Hex Enduction Hour
Encyclopedia
Hex Enduction Hour is a 1982 album by The Fall. It was the first album to feature both Karl Burns and Paul Hanley in a two-drummer lineup and was partly recorded in Iceland
during the group's 1981 visit, with the remainder being completed in a disused cinema in Hitchin
, England. A single, "Look, Know" / "I'm Into C.B.
", was recorded contemporaneously but not included on the album, standard practice for the group until 1986. Mark E. Smith
told journalist Sandy Robertson that he had envisaged Hex as being the group's final album and that he would not have continued in music had this been the case. However, the record received very positive reviews and was the first Fall album to make the official chart, spending 3 weeks in and peaking at #71.
In 1984, Motown Records
expressed an interest in signing the band to a new UK division and asked to hear their back catalogue. "Hex" was the only album Smith had to hand. The letter the group received back stated "I see no commercial potential in this band whatsoever". Smith publicly speculated that this might have had something to do with the lines "Where are the obligatory niggers? / Hey there, fuckface" from album opener "The Classical".
"The Classical" was later covered (though with altered lyrics) by Pavement
, who were frequently accused of copying The Fall in their early career. Their version is currently available on the expanded edition of Brighten The Corners
.
One of the record's most recognised tunes is "Hip Priest". Smith later reworked the song for the band's 1988 album I Am Kurious Oranj
, while the original track was used in the climax of the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. Colin Wilson
, a writer on the occult
and existentialist
philosophy is mentioned in the refrain of "Deer Park".
The album went out of print when the Kamera label folded in 1983 but a German edition on the Line imprint was widely imported with copies pressed on white vinyl. Line also issued a CD edition, flat transferred from a later generation tape. In 2002, a new edition claiming to be remastered was released via Mark E. Smith's Cog Sinister imprint, but was actualy just a direct clone of the Line CD, adding both sides of the "Look, Know" single. It was finally remastered from the original master tapes and issued in January 2005 via Sanctuary with a disc of bonus material (omitting "Look, Know" but not its b-side). In April 2007, a single disc edition containing just the original album was issued in a digipak sleeve at midprice. The Sanctuary 2CD edition was repressed in alternate, expanded packaging by Universal in 2009.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
during the group's 1981 visit, with the remainder being completed in a disused cinema in Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, England. A single, "Look, Know" / "I'm Into C.B.
Citizens' band radio
Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur radio...
", was recorded contemporaneously but not included on the album, standard practice for the group until 1986. Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
told journalist Sandy Robertson that he had envisaged Hex as being the group's final album and that he would not have continued in music had this been the case. However, the record received very positive reviews and was the first Fall album to make the official chart, spending 3 weeks in and peaking at #71.
In 1984, Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
expressed an interest in signing the band to a new UK division and asked to hear their back catalogue. "Hex" was the only album Smith had to hand. The letter the group received back stated "I see no commercial potential in this band whatsoever". Smith publicly speculated that this might have had something to do with the lines "Where are the obligatory niggers? / Hey there, fuckface" from album opener "The Classical".
"The Classical" was later covered (though with altered lyrics) by Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
, who were frequently accused of copying The Fall in their early career. Their version is currently available on the expanded edition of Brighten The Corners
Brighten the Corners
Brighten the Corners is the fourth studio album released by Pavement. All songs were written by lead singer Stephen Malkmus, apart from "Date with Ikea" and "Passat Dream". The title is likely a reference to Ella Fitzgerald's Brighten the Corner, or its title track "Brighten the Corner Where You...
.
One of the record's most recognised tunes is "Hip Priest". Smith later reworked the song for the band's 1988 album I Am Kurious Oranj
I Am Kurious Oranj
I Am Kurious Oranj is a 1988 album by British rock band The Fall. The album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet "I am Curious, Orange", produced by contemporary dance group Michael Clark & Company, and themed loosely around the 300th anniversary of William of Orange's accession to the...
, while the original track was used in the climax of the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. Colin Wilson
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson is a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson has since written widely on true crime, mysticism and other topics. He prefers calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.- Early biography:Born and...
, a writer on the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
and existentialist
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
philosophy is mentioned in the refrain of "Deer Park".
The album went out of print when the Kamera label folded in 1983 but a German edition on the Line imprint was widely imported with copies pressed on white vinyl. Line also issued a CD edition, flat transferred from a later generation tape. In 2002, a new edition claiming to be remastered was released via Mark E. Smith's Cog Sinister imprint, but was actualy just a direct clone of the Line CD, adding both sides of the "Look, Know" single. It was finally remastered from the original master tapes and issued in January 2005 via Sanctuary with a disc of bonus material (omitting "Look, Know" but not its b-side). In April 2007, a single disc edition containing just the original album was issued in a digipak sleeve at midprice. The Sanctuary 2CD edition was repressed in alternate, expanded packaging by Universal in 2009.
Side one
- "The Classical" (Mark E. SmithMark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
, The Fall) – 5:16 - "Jawbone and the Air-Rifle" (Smith, The Fall) – 3:43
- "Hip Priest" (Smith, The Fall) – 7:45
- "Fortress"/"Deer Park" (Smith, Craig ScanlonCraig ScanlonCraig Scanlon is a British guitarist, best known as a member of The Fall between 1979 and 1995. During this period he co-wrote over 120 of the group's songs; Mark E. Smith excepted, this tally is unmatched by any other musician to have passed through the group.-Career:Scanlon joined the band...
, Marc RileyMarc RileyMarc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
, Karl BurnsKarl BurnsKarl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
) – 6:41 - "Mere Pseud Mag. Ed." (Smith) – 2:50
- "Winter (Hostel-Maxi)" (Smith, Scanlon) – 4:26
Side two
- "Winter 2" (Smith, Scanlon) – 4:33
- "Just Step S'ways" (Smith) – 3:22
- "Who Makes the Nazis?" (Smith) – 4:27
- "Iceland" (Smith, Scanlon, Riley, Steve HanleySteve Hanley (musician)Steve Hanley is an Irish-born English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing bass guitar in The Fall from 1979 to 1998, and afterwards in The Lovers....
) – 6:42 - "And This Day" (Smith, The Fall) – 10:18
2005 bonus disc
- "Deer Park" (Scanlon, Riley, Burns, Smith) – 4:26
- from the band's fifth John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session broadcast 15 September 1981
- from the band's fifth John Peel
- "Who Makes the Nazis?" (Smith) – 2:57
- from the band's fifth John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session
- from the band's fifth John Peel
- "I'm into C.B." (Kay Carroll, Scanlon, Smith) – 6:30
- originally released as B-side on the single "Look, Know" in 1982
- "Session Musician" (Smith, Riley, Scanlon, Hanley) – 9:11
- live at the Boerkeller, LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 5 November 1981
- live at the Boerkeller, Leeds
- "Jazzed Up Punk Shit" (Scanlon, Riley, Hanley, Smith) – 4:10
- live at the 666 Club, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 15 May 1982
- live at the 666 Club, Manchester
- "I'm into C.B. (Stars on 45 Version)" (Carroll, Scanlon, Smith) – 3:14
- live at Fagins, Manchester, 30 September 1981
- "And This Day" (Smith, The Fall) – 6:13
- from the soundcheck at Main Street, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, 20 August 1982
- from the soundcheck at Main Street, Auckland
- "Deer Park" (Scanlon, Riley, Burns, Smith) – 9:34
- Live at Main Street, Auckland, 20 August 1982
- "And This Day (Revisited)" (Scanlon, Riley, Burns, Hanley, Paul HanleyPaul Hanley (musician)Paul Hanley is an English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing drums in The Fall and The Lovers.-Career:...
, Smith) – 5:24- live at Astoria 2, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 26 February 1997
- live at Astoria 2, London
Personnel
- Mark E. SmithMark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, tapesCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Craig ScanlonCraig ScanlonCraig Scanlon is a British guitarist, best known as a member of The Fall between 1979 and 1995. During this period he co-wrote over 120 of the group's songs; Mark E. Smith excepted, this tally is unmatched by any other musician to have passed through the group.-Career:Scanlon joined the band...
– guitar, vocal, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Marc RileyMarc RileyMarc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
– electronic organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, guitar, vocal, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
; banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
(uncredited) - Steve HanleySteve Hanley (musician)Steve Hanley is an Irish-born English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing bass guitar in The Fall from 1979 to 1998, and afterwards in The Lovers....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocal - Paul HanleyPaul Hanley (musician)Paul Hanley is an English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing drums in The Fall and The Lovers.-Career:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, guitar - Karl BurnsKarl BurnsKarl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
– drums, vocal, tapes - Kay Carroll – vocals, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...