme From Sparta F.C.
10 Janet, Johnny and James
11 Groovin’ With Mr Bloe / Green Eyed Loco Man
12 Walk Like a Man
13 Mr Pharmacist
14 Mike’s Love Xexagon / We Are Mod Mock Goth
15 I Am Damo Suzuki
16 Dr Buck’s Letter
17 Loop 41