Infamous post-punk singer Mark E. Smith, who was the leader of The Fall died Wednesday, January 24 at the age of 60. Last year, Smith was forced to cancel his tour dates because he came down with rare medical issues that plagued the singer until his death. He was hospitalized for issues that related to his throat, respiratory system and mouth. The Fall's leader was the front man for over four decades. This death is as shocking to the music community as Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell.
Early life of Mark E. Smith
The musician was born in 1957 in Broughton, Salford.
He attended Grammar School in Prestwich until he was 16-years-old and left to live in Manchester. There, he worked in a meat factory and at the Manchester docks as a shipping clerk for some time. Throughout his early life, he saw himself as a scholar who was heavily influenced by a few beat poets and philosophers. A few of his favorites were horror writers Arthur Machen, HP Lovecraft, and William Burroughs. Also, he looked up to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The inspiration of the band name came from an Albert Camus novel.
The epic rise of The Fall
Mark E. Smith formed the band after seeing the Sex Pistols live at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. The Fall found inspiration from The Velvet Underground and Can, in their musical cues that is shown throughout their various albums.
In 1978, the band released their debut EP named 'Bingo-Master's Break Out!' This album showed their bold punk sound that everyone flocked to as soon as they heard the EP. Later the next year in 1979, they finally released their debut album named 'Live At The Witch Trials'.
This is the album where the Fall's sound became a huge phenomenon across the world and showcased post-punk music.
From their first to the fourth album in 1982, the band members began to experiment with their voices all over their tracks. Some bandmates began to shout throughout their songs and people loved that new and energizing sound.
The Falls success
The Fall's most successful time together as a band was during the 80's. Some of their albums released during that era were, 'The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall' (1984), 'This Nation's Saving Grace' (1985), 'Bend Sinister' (1986) and 'The Frenz Experiment' (1988).
The majority of the fanbase knew, without Mark E. Smith, the band wouldn't last. There were about 66 different members in the fall. Many members came and went, but Smith stayed and kept the train running for as long as he could. This showed that Smith was a legendary musician.
Last year the Fall released their final and latest 32nd album named 'New Facts Emerge'.
Here are some hit singles of The Fall.
