| "Theme from Sparta F.C. #2" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Fall | ||||
| from the album The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) | ||||
| B-side | "My Ex Classmate's Kids" | |||
| Released | June 2004 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Action Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mark E. Smith, Ben Pritchard, Jim Watts | |||
| Producer(s) | Mark E. Smith, Simon Archer | |||
| The Fall singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Theme from Sparta F.C." is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith with band members Ben Pritchard and Jim Watts.
The song lyrics seem to be written from the perspective of a Greek football fan, with references to rivalries with Galatasaray and Chelsea F.C. Smith said that "Elena came up with some great words and I added some words I thought were like the Greek football fans' attitude, you know. I do know quite a few Greek football fans, and their attitude to soccer is completely different to Britain. Sort of cobbled it all together, put a Greek motif on the guitar and that was it." [1]
After an early version was recorded for a John Peel Radio 1 session, the song was recorded at the Gracielands Studio in Rochdale. Produced by Grant "Showbiz" Cunliffe and Mark E. Smith, it was first released on the band's 2003 UK album The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) . Band personnel were Mark E. Smith (vocals), Ben Pritchard (guitar, vocals), Jim Watts (bass, guitar, computers), Dave Milner (drums, vocals, keyboards) and Elena Poulou (keyboards, vocals). [2]
A different version of the song was recorded by the band in early 2004, after Simon Archer replaced Watts. [3] This version, produced by Smith and Archer and known as "Theme from Sparta F.C. #2", was issued as a single in July 2004, and reached number 66 on the UK singles chart. [4] The 2004 recording was also included on the US issue of The Real New Fall LP. It was voted number one in John Peel's 2004 "Festive Fifty". [5]
From 2005 until 2009, the song was used as theme music to the Final Score section of BBC television's Saturday afternoon sports coverage, and as a result Smith was invited on one occasion to read the football scores. [6]
The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.
The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) is the 23rd studio album by the Fall, released on Action Records in the United Kingdom in 2003, and then on Narnack Records in the United States, with a slightly altered track listing, in 2004.
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually dominated by indie and rock songs which did not fully represent the diversity of music played by Peel but rather the majority opinion among his listeners. After Peel's death the tradition of the Festive Fifty was continued, first by other Radio 1 DJs and then by the Internet radio station Dandelion Radio.
Helen Love are an indie band from Wales whose music is a combination of punk rock, bubblegum pop and disco dance music. The band was formed in 1992 by Helen Love with Sheena, Roxy, and Mark (keyboards). Current members are Helen, Sheena and Ricardo Autobahn.
The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... is the seventh studio album by English musical group the Fall, released in October 1984. It was the band's first album after signing to the Beggars Banquet label. Newcomer Brix Smith co-wrote three of the tracks, ushering in a relatively pop-oriented sound for the group. Paul Hanley left the band immediately after the accompanying UK tour, ending the group's distinctive "twin drummers" period.
Fall Heads Roll is the 24th studio album by English post-punk group the Fall, released in 2005. Although well-received by critics, it didn't reach the top 100 of the UK Albums Chart, and was the last album released by the band prior to major personnel changes.
Interim is an album by English post-punk band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004 by record label Hip Priest.
The Marshall Suite is a 1999 album by the Fall, their 20th. The album builds on the techno-influenced beats of its predecessor Levitate (1997), while also returning to a more rockabilly-influenced sound reminiscent of earlier Fall lineups with songs such as the catchy "Touch Sensitive" and the strange, complex, thumping jungle beats of "The Crying Marshal". The album was long out of print, but a new three-disc edition was released in the summer of 2011.
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.
Extricate is the 12th album by post-punk band the Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced guitarist Brix Smith. Brix's departure helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and relatively pop-oriented guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member Martin Bramah, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Are You Are Missing Winner is the twenty-second album by English post-punk band the Fall, released in November 2001 on CD and in January 2002 as a vinyl picture disc.
2G+2 is an album of mixed live and studio material by English rock band the Fall, released in 2002. It features three new songs recorded in the studio—"New Formation Sermon", "I Wake Up in the City" and "Distilled Mug Art"—and the rest of the album was recorded at performances on the group's United States tour in late 2001.
Cerebral Caustic is the seventeenth full-length studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in 1995 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK Albums Chart at number 67, 19 places lower than its predecessor Middle Class Revolt, marking the end of one of the group's relatively more successful periods.
Reformation Post TLC is the twenty-fifth studio album by the Fall, released in the UK on 12 February 2007.
Last Night at The Palais is a live album by English post-punk band the Fall, recorded at the Hammersmith Palais on 1 April 2007 and released in 2009.
Ersatz GB is the 28th studio album by the post-punk band the Fall, released on Cherry Red Records 14 November 2011. It is the Fall's first album on Cherry Red.
"Rowche Rumble" is a 1979 song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith, Craig Scanlon and Marc Riley. Released as the band's third single, it was the first record by the Fall to reach a recognised national chart when it reached number 31 on the indie chart in January 1980, the first month of that chart's existence.
"Fiery Jack" is a song by the Fall released in 1980 as their fourth single.
Simon "Ding" Archer is an English musician and producer from Manchester. He is a current member of 1919 and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, and a past member of The Fall and PJ Harvey. He is owner-operator of 6DB Studios in Salford.
