Imperial Wax Solvent
Encyclopedia
Imperial Wax Solvent is a studio album by The Fall – the band's 27th – released in the UK on April 28, 2008. The album featured a new British-based lineup after the departures of the American musicians involved in writing and performing 2007's Reformation Post TLC
, with singer and frontman Mark E. Smith
, keyboardist Elena Poulou and bassist Dave Spurr remaining from the previous incarnation. They were joined by guitarist Pete Greenway (a guest guitarist on the previous album) and drummer Keiron Melling.
It is the first Fall album since 2001's Are You Are Missing Winner
to have been turned around in a year. An album a year was always the norm for the group in the past but this practice slipped in the period 2001-2007 (2006 was the first year since the group's inception that saw the emergence of no new material at all, with a cover of The Monks
' "Higgledy Piggledy" being the only recorded appearance).
Imperial Wax Solvent was the first studio album since Are You Are Missing Winner to make prominent use of the low-fi production techniques which were previously one of The Fall's hallmarks: the Groundhogs
cover "Strangetown" has noticable skips, and certain tracks on the album are presented in mono.
The album was well received by critics, scoring a 81/100 on Metacritic
. The album entered the UK pop charts at #35, The Fall's first time on the Top 40 since 1993's The Infotainment Scan
reached #9.
The album received some press attention when, due to a pressing error, the music of the album was recorded onto the first shipment of Faryl Smith
's debut album Faryl
. The record label, Universal Classics and Jazz
, was said to have "severe words" with the pressing plant. The incident attracted international attention.
Additional personnel
Reformation Post TLC
Reformation Post TLC is a studio album by The Fall - the band's 26th, released in the UK on February 12, 2007. The album features Mark E Smith and his wife, Elena, with Tim Presley and Rob Barbato , Orpheo McCord and Dave Spurr...
, with singer and frontman 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:...
, keyboardist Elena Poulou and bassist Dave Spurr remaining from the previous incarnation. They were joined by guitarist Pete Greenway (a guest guitarist on the previous album) and drummer Keiron Melling.
It is the first Fall album since 2001's Are You Are Missing Winner
Are You Are Missing Winner
Are You Are Missing Winner is an album by British rock band The Fall, released in November 2001 on CD and in January 2002 as a vinyl picture disc. Since the previous year's release of the critically acclaimed The Unutterable, Fall front man Mark E...
to have been turned around in a year. An album a year was always the norm for the group in the past but this practice slipped in the period 2001-2007 (2006 was the first year since the group's inception that saw the emergence of no new material at all, with a cover of The Monks
The Monks
Monks are a garage rock band, formed by American GIs who were based in Germany in the mid to late 1960s. They reunited in 1999 and have continued to play concerts, although no new studio recordings have been made...
' "Higgledy Piggledy" being the only recorded appearance).
Imperial Wax Solvent was the first studio album since Are You Are Missing Winner to make prominent use of the low-fi production techniques which were previously one of The Fall's hallmarks: the Groundhogs
The Groundhogs
Groundhogs are a British rock band founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s and continued sporadically into the 21st century.-Career:...
cover "Strangetown" has noticable skips, and certain tracks on the album are presented in mono.
The album was well received by critics, scoring a 81/100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The album entered the UK pop charts at #35, The Fall's first time on the Top 40 since 1993's The Infotainment Scan
The Infotainment Scan
The Infotainment Scan is an album by The Fall, released in 1993 on Permanent Records in the UK and by Matador Records in the US. It was considered at the time of its release as the band's most accessible album, and came when the band were experiencing unprecedented recognition in the media...
reached #9.
The album received some press attention when, due to a pressing error, the music of the album was recorded onto the first shipment of Faryl Smith
Faryl Smith
Faryl Smith is a British teen mezzo-soprano who rose to fame after auditioning for the second series of the ITV television talent show Britain's Got Talent in 2008. She received praise throughout the competition, and although she was the favourite to win after the second round, she finished...
's debut album Faryl
Faryl
Faryl is the debut album by British mezzo-soprano Faryl Smith, released on 9 March 2009 by Universal Classics and Jazz. Smith rose to fame after her appearance on the second series of Britain's Got Talent, and signed with Universal after the competition...
. The record label, Universal Classics and Jazz
Universal Classics and Jazz
Universal Classics and Jazz is the name of two record label divisions of the Universal Music Group.- UCJ Germany :Universal Music Classics & Jazz is a division of Universal Music Germany and is marketed under websites called Klassik Akzente and Jazz Echo.- UCJ Japan :This Universal Music Japan...
, was said to have "severe words" with the pressing plant. The incident attracted international attention.
Track listing
- "Alton TowersAlton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
" (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:...
, David Spurr) – 3:29 - "Wolf Kidult Man" (Smith, Spurr, Eleni Poulou) – 3:02
- "50 Year Old Man" (Smith, Spurr) – 11:36
- "I've Been Duped" (Smith) – 2:44
- "Strangetown" (T.S. McPheeTony McPheeTony McPhee is an English blues guitarist, and founder of The Groundhogs....
) – 5:41 - "Taurig" (Poulou) – 2:59
- "Can Can Summer" (Smith, Spurr, Polou, Keiron Melling, Peter Greenway) – 3:08
- "Tommy Shooter" (Smith) – 3:45
- "Latch Key KidLatchkey kidA latchkey kid or latchkey child is a child who returns from school to an empty home because his or her parent or parents are away at work, or a child who is often left at home with little or no parental supervision.- History of the term :...
" (Smith, Spurr, Poulou) – 3:20 - "Is This New" (Smith, Andi TomaMouse on MarsMouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
) – 2:14 - "Senior Twilight Stock Replacer" (Smith, Spurr) – 3:08
- "Exploding Chimney" (Smith, Spurr, Melling, Poulou, Greenway) – 2:25
Personnel
The Fall- 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, production - Eleni Poulou - keyboards, vocals
- Peter Greenway - guitar
- David Spurr - bass guitar
- Keiron Melling - drums
Additional personnel
- Grant ShowbizGrant ShowbizGrant Showbiz is a British record producer principally known for his work with The Fall, The Smiths, and Billy Bragg plus as an artist in his own right with Moodswings. He continues his work with both Billy Bragg & The Fall to this day, having worked on more albums by both The Fall & Billy Bragg...
- production - Andi TomaMouse on MarsMouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
- production - Tim Baxter - production
- Anthony Frost - cover art