THE FALL- OPERATION DESTRUCT (cdr, unreleased, 2009, UK)

Having spent the bulk of 2008 in the post-LP doldrums, with a scattered series of somewhat airless, claustrophobic gigs, the new Fall material that emerged in the first half of ’09 was like a jolt to the nervous system. Boxed-in has always been a position of strength for Mark E. Smith, and the lineup of Greenway-Melling-Spurr (now two years on) finally began to explore virgin territory. Veering from the college rock/acid glaze of the last half-decade, they inched away from traditional song structure towards a more post-modern remit, utilizing Greenway’s effects-rich guitar (heard to superb effect here on the extended runout to “Latch Key Kid”) and pushing the avant electronics of Elena Poulou even further to the foreground. New songs are discovered within the riffs of the back catalogue, such as the stunning new version of “Strangetown” included here, that incorporates musical elements of “Wings.” Nothing exemplifies this fresh approach better than the lead track here, the cavalry-charge of “Cowboy George,” which tears up “Mountain Energie” and rearranges the pieces, turning a gentle tumble into an avalanche. Another gem is “Bury,” welding girl-pop stomp with one of Smith’s classic takes on British provincialism.

Tracklisting:

01 Cowboy George

02 Bury

03 Latch Key Kid

04 Strangetown

05 Funnel of Love

06 Carry Bag Man

07 Chino Splashback

08 Jack the Ripper

09 Hot Cake

Thanks to the Consortium for the always superb unofficial live recordings.

Source gigs in comments

A much-delayed collection of recent live Fall music will be posted this weekend. Also, should anyone have any uncirculated or previously unpublished recordings, writing or other material that may be suitable for inclusion here, feel free to contact us via the comments facility (any such comments received will not be made public).

The Fall - Astoria 2, London (12 August 1998)

An incredible show from one of the darkest periods of the group's history. Just five gigs removed from the NYC meltdown, this is nothing short of a resurrection. Scrappy, shambolic and laced with pure adrenaline, this is The Fall at their most Velvets-like, brimming with 1979-era post-punk energy. One of only four shows in total played by this lineup. There are so many fantastic moments here, from Leatham's supple bass lines on "Calendar," and the rarely-played "Scareball," to a truly unbelievable take on "Plug Myself In." One of my favorite Fall shows to listen to, if only because it sounds so different from all the others. Brilliant.

Setlist:

Ol' Gang

Calendar
Touch Sensitive (new song / prerelease)
Spencer Must Die
Scareball
The Joke
Ten Houses of Eve
Levitate
He Pep
F'oldin' Money (new song / prerelease)
Powderkeg
Plug Myself In
This Perfect Day


lineup: MES / Julia Nagle / Karen Leatham / Tom Head

(photo by Gez Wood)

The Fall - Queen Mary's College, London (5 February 1981)

For my first post, I chose this excellent soundboard recording from '81, once planned for release on Cog Sinister. In addition to material from the previous autumn's Grotesque LP, the gruppe also performs the forthcoming Slates mini-LP in its entirety. Notable as well for an early version of Jawbone & The Air Rifle, which would not be released on vinyl until over a year later. A sprawling, clattering, thrilling performance from a pre-Karl Burns lineup featuring Paul Hanley on drums. A far more worthy document than the officially released show from Glasgow later the same month.

Setlist:

Your Heart Out
Totally Wired
Leave the Capitol
An Older Lover
New Face in Hell
Middle Mass
C n C's Mithering > Crap Rap #19
Fiery Jack
Jawbone and the Air Rifle
Slates, Slags etc.
Fit and Working Again
Prole Art Threat
Impression of J. Temperance
The Container Drivers

lineup : Smith/Riley/Scanlon/S. Hanley/P. Hanley

Queen Mary's

Happy holidays and many thanks to all who have supported this blog over the past year. Fresh posts both from me and new contributor Hannah will be forthcoming in the new year.

THE FALL- ICE MOUNTAIN (CDR, unreleased, UK, 2005)

For those expecting The Fall's tour in support of "Fall Heads Roll" to adhere strictly to the buffed, chrome-plated peaks and valleys of the LP, the loose-limbed and altogether less insular approach of the group in a live setting was nothing short of eye-opening. Far more earthbound in their constructs than the psychotropic inclinations of their successors, Pritchard, Trafford and Birtwistle's familiarity with the material (some of which had been in the woodshed for nearly two years) allowed Smith to unfurl his distilled post-avant-garde lyrics against a stiff backdrop of confident indierock and surprisingly effective genre pieces.

While the sound quality of the recordings on this disc doesn't reach the crystalline heights of recent audience captures, the variegated aural palette mostly works to the material's advantage. The true gems here are the FHR tracks that benefit the most from this re-jiggering: a mono-bricked and Black Ark-infused "Ride Away," a snow-covered and crepuscular "Early Days of Channel Fuhrer," possibly the group's most purely beautiful piece; a pastoral and propulsive "Midnight in Aspen," with a midnight cowboy bass motif from Trafford; and Pritchard's limber and lubricious lead guitar lines on "Higgle-Dy Piggle-Dy," which comes close to the careening chaos of that song's studio incarnation.

And while there are surely any number of performances that one might classify as "the best version of 'Blindness" ever," surely the version included here (from Southampton) should be included in the canon. Taken at more of a sprint than a marathon, the intensity never dissipates. Incandescent and thrilling, turn it up and prepare to be blown away.

Tracklisting:

01 Pacifying Joint

02 I Can Hear the Grass Grow

03 Bo Demmick

04 Breaking the Rules

05 Early Days of Channel Fuhrer

06 What About Us?

07 Midnight in Aspen

08 Blindness

09 Assume

10 Ride Away

11 Higgle-Dy Piggle-Dy

12 Clasp Hands

(Source gigs in comments)(unofficial audience recording)

Due to the recent collapse of the Massmirror file sharing site, the links for the first three titles posted here (San Rococco, Mud On The Ground and Lotus/Cactus) were no longer functional. These links have been removed and, for now, will not be replaced.

Fresh posts will resume shortly, with a compilation of live material circa "Fall Heads Roll." Also under consideration is the addition of a new contributor who will focus on noteworthy single-gig recordings.