Reformation Post TLC

Reformation Post TLC is the twenty-fifth studio album by the Fall, released in the UK on February 12, 2007.

Reformation Post TLC
Studio album by The Fall
Released	February 12, 2007 (UK)
Recorded	2006
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	61:23
Label	Slogan (UK) Narnack (US) Cherry Red (reissue)
Producer	Tim "Gracielands" Baxter and Mark E. Smith
The Fall chronology
Fall Heads Roll (2005) Reformation Post TLC (2007) Imperial Wax Solvent (2008)
Alternative cover
Front cover of US release

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	A–[3]
Mojo	[4]
NME	7/10[5]
Pitchfork Media	4.0/10[6]
PopMatters	5/10[7]
Q	[8]
Stylus	B[9]

The album features Mark E Smith and his wife, Elena, with newcomers Tim Presley and Rob Barbato (of Darker My Love), Orpheo McCord (of The Hill) and Dave Spurr (of Motherjohn). Presley, Barbato and McCord, all Americans, joined the band as emergency replacements for Ben Pritchard, Spencer Birtwistle and Steve Trafford, all of whom quit the band during an American tour in April 2006. In his 2008 autobiography Smith praised the Americans for revitalizing The Fall, due to their openness to new ideas and not being overly-impressed by influential UK bands (e.g., Oasis and the Stone Roses) that had shaped a generation of young English musicians.[10]

Smith said in an interview with Q that the "post-TLC" refers to the band after the "traitors, liars and cunts..." had left.

Reformation Post TLC was reissued by Cherry Red Records in April 2020, both on vinyl and as an expanded 4CD edition.[11]

Track listing

Original UK release

1. "Over! Over!" (Mark E. Smith) – 4:05
2. "Reformation!" (Smith, Robert Barbato) – 6:59
3. "Fall Sound" (Smith, Barbato, Tim Presley, Orpheo McCord) – 3:54
4. "White Line Fever" (Merle Haggard) – 3:00
5. "Insult Song" (Smith, Barbato, Presley, McCord) – 5:41
6. "My Door Is Never" (Smith) – 3:40
7. "Coach and Horses" (Smith, McCord) – 1:48
8. "The Usher" (Smith, Elena Poulou, Barbato, Presley, McCord) – 1:18
9. "The Wright Stuff" (Smith, Barbato, Poulou) – 5:47
10. "Scenario" (Smith, Barbato, Presley, McCord) – 3:25
11. "Das Boat" (Smith, Barbato, Presley, McCord) – 10:07
12. "The Bad Stuff" (Smith, Barbato, Poulou, Presley, McCord) – 2:25
13. "Systematic Abuse" (Smith, Barbato, Poulou, Presley, McCord) – 8:38
14. "Outro" (Smith, Barbato, Poulou, Presley, McCord) – 0:36

"Scenario" continuously references "Veteran's Day Poppy" by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, from their album Trout Mask Replica. "Over! Over!" is a cover of "Coming Down" 1968 track by United States of America (not credited) with different lyrics.

UK vinyl edition

Released on March 5, the UK double album edition was different from the CD format. Several songs appeared in slightly alternate mixes with some tracks extended and others shortened. "Outro" was omitted altogether. On 22 March it was confirmed that later pressings of the UK CD would follow this track listing.

1. "Over! Over!"
2. "Reformation!" (extended)
3. "Fall Sound"
4. "White Line Fever"
5. "Insult Song" (extended)
6. "My Door Is Never"
7. "Coach and Horses"
8. "The Usher"
9. "The Wright Stuff" (extended)
10. "Scenario"
11. "Das Boat" (edited – the introduction is missing)
12. "The Bad Stuff"
13. "Systematic Abuse"

US edition

The US edition was released on Narnack Records on 27 March. This edition omits "The Usher" despite the track being included on promotional copies and on the US iTunes edition ). All tracks that are extended on the UK 2LP edition appear in those versions rather than their UK CD counterparts. The Version of "Das Boat" is the extended promo version. The US release also comes with four QuickTime movies of the group performing live at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City in November 2006. The songs featured are Frank Zappa's "Hungry Freaks, Daddy", "My Door Is Never", "Scenario" and "Theme From Sparta FC" from The Real New Fall LP.

2020 Expanded edition

Disc 1 - as per original UK CD.

Disc 2

1. "Reformation!" (Uncut) - 6:59
2. "Over! Over!" (Rough Mix) - 4:00
3. "My Door Is Never" (Rough Mix) - 3:39
4. "Reformation!" (Edit) - 3:55
5. "Insult Song" (LP Version) - 6:46
6. "Reformation!" (LP Version) - 7:24
7. "The Wright Stuff" (LP Version) - 6:27
8. "Das Boat" (LP Version) - 8:34
9. "Fall Sound" (Alternative Version) - 4:31
10. "Onto Insanity" (Rough Mix) - 2:15

Disc 3 - Early Rough Mixes 2006

1. "Song 2/3 With Tape of Tour Manager" - 1:35
2. "The Boss" - 2:53
3. "60's Wack" - 3:30
4. "The Vine" - 3:00
5. "Blonde" - 2:16
6. "Over! Over!" - 4:07
7. "Reformation!" - 5:09
8. "Get Out" - 3:16
9. "Scenario" - 3:27
10. "Wed 2" - 4:44
11. "Systematic Abuse" - 8:40
12. "The Wright Stuff" - 3:44

Disc 4 - Live at Hammersmith Palais April 1 2007 (Previously released as Last Night at The Palais)

1. "Senior Twilight Stock Replacer" - 4:52
2. "Pacifying Joint" - 3:35
3. "Fall Sound" - 3:56
4. "Over! Over!" - 3:01
5. "Theme From Sparta F.C." - 3:57
6. "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" - 5:45
7. "Wrong Place, Right Time" - 3:02
8. "My Door Is Never" - 6:29
9. "The Wright Stuff" - 5:03
10. "White Lightning" - 3:00
11. "Blindness" - 9:14
12. "Reformation!" - 4:42

Personnel

• Mark E. Smith – vocals
• Tim Presley – lead guitar
• Robert Barbato – bass guitar
• Dave Spurr – bass guitar
• Elena Poulou – keyboards; lead vocal on "The Wright Stuff"
• Orpheo McCord – drums, vocals
• Peter Greenway – rhythm and lead guitar
• Gary Bennett – rhythm guitar
• St. Eitel – "presence"

References

1. "Reformation Post T.L.C. by The Fall". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
2. Jeffries, David. "Reformation Post T.L.C.: AllMusic Review by David Jeffries". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
3. Robert Christgau review
4. February 2007
5. February 6, 2007 Archived March 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2007-05-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos – PopMatters". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
8. March 2007
9. April 6, 2007
10. Mark E. Smith, Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith, London: Penguin Books, 2008
11. "The next instalment in our 'Fall Sound Archive' series – 'Reformation Post TLC' – is available this Friday!". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 5 May 2020.