Mark E. Smith dead: Eight of The Fall's best tracks

Remember the post-punk icon through eight of his top tracks

The death of The Fall frontman Mark E. Smith has the music world deeply in mourning.

He was a seminal figure of the late 1970s post-punk movement but had reportedly been ill for quite some time and died at age 60 on Wednesday.

The prolific singer was inspired to create The Fall after seeing The Sex Pistols live at Manchester's Free Trade Hall in 1976, a legendary gig at which anyone who was anyone at the time claimed to have attended.

Smith was known for his cantankerous personality, rambling lyrics and inimitable slurred delivery.

For 40 years, he was the only constant member of The Fall, a band that went through 66 members due to its leader's notorious revolving door policy. The band nevertheless put out 32 studio albums while Smith himself collaborated with artists like Elastica and Gorillaz.

While they never quite hit the mainstream, The Fall cultivated a loyal indie following and found an important champion in BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, who considered them his favourite band.

Early songs like "Totally Wired" and "Kicker Conspiracy" secured The Fall a cult following before Smith and company found success with Dragnet (1979), 1980's Grotesque (After the Gramme) and 1983 album Perverted By Language.

From the hilarious "Eat Y'self Fitter" to the belligerent "The Classical," listen to The Fall's top tracks below.

'Eat Y’self Fitter'

"Eat Y'self Fitter" encompasses Smith's love of absurd lyrics and jarring guitar-plucking. Case and point: "The musical chairs/Have been swallowed up/By a cuddly group/Who land and rub off."

'Totally Wired'

The name says it all. "Totally Wired" is a jittery, chaotic punk track that translates through like a jolt of caffeine as Smith sings, "I drank a jar full of coffee, and then I took some of these!”

'The Classical'

Smith's aggressive ranting and nonsensical lyrics roar through this 1982 track from Hex Enduction Hour. There's a long-running story that Motown was interested in The Fall, but heard a racist slur in this song and ceased talking to them.

'Industrial Estate'

The 1980 track "Industrial Estate" is one of The Fall's purest punk tracks that takes aim at the romanticisation of the working class. Smith rages, "Boss can bloody take most of your wage/Yeah, yeah, industrial estate."

'Spoilt Victorian Child'

On "Spoilt Victorian Child" Smith mocks sentimental Victorian-era tropes in typically oblique fashion, conjuring images of fairies and pop-up books. The lyrics are deceivingly dreamy in comparison to the harsh, spoken-word vocals.

'Your Heart Out'

One of The Fall's earlier works, "Your Heart Out" serves as a primer for Smith's later work. It's a classic song that emphasises Smith's use of the extra "uh" syllable on his lyrics.

'Cruiser’s Creek'

This 1985 song is perhaps one of The Fall's catchiest singles as it saw Smith and company entering in to more melodic territory. "Cruiser's Creek" seemed lighter than a lot of The Fall's work - perhaps influenced by Smiths' wife at the time, Brix, joining the band one year prior.

'No Bulbs'

"No belts in this flat/No bulbs in this flat/In need of white lamp" is the simplistic chorus on "No Bulbs." When Smith sings it though, it sounds like a cult's chant.