The Frenz Experiment is a 1988 album by The Fall. It was 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...

, and like the group's other albums with the label, it has a different track listing across the various formats on which it was released: LP, CD and cassette. A number of the tracks are credited exclusively to the group's leader, 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:...

, but the album also incorporates two cover versions (or one, depending on the format). "Victoria" was written by Ray Davies

Ray Davies

Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...

 and originally performed by The Kinks

The Kinks

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...

, who released it as a single and on their album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

Arthur is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released in October 1969. Kinks frontman Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play and developed the storyline with novelist Julian Mitchell; however, the television programme was...

(1969). The Fall issued their version as a single and it made number 35 in the British charts. "There's a Ghost in My House

There's a Ghost in My House

"There's a Ghost in My House" is a song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland of Motown Records, together with R. Dean Taylor. It was originally recorded by Taylor in 1966....

", meanwhile, was a somewhat forgotten Northern soul

Northern soul

Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...

 track, first recorded by 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...

 in 1966, and written by Taylor with the 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...

 songwriting team. The latter only appears on the CD version, having been issued as a single the preceding summer, whereupon it reached number 30. This was the group's highest singles chart position to date, and remains so . Several sources note a strong similarity between "Athlete Cured" and Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap (band)

Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...

's "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight". http://www.believermag.com/issues/200506/?read=article_wolk http://www.dailyreckless.co.uk/fall/archive/87.htm

Smith originally intended to call the album Gene Crime Experience until he realized that it spelled "GCE

General Certificate of Education

The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...

".

Despite a comparatively cool critical reception, The Frenz Experiment reached number 19 in the UK album chart, making it their first Top 20 album. The group promoted the release with a live appearance in HMV

HMV

His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...

's Oxford Street

Oxford Street

Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...

 store in 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...

. Typically, they opened their short set with "Cab It Up!", a brand new song which would appear on their next album, I Am Kurious Oranj

I Am Kurious Oranj

I Am Kurious Oranj is a 1988 album by British rock band The Fall. The album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet "I am Curious, Orange", produced by contemporary dance group Michael Clark & Company, and themed loosely around the 300th anniversary of William of Orange's accession to the...

.

Side one ("Crime Gene")

1. "Frenz" (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:...
   
   ) – 3:28
2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
3. "Get a Hotel" (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....
   
   , 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...
   
   , M. Smith) – 4:38
4. "Victoria" (Ray Davies
   Ray Davies
   Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
   
   ) – 2:45
5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51

Side two ("Experience")

1. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
2. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, 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...
   
   ) – 3:56
3. "Bremen Nacht" (M. Smith) – 7:00
4. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
5. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59

Limited copies of the LP also came with a 7" single, featuring:

1. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44
2. "Mark'll Sink Us" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – a live version of a track from the "There's A Ghost In My House" single – 4:21

CD version

1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:28
2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
3. "Get a Hotel" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 4:38
4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:45
5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51
6. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
7. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:56
8. "Bremen Nacht Alternative" (M. Smith) – 9:19 – a longer version than the (now unavailable) vinyl one
9. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
10. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59
11. "Tuff Life Booogie" (Hanley, M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:44
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single, January 1988
12. "Guest Informant" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 5:47
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single
13. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:07
    • Originally released on the "Victoria" single
14. "There's a Ghost in My House
    There's a Ghost in My House
    "There's a Ghost in My House" is a song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland of Motown Records, together with R. Dean Taylor. It was originally recorded by Taylor in 1966....
    
    " (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...
    
    ) – 2:37
    • Originally released on the "There's a Ghost in My House" single, 27 April 1987
15. "Hit the North" (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:...
    
    , M. Smith, B. Smith) – 4:00
    • Originally released on the "Hit The North" single, 19 October 1987

Cassette version

1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:28
2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:26
3. "Get a Hotel" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 4:38
4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:45
5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 5:51
6. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:25
7. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:56
8. "Bremen Nacht Alternative" (M. Smith) – [note: this is a different mix to the vinyl version]
9. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 0:39
10. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (Hanley, M. Smith) – 5:59
11. "Guest Informant" (Hanley, Scanlon, M. Smith) – 5:47
12. "Tuff Life Booogie" (Hanley, M. Smith, B. Smith) – 2:44
13. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:07
14. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44

• Note that "Guest Informant excerpt" is taken from a different recording of the track from that which features on the cassette and CD editions of the album and the "Victoria" single.

Another cassette version, which has red lettering on the cover image, has the following track listing - including credits and timings:

1. "Frenz" (M. Smith) – 3:24
2. "Carry Bag Man" (M. Smith) – 4:00
3. "Get a Hotel" (M. Smith, Scanlon) – 4:29
4. "Victoria" (Davies) – 2:40
5. "Athlete Cured" (M. Smith) – 4:45
6. "Bremen Nacht Run Out" (M. Smith) – 4:44
7. "Guest Informant" (M. Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 5:51
8. "In These Times" (M. Smith) – 3:15
9. "The Steak Place" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 3:55
10. "Bremen Nacht" (M. Smith) – 7:00
11. "Guest Informant" excerpt (Scanlon, Hanley) – 0:40
12. "Oswald Defence Lawyer" (M. Smith) – 5:30
13. "Tuff Life Booogie" (M. Smith, B. Smith, Hanley) – 2:42
14. "Twister" (M. Smith, B. Smith) – 5:08

Personnel

• The Fall:
  • 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, electric piano
    Electric piano
    An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
    
    
  • 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...
    
     – lead guitar
    Lead guitar
    Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
    
    , backing vocals
  • 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...
    
     – rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
    
    , backing vocals
  • 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....
    
    , backing vocals
  • 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 ....
    
    , backing vocals
  • Marcia Schofield – 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...
    
    , backing vocals
• 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:...
  
   – Semi-acoustic guitar
  Semi-acoustic guitar
  A semi-acoustic guitar or hollow-body electric is a type of electric guitar with both a sound box and one or more electric pickups. This is not the same as an electric acoustic guitar, which is an acoustic guitar with the addition of pickups or other means of amplification, either added by the...
  
  , saxophone
  Saxophone
  The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
  
  , keyboards

External links

• Lyrics