Taking sides: The Mekons vs. The Fall

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― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

i feel more tenderly towards the mekons, but overall i like the fall much better.

― lauren (laurenp), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Would rather drink beer and talk shit with the Mekons, would rather listen to the Fall.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

this would have been a lot easier to answer before 1989.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I'm just gonna go with the Fall.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

exactly. ned otm.

― lauren (laurenp), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

:-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I'll go with Ned here as well.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Though ironically I'd rather drink and talk shit with Mark E. Smith and see the Mekons live.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you trying to wreck my brain!?!!
Hey I'll party with both but it seems like Jon Langford is more fun to hang out with than Mark E.

― brg30 (brg30), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

um, if I want to hang out with drunken liberals I'll just hang out with Mekons fans.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Mekons by a fucking mile

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

In this taking sides, does size matter??

― brg30 (brg30), Saturday, 5 June 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

haha I suppose the Fall would win in that case since they've had, what, 50 members (as opposed the 35 or so the Mekons have had)?*

*these are not exact numbers, I am kidding, huzzah

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Musically, the Fall.
As people, the Mekons.

also, matos wrong by 2 "fucking" miles, landing in the airtower instead of the strip.

― jack cole (jackcole), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

haha prove it jerk

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

2 of the greatest, most inventive bands of all time.

I have to give the victory to The Fall in the end, for scoring marginally higher on the Invention, Humour and Contribution to Existence stakes.

But the win is waffer theen.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I'm not saying the Mekons are a bad band or anything, it's just that I know damn well who I listen to a hell of a lot more.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

x-post i am not jesus. i cannot make the blind see or the deaf hear.

― jack cole (jackcole), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

among other things

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Now I'm imagining Jack singing the opening lines to Pulp's "Dishes"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

im just jokin', matos.

― jack cole (jackcole), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, and I'm being deadly fucking serious every second of every day.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

http://images.allposters.com/images/pa/6445023.jpg

― jack cole (jackcole), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

haha

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 5 June 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall, by a long country mile.

― dialecticbricks (dialecticbricks), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

The Mekons! and that's without the Waco Brothers, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Langford's solo stuff, etc.

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall

But if you want to hear both at the same time, there's always the Nightingales.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

God, Robert Lloyd had a great voice.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:25 (twenty-one years ago)

How is it that Matos and I are the only ones who are right on this thread?

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Because you're not.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

pistols at dawn, Raggett

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall, by a long country mile.

It's a Hard Life in Country, I hear.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Not a Mekons expert, but there was a sort of, shall we say, UNPRECEDENTED GODAMN FUCKING GENIUS to Mark E. Smith:

When it happened we walked through all the estates, from
Manchester right to, er, Newcastle. In Darlington, helped a large
man on his own chase off some kids who were chucking bricks and
stuff through his flat window. She had a way with people like that.
Thanked us and we moved on.

'Junior Choice' played one morning. The song was 'English
Scheme.' Mine. They'd changed it with a grand piano and turned
it into a love song. How they did it I don't know. DJs had
worsened since the rising. Elaborating on nothing in praise of
the track with words they could hardly pronounce, in telephone
voices.

I was mad, and laughed at the same time. The West German
government had brought over large yellow trains on Teeside docks.
In Edinburgh. I stayed on my own for a few days, wandering about
in the, er, pissing rain, before the Queen Mother hit town.

I'm Joe Totale
The yet unborn son
The North will rise again
The North will rise again
Not in 10,000 years
Too many people cower to criminals
And government crap
The estates stick up like stacks
The North will rise again X4
Look where you are
Look where you are
The future death of my father

Shift!

Tony was a business friend
Of RT XVII
And was an opportunist man
Come, come hear my story
How he set out to corrupt and destroy
This future Rising

The business friend came round today
With teeth clenched, he grabbed my neck
I threw him to the ground
His blue shirt stained red
The north will rise again.
He said you are mistaken, friend
I kicked him out of the home

Too many people cower to criminals
And that government pap
When all it takes is hard slap

But out the window burned the roads
There were men with bees on sticks
The fall had made them sick
A man with butterflies on his face
His brother threw acid in his face
His tatoos were screwed
The streets of Soho did reverberate
With drunken Highland men
Revenge for Culloden dead
The North had rose again
But it would turn out wrong
The North will rise again

So R. Totale dwells underground
Away from sickly grind
With ostrich head-dress
Face a mess, covered in feathers
Orange-red with blue-black lines
That draped down to his chest
Body are a tentacle mess
And light blue plant-heads
TV showed Sam Chippendale
No conception of what he'd made
The Arndale had been razed
Shop staff knocked off their ladders
Security guards hung from moving escalators

And now that is said
Tony seized the control
He built his base in Edinburgh
Had on his hotel wall
A hooded friar on a tractor
He took a bluey and he called Totale
Who said, "the North has rose again"
But it will turn out wrong

When I was in cabaret
I vowed to defend
All of the English clergy
Though they have done wrong
And the fall has begun
This has got out of hand
I will go for foreign aid
But he Tony, laughed down the phone
Said "Totale go back to bed"
The North has rose today
And you can stuff your aid!
And you can stuff your aid!

― Tim Ellison, Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Dr. Annabel Lies to thread.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 5 June 2004 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

the fall.

also: douglas w. to thread!!

― geeta (geeta), Sunday, 6 June 2004 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Mekons

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Sunday, 6 June 2004 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Fall

― F Ath, Sunday, 6 June 2004 02:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i'd rather have sex with sally timms than MES

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Sunday, 6 June 2004 02:59 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, make langford and smith throw out their dicks to decide who's better

― ken taylrr (ken taylrr), Sunday, 6 June 2004 03:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Recorded: Probably the Fall
Live: Probably the Mekons (better between-song banter!)

― peepee (peepee), Sunday, 6 June 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Teh Fall.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Sunday, 6 June 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

aw, for fuck's sake. MES kicking Jon Langford's ass (metaphorically, as Langford could probably have that fight finished in about thirty seconds)

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Sunday, 6 June 2004 04:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Earlier Mekons > Early Fall > The Rest Of The Fall Oeuvre >>>> Country-crap Mekons

Much as I love the Fall they've never done anything as wonderful as Where Where You or Never Been In Riot.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Sunday, 6 June 2004 15:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i'd rather have sex with sally timms than MES

Forgot About B.R.I.X.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 6 June 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

And, personally, Una Baines (at least in 1977).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 6 June 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Earlier Mekons > Early Fall > The Rest Of The Fall Oeuvre >>>> Country-crap Mekons

Much as I love the Fall they've never done anything as wonderful as Where Where You or Never Been In Riot."

The Doc's diagnosis is absolutely OTM.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:56 (twenty-one years ago)

But of course!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 7 June 2004 10:02 (twenty-one years ago)

But where would you fit Gang Of Four and Delta 5 into the sequence, Doc.?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 7 June 2004 10:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, the Mekons were on TOTP2!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Bugger! I missed it! What were they playing? I don't even remember them having been on TOTP itself!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

(This was recorded recently, about 14 of them in a very small studio. They apparently have 'revisited' their early stuff and this was a song about buying things for a wife to be or something (the only one I know really is "where were you")

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

They played a fiddle-heavy version of 'Work All Week', which was a bit crap to be honest, but none the less, it still had me shouting "It's the Mekons! IT'S THE BLOODY MEKONS!" at the cat. It was the last thing on the programme, filling that dodgy country slot they often have.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Delta 5 early singles come behind early Fall and ahead of 'rest-of-Fall'. Gang of 4 comes behind 'rest-of-Fall' (too po-faced despite generally excellent noise) and See The Whirl rates behind Go4 - too polished.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:35 (twenty-one years ago)

As far as backstage sex goes:
Marcia Schofield > Elini Poulou > Brix Smith > Una Baines > Julia Nagle > Yvonne Pawlett.
As far as the Mekons go:
Jon Langford's got a big cock.

― sexyDancer, Monday, 7 June 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you mark e smith?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 June 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

My old lady has asked me that very same question.

― sexyDancer, Monday, 7 June 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"Delta 5 early singles come behind early Fall and ahead of 'rest-of-Fall'. Gang of 4 comes behind 'rest-of-Fall' (too po-faced despite generally excellent noise) and See The Whirl rates behind Go4 - too polished."

Full marks Doc.; absolutely OTM again!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Between 1977 and 1988: the Fall by a cubit
Between 1988 and now: the Fall by a furlong
Mekons 1977-1988 vs. Fall 1987-now: the Mekons by a kilometer
the Fall 1977-1988 vs. Mekons 1988-now: the Fall by a light year

― chuck, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

thirteen years pass...

It's not The Mekons and it's not The Fall, I guess,but I just saw that Jon from the former and Martin from the latter have a single together. And for that matter, so do The Nightingales and Vic Godard. Haven't heard either. https://tinyglobalproductions.bandcamp.com

― crustaceanrebelisback, Friday, 6 April 2018 23:45 (eight years ago)

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