Papal Visit

Written by:

Mark E Smith

Initial release:

Room To Live, Kamara KAM011

Date:

27 September 1982

Subsequent reissues.

Room To Live, Line Records (Germany) LILP4.00109 LP; 1983
Room To Live, Cog Sinister/Voiceprint COGVP105 CD; March 1998
Room To Live, Cog Sinister/Voiceprint COGVP139 CD; 9 December 2002
Room To Live, Sanctuary/Castle CMRCD1135; 20 June 2005
Room To Live, Earmark (Italy) EAR40041 LP; 12 September 2005
Room to Live, Superior Viaduct LP SV116; 21 November 2016
The Fall: 1982 6CD Boxset, Cherry Red CRCDBox82; also released on vinyl

Group on initial release:

Mark E Smith – vocals; Marc Riley – guitar, keyboards; Craig Scanlon – guitar; Steve Hanley – bass; Paul Hanley – drums; Karl Burns – drums
From talk page of wikipedia entry for Room To Live; conjecture of exact line-up on this track:
MES – voice, violin, (tapes?) KB – guitar, drums, (percussion?)

Commentary:

One of those experimental ones that pop up every now and again across the Fall canon.

One of the great psychogeographical Fall moments recounting the visit of Pope John Paul II to Heaton Park in 1982. Heaton Park’s western border is in Prestwich and it’s entrance opposite near to two of Smith’s favourite watering holes The Ostrich and The Woodthorpe* (where the video for There’s A Ghost In My House was filmed and the wake after Smith’s funeral was held). Dominated by some awful violin playing by Smith.

(*) The Woodthorpe was the family home of Sir Edward Holt the son of the brewer Joseph Holt who found the beer dynasty of that name and one of the few surviving Manchester large companies following the demise of Boddingtons and Wilsons.