The Fall Bend Sinister

The Fall: Brix Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Mark E. Smith (vocals, tapes); Craig Scanlon (acoustic & electric guitars); Simon Rogers (guitar, keyboards); Stephen Hanley (guitar, bass); John S. Woolstencroft (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Paul Hanley (drums).

Recorded at Yellow 2, Stockport, England; Abbey Road, London, England; Square One, Bury, England.

Personnel: Simon Rogers (guitar, keyboards); Craig Scanlon (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Paul Hanley (drums).

Originally released in 1986, The Fall's BEND SINISTER was named after a Vladimir Nabokov novel and is credited for starting the career of Stockton, California indie rock stars, Pavement. (A release with a number of the same songs on BEND SINISTER was sold in the United States under the name DOMESDAY PAY-OFF.)

The re-release of BEND SINISTER reminds listeners not only of leader Mark E. Smith's seemingly endless stream of vitriol--which has lasted more than 20 years--but also of his influence on the sonic structure of modern British rock & roll. BEND SINISTER runs the gamut of The Fall's wide-ranging sounds--the dry, driving guitar dirge of "R.O.D.," the surprisingly upbeat, keyboard-happy "Shoulder Pads 1#" and "Shoulder Pads #2," and the murky, downtrodden timbre of "Riddler!"