The Unutterable

The Unutterable
Studio album by The Fall
Released 6 November 2000
Genre Alternative rock
Length 55:42
Label Eagle
Producer Grant Showbiz, Mark E. Smith
The Fall chronology
Live 1977
(2000)Live 19772000		 The Unutterable
(2000)		 Liverpool 78
(2001)Liverpool 782001
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Guardian[2]
Mojofavourable[3]
NMEfavourable[4]
Time Outfavourable[5]
Uncut[6]

The Unutterable is an album (the 21st) by British rock band the Fall, released in 2000. It was recorded with much the same line-up as had appeared on the group's previous album, 1999's The Marshall Suite (although Kazuko Hohki—the singer from the English-based Japanese band Frank Chickens—provides extra vocals on one track). However, whilst this version of the band was still coming together as the previous album was being made, by the time of the current record, they had had a year to gel as a unit. Therefore, while there is some similarity in the sound of the two, The Unutterable was a lot more consistent in its production and songwriting. It was generally well received by the critics, being praised as a "career peak" by Dave Simpson of The Guardian,[7] and prompting Piers Martin of the NME to suggest, "...this is as vital and relevant as The Fall have sounded for a considerable length of time.[8] "

Lyrically, the record covers a diverse number of themes. On "Dr Bucks' Letter", lead singer Mark E. Smith appears to dispraise superficial materialist modernity, stating, "I was in the realm of the essence of Tong", an oblique reference to British DJ Pete Tong. In the song, Smith lists the five things that he, or rather, that Tong, can't leave home without: sunglasses, music, palm pilot, mobile phone and Amex card. Elsewhere on the LP, Smith's lyrics discuss such issues as drugs on the ranting "Ketamine Sun", and his favourite meal on the jazz-influenced "Pumpkin Soup and Mashed Potatoes".

The Unutterable is notable for not featuring a cover song, something that has been included on at least one format of all the group's other studio albums from Bend Sinister forwards - although "Ketamine Sun" reportedly started life as a cover of Lou Reed's "Kill Your Sons", there is little musical similarity between the two tracks.

This was the first and only Fall ‘official’ studio release to be issued on CD only, without a corresponding vinyl version. A double LP set was eventually issued in 2014.

Track listing

All songs by Mark E. Smith, Tom Head, Adam Helal, Julia Nagle and Neville Wilding, except where noted
  1. "Cyber Insekt" – 3:19
  2. "Two Librans" – 3:57
  3. "W.B" – 3:30
  4. "Sons of Temperance" – 3:47
  5. "Dr Bucks' Letter" – 5:19
  6. "Hot Runes" – 2:18
  7. "Way Round" (Smith, Head, Helal, Nagle) – 3:21
  8. "Octo Realm/Ketamine Sun" (Smith, Nagle, Helal, Head, Grant Cunliffe) – 5:36
  9. "Serum" – 4:56
  10. "Unutterable" – 1:05
  11. "Pumpkin Soup and Mashed Potatoes" (Smith, Cunliffe, Helal, Nagle) – 2:54
  12. "Hands Up Billy" (Wilding) – 2:47
  13. "Midwatch 1953" – 5:32
  14. "Devolute" – 4:36
  15. "Das Katerer" (Smith, Nagle, Simon Wolstencroft) – 2:42

Personnel

The Fall
Additional personnel
  • Kazuko Hohki – vocals on "Cyber Insekt"
  • Steve Evets - vocals on "Midwatch 1953"
  • Ben Pritchard - guitar on "Dr. Bucks' Letter" and "Midwatch 1953"
  • Grant Showbiz - production, backing vocals
  • Rob Ayling - executive producer, voice on "Octo Realm" (uncredited)
  • Pascal Le Gras - cover art

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ The Guardian review
  3. ↑ Mojo review Archived 2009-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ NME review Archived 2009-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Time Out review
  6. ↑ Uncut review
  7. ↑ Simpson, Dave (3 Nov. 2000). Review. The Guardian.
  8. ↑ Martin, Piers (Nov. 2000). "The Unutterable" Archived 2009-09-13 at the Wayback Machine.. NME.
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