I’m 56 and The Fall kinda passed me by first time round. I thought them too avant-garde for my youthful tastes back then. I loved “Frankie goes to…” and other pop stuff like that. But then I lived some years, done some stuff, had some laughs and pretty much pilled my way through the 90s and endured a failed marriage. Now I can’t get enough of Marks spot characterisation of growing up in 70s/80s England.All these years later, I find a Fall track (Hit The North) and have never looked back. Pure, class and genius. RIP all of the fallen.❤️
Head spinning, heart pounding, watery eyes, playing air bass.... This is not a song. This is Mark E. Smith destroying us with a smirk on his face. Forever grateful.
If I'm not mistaken this was the last Fall session track ever played by John, as he scheduled it last in the repeat session broadcast just before he left for Peru. He said something like "Sounds even better the second time round. There will never be anything like this again" ....and of course there won't
One of the many wonderful things about this song are the cymbal crash punctuations in it. Each one is so incredibly well placed, on varying parts of the bar, often deliciously unpredictable, yet massively satisfying when they happen. Also the only song I know where the bass line and hi-hat mimic each other like that.
It's heartening to read all these comments from people that feel the same way about this song that i do, it's so incredible! i don't have anyone around me that loves the fall as much as i do, so thank you fellow Fall lovers for your comments, I've found my people!
@JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE i try to recommend Scottish band Country Teasers...un-classifiable, Fall fans loved em and they were definitely the only band music writers could think of to namedrop. Led by a controversial genius and backed by a great band. not a Fall ape, but a similar vibe...Teasers were held back because of misunderstood lyrics, the best live band ive seen in 20 years or more, i think Ben Wallers could outdrink a young Mark E Smith. highly recommend checking out their singles, last album Empire Strikes Back...but you cant miss. the singles comp is overwhelming, the early stuff a bit garagey. its a case of one of the greatest bands on the planet being missed by people who would be blown away. they cover Butthole Surfers, New Order, partial In the Flesh by Pink Floyd Randy Newman...but their songs are where its at. Secrets in Welsh, a huge track...should be a classic beyond their cult following. they shed the garage production and kept getting better.
@JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE I don't know what yer getting at, Country Teasers broke up before the Fall ended. UA-cam Secrets in Welsh by Country Teasers. Ok...I read it again. Great post,!! Bands really gave him their best.
@@yvesescriva8661 I never knew what pangolin were before I saw them once in a dream. they were boulder-size and rolling down a volcano covered in rainforest
yeah, its cleaner and more lively than the original...but mark e. smith is more fiery in this one, different words and he is younger than he looks--booze will do that, but his performance makes this the best. his attack on Mumford & Sons at some festival is classic and was a punk till the end. A thrown bottle and calling them as he saw them: c**ts Always backed by a great band, like Lydon, who still walks the walk, people say they never changed but this song is an example of how they were always the same but ya kinda need most of their stuff. everyone from the Cure to Butthole Surfers to Galaxie 500 were much improved on Peel's show. Simple, minimal is usually what makes an unforgettable song. Even a band like Rush is basic without the solos. Dont know why i mentioned them, other than i'm probably the only man alive who likes both bands.
0:19 / 6:33 The Fall - Blindness (Peel Session version) 1024pm 21.1.22 oh oh... indeed a fine song if ever there was one to appreciate especially for the lard lad at x records no doubt. dont forget those ciggies will do you no good. ahaha i never got a job at x records. they seem to let any old slags work there. the kids spoilt it. p.s i still couldnt get hold of that steel pole bathtub or godflesh l.p - which may not even exist. i seem to have listened to a godlfesh lp which no one can get a grip of... ahahahahah... so how is the fall really doing as opposed to lame brains discoursing on carcinogenic growths and unhappy band personnel...?
It's amazing how silly and fashionable a lot of contemporary music seems when listened up against the Fall, this song especially. Listening to them is an uncomfortable pleasure for me. That's the best and most appropriate compliment I can muster at the moment.
I was explaining to my daughter why I couldn't get into The Fall. I randomly searched for The Fall this came up been playing it repeatedly since. The bass sound reminds me of The Stranglers.
bass sounds like an amphetamine reptile tone...the best songs are simple to play, not simple to come up with. busy bass players couldnt keep it simple. this song could cover a side of an lp and id be bummed when it ended
If Carlsberg ever made basslines.............................................................................................................................................................
i pressed this version on a dubplate and sometimes play it as an encore in my sets, which mostly consists of (weird) electronic dance music of today. this track / the BASS drives the techno heads MAD (in a good way)!
A thundering bass line that ploughs through the undergrowth like a chainsaw - augmented with such observational & intelligent lyrics: thank you for uploading : )
This was nearing the tail end of his career. Didn't become a nostalgia act and do the bullshit "we're playing the whole album" nights. That was money Mark left on the table because he actually had integrity.
BLINDNESS (Peel session version) And all humans Cavalry or calvary And not a drop of water Or paper Or paper J.W. said "walking bass, walking bass" Don't forget, don't forget He expected Aristotle Onasis But instead he got Mr James Fennings from Prestwick, in Cumbria Do you... reflect this evil? Thought of cavalry and calvary His first appearance was on Moscow Road The poster came at first At first I thought it was just a poster I was talking to James Seymour Eyes wide open
It's like there's a Mark E. Smith lyrics randomizer in front of him, and he's pushing a button and getting the verses for this version of the song. You know I might just make one for myself.
The flag is evil Welcome: living leg-end I was walking down the street I saw a poster at the top I was only on one leg The streets were fucked And the poster at the top of street said: "Do you work hard?" I was only on one leg The road hadn't been fixed I had to be in for half six I was only on one leg My blue eyelids were not (?) There was a curfew at half nine For my kids There was a poster at the top of the street Encapsulated in plastic It had a blind man So I said: "Blind man, have mercy on me." I said: "Blind man, have mercy on me." The flat is evil and full of cavalry and Calvary And calvary and cavalry "Do you work hard?" It said, "I am from Hebden Bridge Somebody said to me: I can't understand a word you said." Said: " 99% of non smokers die" "Do you work hard?" "Do you work hard?" I was walking down the street And saw a picture of a blind man The flat is evil Of core? cavalry and calvary Of core(?) Blind man, have mercy on me Said, blind man, have mercy on me ?? I am a ? My blues eye get...ID/I get My curfew was due half eight Now its half past six My curfew is at 9:30 I said. "Do you?" Blind man! Have mercy on me Blind man! Have mercy on me Blind man! Have mercy on me I'm on one leg My eyes can't get fixed And my kids Can't blue eyes get fixed Blind man! Have mercy on me Blind man! Have mercy on me
Golly Gosh & What-Nots......I've still got my original John Peel Session cassette recorded version of this, complete with his whoops fuck-up-skis......unsurpassable.
I'm 63 years old and it's only now I'm listening to the fall, where the fuck have I been..
Same here. I'm 64.Discovered them 6-7 years ago.
I have over 30 albums at this point.
Better late than never …
I was a fall fan late 70,s and only rediscoverd them, awesome. 😊
Listening to better music ?
@@HDIrwinsuch as?
This will be played at my funeral procession. Incredible tune.
Everyone's gangsta until :
A white transit rolls up with blindness blasting
This is the loosest, most random, languid noise I’ve ever heard and I love every nanosecond of it
This song is on shuffle repeat for the rest of my life
I’m 56 and The Fall kinda passed me by first time round. I thought them too avant-garde for my youthful tastes back then. I loved “Frankie goes to…” and other pop stuff like that. But then I lived some years, done some stuff, had some laughs and pretty much pilled my way through the 90s and endured a failed marriage. Now I can’t get enough of Marks spot characterisation of growing up in 70s/80s England.All these years later, I find a Fall track (Hit The North) and have never looked back. Pure, class and genius. RIP all of the fallen.❤️
Same. I'm 57. The Fall are what I'm waking up to after decades of what feels like I've been asleep.
If ever feel stressed, put this and start banging your hand on something. Saves a lot of psychotherapy
I could totally listen to this song for hours and not get sick of it. My favorite BEST Fall song - You are sorely missed, Mark E Smith - -
We all do :)
agreed.
I think it's better than the Studio version, In my Humble.
Best fucking track in the world, and no error!
I could listen to that bassline all day and not get tired of it. So filthy and awesome.
Head spinning, heart pounding, watery eyes, playing air bass.... This is not a song. This is Mark E. Smith destroying us with a smirk on his face. Forever grateful.
You can't beat this, you just can't
Just heard it for the first time ..
absolutely staggeringly brilliant .
Absolutely spot on, I like the original, but this beats it hands down.
I did try beating it a few times, and I just couldn't
Yep,
nope.
it would be misguided to try ... but try we must
This baseline could restore peace in the Middle East 😊
Shall be bang it out over Gaza now - needs something gigantuan
Absolute juggernaut of a song
I still feel the loss of both Mark E. Smith and John Peel.
This track is still as glorious as it was when I first heard it all those years ago!
2 names: same sentence. Perfect and my loss too
If I'm not mistaken this was the last Fall session track ever played by John, as he scheduled it last in the repeat session broadcast just before he left for Peru. He said something like "Sounds even better the second time round. There will never be anything like this again" ....and of course there won't
Is that true? I sincerely hope so because it's the most incendiary send-off that the Mighty Fall could possibly give.
Rob Richardson that's how I remember it, a fitting send off indeed
I fucking hope so - what a why for them both to go out.
Brilliant in many ways. Best antidote to bourgeois bilge
"bourgeois bilge" what a beautiful way of describing of some of the utter shit that gets recorded haha
I think mark would have appreciated that phrase.
"practically perfect in every way"--Mary Poppins
This song is like no other ! I'm gobsmacked at what level of genius The Fall reached !
Well, it's a bit like Roots Manuva's 'Witness', but still one of the best things on UA-cam
@@adamcharlesdavies the bassline is, but I don’t think you could say the songs are alike
@@hazuinf You are correct
One of the many wonderful things about this song are the cymbal crash punctuations in it. Each one is so incredibly well placed, on varying parts of the bar, often deliciously unpredictable, yet massively satisfying when they happen. Also the only song I know where the bass line and hi-hat mimic each other like that.
It's heartening to read all these comments from people that feel the same way about this song that i do, it's so incredible! i don't have anyone around me that loves the fall as much as i do, so thank you fellow Fall lovers for your comments, I've found my people!
Hello Fall friend
@@flightyzeus2 Greetings fellow impeccable music taste friend
That is the good thing of the internet
@JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE i try to recommend Scottish band Country Teasers...un-classifiable, Fall fans loved em and they were definitely the only band music writers could think of to namedrop. Led by a controversial genius and backed by a great band. not a Fall ape, but a similar vibe...Teasers were held back because of misunderstood lyrics, the best live band ive seen in 20 years or more, i think Ben Wallers could outdrink a young Mark E Smith. highly recommend checking out their singles, last album Empire Strikes Back...but you cant miss. the singles comp is overwhelming, the early stuff a bit garagey. its a case of one of the greatest bands on the planet being missed by people who would be blown away. they cover Butthole Surfers, New Order, partial In the Flesh by Pink Floyd Randy Newman...but their songs are where its at. Secrets in Welsh, a huge track...should be a classic beyond their cult following. they shed the garage production and kept getting better.
@JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE I don't know what yer getting at, Country Teasers broke up before the Fall ended. UA-cam Secrets in Welsh by Country Teasers. Ok...I read it again. Great post,!! Bands really gave him their best.
This is the best version ...
It's superb. !
this a materclass in the aggressive groove, truly monumental and it just keeps on going
It seems there's a flock of pengolin rowin down on the valley.
@@yvesescriva8661 I never knew what pangolin were before I saw them once in a dream. they were boulder-size and rolling down a volcano covered in rainforest
yeah, its cleaner and more lively than the original...but mark e. smith is more fiery in this one, different words and he is younger than he looks--booze will do that, but his performance makes this the best. his attack on Mumford & Sons at some festival is classic and was a punk till the end. A thrown bottle and calling them as he saw them: c**ts Always backed by a great band, like Lydon, who still walks the walk, people say they never changed but this song is an example of how they were always the same but ya kinda need most of their stuff. everyone from the Cure to Butthole Surfers to Galaxie 500 were much improved on Peel's show. Simple, minimal is usually what makes an unforgettable song. Even a band like Rush is basic without the solos. Dont know why i mentioned them, other than i'm probably the only man alive who likes both bands.
0:19 / 6:33
The Fall - Blindness (Peel Session version) 1024pm 21.1.22 oh oh... indeed a fine song if ever there was one to appreciate especially for the lard lad at x records no doubt. dont forget those ciggies will do you no good. ahaha i never got a job at x records. they seem to let any old slags work there. the kids spoilt it. p.s i still couldnt get hold of that steel pole bathtub or godflesh l.p - which may not even exist. i seem to have listened to a godlfesh lp which no one can get a grip of... ahahahahah... so how is the fall really doing as opposed to lame brains discoursing on carcinogenic growths and unhappy band personnel...?
Mark E. Smith would not be amused….Geddy Lee would say; who?
This isn't just music, its art!
Music is art, you pillock.
I remember seeing the Fall in Kersal Working Man's Club in Salford. When this song kicked in, holy shit, the whole venue was leaping!
I saw them onceDec 2012 Islington town hall,one of my top 3 gigs ever,absolutely spellbinding,who is thereto take his (or their)mantle,answer: nobody.
La Villette in June, outdoor & sunny with a sweet breez, best concert of my life.
John Peel was right: one of the best bands Britain ever produced. Brilliant song!
The Fall are the best band ever.. this feels like an objective fact but it's just that most people haven't realized..
Holy shit, I somehow never heard this before! What a monster of a tune!!!
With a swaggering attitude and an icy sneer, the Fall demonstrate just how invincible they are.
Utterly marvellous. Best goddam rock n roll band in the world for the last 35 years and counting. Nobody else comes near.
Good in it. 01:23
Разве это рок-н-ролл?
RIP Mark E Smith, he was a one off. The Fall are one of the best bands to come out of Blighty.
JDsmiffy1 or anywhere else
@@styxcreek exact !
It's amazing how silly and fashionable a lot of contemporary music seems when listened up against the Fall, this song especially. Listening to them is an uncomfortable pleasure for me. That's the best and most appropriate compliment I can muster at the moment.
Matthew Lusk the Fall ruined modern music for me. I just can’t take any other band seriously.
@@styxcreek great comment ,know what you mean!
God..... I honestly get emotional listening to this.... Utterly, utterly perfect..
I was explaining to my daughter why I couldn't get into The Fall. I randomly searched for The Fall this came up been playing it repeatedly since. The bass sound reminds me of The Stranglers.
They are the best rock group of all time .
No lie
yep, folloed by igorr
Best Fall track of recent years
yes rip mr smith you were outstanding
That bass line. Even Lemmy would be proud
bass sounds like an amphetamine reptile tone...the best songs are simple to play, not simple to come up with. busy bass players couldnt keep it simple. this song could cover a side of an lp and id be bummed when it ended
Reminds me of Dave Sims
why would Lenny like it ?
@@YTPartyTonight David William Sims?
It’s great but it’s this ua-cam.com/video/NDWgtB_MD24/v-deo.html
The fall! Magnificent! John peel said “ they were always the same but different! Great band!
So happy that I got to see The Fall before Mark's departure, he had a trustworthy carrier bag with him of course, why wouldn't he 🎉
That croft-kneeling genius
This is simply magnificent. The baseline is insanely good. RIP MES
pretty cool what 3 notes and a thunderous tone can do.
Absolutely menacing. It's a banger. 🔥
If Carlsberg ever made basslines.............................................................................................................................................................
mark edward now there is nobody else to listen to we all really miss you
You expected Aristotal Onassis, instead you got Mr James Fennings from Prestwick in Cumbria.
This is ridiculously good.
Yup. Closest noise perfection in my view. Picks you up when you’re down and reflect well when you’re up! Thank you MES.
The unbeatable irreplaceable genius of Mark E. Smith and The Fall. Timeless and magical.
truly one of the grratest songs of all time
The definitive version of this track! There's something special when they do a Peel Session!
This has become my go to song when in between things during the day. Waiting has never been so happy!
Rest in peace legend
i pressed this version on a dubplate and sometimes play it as an encore in my sets, which mostly consists of (weird) electronic dance music of today. this track / the BASS drives the techno heads MAD (in a good way)!
This version of blindness holds much more power than the version heard on fall heads roll ..
It’s the best version!
oh yeah! this is thermonuclear!
"I've done it again!"
...although that's still pretty good.
@@davidoconnell1173 The live version from Last Night at the Palais is also incredible. I'd be hard pressed to say which was best between them.
Never get sick of this
The ones that donna get this arrreer
A thundering bass line that ploughs through the undergrowth like a chainsaw - augmented with such observational & intelligent lyrics: thank you for uploading : )
^ read aloud in the voice of Mark, E, Smith...
The joy of this baseline kicking in after the drum intro lulling you into false expectation of superstition by stevie wonder
One of Mark’s favorite songs. He talked about it in his (for lack of a better word) autobiography
Ah now. this. This is really good
makes me smile
A masterpiece! Speaks to the pain inside all of us.
it's always a nice surprise to hear john these days
rest in peace crazy guy 😯
Who the fuck doesn't like this? Shocking!
This was nearing the tail end of his career. Didn't become a nostalgia act and do the bullshit "we're playing the whole album" nights. That was money Mark left on the table because he actually had integrity.
It's really really really intense! I really like it and listen to it over and over again.
I. Fucking. Love. This. Song.
Do you?
All power of music we can feel in one song
Great antidote to the bland shite being peddled nowadays - I'm an OAP and I'm still golden thanks to Mark and his chums.
Yes Robin,lm 63 and can’t listen to the brain dead crap radio peddles either,thank god for the 80s and 90s music!well some of it !
Fucking fantastic the seedy bass is just amazing with mark voice and lyrics
So good. Better and better.
seriously seriously good
hypnotic bass line
it's incredible. I keep coming back to it regularly. It has me under its spell.
been a fan since Dragnet, and then, umpteen years later they throw this scorcher at you. Sheer genius!
Man I really miss John Peel.
unreplaceable.
BLINDNESS (Peel session version)
And all humans
Cavalry or calvary
And not a drop of water
Or paper
Or paper
J.W. said "walking bass, walking bass"
Don't forget, don't forget
He expected Aristotle Onasis
But instead he got Mr James Fennings from Prestwick, in Cumbria
Do you... reflect this evil?
Thought of cavalry and calvary
His first appearance was on Moscow Road
The poster came at first
At first I thought it was just a poster
I was talking to James Seymour
Eyes wide open
Jane Seymour, no?
Also , incomplete transcript.Some Mancunian needs to transcribe this so the rest of us can find out what MES is saying.
AWESOMELY CAPSWORTHY BASS RIFF
Esse baixo.... isso tudo....É perfeito...RIP Mark...
A massive return to form : )
Perfect for what it needed to be.
CLASSIC!!
You cannot
John peel version the best
And. I’ve seen dozens of fall blindness live many times most incredibly incredible
This take is fucking top tier
The best one, imo. The ranting is unbeatable.
It's like there's a Mark E. Smith lyrics randomizer in front of him, and he's pushing a button and getting the verses for this version of the song. You know I might just make one for myself.
The flag is evil
Welcome: living leg-end
I was walking down the street
I saw a poster at the top
I was only on one leg
The streets were fucked
And the poster at the top of street said:
"Do you work hard?"
I was only on one leg
The road hadn't been fixed
I had to be in for half six
I was only on one leg
My blue eyelids were not (?)
There was a curfew at half nine
For my kids
There was a poster at the top of the street
Encapsulated in plastic
It had a blind man
So I said: "Blind man, have mercy on me."
I said: "Blind man, have mercy on me."
The flat is evil and full of cavalry and Calvary
And calvary and cavalry
"Do you work hard?"
It said, "I am from Hebden Bridge
Somebody said to me: I can't understand a word you said."
Said: " 99% of non smokers die"
"Do you work hard?"
"Do you work hard?"
I was walking down the street
And saw a picture of a blind man
The flat is evil
Of core? cavalry and calvary
Of core(?)
Blind man, have mercy on me
Said, blind man, have mercy on me
??
I am a ?
My blues eye get...ID/I get
My curfew was due half eight
Now its half past six
My curfew is at 9:30
I said. "Do you?"
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
I'm on one leg
My eyes can't get fixed
And my kids
Can't blue eyes get fixed
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
You expected Aristotle Onassis, but instead you got Mr James Fennings of Prestwick in Cumbria. YEAAAAGHHHH!
Fanfuckingtastic
great performance all around but that bass tone in this, SHEESH.
Bloody great. That is all. Just heard this at the Fox and Hounds at Caversham, so had to give it a blast when I got home
So good.
Thanking you.
x
magnificent
The bassline is a killer
Absolutely correct. My JBL Extreme enjoys it immensely. And me too of course.
I want this to be my entrance music.
so good.
HEY ! STUDENT !! GENIUS AT WORK.
R.I.P Mark
That bass is so sick
play loud, fucking great !!!!!
and play fucking often....your neighbours should be able to sing it by heart.
outstanding
Brilliant.
Primal : )
Yep.
Awe and some.
Golly Gosh & What-Nots......I've still got my original John Peel Session cassette recorded version of this, complete with his whoops fuck-up-skis......unsurpassable.
I've never been hit by MES. Love unending
Waaaaaaaa! Innit Just. Even Shellacs BBC sessions sound better than Albini's usual above par efforts. Love it! Bass line like ten bears!
It is The Fall - All ways be The Fall -
Yes Mark E Smith is Very Missed
From a Mancunian
If You've ever seen them Live You'll know
🍻
For ever ...