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Excavate!

The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall
By Bob Stanley and Tessa Norton and Mr Bob Stanley
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Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 207 ratings, 28 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Excavate! explores the influential and uniquely original world of the Fall, a band led by the enigmatic Mark E. Smith. Over four decades, the Fall crafted a rich cultural tapestry intertwining obscure literary references, diverse musical styles, and everyday observations. This book illuminates their complex artistry with previously unseen artwork, rare memorabilia, handwritten notes, and essays from devoted fans, offering a vivid and definitive insight into the band's fascinating and unconventional legacy.
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Format: Hardback
$5999
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Excavate! will appeal to fans of the Fall, music enthusiasts interested in punk and alternative culture, and readers fascinated by the intersection of music, literature, and art.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A definitive insight into the ever-influential world of Mark E. Smith and the Fall, featuring never-before published essays and ephemera from fans, collectors and the artist and band themselves.

A definitive insight into the ever-influential world of Mark E. Smith and the Fall, bringing together previously unseen artwork, rare ephemera and handwritten material, alongside essays by a slate of fans.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"Mark E Smith provided me with an alternative education, looping me into Camus, and Arthur Machen, and William Blake, and Can, and dub and old garage punk and rock'n'roll." - Stewart Lee

Over a prolific forty-year career, the Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original - and defied simple categorisation. Their frontman and lyricist Mark E. Smith spun opaque tales that resisted conventional understanding; the Fall's worldview was an education in its own right. Who wouldn't want to be armed with a working knowledge of M. R. James, shipping-dock procedures, contemporary dance, Manchester City and Can? The group inspired and shaped the lives of those who listened to and tried to make sense of their work.

Bringing together previously unseen artwork, rare ephemera and handwritten material, alongside essays by a slate of fans, Excavate! is a vivid, definitive record - an illumination of the dark corners of the Fall's wonderful and frightening world.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Mark E. Smith is celebrated as a cultural icon by figures such as Billy Bragg. Stewart Lee praises Smith for providing an alternative education by introducing listeners to great writers and musicians, weaving in influences from literature and eclectic music genres, which highlights the deep intellectual and cultural impact of the Fall.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571358335

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 April 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Contributors:

  • Original author Bob Stanley
  • Original author Tessa Norton
  • Original author Mr Bob Stanley

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 195.0mm

Height: 252.0mm

Weight: 1220g

Pages: 360

Collections

Arts & Culture Bob Stanley Mr Bob Stanley Music & Musicians Non-Fiction Tessa Norton

About the Author

Bob Stanley is the author of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop (Faber, 2013), and Too Darn Hot (Faber, forthcoming), and has written for the Guardian, The Times, NME and The Face. He is also a filmmaker, and founding member of the group Saint Etienne. He was Writer in Residence at the British Library in 2017.

Tessa Norton writes regularly about art, books and music for various publications including The Wire, and for exhibitions and events including Liverpool Biennial and The Tetley. Throughout 2018 she was an artist in residence at Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridgeshire, where she was commissioned to write The Fields are Full of Ghosts.

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    'An absolute landmark/joy/gossip-fest/door to Narnia: the history of pop music before rock'n'roll. Fascinating. I can't recommend it enough.' - CAITLIN MORAN 'An encyclopaedic introduction to the fascinating and often forgotten creators of Anglo-American hit music in the first half of the Twentieth Century.' - NEIL TENNANT 'A perfect guidebook, filled with smart thinking and the kind of communicable enthusiasm that...
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    This is not a book about a rock band. This is not even a book about Mark E Smith. This is a book about The Fall group - or more precisely, their world. Over a prolific forty-year career, The Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original; it was an education. Who wouldn't want to be armed...
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