The Fall's Top 20 Album Covers (Part 3: 1-10)
10. Live At The Witch Trials (1979)
There are moments on LATWT that, whilst not straightforwardly 'punk', could happily have slotted into a late-70s punk compilation (e.g. 'Industrial Estate'). The cover, however, is a million miles away from contemporary punk sleeves such as those by Sham 69 and Angelic Upstarts. In fact, if you came across it whilst browsing in a record shop and had no knowledge of The Fall, you may well assume that it was a prog album.
The US release had a very different cover:
9. Dragnet (1979)
The stark monochromatic image of a spider poised to devour a butterfly was drawn by Tina Prior, mother of Saffron, Smith's second wife. The inspiration probably came from the opening credits to The Haunted Palace (a 1963 adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward).
8. Slates (1981)
7. Hex Enduction Hour (1982)
Like Room To Live, the epitome of what many would consider a 'typical' Fall album cover. There's enough stimulus here to warrant an article of its own: ‘Hexen Death Bubble’, ‘Cigs. smoked here’, 'Hexenkessel rozzer kidder: “Hail Sainsbury’s!”', ‘Flabby Wings’, ‘Muscle hedonist vanity’.
If you haven't read Paul Hanley's commentary on the cover (and, of course, the rest of the album), then you must open your wallet, get yourself to here and address this immediately.
6. Imperial Wax Solvent (2008)
A beautifully bold and abstract design by Anthony Frost. Frost had been a Fall fan since hearing Dragnet; he wrote to Smith, who said that 'it was really nice to get a letter talking about the music in an intellectual way'. He described Frost’s work as 'by far the best stuff I’ve ever been submitted'.
Frost also designed the sleeves for 'Telephone Thing' and 'Popcorn Double Feature'.
5. Extricate (1990)
Another Anthony Frost contribution, and another masterfully balanced blend of colour and abstract shapes.
4. The Wonderful And Frightening World Of... (1984)
Claus Castenskiold is a Danish painter who was in bands with both Brix (Banda Dratsing) and Marcia (Khmer Rouge). His artwork was used by The Fall on several mid-80s records, including 'Living Too Late', 'Oh! Brother' and 'C.R.E.E.P.' The crazed, demonic painting that graces the cover of TWAFW captures the darkly deranged spirit of 'Lay Of The Land' and 'Elves' perfectly.
3. Perverted By Language (1983)
Another Castenskiold painting, and an even better one. The disturbingly grotesque figures are perfect for such a tense, angular and ferocious album.
2. This Nation's Saving Grace (1985)
Castenskiold again, this time in collaboration with Michael Pollard. It's a handsome concoction: the detailed rendering of the gritty Manchester skyline, the randomly floating lettering, the mythical horse and chariot in the sky. It's a perfect mix of urban/mundane/mystical/abstract.
It was the first Fall album to have a gatefold sleeve:
1. Grotesque (1980)
As rewarding as LATWT and Dragnet were, the group underwent a paradigm shift in 1980, first signaled by their third Peel session, recorded shortly before Grotesque's release. As such, it seems fitting that after their first two monochrome covers, the group's third album sleeve bursts extravagantly into bright colour. Created by Smith's sister Suzanne, most of the album's tiny budget (around £300) went on the cover. The balance of horror and humour is just perfect.
Over the next couple of Mondays, I'm going to round up all the MES collaborations and guest appearances. See you then!
Comments
Post a Comment