Bend Sinister is a 1986 album by The Fall, released on Beggars Banquet Records

Beggars Banquet Records

Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...

. It reached number 36 in the UK charts. Its title is taken from Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...

's novel Bend Sinister (1947). The US version of the album was titled The "Domesday Pay-Off" Triad Plus!.

It was the third and last Fall album to be produced by John Leckie

John Leckie

John Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...

. When recording began, the band were without a drummer, as Karl Burns

Karl Burns

Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....

 was fired shortly before sessions began. Ex-member Paul Hanley stepped in at first before permanent replacement Simon Wolstencroft

Simon Wolstencroft

Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between June 1986 and August 1997.Wolstencroft was a member of an early incarnation of The Stone Roses; having previously been a member of The Weeds and The Colourfield. He was also drummer for...

 was found. However, Leckie and 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:...

 argued during the recording, Smith complaining that "he'd always swamp everything, y'know, put the psychedelic sounds over it". Leckie, for his part, drew the line at Smith's insistence that some tracks be mastered from a standard audio cassette which Smith had been carrying around and listening to on a Walkman

Walkman

Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...

. Neither Smith nor Leckie speak highly of the album today. Nonetheless, the record contained their version of "Mr. Pharmacist", originally by US garage band

Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

 The Other Half

The Other Half (band)

For the Canadian 2000s tour band, see: Leslie Carter.The Other Half were a psychedelic hard rock band, based in San Francisco, active in the mid to late 1960s.-History:...

, which gave The Fall their first UK Top 75 entry, and remains a regular feature of the group's live set to this day.

Vinyl record

Side one

1. "R.O.D." (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:...
   
   , 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....
   
   , 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:...
   
   , Craig Scanlon
   Craig Scanlon
   Craig 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...
   
   , Brix E. 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...
   
   , Simon Wolstencroft
   Simon Wolstencroft
   Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between June 1986 and August 1997.Wolstencroft was a member of an early incarnation of The Stone Roses; having previously been a member of The Weeds and The Colourfield. He was also drummer for...
   
   ) – 4:36
2. "Dktr Faustus" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 5:35
3. "Shoulder Pads 1#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:56
4. "Mr Pharmacist" (Jeff Nowlen) – 2:22
5. "Gross Chapel - GB Grenadiers" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 7:21

Side two

1. "U.S. 80's-90's" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:36
2. "Terry Waite Sez" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:39
3. "Bournemouth Runner" (M. Smith, Hanley, B. Smith) – 6:06
4. "Riddler!" (M. Smith, Rogers, B. Smith) – 6:22
5. "Shoulder Pads 2#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:57

CD version

1. "R.O.D." (M. Smith, Hanley, Rogers, Scanlon, B. Smith, Wolstencroft) – 4:36
2. "Dktr Faustus" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 5:35
3. "Shoulder Pads 1#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:56
4. "Mr Pharmacist" (J. Nowlen) – 2:22
5. "Gross Chapel - GB Grenadiers" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 7:21
6. "Living Too Late" (M. Smith) – 4:30
   • Originally released on the "Living Too Late" single, 7 July 1986
7. "U.S. 80's-90's" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:36
8. "Terry Waite Sez" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:39
9. "Bournemouth Runner" (M. Smith, Hanley, B. Smith) – 6:06
10. "Riddler!" (M. Smith, Rogers, B. Smith) – 6:22
11. "Shoulder Pads 2#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:57
12. "Auto Tech Pilot" (M. Smith, Hanley) – 4:53
    • Originally released on the "Mr Pharmacist" 12" single, 1 September 1986

Cassette version

1. "R.O.D." (M. Smith, Hanley, Rogers, Scanlon, B. Smith, Wolstencroft) – 4:36
2. "Dktr Faustus" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 5:35
3. "Shoulder Pads 1#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:56
4. "Mr Pharmacist" (J. Nowlen) – 2:22
5. "Gross Chapel - GB Grenadiers" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 7:21
6. "Living Too Late" (M. Smith) – 4:30
7. "U.S. 80's-90's" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:36
8. "Terry Waite Sez" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:39
9. "Bournemouth Runner""Song was based on local Runner Julian Oxborough and the band having their bandkit stolen in the same area (M. Smith, Hanley, B. Smith) – 6:06
10. "Riddler!" (M. Smith, Rogers, B. Smith) – 6:22
11. "Shoulder Pads 2#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:57
12. "Auto Tech Pilot" (M. Smith, Hanley) – 4:53
13. "Town & Country Hobgoblins" (M. Smith, Hanley, Marc Riley
    Marc Riley
    Marc 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...
    
    , Scanlon)
    • Live version of "City Hobgoblins", recorded at Town & Country Club, Kentish Town
      Kentish Town
      Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
      
      , London
      London
      London 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...
      
       on 12 July 1986

The "Domesday Pay-Off" Triad Plus!

1. "There's a Ghost in My House" (Holland-Dozier-Holland
   Holland-Dozier-Holland
   Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
   
   , R. Dean Taylor
   R. Dean Taylor
   R. Dean Taylor is a Canadian singer, most famous as a recording artist, songwriter and record producer for Motown Records company during the 1960s and 1970s...
   
   )
   • Originally released on the "There's a Ghost in My House" single, 27 April 1987
2. "U.S. 80's-90's" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:36
3. "Shoulder Pads 1#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:56
4. "Mr Pharmacist" (J. Nowlen) – 2:22
5. "Riddler!" (M. Smith, Rogers, B. Smith) – 6:22
6. "Hey! Luciani" (M. Smith, Brix Smith, Stephen Hanley)
   • Originally released on the "Hey! Luciani" single, 8 December 1986
7. "Haf Found Bormann" (M. Smith)
   • Originally released on the "There's a Ghost in My House" single, 27 April 1987
8. "Terry Waite Sez" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:39
9. "R.O.D." (M. Smith, Hanley, Rogers, Scanlon, B. Smith, Wolstencroft) – 4:36
10. "Shoulder Pads 2#" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 1:57
11. "Gross Chapel - GB Grenadiers" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 7:21

Credits

• 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:...
  
   – vocals, tapes
• 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...
  
   – vocals, guitar
  Guitar
  The 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...
  
  , keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A 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...
  
  
• Craig Scanlon
  Craig Scanlon
  Craig 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...
  
   – acoustic and electric guitar
  Electric guitar
  An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
  
  s
• 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:...
  
   – keyboards, machines, guitar
• 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....
  
   – bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , guitar
• Simon Wolstencroft
  Simon Wolstencroft
  Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between June 1986 and August 1997.Wolstencroft was a member of an early incarnation of The Stone Roses; having previously been a member of The Weeds and The Colourfield. He was also drummer for...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A 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 ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A 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...
  
   - credited on the sleeve as "John" S. Woolstencroft (sic)
• 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:...
  
  – drums on "Dktr Faustus" and "Living Too Late"