I love Mark E. Smith and always have,. he can do no wrong in my books and I've at the very least admired every song he has ever written, though I've probably only heard 200 songs or so. A drop in the bucket!
But I did hear the Falls last album Ersatz GB and though it wasn't as good as the one before it, Your Future Our Clutter, it did have "Greenway", a really really good song.
Pitchfork hated it and I was happy to sneer at em, the hipsters. Unfortunately, Mark agreed with them!!! He told the NME when asked about if he didn't like any of his songs: "Yeah. The last album, actually. I don't like any of them. You've got to be honest for the fans.I would say five songs on the last record were bad, but I will make it up… Re-Mit is going to terrify people. It's quite horrible. The Fall have had enough and we're coming for you."
Is there anything more annoying than a loving an album the creator himself hates. "I don't like any of them…" I bet that's exactly how God feels about us. ANyway, when you are as prolific as Smith (or God) you are allowed mistakes but am I allowed mistakes? This is what Douglas Wolk wrote at the time of the albums release: "hold this shabby, grueling album up next to Hex Enduction Hour or Bend Sinister or The Marshall Suite or any number of the great, challenging records the Fall made when they were challenging themselves, too, and it falls apart."
I dunno, I kinda wish Mark had lied about it. It wasn't that bad, I think I gave it an A- though it was probably more like a B (I mean, how often do you listen to it). We can grow closer to an album than the person who created it (again with the god references), we take it more seriously and we can be spoken to more deeply and it is kinda sad when are love is so misplaced. It makes us feel like fools.