of course...
Oh! The Fall John Peel Sessions box set! OH! you guys.
― Mark G, Monday, 29 September 2008 15:13 (fifteen years ago) link
'50,000 Fall Fans...' definitely took me from curiosity to full-on obsession when I first dipped into the back catalogue. Prior to that, all I'd heard was the Peel session of 'Blindness' and a couple of tracks from 'This Nation's Saving Grace'. It's a great place to start, contains a nice booklet with a basic discography, etc.
― Millsner, Monday, 29 September 2008 17:48 (fifteen years ago) link
off topic but i have just finished reading "the fallen" by dave simpson, where he tracks down the former members of the fall. great stuff and highly recommended.
― stirmonster, Monday, 29 September 2008 21:37 (fifteen years ago) link
it's on my list ... once i've finished "a disaffection" ... oh, and a fucking mountain of psychology articles. and "neurophysiology for numpties". tits.
his wee piece in the grauniad the other week ("i lost my girlfriend because i was too busy chasing around drummers from the fall") was fundamentally depressing, mind.
― right, we all start when the drum machine starts, lads (grimly fiendish), Monday, 29 September 2008 21:43 (fifteen years ago) link
is that an actual book?
― sleeve, Monday, 29 September 2008 23:22 (fifteen years ago) link
what, dave simpson's? yeh, he deci ... oh, you mean "neurophysiology for numpties". no. sadly.
― right, we all start when the drum machine starts, lads (grimly fiendish), Tuesday, 30 September 2008 09:51 (fifteen years ago) link
ASIDE:anyone know that blog that made it a project to go through every fall release ever and review with links to the albums? i just looked at it recently and cannot remember where.
― andrew m., Tuesday, 30 September 2008 14:35 (fifteen years ago) link
I let a coworker listen to Extricate today, and he loved it. First he's ever heard of the Fall... so I'd say Extricate is a good choice.
― ilxor, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 01:57 (fifteen years ago) link
Extricate wouldn't be my first choice...Stephen, I wrote you an email back to yours and you didn't respond. Could it be in your spam folder? Sorry we keep missing each other!
― The More You Live The Faster You Will Die (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 05:17 (fifteen years ago) link
If I was to blindly pick two, Extricate and Nations Saving Grace would be them.
The remaster of Ex is weird: The tracks that were not on the album have ben removed from CD1, and put onto CD2 along with the 12" versions and b-sides. Which is wrong.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 06:44 (fifteen years ago) link
What do you mean? The tracks that weren't on the LP, but were on the cd and tape? Like, um, Extricate itself in fact?
― GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 08:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Exactly that, yes.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 09:10 (fifteen years ago) link
That is, as you say, wrong. I had the tape, and I always felt that Extricate was the perfect end of album song.
― GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 09:24 (fifteen years ago) link
.. and the track "Black Monk Theme 2" the perfect intro to "Telephone thing", and so on.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 09:28 (fifteen years ago) link
that's how i will always listen to it, no matter what.
― right, we all start when the drum machine starts, lads (grimly fiendish), Wednesday, 1 October 2008 09:43 (fifteen years ago) link
me too.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 10:08 (fifteen years ago) link
It wouldn't be my first choice, either, but it happened to be the Fall album I had on hand that day. He loved "British People in Hot Weather" anyway, what a great song that is! Anyway... I received your email but hadn't bothered to reply since you'd be back on Friday. I'm having a busy week anyway. I'll get around to it soon, I promise!
― ilxor, Thursday, 2 October 2008 02:38 (fifteen years ago) link
This Nation's Saving Grace has been in heavy digital rotation for me lately. So that.
― Z S, Thursday, 2 October 2008 03:47 (fifteen years ago) link
One of the wonderful things about The Fall is that any of the albums can be a great place for someone to start, really. Even the weakest releases have some odd, redeeming quality.
That said, I just got my paws on Fall In A Hole (the remastered version with the bonus disc), and might be my favourite thing ever at the moment.
― Millsner, Thursday, 2 October 2008 07:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Yessum, that version of CnC Black Night, wot I had not heer'd before, where he does the shotgun sounds, is just mahvlis.
Agreed about any Fall album being a good place to start. I'm not sure Seminal: Live would be top of anyone's list of their best, but who would want to be without HOW, Mollusic in Tyrol or Elf Prefix?
― GamalielRatsey, Thursday, 2 October 2008 08:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Fall In A Hole! Haha! I dragged my boombox into my bathroom and played that once while taking a shower! Hell, I should do that again somtime.
― Bimble, Thursday, 2 October 2008 09:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Don't get me started on Seminal:Live...
― Bimble, Thursday, 2 October 2008 09:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Let's get started, Bimble!
― ilxor, Friday, 3 October 2008 03:46 (fifteen years ago) link
DETECTIVE INSTINCT
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Wednesday, 15 October 2008 05:37 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm not so big on the production of This Nations Saving Grace so I would either go for Live at the Witch Trials or Hex Education Hour.
― Hinklepicker, Wednesday, 15 October 2008 06:28 (fifteen years ago) link
DETECTIVE INSTINCT― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5:37 AM (4 hours ago)
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5:37 AM (4 hours ago)
Ff ff.
― GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 15 October 2008 09:43 (fifteen years ago) link
I should have added that I never really got Detective Instinct until someone pointed out to me the intermittent 'ff ff's in the background of the song. What they're all about I do not know, but love them I do.
― GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 15 October 2008 10:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Fall in a Hole -- maybe my favourite live album of all time. That version of Fantastic Life that starts out the second disc (on the remastered version)! It's like I was hearing that song for the first time
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Wednesday, 15 October 2008 23:02 (fifteen years ago) link
I think I'd stand by 'Grotesque (After the Gramme)' as a great Fall starter album. The band's sound really began to evolve away from its earliest incarnations, and the lyrics are some of MES's best and most topical—a fantastic introduction to his worldview.
'Slates' would probably serve just as well.
'Hex Enduction Hour' is great, but it's a little dense and relentless for the uninitiated.
― Millsner, Wednesday, 15 October 2008 23:24 (fifteen years ago) link
I think I'd pick Slates over Grotesque...I can imagine most noobs being turned off by C'n'C/S. Mithering...not to mention the diminishing returnsof the second side (sans NWRA of course)
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 01:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah I don't know why but Grotesque has never been all that high on my list of Fall albums.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:26 (fifteen years ago) link
Also you are right: Slates is better.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Slates = teh sequel to Grotesque's first side.
I love GATG now, but when I first bought it, it was certainly a challenge...
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:34 (fifteen years ago) link
Side B suffers in its midsection, true. Swap 'WMC-Blob 59' and 'Gramme Friday' for almost anything else they were playing around that time, and it would be a lot stronger.
There's no denying 'Slates' is incredible.
― Millsner, Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Well, exactly, Drugs A. Money! I wouldn't kick Grotesque out of bed NOW, but I certainly would NOT give it to someone who hadn't heard the Fall before.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:49 (fifteen years ago) link
Also anyone who might want to have long conversations about The Fall's discography up through Extricate is especially welcome to send me emails and/or chat with me. Thank you.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:51 (fifteen years ago) link
hooray!
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:56 (fifteen years ago) link
should have added that I never really got Detective Instinct until someone pointed out to me the intermittent 'ff ff's in the background of the song. What they're all about I do not know, but love them I do.
I'm listening to Detective Instinct, now, though and I don't hear anyone going "FFfs" in the background. So I'm not sure what you were talking about. Can you describe the sound better?
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 02:57 (fifteen years ago) link
xpost Bimble where were you when I was doing the whole Hotel Bloedel thread?
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:02 (fifteen years ago) link
It's very subtle, and doesn't come through well on the copy I've got (sounds like a CD reissue mastered from vinyl).
Listen in the right-hand channel around 0:57, and again a bit later—I guess you could describe it as a faraway aerosol can being sprayed twice in quick succession. It shows up again intermittently throughout the song, in different places all over the mix.
― Millsner, Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:06 (fifteen years ago) link
Ah! The Hotel Bloedel thread. Shit, dude, that thread was WAY outta my league. I read it but I really had nothing to even begin to contribute.
Re: Detective Instinct - Ah! a CD reissue - hmm. I have Room To Live on vinyl. The version I'm listening to though is a downloaded version. I will break out the vinyl soon and see if I can spot the mysterious "FFs" sound there, thanks. You're sure it doesnt' mean "For Fucks Sake", this FFs sound? LOL
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Shit, dude, that thread was WAY outta my league
lol, it was way outta my league, too.
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:14 (fifteen years ago) link
No, I heard the sound! I gotcha now. It sounds like one of those...round things, whatever that musical instrument is that is round and you move it from side to side. Shaker? I don't know what they call those things.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Bimble do u seriously not rate any Fall albums after Extricate?!?! Cause there are many glorious sonic riches to be had there.
― sleeve, Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:19 (fifteen years ago) link
"MY RAZOR BLADES WILL CUT DOWN YOUR ENTRANCE."
Shit dude, we should bring The Fall into the children's classrooms. Start them off with good music early. IN-DOC-TRIN-ATE. Then by the time they're 20, they'll be musical geniuses and will start amazing bands.
No, that isn't true, Sleeve, re: after Extricate...I love Shiftwork...Light User Syndrome's quite good...and uh...well...I dunno. Steven Hanley was never adequately replaced in my book, but okay.
― Hot Pants Floyd (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Steven Hanley was never adequately replaced in my book, but okay.
Agreed. Still, MES has come out with a couple amazing albums this decade alone (The Real New Fall LP, Imperial Wax Solvent) that should not bepassed up.
― Cannabis Zed Omega (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Plus, 2g+2 rox!
and The Unutterable!
I also think the highlights of the two Matador LPs (Infotainment Scan and Middle Class Revolt) would have made one of their best albums. Levitate is also quite good.
― sleeve, Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:34 (fifteen years ago) link
valid point about Hanley, you could say the same about Scanlon in my book. I think most of their successes in the last ten years have come from MES trying to move beyond the limitations of the rock band sound, but then again there are times like SParta FC where he just nails it all perfectly. The first time I heard that song I thought it was some lost classic from the 80's.
― sleeve, Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:36 (fifteen years ago) link
you could say the same about Scanlon in my book.
Yeah, see, I almost mentioned him when I did Hanley, but I thought I'd keep it lite and not go there yet, but I'm with you.
I can't remember if I've heard Sparta FC or not. I thought Imperial Wax Solvent was quite good, but nevertheless I didn't feel the urge to listen to it very much. Von Sudenfed I listened to more.
By the way, how come no one on ILX that I know of has mentioned this new MES project with someone named Ed Blaney? The album just came out yesterday???
― Steely Dan Is Boring And Oh So Safe (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Thursday, 16 October 2008 03:49 (fifteen years ago) link