POO -- The Fall

Link?

"the war against intelligence"*

* “The phrase ‘pre-cog’ comes from having the ability to see into the future – pre-cognition. I’ve always felt this. Countless times I’ve written something or said something and it’s manifested in reality. I’m not talking standard coincidence. It’s more than that, something slightly more sinister . . .”

Kid passing by kitchen while I'm playing the Fall: "This music is bad."

Kid five minutes later: Dancing to "Cruiser's Creek."

I recently listened to all 57 CDs I own by The Fall, ask me anything

the October 1998 Peel Session is shockingly bad, a real nadir

The Unutterable and COTC were still great

"9 Out Of 10" is a great way to end a career

the October 1998 Peel Session is shockingly bad, a real nadir

#3, #4, #5 #6, #11, #12 and #19 are all candidates,

but it's #22 for me.

It came after the group had exploded in America, amidst uncertainty about both The Fall's future and the quality of what they would produce. The session that The Fall came up with - #22 - to announce their return was remarkable for this reason alone.

However, it was exceptional in other ways. It was incredibly raw sounding, as Peel said at the time it was like they had gone back to a Dragnet sound. Smith has never recorded sourer more rancorous vocals; the incredulous stuttering anger of Bound Soul, the impenetrable pained howling on Antidotes, the thin misanthropic nihilism of the Saints cover This Perfect Day, and the deranged Shake Off, the lyrics of which sound like they're being heard through a fever.

The black void behind the music is palpable, a feeling increased by the way Smith's pre and post tune instructions are left in - you are aware of the alchemy of The Fall, the something out of nothing, the something strange out of the perfectly ordinary. It's a dreadful, sinister, corruscating session and sounds utterly timeless so primitive is it.

It has the characteristics of the best Fall - sparse and dense at the same time, detailed but primal, mundane and magical - and it has them in

Not since early versions of The Hip Priest has music sounded less like music and more like invocation, incantation and exorcism - 'bad unafeared art'.

I remembering listening to it through headphones as it was broadcast - I still think that's the best way to listen to it - the hairs on the back of neck bristling with the febrile excitement that it invoked, terrifyingly reminded of the statement of intent from Fantastic Life -

Ours is not to look back, ours is to continue the craft.

― Abbe Black Tentacle (GamalielRatsey), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 13:20 (twelve years ago) bookmarkflaglink

you are extremely wrong

it is the worst thing I have ever heard them do by a wide margin

that I specifically remembered how bad it was after 57 CDs should tell you something

"Repetition" -- the blueprint for the Fall and the Universe.

― Jack Cole, Tuesday, June 25, 2002 5:00 PM (nineteen years ago)

thought the Bingo-Master's Break-Out! single from 1978, with Psycho Mafia, Bingo Master, and Repetition was great

liked The Unutterable, also Von Südenfed's Tromatic Reflexxions

‘Tis the season: https://nealmarkowski.bandcamp.com/album/hex-mas-enduction-hour

Sleeve, which 90s albums did you find the most consistent?

Shift-Work is my fave, Extricate a close second, Light User Syndrome 3rd, then probably Code Selfish > Infotainment > Levitate = Middle Class Revolt = Cerebral Caustic

27 Points is a lot of fun as well because of Brix involvement, same with the era's Peel sessions (that Glam-Racket/Star <3)

I note also that Shift-Work is the only one with the violin player, which may explain why I adore its idiosyncratic sound

Marshall Suite would also be in that last group altho the high points are really high

e.g. "The Crying Marshall" which is just unbelievably great

Wasn’t that Perl Session after he had the fight with his band and beat up his girlfriend in New York?

yep, and it shows. that was in April.

'his girlfriend' is no way to refer to Julia Nagle, architect of their sound during my preferred period for the band (Levitate through Unutterable) and my clear favourite 'other' Fall member

also, *I* am extremely wrong? I was simply presenting another user's opinion, one which has stayed with me through the years, as counterpoint to your own

The Crying Marshall is indeed superb, the Nagle era is noticeable for each album having a monster-banger dance remix on it (4 1/2 Inch, TCM, Serum)

I note also that Shift-Work is the only one with the violin player

on Extricate too!

Code Selfish and Levitate are my favorite 90s fall, followed by Infotainment Scan

Disc 1 of A World Bewitched is ridiculously essential as well

damn, haven't been watching the Fall discography since MES' death, but I count 24 live sets plus a 10 show/11 CD set released since 2018? any recommendations from that flood?

The 1982 box is great stuff
I’m not sure about all the other live releases, some of them have certainly looked pretty half assed. Clitheroe Castle is a great concert but shitty sound

There's some excitement on the Fall Forum about two recently discovered archival recordings: the full Electric Circus gig (along with all the other bands' EC gigs recorded by Virgin), as well as what's purportedly the first or second Fall gig, recorded to a reel-to-reel.

yeah I would avoid the live cash-ins, except for the St. Helens 1981 set on Castle Face which iirc is the only legit one?m also very good.

have been spending some time with middle-class revolt recently. pretty unloved album i gather but i saw them around that time and thought it was really great - this very gig in fact

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rx2Y956Oq0

reckoning, m5, hey student, 15 ways, behind the counter - they’re pretty good! maybe bad fall songs? I dunno i am no fall scholar clearly

(I also saw them sometime in the 2010s and thought it was pretty awful)

Always and forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzNe1NeFzRE

I defy Anyone (that’s Anyone) who hates, or is indifferent, or the rest of us, yeah?, to not acknowledge that this is brilliant!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIZ7AhqflYM

Never liked "No Bulbs" much and that long version has always tested my patience (though Wonderful and Frightening is one of my favorite Fall albums).

Oh the long version is one of my favorite tracks evah!!

The extra long No Bulbs is the Fall’s own Marquee Moon

Wow

have been spending some time with middle-class revolt recently. pretty unloved album i gather but i saw them around that time and thought it was really great - this very gig in fact

📹

reckoning, m5, hey student, 15 ways, behind the counter - they’re pretty good! maybe bad fall songs? I dunno i am no fall scholar clearly

(I also saw them sometime in the 2010s and thought it was pretty awful)

I'd say MES had already gotten pretty personal on the Fontana albums (Bill Is Dead, Edinburgh Man).

MCR is a weird one in that about half of it is really good, or at least fun, but as a whole it just kind of drags. Infotainment is one of the most consistently excellent Fall albums, but it almost goes down too smooth. (Their lone top 10 album!)

I think I agree with that, I don't dislike MCR by any means but it's uneven

that live version of "War" from the Phoenix set linked above is really good

I always took Bill is Dead as kind of ironic and, due to the unavailability of the other Fontana albums in the uUS never heard Edinburgh Man until years later— and I didn’t even know until he’d died that he had relocated there briefly.

Is this the best Fall thread?

Just found this footage of them playing Beefheart's "Dropout Boogie" in 2015 and had to share.

Youtube link - track starts around 28:30 if the timing doesn't work.