The Fall - Telephone Thing

[rebelVHS]

Is there anyone who still hasn't heard 'Cheap Space Chant' ?

In YouTube, search for 'Timekode, Mark E Smith'

and listen to the strangest and best MES/Fall

collaboration of them all...

[TheGeraldemerald]

So mad! MES spotted Coldcut's potential when they were working with Yazz and Lisa Stansfield! Long before their Journeys by DJ mixup! Smith runs rings!!!!

[123jataylor]

the youngster needs some vitamins.

[TWRAmericas]

Murdoch Wade Murdoch Wade Murdoch Wade Murdoch Wade ...

[clintxoxox]

This song is AWESOME!I first heard it on mtv alternative music show(maybe it CMC?) back in the 80s,cant remember the exact name but it was great then ,and great now...like I said,this was good then and would be fine now if it was on the radio,way better than 95% of the stuff i hear on the waves.........

[MegaKevorkian]

@clintxoxox , Like Godbox!, another another peasant, get down on thy knees, and whorship M.E.S, and co, like peasants with free milk!. Its AWESOME MAN. S ounds like Nancy Spungen type, Brix, Sucking Kennedy, typeo error!Please go away!

[LordRockfish]

I hear him too. . .sounds like Rupert Murdoch!

[phildread]

it's Marmite. just like Sicknote.

[sydferret]

and therein....

[MegaKevorkian]

too much nerdy, previous dull, dead comments to justify any positive, real acheivements to be posted for egomanic freak fan fall rollers awaiting mushy thang shite.contrary, privies.

[TheJonathanzzz]

How dare you assume I want to parlez-vous with you? This song is something else.

[MegaKevorkian]

@TheJonathanzzz Shit, another Peasant, no think, deluded Fall Fan, with nothing to say, other than to reproduce M.E.S, lyrics. Theyre here, there, n everywhere!

[zanzibar79]

@MegaKevorkian

Hey there fuckface!

[MegaKevorkian]

@zanzibar79 Hey there Fuck Face!, is that it?, wheres the message for ya?, Have to, Have to, deliver one up to you old boy.Sounds like a message from a 15 yr olde, never mind a 51 yr oldie. Unacceptable crap, piling up on the clutterwall. Definitely in the realm of Humiliation!. See ya mate!

[zanzibar79]

@MegaKevorkian

Is that it? Ya want a message for ya? How dare you assume I want to parlez vous with you, Megan old gel!

[MegaKevorkian]

@zanzibar79 You fool, you dont wanna parlez vous with me, Gretchin Fetchin, why did you start to contact me in the first place, Fuck Face?.Its a no brainer matey!.C ya mate!

[coptersoisoi]

nm.. he mentions "Privacy policy act"

[coptersoisoi]

@coptersoisoi Is "Privacy Policy Act" a common law in Westernize nations prior to the 1990s or 2k period? Is it a UK law that was a big deal around the time this was written? Its ahead of its time. LOL. some of these musicians like RUSH which isn't "Post Punk" have some interesting lyrics which reflect todays world. Growing up you were always warned of an Orwellian society but seems Bush made it a reality.

[coptersoisoi]

What does he mean by Tapped? He's being bugged or he's just out of things to say. His meaning and the director's vision might be two different things

[vkman34]

@coptersoisoi: "tapped" refers to telephone tapping. The song is about the misuse of communications technology by those who control it, specifically in this case British Telecom, which at the time the song was made had pretty much a monopoly on telephone services in the UK despite being a private company.

[coptersoisoi]

@vkman34 Oh, OK. I wasn't sure if he was in Paris in a Hotel because of the Poly Vu with you comment in the song. That sucks because this is pre 9/11. But I know the UK has a different policy and constitution of control vs our Forefathers original plan. but I was told it's always been violated way prior to the 90s. Just they didn't have the super computers of today.. but I was told even in the 70s they were testing out beta versions of what is happening now in the states. Sucks!

[rudyprotrudy08]

I used to have this on 12".

[Fashizle20]

R.Crumish video!

[pinky99710]

miau wer möchte mit mir ausgehen

[StinkiwinkiPoo]

@pinky99710 scheiss FAKER!!!!!! I hate your Mushi-thing !

[StinkiwinkiPoo]

lol this song is so cool

[Honeycomb500]

Great song from a great TV show - Transmission. Used to record that religiously every week as it was on at about 3am. Seem to remember Dennis Pennis was the presenter. Heard loads of great bands for the first time on that show.

[trifelgeputinage]

FUCKING GENIUS.

[Silshaw]

AND.

[vincentvalentine832]

Fuck you United, long live Manchester City

[coptersoisoi]

@vincentvalentine832 Please... what did you ever do for Manchester haha

[sfbayareagirl]

legend.

[robasci00]

what is the year??

[alibootboy]

for f**k's sake!! play loud louder...

[MrSheriffPete]

I have three heroes who stand on top of the hill o crap of rock and roll. Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith and Nick Cave. All sour as shit and all totally real. Art is not dead.

[trifelgeputinage]

@MrSheriffPete Right on!

[Morrisseyisdead]

"I hear yohh telephone thang listenin ennnnnnnn"

[Fugeeu]

@Morrisseyisdead You mean "ennnnnnnn-uh"

[frankbough1955]

GREAT POP SONG

[cosmicgiggle1]

i love the fall, truely original............

mark e smith is a legend

[Zoasterboy]

The anxiety in this video is just BLASTING out of the screen and speakers.

[Gringobadges]

fantastiche...

[omamder5]

why do people use this as their ringtone so much? What's so great about it? I want "Domo Arigoto, Mr.Roboto" for my ringtone.

[Skagnita]

@omamder5 I think that using this song as a mobile phone ringtone has so many levels of irony that even Mark E. Smith might use it for his tone (if he has a phone at all).

But then, I am guessing you are not a Fall fan?

[dadaphone]

Kinda baggy this, innit?

[9wolfy9]

How dare you assume i wanna parlez-vous with you, you Gretchen Franklin nosey matron thing!

[alibootboy]

the fukkin business. kilburn national 1990...

[jasonbrown1987]

nosey matron type ...ah......I LOVE THE FALL

[voodooscratch]

foreseeing the GW Bush era

[Maxtaxifromhell]

I hear that keeping your mobile in your jeans pocket could cause sterility... Too late now I guess.

[brentlad]

viva mark e smith!!!

[brianwilson49]

@helstontvx

you know him do you?

[helstontvx]

Yes as a matter of fact we went to school together! haha bloody hell nothings changed

[sheepdoctor]

One of my fave Fall tunes. Use it as my ringtone :-)

[MrBazzabee]

in fact !"£$¬&^%(Y^%R%$E_)O(?>?@:{}K{}

[MouthfullUK]

Ho DARE you assume I wanna parlez-vous with you - Gretchen Franklin !

[tayzondayfans]

hold on a sec... does anyone actually understand these lyrics?

[FetidToecheese]

who cares...;)

[GreasyToes]

It's about a paranoid's belief that they're being watched by the government, (aka I'm TAPPED), which is not uncommon, even now. Watch the skies!!!!

[voodooscratch]

Hold on a minute i have a call

[clairda]

Thank you for posting this!! I adore The Fall. And now they say cell phones cause brain cancer! Acht.

[kunluv]

Steve Malkmus completely copied Mark Smith's singing style and Mark Smith is very vocal about disliking Pavement and resenting their unloving imitation off of his style. Pavement doesn't let this bother them though.

[09prizefighter09]

extricate is the name of the album this is from 1990.

[tonysmales]

Love this - can't get it out of my head!

- and I hate fones too! fecking things

[as8566]

I like it. I have a bit of a phone phobia and l love the antagonism toward the phone.

[Pannells80]

Anyone know which album this track is from.

[Blindedlight100]

Extricate

[Pannells80]

Cheers.

[exwhyyou]

TAPPED.

MES is god

[merrycrisis]

The late Peel's fave song. Brought some memories back m8 - cheers.

[AGAMVARK]

this is a great song

[Morsa666]

yeaaaah :)

[tschak909]

I'm tapp-t-uh!

[mb1138]

this should be the patriot act theme song lol

[zayetsus]

They really kick ASSSSS! The bass line is simple but so great!

[dinoblackgrape]

am gunna get my bass out and play to this full blast and blast the windows out lol

[fallfan1]

one of my all time favourite songs

[Pure473]

How dare you assume i wanna parle vou with you!

[stickyjam1]

checkout the bassline for breman nact also by the fall from this era .the best band from manchester and therefore the world.

[gaeilgeseomra]

brill band love em

[skiverboo]

if this isnt the 21st cntury i dunno wot bloody iz. Welcome!

[OliverBenton]

"Gretchen Franklin... nosey matron... thing."

Fantastic.

[pendodecahedron]

monster bass love it

one of the falls better moments me finks

:)

[el1c1a1972]

can you say "ringtone" song...

[simonhaslam]

Seismic Bass!

[eworlds]

This song remains as a punch in the stomach to me. It hurts but gives you energy afterwards.

[RichardCrook2]

This is one of those songs that's really good, but I've no idea why! Telephone tapping .

[BaronDeRossi]

Wow, I had an experience like this song! I can't believe it, but I think someone actually flipped out regarding my opinions on Youtube and took them personally!! Maybe I'm mistaken, but if what I think is true I feel almost flattered, as I have been in mourning for my dad, mum, sister, etc for the last year. If you take this stuff personally that is not my problem! This is whats known in the free world as an open forum. Scary huh??? I can't really believe your arrogance, if this really happened.

[frenzxperiment]

first seven seconds in, great. only kidding.

[Hamhamaru]

i like the bass, but the rest really, and i mean REALLY, isn't my thing... really really not. totally don't like it. keys, and especially the vocals.

but i still like the bass *g*

yeah, i'm stupid...

search for "zeebra" together with "rize". thats cool music. totally different, but cool, both collaboration videos ;-)

[broyach]

awesomee!!!!!!minimalism, MES is genius

[wrongstring]

Thom Yorke said that "Mark E Smith is a fucking intellectual!" - he is obviously a fan of his words and style.

[marvinlondon73]

For someone just getting into the Fall, what would any of you suggest as the ESSENTIAL albums to buy ?

[destroyalltacos]

I'm nowhere near having heard anything, but This Nation's Saving Grace and The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall are pretty good ones to start with.

[vkman34]

Best Fall albums are IMO:

1) Bend Sinister

2) Peverted By Language

3) Wonderful and Frightening World Of

4) Hip Priest & Kamerads

[jasonbrown1987]

live at the witch trials, perverted by language,hip preist and kamerads,the light user syndrome all albums are very differant but similar just very fall like m8 ..enjoy

[Kagemusha22]

Their recent Imperial Wax Solvent is a pretty fucking good one, it grabs you by throat and only lets you off at the end. Whilst I've heard This Nation's Saving Grace is their best, but I don't have that yet.

[cruiserscreek]

martinlondon -

Hex Induction Hour

Perverted By Language

Dragnet

The Real New Fall Lp

aswell as destroys choices aswell as everything else although maybe not Are You Are Missing Winner, haha

[Daveydaveygee]

"Live at the Witch Trials". No question.

[sonicjay007]

the fall='stunning'

[lpoursoi]

the fall='shit'

as in 'the shit'

that shit is quite stunning

whup!

[valmurah1]

this kind of reminds me of sesame street...

[sinik75]

I like his voice so much !

[yanivmx1]

why dont u start singing you retard .

you sound like dumb junky

take some lessons from thom york

[whoaboyo]

HAAHAH

HAHAHAH

HAHAHAHH

yOU COCK

[binstig]

oh dear. firstly:

- who are you, simon fucking cowell??

- its thom YORKE

- most radiohead fans like the fall

- you obviously dont GET the fall

and finally...

- gtfo of ma yootoob!

[kristofyargles]

jesus christ,what an absolute penis

[tinylittlebear]

how dare you assume i want to parlez-vous with you?

[natthingup]

Gretchen Franklin!!!!

[luistun]

ja, the best drum and bass song ever!!!! enjoy et!!!!! viva the fall!!!!

[thirdbardo67]

smith is the edward g. robinson of rock!

[LegledTrepteg]

I met MES and I have a photo - he told me "Now fuck off!" and I did - right back out

[cosmosios]

music for musicians, fuckin legend!!

[icantfindanamethis]

met him?

[ady24]

fucking genius

[zenhen]

How dare you assume I want to Parlez Vous with you!! Brilliant!

[screamingblueme]

fuk all that up above or down whatever

[juanskinner]

Murray, had his dad just died at that point?, I don't study minutiae, I just nod my head appreciatively to the deep grooves.

[banjobob1969]

god like genius,need we say more

[sutty234]

i wish he would stick the telephone down his throat.what a mighty pile of shite this junkie piss head spouts out of his big mouth

[murray84]

this song was written about the time mark e smith sexually assualted his father with an old grey telephone. it was a well documented incident that stemmed from his ongoing struggle to cope with his fathers devil may care attitude.

nevertheless, it was commercially one of the falls most successful songs even though the video went a bit overbudget.

[floydsrevenge]

no it fucking isn't: I hear you telephone thing listening in/How dare you assume I want to parlez-vous with you? /Sorry to be so short with you/But I'm tapped/The use of [..] and your smug advertisements/Of your tendril ocean bed achievements does not/Justify your abuse of privacy piracy act/How dare you assume I want to parlez-vous with you?

You gretchen franklin nosey matron type/ Does the home secretary have the barest faintest inkling of what's going down?

[murray84]

yeah...i know the lyrics mate. The fall are probably my favourite band. so what are you trying to tell me?

[floydsrevenge]

frankly, the fact you posted about their Kinks cover being about his grandma's anal fetishism in addition to this post makes me think you're trying to turn Mark E. Smith into some kind of abuse victim. Nothing in those lyrics point to anything erotic about his father.

[murray84]

mark e smiths lyrics are very difficult to psychoanalyse but Im just going from various interviews that I have read and a couple of stories from people in the know. I dont want to be making up rumours about mark e smith as he is one of my heroes but we cannot avoid the fact that his relationship with his father and grandmother beared a significant influence on his work as an artist.

[floydsrevenge]

bah. whatevers. I've never heard any of that, but then again, I've never read those interviews. I was trying to nip a rumor in the bud is all. cheers to you, and M.E.S.

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

you didn't even know that Victoria was a cover.

[murray84]

fuck off. he changed a few of the original lyrics (everyone knows that the kinks wrote this song by the way) and in an interview he said that stuff about his grandmother. Dont try to patronise me little man. I have met mark E smith.

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

big fuckin' deal, like that matters. if you did meet him you probably just stood there like a bump on a log (understandly so). i met obama, doesn't make me a politico.

[murray84]

listen up you fat fucking yank. I dont care if you met obama or mother fucking theresa, I know you aint no politico but I can tell you right now that you are talking about affairs that dont concern you. have you even seen the fall live or what?

[XTC0000]

How dare you assume i wanna parlez-vous with you! I say this to people all the time and they dont have a fuckin clue what i'm on about but i cant help it, i listen to this song on here about once a month, best fall tune then Mr Pharmacist.

[Wdambasically]

My usual comment is to ask people "what's a computer?"

Only one correct response so far...

[lpoursoi]

EAT Y'SELF FITTER!

Glad to see I'm not alone...

[ruthy2003]

Is Mark Smith cool as fuck or what?

[Theeanonymous]

One of my faves...

[jms6959]

Mark looks better older, in my humble opinion.

[southwicklion]

curtis,smith and lydon are my top 3

[Islwynpaul]

The Mighty Fall are the greatest band ever. I feel priveledged to love them so much. Mark E Smith is a genius. Fall fans must keep the secret

[lpoursoi]

I think Mark E. is doing a fine job keeping The Fall a secret. :)

[Islwynpaul]

Way to go!

[blokezed]

I hear you internet thing, but I'm tapped, I'm tapped...

[nickytanner]

BRILLIANT BRILLIANT and erm..... BRILLIANT!

[lamancha2]

Not the world's best mime. Wasn't this originally by Coldcut, with Mark E Smith as a guest vocalist (like "I Want You" by the Inspiral Carpets)?

[TubularDan]

They all have song writing credits on 'telephone thing'. Coldcut also produced it. I think it reworks another song - 'my telephone' which was coldcut and lisa stansfield.

[jjj7477]

he sings as he speaks, as sure and unchanging as death and taxes....and your living in a self aggrandizing dreamland michael, get over it...

[FredGumbo1]

They said Mozart pilfered musical ideas from earlier composers and of course they were right, but did that make Mozart wrong? Didn't The Beatles use motifs from Motown, Chuck Berry and Little Richard? Didn't Rodgers and Hammerstein lift a little classical from time to time? I'm sure even Jimi Hendrix, Green Day and the Pistols may have picked a pockect or two... they're all at it, it's called music

[GolumTR]

Who says Mozart pilfered from other composers in his mature work? Only his immature work shows obvious imitations of other composer's style, and these were mostly composed by his father and attributed to him to help his carrier as a child piano virtuoso.

[GolumTR]

Rodgers and Hammerstein did adaptations of operas, but worked on a formula developed by Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern (Kern was also a better composer than Rodgers) for Show Boat.

[GolumTR]

Hendrix was accused by Johnny "Guitar" Watson of stealing many aspects of his style. While certainly an influence on Hendrix, Hendrix was very distinct from him as a performer, composer, and improviser

[GolumTR]

I haven't heard a Green Day song in years, and the Sex Pistols are basic (well done, but basic) guitar rock.

[jjj7477]

just finish your point and say Mark stole his voice too,eh.....!!

[michaelstmark]

jjj7477. Well only the Americanisation of it actually, aroundabout 1989 when I was in my Lou Reed phase and sent him a couple of demo tapes.

I don't think those post '90 yank slur vocals on his songs suits him at all. Much preferred the old gutteral Mancunian Mark but there you go, his decision :)

" People say I rip off Johnny Rotten - they only strike for more pay...they say; see ya mate, yeah see you mate... to their mothers they sing - Stop Mithering! "

Serious WMC greatness.

[babyhotchacha]

Wow, this is getting intellectual, try listeniing to the Cramps, dirty ole rock 'n' rock

[wiremu]

who gives a fuck about " Bush's USA" estebanx?-this is The Fall

[leezabeeza]

Access to this truly makes the internet worthwhile. To those who are hip to this new technology, more of this please!

[michaelstmark]

Drum riff nicked off Mega Mix of my " Time " song.

" Matron " nicked off my " Black Magic Woman" song.

Both sent on a demo tape to MES in 1988.

Rip off merchant.

[jjj7477]

and totally original...a true one off!!

[michaelstmark]

I agree jjj, but in common with all artists I suppose, he does nick & recycle stuff/influences off others.

Big Captain Beefheart fan, apparently. (Shame he's retired from music BTW.)

[leezabeeza]

That is a serious allegation saying MES ripped you off, shame we cant hear your demo for ourselves...

[michaelstmark]

What good would that do, your mind is already decided.

Fall fans are the "salt of the earth", its true. I don't mind to have been a part of their development. I also sent MES some self-published poetry under my own imprint " Free Range Books".

Within a couple of months the Fall's great "Free Range" single was out.

But as I say, it's ok, all artists nick influences from others.

[leezabeeza]

ok, what artists have you nicked stuff off?

[michaelstmark]

Probably a few too, yeah. But definitely not "One to One" or "24/7", that's 4 sure.

All pure artistic Communism, leeza -after all even you nicked English off your parents & primary skool teach'.

:)

[pharmageek]

Oftentimes, MES goes by the moniker, "The Original Rapper",

since the Fall's music feeds off the raw energies of both Rap

and punk rock thus inspirirng their own hybrid of indie pop.

[RichieV]

Shakespeare stole my notebook, in which I had written hundreds of sonnets, shame I can't prove it, but it's true. Twat!!!

[michaelstmark]

Watch their next CD outing, gone will be the fake Yank accent too. He knows where he got his "Matron" line and the drum riff in this tune from. I'm not concerned, it's overall a great number in any case.

All artists, even Smith, take influence from others. But that's okay - and if you have issues with that Ritchie, then that's entirely your problem.

"No man is an island"  -Confucius ( 10 million BC).

[cruiserscreek]

jesus christ, you don't actually believe any of this yourself do you? seriously?

[nomezaine]

technology is amazing

[ultramarinegoat]

Wow ! Thank you so much ! w00t!

[geekay67]

more of the mighty fall please