The Infotainment Scan
Encyclopedia
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. It entered the UK album charts at number 9.
The album features covers of the Sister Sledge
disco track "Lost in Music" and of Steve Bent's "I'm Going to Spain", an obscure song which Bent performed on the British talent show New Faces
in 1974; the track was subsequently included on a compilation entitled The World's Worst Record (1978) put together by disc jockey Kenny Everett
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/09/mp3_download_di.html. The CD edition of The Infotainment Scan also includes "Why Are People Grudgeful?", the only track to be released as a single. It is based on two reggae songs: "People Grudgeful" by Joe Gibbs
and "People Funny Boy" by Lee "Scratch" Perryhttp://www.visi.com/fall/discog/data/single31.html.
Of the original compositions on The Infotainment Scan, "Glam-Racket" drew much attention for its alleged criticism of Britpop
band Suede
, with the lyric "you are entrenched in suede". At the time, Suede were regarded as a "nouveau glam rock
" band. "The League of Bald-Headed Men", meanwhile — identified variously as a "jokey conspiracy theory
" and a "diatribe against gerontocracy
" — appears to borrow its riff from Led Zeppelin
's "Misty Mountain Hop
", despite claims by Fall front man Mark E. Smith
that he had never heard the band's music http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/93sep00.html. A remix of "...Bald-Headed Men", retitled "League Moon Monkey Mix", is also included on the CD edition.
"Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room" adapts its title from an episode of The Twilight Zone
called Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
.
* track is exclusive to the CD edition
The cassette version credits the composition of Ladybird to Scanlon/Smith/Hanley/Bush/Wolstencroft
Tracks 1-4 were the group's 16th John Peel
session with tracks 5-8 having also been recorded for the BBC
, this time for Mark Goodier
's evening programme on Radio 1
. Tracks 9-12 are slightly alternate mixes from the album incarnations ("The Re-Mixer" being a new version of "The Mixer" from Shift-Work). The remaining tracks were all previously unreleased studio outtakes. Persistent rumour had it that The Fall had created as many as 17 different mixes of "Lost In Music"; the numbers given to the previously unissued versions on this edition strongly suggest that this was true.
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
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. It entered the UK album charts at number 9.
The album features covers of the Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
disco track "Lost in Music" and of Steve Bent's "I'm Going to Spain", an obscure song which Bent performed on the British talent show New Faces
New Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
in 1974; the track was subsequently included on a compilation entitled The World's Worst Record (1978) put together by disc jockey Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:...
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/09/mp3_download_di.html. The CD edition of The Infotainment Scan also includes "Why Are People Grudgeful?", the only track to be released as a single. It is based on two reggae songs: "People Grudgeful" by Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs (record producer)
Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
and "People Funny Boy" by Lee "Scratch" Perryhttp://www.visi.com/fall/discog/data/single31.html.
Of the original compositions on The Infotainment Scan, "Glam-Racket" drew much attention for its alleged criticism of Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band Suede
Suede (band)
Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...
, with the lyric "you are entrenched in suede". At the time, Suede were regarded as a "nouveau glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
" band. "The League of Bald-Headed Men", meanwhile — identified variously as a "jokey conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
" and a "diatribe against gerontocracy
Gerontocracy
A gerontocracy is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population. Often the political structure is such that political power within the ruling class accumulates with age, so that the oldest hold the most power...
" — appears to borrow its riff from Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Misty Mountain Hop
Misty Mountain Hop
"Misty Mountain Hop" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album, released in 1971. In the United States and Australia it was the B-side of the "Black Dog" single, but still received considerable FM radio airplay...
", despite claims by Fall front man 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:...
that he had never heard the band's music http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/93sep00.html. A remix of "...Bald-Headed Men", retitled "League Moon Monkey Mix", is also included on the CD edition.
"Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room" adapts its title from an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
called Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
"Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. According to the book The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Serling wrote the teleplay in response to a request from CBS to write scripts...
.
Track listing
- "Ladybird (Green Grass)" (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:...
, Craig ScanlonCraig ScanlonCraig 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...
) – 3:59 - "Lost in Music" (Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, Bernard EdwardsBernard EdwardsBernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
) – 3:49 - "Glam-Racket" (Smith, Steve HanleySteve 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....
, Scanlon) – 3:12 - "I'm Going to Spain" (Steve Bent) – 3:27
- "It's a Curse" (Smith, Scanlon) – 5:19
- "Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room" (Smith, Scanlon) – 4:27
- "Service" (Smith, Hanley, Scanlon) – 4:11
- "The League of Bald-Headed Men" (Smith, Hanley) – 4:07
- "A Past Gone Mad" (Smith, Dave Bush, Simon WolstencroftSimon WolstencroftSimon 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...
) – 4:19 - "Light" / "Fireworks" (Smith) – 3:46
- "Why Are People Grudgeful?" [*] (Perry, GibbsJoe Gibbs (record producer)Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
) – 4:33 - "League Moon Monkey Mix" [*] (Hanley, Rogers, Smith) – 4:36
The cassette version credits the composition of Ladybird to Scanlon/Smith/Hanley/Bush/Wolstencroft
Reissues
The Infortainment Scan was reissued by Artful in 1999 with the same tracklisting as the original CD editions. It was remastered and expanded to a 2CD set by Castle Music in 2006 in slightly amended artwork. The first disc followed the original CD album programme and the second ran as follows:- "Ladybird (Green Grass)"
- "Strychnine" (originally by The SonicsThe SonicsThe Sonics are an American garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, originating from the early and mid-1960s. Among The Sonics' contemporaries were The Kingsmen, The Wailers, The Dynamics, The Regents, and Paul Revere & the Raiders...
) - "Service"
- "Paranoia man In Cheap Shit Room"
- "Glam Racket"
- "War"
- "15 Ways"
- "A Past Gone Mad"
- "Why Are People Grudgeful?"
- "Glam Racket"
- "The Re-Mixer"
- "Lost In Music"
- "A Past Gone Mad (alternate version)"
- "Instrumental Outtake"
- "Service (instrumental demo)"
- "Glam Racket (instrumental demo)"
- "Lost In Music (mix 3)"
- "Lost In Music (mix 7)"
- "Lost In Music (mix 14)"
Tracks 1-4 were the group's 16th John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session with tracks 5-8 having also been recorded for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, this time for Mark Goodier
Mark Goodier
-Early career:Mark Goodier was born in Rhodesia . His family moved to the UK when he was a child, eventually settling in Scotland. He was educated at George Heriot's School, in Edinburgh. He became a mobile DJ in Edinburgh and then joined local station Radio Forth at the age of 19...
's evening programme on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. Tracks 9-12 are slightly alternate mixes from the album incarnations ("The Re-Mixer" being a new version of "The Mixer" from Shift-Work). The remaining tracks were all previously unreleased studio outtakes. Persistent rumour had it that The Fall had created as many as 17 different mixes of "Lost In Music"; the numbers given to the previously unissued versions on this edition strongly suggest that this was true.
Personnel
- 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 - Craig ScanlonCraig ScanlonCraig 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...
– guitarGuitarThe 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... - Steve HanleySteve 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 guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Simon WolstencroftSimon WolstencroftSimon 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...
– drumsDrum kitA 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 .... - Dave Bush – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...