Perverted by Language is the first Fall album to feature Brix Smith, then-wife of Mark E. Smith. However, the bulk of the album was recorded before she had joined the band. It was released in 1983 by Rough Trade in the UK, Virgin Records in France, Megadisc in the Netherlands, Line Records in Germany, and Base Record in Italy. The album was the only full-length product of the band's renewed relationship with Rough Trade, whom they had previously left in 1981. The band fell out with Rough Trade over Rough Trade turning all its resources to the Smiths, and also the full-length video the band wished to make for the album. The video Perverted by Language Bis went ahead funded by the group themselves and producers Ikon, with videos directed by Claude Bessy. The video was released on VHS in 1984. By the time of the album and later the video's release, the group had signed to Beggars Banquet.
Content
The album opens with "Eat Y'self Fitter", which John Peel picked as one of his Desert Island Discs; when Peel had first heard the track – in a session the band recorded in March 1983 – he stated on air that he had fainted and that his producer, John Walters, had to resuscitate him. "Neighbourhood of Infinity" was seen by AllMusic's Ned Raggett as "a sequel of sorts to 'The Man Whose Head Expanded'". "Garden" features what Q magazine considered "his most oblique lyrics yet". Brix Smith, who wasn't yet a full-time group member, co-wrote and performs lead vocals on "Hotel Blöedel" ; the title was inspired by a night's stay in a Nuremberg hotel next door to an abattoir. It was the first Fall track to feature anyone other than Mark E. Smith on lead vocals. Side two opens with "Smile", which according to Raggett "shows the band's abilities at tense audio drama excellently", with "a relentless, steady build, winding up to a total explosion that never comes". "I Feel Voxish" has been described as Mark E. Smith's "sound experiment", "where he gets playful with meter and alliteration". "Tempo House" was taken from a video recording of the band's performance at The Haçienda in July 1983 as, according to Paul Hanley, the studio bass sound was disappointing. The album closes with "Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot", described as "almost a country stroll" and "one song that encapsulated The Fall's spirit".
Critical reception
gave the album a B- rating, commenting on "side-openers that go on so long you don't really notice your attention flagging as their momentum gives way to, well, poetry readings--roughly accompanied, as usual". The NMEs Jim Shelley saw it as The Fall "plodding on, going nowhere, making do", although he described "Smile" as "one of the great Fall moments...where the notorious Fall-as-an-idea is driven into reality". Dave McCullough, writing in Sounds, gave it two and a half stars, describing it as "overall laborious and very dull indeed". Brian Edge, in his book Paintwork: a Portrait of The Fall, considered that the album demonstrated Smith's "ability to use words as blunt instruments, as opposed to painterly devices or catchphrases". AllMusic reviewer Ned Raggett gave it four stars, calling it "another fine album". Trouser Press saw it as a preparation for the albums that followed, stating that "they chug away with more conviction than ever". Classic Rocks Emma Johnston gave it 7/10, stating it "finds them in a playful mood as guitarist Brix Smith makes her debut. As they dip their toes into krautrock and even wonky psychedelia, it marks another new chapter in their evolution." In his book The SecretHistory of Rock, Roni Sarig viewed the album as the band taking "a distinct turn toward a more accessible, pop-oriented sound". It received a score of 9/10 from the SPIN Alternative Record Guide. Marc Savlov, reviewing the reissued album in 2002 for The Austin Chronicle, gave it two stars. Stereogum's Robert Ham saw it as a return to form after Room to Live, calling it "another near-masterpiece", and commenting on how Steve Hanley's bass lines drive the album. Pitchfork Media listed Perverted by Language as 82nd best album of the 1980s. In Billboard's 2018 list "The 10 Best Albums by The Fall: Critic's Picks", Perverted by Language was included a number 7.
Track listing
Note: writing credits as per original vinyl editions.
Personnel
;The Fall
Mark E. Smith – vocals, electric piano, violin on "Hotel Blöedel", keyboards on "Tempo House," guitar
