This Nation's Saving Grace
Encyclopedia
This Nation's Saving Grace is a 1985 LP by The Fall. It reached number 54 in the UK charts. The album is frequently cited as one of the group's strongest and most consistent. It ranked at 46 in Spin
s "100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005".
At the beginning of 1985, the group were without Paul Hanley
, who left after their 1984 tour, as well as his brother, bassist Steve Hanley
who took four months paternity leave in the early part of the year. A tour was undertaken and the group recorded the double a-sided single "Couldn't Get Ahead / Rollin' Dany" and subsequent single "Cruiser's Creek" with Simon Rogers
standing in on bass. The group had met Rogers through ballet dancer Michael Clark
and he had already co-produced the early recordings of Brix Smith
's other group The Adult Net
. When Hanley returned, Rogers remained with the group, switching to guitar and keyboards - Hanley's return was marked with the inscription "S Hanley! He's Back" on the run-out groove of side one of the album.
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
s "100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005".
At the beginning of 1985, the group were without Paul Hanley
Paul 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:...
, who left after their 1984 tour, as well as his brother, bassist Steve Hanley
Steve 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....
who took four months paternity leave in the early part of the year. A tour was undertaken and the group recorded the double a-sided single "Couldn't Get Ahead / Rollin' Dany" and subsequent single "Cruiser's Creek" with Simon Rogers
Simon Rogers
Simon Rogers is a British musician and composer, notable for his chart success both as a musician and as a producer as well as for his considerable portfolio of television soundtrack work.-Biography:...
standing in on bass. The group had met Rogers through ballet dancer Michael Clark
Michael Clark (dancer)
Michael Clark is a Scottish dancer and choreographer.-Early life:Michael Clark was born in Aberdeen and began traditional Scottish dancing at the age of four. In 1975 he left home to study at the Royal Ballet School in London, and on his final day at the school he was presented with the Ursula...
and he had already co-produced the early recordings of Brix Smith
Brix Smith
Brix Smith-Start is an American singer, guitarist and television presenter, best known for being a member of post-punk band The Fall, and as lead singer and songwriter with The Adult Net.-Biography:Brix grew up in Los Angeles and Chicago...
's other group The Adult Net
The Adult Net
The Adult Net was a British indie pop band formed by the American singer and guitarist Brix Smith and the British musician Simon Rogers in 1985. Formed while they were still members of the British post-punk band The Fall, The Adult Net released seven singles and one album, of which just one of the...
. When Hanley returned, Rogers remained with the group, switching to guitar and keyboards - Hanley's return was marked with the inscription "S Hanley! He's Back" on the run-out groove of side one of the album.
LP
- Several non-UK editions of the LP omitted "Barmy", replacing it with UK standalone single "Cruiser's Creek".
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:...
– vocals, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, 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 - Brix SmithBrix SmithBrix Smith-Start is an American singer, guitarist and television presenter, best known for being a member of post-punk band The Fall, and as lead singer and songwriter with The Adult Net.-Biography:Brix grew up in Los Angeles and Chicago...
– guitar, vocals - 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.... - Simon RogersSimon RogersSimon Rogers is a British musician and composer, notable for his chart success both as a musician and as a producer as well as for his considerable portfolio of television soundtrack work.-Biography:...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitar, bass 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....
– 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 ....
; backing vocals on "Rollin' Dany"
Influences
- Yarbles (from the song entitled "To NK Roachment: Yarbles") appears in the novel to A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
as NadsatNadsatNadsat is a fictional register or argot used by the teenagers in Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange. In addition to being a novelist, Burgess was also a linguist and he used this background to depict his characters as speaking a form of Russian-influenced English...
for testicles or bollocksBollocks"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in British English and Hiberno-English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless"...
. - The CD edition of the album was covered in its entirety by members of the forum on the band's then-official website with the approval of Mark E. Smith. The complete album was also covered in concert by Triple Gang, who featured members of Faith No MoreFaith No MoreFaith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
and Fudge TunnelFudge TunnelFudge Tunnel were a band formed in Nottingham, England by Alex Newport, David Ryley and Adrian Parkin. After two critically acclaimed singles on Pigboy Records , they signed to Nottingham's Earache Records...
. - The original vinyl version of the album has also been covered in its entirety by electronicaElectronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
act Globo, as an 'experiment'. - 'I Am Damo Suzuki' is a tribute to CanCan (band)Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
vocalistv Damo Suzuki. The riff descending in semitones is based on 'Don't Turn The Light On, Leave Me Alone' from SoundtracksSoundtracks (Can album)Soundtracks is a soundtrack album by the Krautrock group Can. It was first released in 1970 and consists of tracks written for various films. The album marks the departure of the band's original vocalist Malcolm Mooney, who sings on two tracks, to be replaced by new member Damo Suzuki...
, while the drum pattern is taken from 'Oh Yeah' from Tago MagoTago MagoTago Mago is the third studio album by the German experimental rock band Can, and was originally released as a double LP in 1971 by United Artists...
. The lyrics make reference to an number of Can songs, including Vitamin CEge BamyasiEge Bamyası is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock band Can which was originally released as an LP in 1972 by United Artists. The album contains the single "Spoon", which charted in the Top 10 in Germany, largely because of its use as the theme of a German TV thriller series...
. - "What You Need" takes its title from an episode of The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
. The line "slippery shoes for your horrible feet" originates from the plot of this episode.