Neon sign, Hit The North, Manchester, Northern quarter, NQ4, Greater Manchester, England - At the Northern Monk bar
"Hit the North" is a 1987 song by British post-punk band the Fall. The lyrics were composed by band leader Mark E. Smith with the music written by Simon Rogers and Brix Smith. It was released as a single in October 1987 and reached number 57 on the UK singles chart. According to Tom Doyle of Sound on Sound, the song is "a rousing groove–based anthem which is now regarded by many as both their ultimate statement and best single". The record was part of a conscious approach by Brix Smith and Simon Rogers, both of whom had recently joined the band, in increasing the Fall's popularity and accessibility. Brix Smith said: "It was definitely a conscious thing on my part because they were so, so underground and so unappreciated and unknown. I just thought they were such an important band and it needed to be broadcast all over the world." Her husband at the time, Mark E. Smith, disagreed: "..it wasn’t a conscious effort. It was just trying to get it a bit more punchy. I always like it very clean and simple. A lot of groups are swamped with sound." The music was written by Rogers and Brix Smith, and recorded by Rogers on his newly-acquired Sequential Circuits Studio 440 sequencer-sampler. Rogers said "literally the first thing I put into it was a bass and a snare just on two pads, a little tiny Indian and a sax note and a bass note from a Gentle Giant record." When Rogers demonstrated the instrument to Mark E. Smith, Smith said: "What’s that music? I’ll have that, just do me a tape." Smith recorded a demo, with the original programmed drums removed; on the final recording they are replaced by samples of Simon Wolstencroft's drumming. The song was recorded in Abbey Road Studios in July 1987, during the sessions for the band's album The Frenz Experiment, with Rogers as producer and Ian Grimble as recording engineer. Guitar and vocal distortions and other effects were added in the studio.
Size: 4960px × 3648px
Location: Northern Quarter, Manchester, England, UK
Photo credit: © Tony Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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