THE FALL-MYSTERY AIR (CDR, UNRELEASED, UK, 2008)

The Fall's March 2008 UK tour was something of a strange affair. Supporting an album that had yet to be released, the Greenway-Spurr-Melling lineup didn't really coalesce until the later gigs, finally acheiving a sui generis hybrid of metallic-pop and hard rock that was closer to the hi-octane approach of the Pritchard group than the heavy, acid-peak remit of their predecessors. Greenway's freeform tendencies on display during the early gigs were eventually reigned in and his skittery guitar constructs, along with Spurr's monstrously huge, percussive bass sound, provided the framework for disciplined readings of catalogue material from the two previous studio LPs. On the new "Imperial Wax Solvent" tunes, the recorded takes were the starting points for live versions that were both expansive and focused, with Elena Poulou's tart elektro-synth pop motifs the cherries in the custard. Aside from some head-scratching vocal interjections from a member of the road crew (such as the untitled spoken-word piece that typically opened each performance), on most nights Smith plumbed a loose but brilliant idiosyncratic lyrical trajectory. Among the many high points on this disc are a cavernous, atmospheric "Alton Towers;" a very loud and percolating "I've Been Duped;" "Totally Wired" reconfigured as glam stomp; and "Tommy Shooter" featuring lead vocals from both Poulou and Smith.

Tracklisting:

01 Latch Key Kid

02 Strangetown

03 Alton Towers

04 I've Been Duped

05 Totally Wired

06 Exploding Chimney

07 Pacifying Joint

08 Wolf Kidult Man

09 "The Empresario of The Fall"

10 50 Year-Old Man

11 Is This New?

12 Mountain Energie

13 Tommy Shooter

(Many thanks as always to The Consortium, and Pike1957 for the absolutely superb live recordings)

(Source gigs in comments)

THE FALL, SAN ROCOCCO (CDR, UNRELEASED, 2007, UK)

Comprised mostly of fresh material from the forthcoming "Imperial Wax Solvent" LP, these live performances culled from a sporadic series of gigs in the latter-half of 2007 unfortunately tend towards the one-dimensional. The blurry rumble of bassist Dave Spurr and sturdy drumming of Keiron Melling underpin the terse scratchings of often-inaudible guitarist Pete Greenway. The resultant stew is frequently rescued from blandness by Elena Poulou's NDW-influenced minimal synth sheen. Lacking the glistening acid glaze imparted by the previous line-up of Presley-Barbato-McCord, the new songs come off as monolithic yet ramshackle, densely flat and abstract despite their steadfast simplicity. Lyrically, they are all-too-obviously works-in-progress, with Smith proferring only the sketchiest of lyric phrases, absent melody lines or vocal hooks to impart some desperately-needed identity. The exceptions are the Presley/Barbato-composed "Senior Twilight Stock Replacer," a choice slab of propulsive acid thunder (superior in its earlier incarnation, to be included in a future compilation covering the March 2007 UK tour), and "Can Can Summer," gauzy and lightweight pseudo-pop that recalls (perhaps intentionally) the creamy groove of late-period Can.

Tracklisting:

01. Wolf Kidult
02. Can Can Summer
03. I've Been Duped
04. 50 Year-Old Man
05. Ponto
06. Systematic Abuse

07. Senior Twilight Stock Replacer

08. Tommy Shooter

09. Alton Towers

10. Strangetown

Bonus material:

11. I Am Me, Mark

12. Wings > Wolf Kidult Man

(Note: these are audience recordings supplied by the ever-resourceful Consortium)