Commentary

There are no published credits for this song, but it was performed live by the following iteration of The Fall: Mark E. Smith (vocals), Martin Bramah (guitar), Karl Burns (drums), Yvonne Pawlett (keyboards) and Marc Riley (bass).

There are only three documented live performances of “My Condition” (it is possible it was played more than this – we lack recordings and/or setlists for some of the gigs of the period), and no known studio recordings. But two of the three performances have been officially released (Prestwich Hospital Social Club exists as a bootleg). The lyrics above are based on a transcription of the Marquee performance, it being marginally the clearest.

• 13 November 1978: Carlton Club, Warrington. Included on the Cherry Red 12 x CD box set, The 1970s (2022), disc 9.
• 25 November 1978: Prestwich Hospital Social Club, Prestwich
• 17 December 1978: Marquee, London. Included on the Castle Music/Sanctuary 5 x CD box set, The Fall Box Set 1976-2007 (2007), disc 5: live rarities.

Tommy Mackay describes the guitar line as “a precursor to ‘A Figure Walks‘” (2018, p.22).

Why didn’t “My Condition” have legs? Perhaps it just missed its moment. Live at the Witch Trials was recorded and mixed over two days, 15-16 December 1978 (the last known performance of “My Condition” was therefore the following day). After the Marquee, The Fall played the Electric Ballroom, London, on 28 December and The Venue, Manchester, on 30 December (we don’t know what was played at these gigs – it’s possible that “My Condition” was), after which Karl Burns left the group, to be replaced by Mike Leigh in time for the first gig of 1979 at Bowdon Vale on 14 February. So the song perhaps wasn’t ready for Live at the Witch Trials and was then dropped after Burns’ departure.

A copy of a typed page with what appears to be draft lyrics for “My Condition” (under the title “What Is This Condition?”) and “Put Away” turned up in Excavate!, the 2021 anthology edited by Tessa Norton and Bob Stanley (p.73). “What is This Condition?” is dated 30 October 1978 (the same date as The Fall played Band on the Wall, Manchester). It doesn’t include the “up the junction” line – which strengthens my point in the footnotes that MES probably watched the film version of Up the Junction, which was broadcast on Granada TV on 11 November 1978.

Here are the draft lyrics as they appear in Excavate! (deletions indicated):

WHAT IS THIS CONDITION?

When home went out. When out want in.
What is this condition? (x2)
Alone want love. In love want solitude.
What is this condition? (x2)
In a ring of fire. What I wanted all my life.
Guitars ring din higher. Want a fire extinguisher.
What is this condition? (x2)
- A neurotic Pan-vision?
- A spoilt child brat-ism?
An astral clockwatcher. A waste of the universal taxpayer.
What is this condition? (x2)
- Too busy never cared (x2)

Source: Norton & Stanley (2021, p.73).

Footnotes

1. This bit is spoken by MES at the Marquee gig as an introduction to the song, and/or an instruction to the group. ↩︎
2. Presumably a reference to the Johnny Cash song “Ring of Fire”, also referred to in the later song “Fiery Jack“: “I am Jack from a burning ring”. ↩︎
3. I think this must be a coincidence, since there’s mention of fire extinguishers in the 30 October draft, but Ian Penman’s review of The Fall’s “It’s The New Thing” single, published in New Musical Express dated 18 November 1978 includes the line, “‘It’s The New Things’… – a single about singles… the attitude inherent in The Press’s attitude… whizwhizwhiz: people stare for a minute: a pic sleeve fading in the window, watching the detectives, watching the men put the fire out?” ↩︎
4. The phrase “up the junction” is slang for “in trouble”. But it’s a phrase with other associations which are worth considering.
   
   It’s a bit early to be a reference to Squeeze’s single “Up the Junction”, which was released in May 1979 (no evidence from setlist.fm that it was performed at any gigs in 1978).
   
   Squeeze’s lyrics were written by Chris Difford, who – he says, see Wikipedia – was borrowing from the 1965 Ken Loach-directed TV play adaptation and 1968 Peter Collinson-directed film adaptation of Nell Dunn’s short story collection, Up the Junction (1963). The 1968 film had a soundtrack by Manfred Mann, including the title track, “Up the Junction”. The lyrics to Manfred Mann’s song do include the repeated line, “Conditioned to the daily grind.”
   
   I suspect it is significant that the film version was shown on Granada TV on Saturday 11 November 1978 (it had been shown on other parts of ITV regional network earlier in the year). MES probably watched it. ↩︎
5. I’m not sure this line has been transcribed correctly, but it is unclear what it ought to be. ↩︎

Sources / Links

• The Annotated Fall: “My Condition” [Archived]
• Discogs: The Fall Box Set 1976-2007 (2007) disc 5: live rarities. Castle Music/Sanctuary: CMXBX1558.
• Discogs: The Fall: 1970s (disc 9: Carlton Club, Warrington, 13/11/1978. Cherry Red: CRCDBOX121.
• Loach, Ken (dir., 1965). The Wednesday Play: Up the Junction. [Available in archive.org]
• Mackay, Tommy (2018). 40 Odd Years of The Fall. Place of publication unknown: Greg Moodie.
• Norton, Tessa and Stanley, Bob (2021). Excavate! The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall. London: Faber & Faber.
• Penman, Ian (1978). “The Fall: It’s The New Thing” (review). New Musical Express, 18 November, p.31.
• Pringle, Steve (2022). You Must Get Them All: The Fall on Record. [paperback edition]. Pontefract: Route Publishing Ltd. [Online store]
• The Track Record: “My Condition”
• Wikipedia: “Up the Junction” (film, 1968)
• Wikipedia: “Up the Junction” (soundtrack, 1968)
• Wikipedia: “Up the Junction” (Squeeze Song, 1979)
• Wikipedia: “Up the Junction” (The Wednesday Play, 1965)