The Fall

The book does seem to draw greatly from material published on the Fall's official website - fan-transcribed lyrics are printed verbatim without obvious correction or comment from Smith, and the discgoraphy looks to be a near word for word lift of the website version (though this is not acknowledged in the book).

This book has its moments, but one to borrow from a friend rather than rush out and buy.


Chislers   February 15, 2005
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a much more readable and entertaining volume than other reviews suggest. While Mick Middles does use the narrative as a vehicle for writing about himself, a mid life crisis Stockportian Lester Bangs could've been, he does do this amusingly and there is a genuine whiff of "I was there an inordinate amount of times over the years" reality which is recognisable and charming. Not all the humour is intentional. Middles is very critical of Fall sycophants while hardly avoiding that trap himself sometimes. MES is often scathing about sad old git Fall trainspotters and I think Middles knows he fits the bill. I read this in a one long, self indulgent sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. One for those who have been buying the records and attending the gigs for all these years and are faintly bemused about the whole phenomenon and a much more interesting book than the usual cut and paste hack job...or any of those pop and rock talking heads that Channel 5 dredge up...you know who you are, Paul Morley.


Falling Down   January 24, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I can only concur with the other reviewer - Middles is right in the middle of this poorly written book. The ego-centricity and attempts to ingratiate himself to the reader get in the way of some really good stuff. But it's all framed by Middles, including his dreadful 'poetry' style in which short lines are separated on the page to give them this stupid weightiness.

Unlike the other reviewer, I didn't quite enjoy Mrs Smith's comments as much. As with almost everything quoted, it's in need of some editing to avoid the hum-drum banality that enters everyone's speech. But editing isn't something Middles is very good at, as he often repeats points.

There are definitely lovely moments in the text, such as the wonderful passages on recording a Peel Session. But Middles is just too precious about Smith.

Read this and Simon Ford's book and you'll get flawed yet complementary views of this great band. Ford's is more of a history, but it lacks much on MES; Middles is focussed solely on the singer to the detriment of the rest of the band.

Still waiting for a really good volume that marries up all the parts of the Fall intelligently.


Idiots who write rock books   November 6, 2003
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Mick Middles seems to get on okay with Mark Smith and is able to get him to talk quite a lot about the Fall. For that we should be grateful, and for that this book is recommended to Fall fans.

Less gratitude should be forthcoming for the intrusive "author in story" narration (we learn that Middles looks good for his age, is a meat avoider, has given up smoking. Cheers) and the appalling proofreading ("Wythenshaw", "Alan Pillay").

Simon Ford's recent book on the Fall is far better written, but this book benefits hugely from the MES involvement which has been denied to other authors.

The real star is MES's mother, Irene, who talks insightfully about the Fall and Manchester.