The Bass of The Fall

Steve Hanley of the Fall
drawing on found paper, 8" x 10", 2015

I recently bought the Fall compilation LP The Domesday Pay-off Triad Plus! at Joe's Record Exchange (the only decent record store here in Fort Myers). It has some tracks from their 1986 LP Bent Sinister on it as well as some singles from 86 and 87. It's not considered one of their best but it's been on my turntable numerous times regardless and half the songs made it into the top 100 2015 list already. Odd choice perhaps to pick Steve Hanley (the bass player) for the illustration, but there's plenty opportunities left to paint their leader Mark E. Smith. Besides, Hanley, a long serving band member, was important in the establishment of the Fall sound. The choice for Hanley is not the only odd thing about the illustration. (That I will not discuss here except that it was hard to capture Hanley's portrait—it took me hours.) The Fall in 1987, when the album was released, consisted besides Hanley and Mark E. Smith of Craig Scanlon, Brix Smith (mark's wife), Simon Wolstencroft, Simon Rogers, and Marcia Schofield. Production was by John Leckie and it was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London. The Fall are from Manchester.