Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Laugh out loud funny and quirky but not sure I could listen to it loads
Listened on a walk. Really didn't care for this one. Some of the instrumentals were okay but immensely disliked the vocals. I get that these guys were a big deal at the time but man they just aren't for me.
Like many others, j enjoyed the overall sound but the vocal delivery eventually proved grating to me.
Didn’t do anything for me.
I liked it a bit at first but by the end I was over it.
this feels very atmospheric and exciting, could be a movie sound track. none the less not really my taste, if i could i would give 2.5 stars
Ladybird Im Going to Spain The League of Bald Headed Men A Past Gone Mad Why Are People Grudgeful
Ladybird Lost in Music It’s A Curse The League of Bald Headed Men
Not sure this actually classifies as music.
Kind of boring EDM
A mix of sounds in this one. Top stuff
Good but not great. I enjoyed this, but it certainly isn't one that is going in my daily rotation. Pretty much everything being done on this album is done better elsewhere, though there is a lot of charm to the lazy drawl of the singer over the incredibly groovy beats. 2.8
Really fucking weird, I liked the music but the singer’s voice was so annoying. A lot of cool innovative sounds but damn sometimes it was really annoying. Fave song: Past gone mad, Lost in Music, Why are People Grungeful 2.5/5
It's alright, nothing more to add than that to be honest. Today's bird: Superb Starling
No es un horror, pero no tiene cabida entre los 1001.
I'm not even sure what I'm meant to say about this, or think about it. I was completely prepared to hate it, just going by memory of hearing these guys before. I can't though, I cannot hate it, even though logically it seems I should, everyone should. It has some weird charm to it, it made me oddly cheerful and dancey. A surprise, for sure.
wacky
A great point of entry to the intimidating The Fall’s body of work. It’s unique but still preserves Mark E Smith’s DNA. I can’t get tired of this album!
Another band that wants to be The Velvet Underground.
Never listened. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Alright - Not overwhelmed immediately. It's A Curse might have converted me though, I'm enjoying this part of the album more. Service and The League Of Bald-Headed Men are good too.
lite all over the place
A bit of a surprise this one. Really was not enjoying it, specifically the singer’s intentionally-not-trying-to-sound-good style. “I’m Going to Spain” was particularly insufferable and “It’s a Curse” was not much better. However from the grinding gritty intro of “Paranoia Man” to the end of the album I really enjoyed it. The vocals take a bit of a backseat, more of another texture as opposed to being the focus. There’s a manic driving rhythm, some funky electronic stuff and danceable punk beats. Really fun. Loved the jungly /breakbeat stuff, reminded me a lot of the PS2 Ratchet and Clank soundtracks which I love. Highlights for me were basically all the second half but in particular “Paranoia Man”, “Service”, &” Past Gone Mad” Close to a 5, but the first half holds it back too much for me.
This album is what old people are actually talking about when they complain about modern music just being people talking monotone over a beat
Kind of like sonic youth? Didn’t love the vocals, all kind of bled together. Interesting but not for me.
Not super exciting, didn’t love it didn’t hate it
I feel like they had potential but squandered it. Don't like 'vocalists' who talk rather than sing and that's mainly what they do. Wouldn't recommend.
Took me a minute but found myself getting into this. The driving rhythms with the almost incomprehensible lyrics that are almost rap in a way? "Ladybird (Green Grass)" "Lost in Music" "I'm Going to Spain" "Service" and "The League of Bald-Headed Men" were faves on here.
It was fine
Once again post-punk fails to exite me. While not bad, as some of the other are, this just feels meh to me. Nothing special about the instruments and the singing/talking drags it down. When not being as bad as others is the best thing I can say its clear this album just isn't for me.
It was fine. A little flat at times it felt like, but I never felt like turning it off. At the same time I also didn't feel like I wanted to listen more, and basically none of the tracks left an impression on me Standouts I'm Going to Spain 3/5
A Christopher Walken devotee recites beat poetry over 80s rock music.
Not enough melodies
Not the worst thing ever, but incredibly dull and boring. Very little sets this apart from 20 other albums on the list. And a lot of those records were released 5-10 years prior to this. Don’t know how something this unremarkable made this list. 1.75/5.
Theres something about the songs with a high bpm and simple power chords. Loved it
418/1089 - Great, drunken talk-singing over a mediocre instrumental that does nothing for an hour.
Not my favorite rock album.
vocals ruined it
The more electronic it sounds, the better it is
The Fall isn't bad but how the fuck did they get 3 albums on the list
This album was just pretty boring to me, which is a real shame because there's great music to be found here. The vocals and lyrics though? Dreadful. Just bland, unintelligible at times, and repetitive. I felt like I was just trying to get through the album by song 3 or 4.
Smith’s vocal style didn’t do much for me but really liked the vibe here, especially in the back half of the album. It’s a Curse/Paranoia Man great 1-2
It was ok
This is my first time listening to an album by The Fall. I'm not really enjoying this. Or maybe I should say: "I'm not really enjoying this-uh." Why is the vocalist like this? Make it stop.
I really enjoyed this; The Fall isn't a band that has been on my radar, so this is a case of finally being introduced to something new from this project and being really into it. It's a bit same-y, but not in a way that I dislike. When I need to have music on in the background, and I don't want to feel too happy or sad, just normal, The Fall will suit that well. Rainy day, cloudy day, sick day, lay in bed music. I've been listening to this album and didn't even realize when the song switched, but sometimes that's nice.
I really rather liked this. Had heard some of The Fall, but hadn't sat and listened to a whole album. Heartily glad to have done so.
Fun, experimental, kind of lo-fi, but didn’t grab me.
A lot of this is surprisingly catchy
I did NOT enjoy this dude's singing. It sounded like bad, drunk karaoke. 2*
These were more important back in the day.
Lost in music was lost on me
I'm not a huge fan of post-punk. I realize that every time I try to get into post-punk. Weird because I love punk and new wave. The Fall's The Infotainment Scan is a prime example of what I don't like about the genre. While this isn't technically a post-punk record, there's hallmarks: rambling lyrics that are delivered almost in a non-musical monotonous tone, bass-reliant grooves. The music isn't bad. This band seems to know what they're doing to make something listenable. But this just isn't my shit. Hey guys, how about a song? Have you ever tried structure? Even the most stringent, loud punk songs are songs. Don't talk over the music, sing it.
Another band I've heard of, but have never listened to. My only awareness is that they've been the butt of numerous jokes I've heard on British chat shows. According to the band Wikipedia page, "Smith's vocal delivery was known for his tendency to end each phrase terminating in a consonant with an added schwa vocalization." If that was the only issue I had with his vocals I likely would have loved this album. Musically I thought it was great. However I couldn't stand his "singing." I felt it ruined what could have been a great record. I almost always listen all of the way through, but I gave up with a couple of songs remaining as it was just too annoying.
Pretty good, no complaints, but nothing really stood out as interesting either.
Ladybird - 3 Lost in music - 4 Glam-racket - 3 I'm going to spain - 3 It's a curse - 3 Paranoia man in cheap shit room - 3 Service - 3 The league of bald-headed men - 3 A past gone mad - 3 Light/fireworks - 2
mark e. smith's voice annoys me in this one
1. lady - 1 2. muzic - 1 3. glam - 1 4. Spain - 0 5. Curse - 0 6. Man - 0 7. Service - 0 8. Bald - 1 9. Mad - 0 10. Light - 0 11. People - 1 12. Moon - 1
I'm such a big fan of that warm, full guitar sound. Kinda got into boom-bap later which was also cool. However, I couldn't get over the vocals, unfortunately. The League-uh of bald headed men-uh. Made my skin crawl after a while
Best wel nice
Their fifteenth album. Alt Rock / Pop. Musically this album is really bloody good. It's just those vocals ! Mark E Smith's delivery takes me out of each track.
There's a good voice for The Fall's music, and there's good music for Mark E. Smiths voice, but I can't help but feel they belong on two separate records.
Not bad. I'm Going To Spain is nice. Glam-rock. It reminded me the earlier Bowie's albums.
fine alt rock
Nah, not really working for me.
Singer should be better. He sounds like Elon Musk. Can we just delete his voice tracks?
This was interesting but not great.
junk
Absolutely my frequency
bad
I find it hard to believe that this album was profitable
I like the sing-talking. Spacemen 3 does a lot of that, and I really like them
That voice is awful. Too bad the talented band backing him didn’t find a lead singer
unremarkable
Despite the critical acclaim of The Nation's Saving Grace, I actually liked this one more! Mark E. Smith's speak-singing style on this album combined with the fairly minimalistic yet still super sick musical backing really works for me. The surprise dance song near the end doesn't hurt!
I was cautiously optimistic because this album was described as The Fall’s most accessible, but god I just cannot force myself to enjoy Mark E Smith’s vocal delivery. I even thought the band was doing some pretty cool things instrumentally but they were ruined by this man’s discordant singing. Ugh.
I'm in shock at this album. I thought This Nation's Saving Grace was genuinely some of the worst music the 1001 list had to offer. I had nightmares of Mark E. Smith's drunken, rambling vocals for weeks afterwards. And yet, that very same singing style totally works on top of some agressive riffs! He's the anchor to the explosive rhythms going on, and the music would simply not work without him yelling on top of it. There's also some pretty innovative moments from a production standpoint! A standout moment for me is the closer Light/Fireworks, which to my ears sounds like a straight JPEGMAFIA beat -- in 1993! Genuinely a great album from The Fall, a band I had just about dismissed after that first experience. Standouts: Ladybird • Glam-Racket • Paranoia Man In Cheap Shit Room • Past Gone Mad • Light/Fireworks
Holy fuck, this album must have re-wired my brain or something. We had This Nation's Saving Grace on this list already and I did not like it all, but listening to their album The Wonderful and Frightening World Of made me more open to their sound. This is just awesome. I can't really put into words why I like it so much, but I feel like all the parts of this album fit perfectly together. The riffs wouldn't work with a more conventional singer and the voice wouldn't work with different background. This album really picks up at It's A Curse and I haven't been able to stop listening to it.
Hebben betere albums
Sigh. Another British post punk album. It's not necessarily bad, just getting a little bored of so much music that sounds so similar. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again
Fairly decent
Mark Smith somehow has an Iconic status in the alternative rock environment.. I do not get it.. This album is noisy an disturbing in an annoying way. Energetic though
Did not enjoy the vocals. Instruments were pretty cool. Standout song: The league of bald headed men
Eintönig, ein Titel klingt wie der andere, überbewertet!
Love this album, surprised it's in the list though.
some really cool sounds but I did struggle to appreciate this
I like the music I like the lyrics But I can only listen in bursts cos Mark E Smith Kinds wish someone would form a Fall cover band but with proper singing.
I like the music I like the lyrics But I can only listen in bursts cos Mark E Smith
Given how I've felt about other albums by The Fall, I liked this a lot more that I thought. It does still feel like the band is committing to the sound that they are so heavily associated with; messy and unproduced, with a vocalist who has clearly never had a singing lesson in his life. And because of that there is a pretty low ceiling to how much I can enjoy it, but to be fair this album is pretty close to that ceiling. It's surprisingly melodic in a lot of moments which does help, and in general it is definitely their best put together album. If you took just the best parts of this and turned that into a full album, it could have been absolutely essential and definitive post-punk, but instead we are stuck with an album that's half that, but also half a sloppy mess.
Yeahhhh this is one of those where I just don’t see why it makes this list of 1001 albums…I just don’t see it.
Could get better after multiple listens
Meu segundo disco do The Fall nessa lista, e coincidentemente, é essa banda que estou atualmente fazendo meu ranking da discografia – Tarefa árdua, visto o tamanho e escopo de seu trabalho, mas fui inspirado após ouvir através daqui o disco This Nation’s Saving Grace, sendo ele uma das melhores descobertas que fiz por aqui até então. O chamei de “suprassumo do Punk”, e o descrevi como algo que eu procurava sem saber o que era. Com isso, vim pra este disco com a expectativa lá em cima. Uma coisa certa, é um álbum bem mais eclético que Saving Grace. Algumas seções bem mais experimentais (algo comum pro grupo), canções com elementos eletrônicos destacados também. É algo que eu não esperava, mas que não necessariamente desgostei. Ainda prefiro o Saving Grace, mas esse álbum é bom também. Infelizmente, senti que essa escuta foi mais trabalhosa que a Saving Grace. Não pela duração, mas pela maneira que o disco é sequenciado. É natural para essa banda ter canções monótonas, com ritmos constantes e sem muitas mudanças, então isso não me surpreende. Esse disco certamente é bem divisivo devido à isso, ele requer uma certa dose de paciência para quem não imediatamente se apaixona por seus truques ou pelo emprego vocal de Mark E. Smith. 4/5
Not my thing but at least intresting and something fresh, it tried somrthing i havent seen before. I respect it
Experimental, but repetitive in my opinion. The vocals frankly suck, but in such a way that they are hilarious in a way. I'd rather be in silence than listen to this and thats says something. The instrumentals are fine, but not good enough to carry the record.
Pretty cool instrumental album. I sadly had this weird bug where I was also continuously listening to some weird man moaning off-key into my ears, which really made it hard to focus on the instrumentals. 7.5/10
It's not bad... I don't hate any of this, I just found myself wishing it were over about two thirds in. The music is good, maybe I just got bored.
Average post punk album with a very tedious singer
The only real standout for me on this one was “Paranoia man”. The rest kind of ran together and was forgettable.
More intriguing than the fact that these guys are on the list more than once, is the process for how this exercise consortium decided on the albums to include…given the band has 30+ in their discography. I mean…why were albums #8 and this one (#15) chosen? What makes them standout? Musically I liked this one. But the monotone speak-sing vocal style remains as annoying if not more than the previous album we were dealt. Probably explains why I bypassed them in the 80s.
I can’t get over the lead vox with these guys. The music is cool at times, but the singer is a gating item for me.
So incredibly “meh.” The vocals grinded on me. I’d prefer music over nonsensical poetry over some riffs. 1.75
Basically rinse and repeat my review from our first album from these guys... like some of the music, tough to get over the vocals. I can't fathom the reason we need two of their albums. I think maybe I "liked" this one more than the first, but can't justify rating higher. Not like I'm going to go back and listen to it for comparison... 2.5/5
I'm Going to Spain is certainly an acquired taste because what the hell are those vocals? I could never get The Fall, despite my best efforts
The only thing that makes me sad about this being over is that there’s 2 more The Fall albums on this fucking list
Can't find it, but don't care enough to go looking. Based on this lists track record, other user reviews, and subgenre I know exactly how this would sound
Album 48 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Why Are People Grudgeful?, I'm Going to Spain, It's a Curse Jury's verdict: æt's ^ kiːaːsɒ. ɒpaːeɪʃɒnɒ. maɪndfɒkɒ. (It's a cyuuuurrrrrssssuhhhh. Operationuhhhhhh. Mind fuuuuucccck-uhhhh.) Every time I come across an album that has a male vocalist sliding around doing shitty not-Sprechgesang and delivering monotone garbage, I'm gonna call them Bob Dylan. It's all Bob Dylan to me. Bob Dylan but make it heavier. Bob Dylan with even less melody. Can we have a decent melody in the vocals, please? Maybe a discernible one? Can we pick a note and stick to it for longer than a second? Not in a monotone way? Lost in the Music made me laugh because of the squeaking. Same with I'm Going to Spain. It's a Curse had... interesting lyrics. Fiiiiiyuhwuhhhhks. Ovuh rivuhhhhhs and bridgäääässsuh. I would get down to League Moon Monkey Mix at the club. Sad that it was the end of the album. Could've had it earlier and then just stopped there. Confession time: I may have finally reached the level of just pretentious enough to like some of the lyrics on this album. They ramble off in unexpected directions that tickle my brain. Back to the point at hand: why am I still listening to this shit? The instrumentalists are doing pretty well. Someone should have just duct taped the vocalist to a chair and rolled him out of the recording booth and let the band jam. We can do an interesting lyric/poetry reading without him. Big Crap's agenda is to make you listen to this and then the bands and the critics who recommended this split the proceeds. Hard to believe this one has any proceeds to split, but someone out there is foaming at the mouth reading this review. Guess what? It sucks.
Unsure how I feel about this album. I really like the instrumentals but I'm a bit mixed on the vocals.
This was fine. Plenty listenable. I will probably give it a second listen to be sure.
It's one of the quintessential dance punk albums I guess, but it's not really for me. While I respect the work, I don't think Mark E. Smith and his delivery style comes across as really engaging. It's one of the albums where you leave the room and come back and not notice that they indeed play a completely different song.
Starting to believe this generator, two months in is just trolling me because there's no way these terrible albums are in this.
First album I did not finish. Not my vibe
Overall: 7/10 I'm so torn on this band because the instrumentals are absolutely incredible, but those vocals are just so tough to get into. Imagine if they had a vocalist who could actually sing! I especially had a great time picking out the basslines, that dude is really talented. Fav Song: Service
Here's another album I hadn't heard before. It was ok, honesty there's nothing on here that stood out to me. I never wondered why I was listening, but I also never got excited about any of it. 2/10/26
It feels like there is something there I should like more but I just keep missing it in the repetitiveness.
I’ll be honest- I had to pause this to handle something at work, and legit forgot I had been listening to it. Got back to my desk and put on a podcast. Literally forgettable.
Like being shouted at by an angry friend in a busy pub. 2.5
This is a little worse than live at witch trials. I like the mix of electronic stuff and the first 2 songs are great but the second half of this album isn't great.
Liked the album, I was not acquainted with the Fall but will definitely be taking a closer look at their catalog (not like they haven't three albums in the list already). 8/10 [KEEP]
Pretty cool album, and kept me interested 3.5
Experimental post punk gods fifteen times over.
Me gustó, un sonido punk experimental con buenos riffs. Le pondría 3.5 si pudiera.
Liked it better than other Fall albums I’ve heard
Very listenable; no big hits and his voice isn’t great
Is it ragebait to listen to less than half the album and then hand out ones? LOL!
2.5
it had potential at the start but went nowhere with it
6/10
i just felt very uninterested.
I really like the gritty, guitar-based sound of The Fall. That rough texture and stripped-down approach are very much my thing. At the same time, I feel that truly understanding what makes this band special probably requires engaging closely with Mark E. Smith’s lyrics, and the British cultural context behind them — especially their working-class roots. Without being able to fully grasp those references, it’s hard for me to connect with the band on a deeper level. Still, tracks like “Glam Racket,” “It’s a Curse,” and “Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room” stood out to me.
Why do I keep getting garbage that sounds like this
The fall are a good band and should have an album here (they do have 2 more). But not sure why this album had to be one of them.
4.5
*Scan* sees the band centered around the guitar/bass/vocals axis of core Fall members Craig Scanlon, Steve Hanley and Mark E. Smith, providing pulse and drive to mostly-uptempo songs that touch upon dance music without getting lost in that genre's clichés. Chock-full of potent post-punk riffs throughout, this album delivers one punch after another, and MES sounds alive and invigorated here (well, as invigorated as person full of vinegar can be 😀.) An otherwise-excellent record, *Scan* does lose a star for the inessential and momentum-busting cover of "I'm Going To Spain" and there's-one-on-every-Fall-album self-indulgent weirdo track "Light/Fireworks". Skip those and you've got a killer disc.
Among other things they gave us some reggae
nice and boring
Un disco con el que por diversos motivos lograron ser populares, sin renunciar a su esencia. Algo similar le pasó por esa época a Julián Cope Se trata de una estupenda colección de canciones, con sonido compacto y letras incómodas como es habitual. Melodías muy buenas y por lo que fuera, lo publicaron en el momento justo. Por ejemplo los JAMCH venían de Honey´s dead y publicarían Stoned & Dethroned, a todas luces de inferior calidad que este disco. Lost in music es de las mejores, una gran versión del conocido tema de Sister Sledge. Glam-Racket es otra tajada a lo Love&Rockets. I´m going to Spain otra versión, reluciente. It´s a curse consigue despegarte del suelo. Paranoia man in cheap shit room ya la hubieran querido para ellos los JAMCH... Las guitarras suenan entre Pixies y Sonic Youth, la verdad es que aquí The Fall eran una gran banda. Y la racha sigue con Service y ese piano House!! ¿The Fall meets Happy Mondays? Nada que ver con el revolcón raver de Past gone mad. Light/Fireworks es un cierre extraño, pero apunta a donde irían Primal Scream en apenas dos discos. Los bonus: Why Are People Grudgeful? es una fusión entre el People Funny Boy de Lee Perry y People Grudgeful de Joe Gibbs, en los albores del reggae. No aportan mucho. League Moon Monkey Mix que es una version de su propio The League of Bald-Headed Men, más electrónica y bailable. Mark desatado. Si quieres un disco con el que empezar con The Fall, este puede serlo. Las letras, como siempre geniales. Los dos siguientes son igualmente recomendables.
Best Song: Lost in Music Yeah, I didn't really enjoy this. The band sounds good. The singer sucks. And I don't mean that like in a, "that's not my thing," kind of way. This is more of a the singer is monotone and boring. His lyrics may be all Avant Garde and all that but, in the end, I was too annoyed to notice. I would give it a 1 out of 5 but the band (bass player especially) sound really good. 2/5.
unfortunately, off-beat singing is cool to a point. banging instrumentals tho favorites: i'm going to spain; service
Listened to most of it because I was working. Not very good
Meh
Man this was pissing me off for awhile until it became listenable a few tracks in. This is one of the better UK alt punk albums we've gotten even though its not a high bar. I liked I'm Going to Spain, minus the vocals. I feel like this whole album would benefit with a different voice entirely, but maybe that defeats the purpose. Its over my head.
Wasn’t really digging this until Glam Racket. At this point I realized the lead singer is the guy from The Glitter Freeze by Gorillaz and then I really dug that song. After that the album dropped off again. But hey Glam Racket was dope! And I actually really enjoyed Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room too!
🤷♂️.. kann nicht viel damit anfangen
Favorite Track: Lost In Music
i like how 80s yet undated this feels even with the 90s origin
I was wondering if I’d grown out of my “this is too British” phase. I hadn’t.
Sometimes something really gets under your skin and you can't tell why you really hate it.
I think to earn a high rating, your frontman has to sound like he gives a shit. It's not all dreck, but I don't expect to come back to this one much
The Fall are probably the most marmite-y of all bands (and if you don’t get that reference then you are really going to struggle when they include lyrics about Spangles and Vimto). The quintessential post punk Manchester band, fronted by Mark E Smith and featuring a huge roster of members over the years, including your granny on bongos. Their music ranges from straightforward rock, to electronica, to borderline unlistenable experiments recorded on an old cassette player. The albums vary wildly in quality and tone, but the one constant feature is the lyrics and unique vocals of Smith himself. For somebody that looked a bit like an old tramp on a bench outside the Arndale Centre he was one of the most literate and sometimes baffling poets of the last 50 years. It really pays dividends to follow along on the annotated Fall lyrics website to check the references and allusions, from 70s sweets (Spangles and Curly Wurlies) to Manchester landmarks, folklore, literature and weird science. Highlights include The League of Bald Headed Men about old blokes who really should know better going to raves and a sublime cover of Lost in Music where Smith’s idea of a working day starts at a relaxed 10am in the morning. Manc-tastic-ah!
i’m shocked but not in a good way. A couple songs left me speechless because of how bad they were.
This seems smart.
Good
Great musicianship-uh, spoiled-uh by the inane ramblings-uh of Mark E. Smith-uh.
This band fucking rules
One I realized that word salad was what they were going for (and not me developing some sort of aphasia) I appreciated it more. I'm sure there are people who this album is for, but I'm not one of those people.
Slick, groovy, with just enough Smith snark to scratch that itch. Nice influence of rave and industrial on the often excellent rhythm tracks. First Fall album done back to back and I'll definitely be going back to it
Quit halfway through. The vocalist guy's voice sucked a bit too much for my enjoyment which is saying a lot since I'm not the biggest lyrics guy. Unlike releasing in 1993 this albun gave me 80s rock vibes which was interesting decision and definitely made it unique, however it didn't result in a quality album. It was unfortunately too much of a mess. 2/5
There’s interesting stuff on here, but it’s messy.
Very poor vocals IMO (mostly talking/yelling?) but the instrumentals were pretty good.
2.25
Second album by The Fall that I've had so far and the second one I've really liked. They're definitely a marmite band but I think Mark E Smith is uniquely great
There is no reason for this to be on the list except for the authors on bias
I've always meant to listen to the Fall. The influence, the chaos. I never get there. Enjoyed this though. High 2s.
Not half bad!
Mark E. Smith leverer linjene med like mye edge og bitt som alltid, men musikken innarbeider elementer fra dance / disco og dream pop, og er derfor litt mindre skranglete og weird. Jeg skjønner ikke at denne er valg over Hex Enduction Hour, som jeg holder som deres beste, men er egentlig glad for at de gjorde plass til denne, for det er ikke gitt at jeg ville hørt den ellers (jeg er ikke noen completionist når det kommer til discographier). Kanskje det er et tegn på at jeg i hvert fall burde grave dypere i The Fall.
Dette er mitt andre The Fall-album og nå kan jeg si at jeg er fan. De har beveget seg over i noe mer dance. Vil tippe man kunne DJ-a en liste med både The Fall, Happy Mondays og Azctec Camera. Jeg syns ikke kvaliteten er like jevn som på The Nation's Saving Grace. Jeg tramper utålmodig med foten og kikker på klokka mens "Light/Fireworks" spiller, og jeg merker mot slutten at jeg har antydning til å gå lei av snakkevokalen til Mark E. Smith. Men heldigvis har plata nok høydepunkter til at den er mest god. Selv etter det lille søkket jeg var nedi, så kommer "Why Are People Grudgeful" og redder dagen. Side A har de fleste høydepunktene, med "Ladybird" som kunne vært en litt sen Iggy Pop-perle, og "Lost In Music" skulle kanskje fått meg ut på dansegulvet om den hadde kommet på en fuktig natt. Gleder meg til mer The Fall
Failed gimmick
That's not my taste in music - But ok
I liked it. I heard a lot of Lcd sound system in this album.
This is a really good album. Not my favourite period of The Fall musically, but this album benefits from a mix that makes Mark E Smith’s lyrics more discernible than they often are, plus it’s something of a concept album with an anti-nostalgia/governance by the aged theme.
Musically OK although a little repetive at times with chords repeated seemingly ad infinitum. I know it's their style, but I just don't like the almost monotonal, slurred vocals.
catchy. i really dont mind his voice
I'm not sure why but I love this album! Great post-punk riffs with Mark E. Smith singing/talking over them. Once you hear a few songs you immediately recognize others by them/him.
I'm disappointed by this. I like some of The Fall's early stuff, but this is nothing great. Why does this list chose random albums from good artists?
I do not like your tone It has ephemeral Whinging aspects Felt like a sarcastic book to music. But I confess to not listening to side 2.
Help! I've Fallen and I can't get to the end! Just too long. They are all right, but not great, and this was way too much of them. Without hearing this in close conjunction to the other Fall album we had (which I'm not willing to do right now because I couldn't even get to the end of this one), I don't quite know if there's any real difference between them to know if we are listening to an evolution of them or if this is just the Elvis Costello syndrome.
I quite enjoyed the music but was so badly put off by the lyrics and vocal performances. Credit to Mr. Fall for addressing criticism of his unique vocal stylings on "It's A Curse" - however, I still can't get over the "ephemeral whinging aspects". The lyrics totally lost me in each song - they oscillated from abstract to on-the-nose in the way of a pretentious slam poet. Finally, the cover of "Lost in Music" was woeful. I think it was a bold choice to cover a disco classic with a frontman who has an ephemeral whinging voice, but it simply took all the joy out of the original.
Seemed like an okay album
was not vibing with any
I could have made a better album using samples from drunk karaoke singers and recording need for speed background music.
ok I guess 3
First 5 star
Easily one of the worst albums I’ve ever listened to. Why they thought it would be a good idea to add lyrics to the already monotonous tones I had the displeasure of experiencing I may never know. Hope I never have to listen to this ever again, especially fireworks, you suck.
Fun fact: Mark E. Smith threw at a bottle at Mumford and Sons when they and The Fall were performing at the same festival. Extremely on brand. Also, Mumford and Sons fucking suck lol Anyway, you either love or hate The Fall I think. I had never heard this one (they are prolific af), it's pretty kick ass though.
Singer dude tries too hard to be Mick Jagger while the band seems obsessed with The Cure. Didn’t love it.
Another bad British rock album. Yawn. Why is this even here? They tried some things, but they didn't work clearly.
Vocals take a bit to warm up to but this rocks.
Just had another Fall album a few days ago - Live At The Witch Trials which had improved to my ears with age. This likewise appeals to me more now than it would have done when released. In all honesty I wouldn’t have given it a second thought then unless I’d heard a track on the radio. But that was easy to do given the exceptional number of albums they released. This is their 17th and went to release 31 studio albums. A remarkable feat and deserving of their place on this list if not always a favourite of mine. But I enjoyed this album particularly their take on the dance classic Lost In Music. Saw the song title before hearing the track and thought it could never be the Sister Sledge classic. Just shows how diverse The Fall were. 3/5 7/1/26
It is The Fall and your opinion is invalid.
The first half was really good instrumentals with a guy mumbling on top. Last song was awful. I did enjoy the second half, especially It’s A Curse and Paranoia Man In Cheap Shit Room, more. I think the vocals need to be clearer over the music, as they don’t really work for me when everything is on the same level. I’ve never listened to The Fall before and on the second half I can really see how Datblygu were influenced by them. (Am aware this album came out towards the end of Datblygu’s run, assume older Fall songs use this emphasised speaking style too) I know a lot of bands I like were influenced by them and I can appreciate them for that, but I think the ways other bands built on their ideas are more interesting to me than the original. Based on this album anyway.
Instruments were good but the singing lacked — too much talking not enough vocals
i am not nearly enough plugged into the history of the fall to know if the almost Shiny sound of this record was an abrupt shift, but it definitely sticks out compared to the general cultural idea of the band. my fave songs are the most synth heavy ones, with the dreamy A Past Gone Mad in particular maybe being my new fave track ive heard from the band (tho im not the most well listened). it all reveals itself to be a surprisingly natural fit, creating all sorts of new timbres (and drumbeats!) for mark e smith and co to deploy on their hypnotic, frustrating, but bizarrely satisfying song structures. i used to talk to someone who once listened to nothing but the fall for over a month and tbh i'd believe it if they still hadnt recovered...in being so proudly "anti-musical" they somehow captured a lot of music's basest pleasures. looking forward to getting some of their more traditional records, but u know i love when a rock band discovers synthesizers!!!
Covers and originals, 15th album, GBV or eels of britain Paranoia man in cheap shit The league of bald-headed men
There was one song where my ears slightly pricked up as if to say "Oh, there's something kinda interesting about that" but the level of interesting was so kinda that it didn't justify getting off my bum to note what song it was.
3 out of 5. Better than I was expecting.
Kinda generic and grungy. Eh.
I loved it! It was as though The Mothers of Invention were impregnated by Lou Reed and the baby was put on steroids.
So Lost In Music is a wonderful and unexpected cover of the 70's disco song, and the crown jewel of this collection. But there are many other gems in this 12 song collection that 32 years later are still bringing a smile to my lips RIP MES
I have never wanted to tell a lead singer to shut the fuck up more than I have listening to this album.
I can't stand this band!
better than I expected
What a collection of interesting music absolutely dogshitley ruined by some mumbling.
Generic post-punk with ok instrumentation and horrible singing. 2.5/5
I was excited when I saw this album pop up today. More disco/dance rock than the fast, loud punk on their first album. Not quite as good but I still very much enjoyed it. Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room is an all time song title. Lights / Fireworks was a great finish, what a weirdo
Spot on, I like this! I know I’ve heard of The Fall, but never given them a proper listen. Chalk it up an edgy youthful ignorance. There’s a lot of good here. I will go again.
Did not finish
First time listening to this album. I do like some songs by The Fall but nothing here really stood out. Interesting sound but towards the end it got tiresome 2/5
Meh, this was alright. I liked the 90s vibe and the picture of the artist on spotify had some Trainspotting vibes 3 stars
As always lyrically very funny. Lyrically though his voice isnt one you can warm to. Has to be a complete marriage between the interesting playing and smiths squawking. The cover of lost in music is inspired though and lifts this above the mundane
what the hell sure
The individual talent of each of these mediocre musicians doesn't come close to what's required to make up for the awful banal talk-singing of the garbage vocalist in this band. Each song is repetitious and has no reason to be longer than two minutes, let alone the 4 minute length of most of these songs. I didn't need to hear this album ever and I hope I forget it soon.
Not my bag of tea, but I can appreciate it...
Is this the album from an important band even if I’m not rapt in them? Assuming it is, 3. If it’s not 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiduNJG-Ltk Only Frank could truly hit the north.
To describe this as The Fall's most accessible (and commercially successful) albums is to describe an elaborately polished turd. This is the third (third!) Fall album that I have listened to for this project, and it still seems like an obscure joke that John Peel played on the British listening public. This album is the closest of the three to being a 'normal' record, which makes it, in my mind, far and away the least interesting. It doesn't even have the charm of weirdness (with the exception of 'Light/Fireworks'). I wonder what Nile Rodgers thought when he heard The Fall's cover of 'Lost in Music'. It's one thing if a cover adds some new perspective to the artistic legacy of a song or if earns a bajillion dollars to pay for a castle in Spain or a private space flight or lifetime's supply of hand-peeled grapes, but this is just shit.
Interesting sound with good beats and spoken word. Not the greatest singer but this has a place. Good for a workout
This album feels like poetry mixed with punk music. Either that sounds like something you’d absolutely love or absolutely detest. Also it will depend on how much you like/can stand Mark Smith’s singing. Personally I thought the whole thing was riveting
Interesting and reminded me of someone else but can't recall who I'm thinking of.
I may return to this band for the music but I did not like the vocals
A weird French album.
Not bad. I want to like this more, it reminds me of the dirty punk that came out of the 80s
Had some fun at first, but I don't like It's a Curse at All or Paranoia Man either. I'm not a fan of talking through the ENTIRETY of a song; it kind of annoys me, honestly. It can work sometimes, in moderation and in a controlled manner. I enjoyed the first two songs, and A Past Gone Mad as well. The formula for those works great. It would have been nice if the approach had been kept the same for the rest of the album. This could have easily been a 3 if the same energy resonated in all the songs, but the vocals make me bump it down to a 2. The instrumental is the only reason the rating does not go any lower. This is just not for me. I can see the appeal it has for other people, though; I am just not part of that group, unfortunately. My least favorite is by far Light/Fireworks. It feels more like an intermission than a song, which would not necessarily be a bad thing if it also had the length of an intermission, not a full-on song. It is funny, though, that the only part that resembles an actual song is the length of an intermission. Maybe that was the intention, and maybe I am just stupid.
Seems like the singer just randomly and incoherently blurts shit out, just terrible. Great there’s two more albums to look forward to from them on the list.
The curse makes me want to pull my ears off. Musically everything is fine but I am not a fan of the vocal delivery for the vast majority of the album. Low/mid 2
I finalised realised what this reminds me of and it's I Like Trains' new style. I think I could get into it.
Nothing particular of interest. 1993 album recorded by punk band. Sounds like b-side alternative music from the 80's. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs
Not my cup of tea
Not bad
Interesting, but didn't really appeal to me.
The Fall-asleeps.
Enjoyed it - bit melancholy, but decent
Marc E. Smith is the GOAT and this record shows that even after a decade of great records The Fall where still able to produce a great album.
it’s not that the album is bad it’s just that it’s horrifically boring. killed me to finish it. background instrumentals were often nice but that was about all. biggest issue is the album sounds like it came out the 80s even though it’s a 90s album. nothing wrong with that but i personally hate 80s music. the guy’s vocals are slightly irritating but not as bad as other reviewers made it seem. perhaps i don’t love the low production value either but the debut strokes album is also quite raw and is my favorite album. also unrelated but what the hell is that album cover. so ugly. i’d rate 2.5 if i could but between a 2 and a 3 it’s more deserving of a 3 because clearly thought and effort went into it.
fryworks dockness bundting bright.
Love the music, hate the singing
This is the best version of Lost In Music ever. I love the Fall.
I'ma be so honest, this album when compared to all these others is dog water. Like sure its good club music or like house / EDM for mixing but it is honest and truly so musically meh and they are just saying some shit like bro be so fr this album is not making anyones desert island list.
it's the fall, it's noise, it's not awful
Not even their best and still better than most other bands.
Accessible disaffection, propelled by huge bass Favourite tracks: Glam-Racket, I'm Going To Spain, Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room
After getting their debut album, we now jump all the way to The Fall's FIFTEENTH album. Did post-punk survive the 90's? A resounding no. I could've listened to this at release and told you that it sounded dated even back then. The band itself sounds fine enough, but Mark E. Smith's vocals just drag everything down I'm afraid. I tried, but couldn't find anything redeeming here.
Another Fall album! This challenge is really helping me dig into their vast catalogue, and today’s listen was The Infotainment Scan. I really enjoyed this one. It’s an easy, engaging listen with fantastic lyrics and a surprising amount of musical variety. The bonus Peel Session tracks on the extended version were a real treat too. This is definitely an album I’ll return to. Favourite track: The cover of “Lost in Music” is brilliant—The Fall give the Chic classic a totally new dimension. I also loved “Why Are People Grudgeful?”, even if it technically only appears as a bonus track on the CD version. Great tune regardless. Least favourite track: Honestly, every track is worth a listen. Album artwork: Not a fan. The blur effect doesn’t work for me—I’m much more into clean, simple album covers.
I don't really see the "post punk" aspect of this album. It was pretty bad.
It's kind of interesting, but very much one-note, and I don't think I could listen to it with much attention. I hope the other albums of theirs don't share this style 1:1
I didn't like this album, while the musicians are excellent, the singing is too one tone and overall there was not one song that was stuck in my head. It's post punk with a flavor of early 90s sound which isn't great.
Peak Post Punk
Past Gone Mad was great, rest was fine
I had low expectations but o actually really likes this! Somehow they put all their choas into a pot and stir it around and something pretty good comes out.
Listened to the fall a bit while living in the UK- I figured John Peel couldn’t be wrong. Bought 50000 Fall Fans compilation and loved some and couldn’t stand some. This album feels more cohesive and interesting. On first listen I can see this putting people off but give it time and it will start to make sense. Or not.
When the cover of Lost in Music started, I had an extremely vivid image in my mind of a very drunken uncle at a wedding dancing with his eyes closed, swaying under the disco lights and forgetting all about his diabetes and prostate problems. Magical.
i tend to like bad singers, and my rating reflects that. i'd rather someone be themselves than strive to be perfect. This guy really goes for it.
Very, very average. Yet another UK album that wasn't big outside of the UK. There's sooo many of those in this project.
Ein bissiges, eigenwilliges Album mit typischem Mark E. Smith-Sound. Highlights wie „Glam-Racket“ und das ironische „Lost in Music“-Cover stechen hervor. Leider wirken einige Tracks unfertig und monoton. Für Fans interessant, für Neulinge sperrig. Solide, aber kein Meilenstein.
Second Fall album and the last within their included discography. These late-career picks have always been interesting to me because of their relative scarcity, so I'm keen to crack this one open. I don't actually remember much about my previous Fall album. I think it had a harsh, gothic sound to it, though I'm not confident in my memory. Okay. I immediately remember this sound, though I remember Live at the Witch Trials being a much harsher jig than this one. This was pretty alright. I'm not sold all the way, but it suceeds at holding my attention with some pretty interesting sounds. The guitars are a consistent highlight, though other embellishments like the piano and synths are also pretty good. The vocals are a bit of a polariser, though they never got to the point where they were an active detriment to my enjoyment. "Lost in Music" is pretty alright. It's very of-the-time with those distinctive 90s pianos, but it works quite well with the cool, confident guitarwork. The vocals aren't all bad, either. "I'm Going to Spain" is pretty cool. I like the dark synths in the background and the shoegazey guitars are a nice addition. I also quite like the lighthearted chorus. "It's a Curse" has some cool, confident guitars. "Service" has some funky pianos, and I appreciate the jittery backing track, too. It packs a surprising punch. Book time. Very good, though that's about it. Wikipedia says that this album was regarded as their most accessible and was released during a period of increased attention for the band. Modest critic backing, too. Yeah, I think this is a fine album to include, though I get the impression that there are bigger fish within their discography. Still, I appreciated this one. I cosign the inclusion.
Fav: I’m Going To Spain Least Fav: Light / Fireworks I feared spoken word with a punk backing. What I got was… that, but also some bops that made the spoken word stuff work
This is excellent, haven't explored this era of the Fall as much but it's some good stuff. Service is a very unique song and sound in their catalogue.
Felt like I was just listening to radio fuzz after a while. 2/5
I don’t listen to the live version but I wasn’t totally impressed ~ might revisit though and that curiosity lends itself to to 3 stars
Ive loved the other music I have heard from The Fall, but this one isnt it for me. I like the guitarwork and the sound is something I would enjoy, but sadly it does not come together that well, which makes it not very memorable at all.
Like the music the talk singing was a little too much the songs all kind of blended together as well. Reminded me of the Stranglers but less catchy
Fine
8 Dunno why I never listened to this fall album before. Haven’t listened to a fall album all the way through for SO LONG but I should do it more often!! What a cool one good times with mark E
⛳️
Pretty interesting stuff here. I liked it.
Pretty good listen
Polished Fall is fun, I enjoyed this, though a restive kid and busy day allowed me a measly single playthrough. “Im Going To Spain” particularly delighted me on this run.
The only Fall album I owned when it came out. Contains one of my favorite Fall songs, "Paranoia Man In Cheap Shit Room", and many other great tunes. Hard to say which is their best but this is up there with Hex, Extricate and Oranj for me.
I forgot The Fall would be on this list. I was so close to skipping this - I absolutely hated them, growing up. Despite that, I get *why* they're here - anyone that John Peel rated is worthy of note and has merit, even if I personally don't like them. Anyway, this was a better experience than I expected. The songs are, mainly, groovy - even poppy - enough for me to let the atonal thing wash over me. It's when his vocal combines with an equally tuneless song that I really can't get on board, no matter how clever, acerbic, etc etc it's all supposed to be. There wasn't too much of that here; I thought the guitar parts and pop rhythms were often really cool and interesting. Some parts did make me grimace, though.
Ok, but I’m not thrill
3.3 A bit 'out there' but made more sense on the second listening. The lazy style of the vocals does start to drag unless in the right mood - funnily enough I think it actually works really well on Lost in Music. I can see why someone could be really into it, I see why it should be included here, but I'm happier without this in my life.
LOST IN MUSIC
The first time I’ve ever listened to The Fall, and I was very pleasantly surprised. I think the legend of Mark E. Smith casts a long shadow, and it’s fully deserved - I don’t think there would be The Fall without him, but I also think that in some ways the band is good in spite of him. A bit like Shane MacGowan, the vocal delivery is somewhat questionable, but the lyrical content is outstanding, and you don’t get one without the other. Musically this is right up my alley, and the only thing stopping it getting a full house is there are too many experimental noise tracks that I didn’t enjoy, but it’s a good four, and definitely listening to more of them.
During my listening of it i realized i had already listened to it but forgot to review it… shows how unremarkable it was
I liked this more as I listened along. It’s a little bit strange with hints of LCD Soundsystem and the Tragically hip. Feeling generous so let’s put it on the 4 side of a 3.5.
Some good musicianship, and the instrumentals are great, but the singing lets the show down so badly.
I like this one a bit more than the first Fall record... Understand that is a bit sacrilegious but I think the musicianship is much stronger. Mark E Smith is a fantastic lyricist, don't mind the spoken word stuff but I swear he has started slurring his words here? Practically incoherent but it does work fairly well throughout. I think this is the maximum I can give one of these albums tbh it's just not my favourite style.
I found this difficult to really get into. I will say some of the music was cool (like on Ladybird and League of Bald-Headed Men) but something about the vocal delivery just put me off. I can see it's an acquired taste. Lyrically it was interesting at times, with the lyrics being what appeared as half poetry/half ramblings. Though I got the sense there's some meanings somewhere when I was reading some of the words.
The vocals sucked and I couldn't get into the instrumentals.
Feels ahead of its time. Probably won't revisit though.
Like a toothache, but in your ear. It’s confused and disjointed, without confused disjointedness being a natural center to their identity.
Not my cup of tea. Every song sounds similar, the singer didn’t have strong vocals. Lyrics didn’t blow me away.
Very unique, but not something worth the casual listen. You’d have to be in a specific mood for this type of music. Cool instrumentals but lyrics can be… odd?
Forgettable rock. Singer sounds like Mick Jagger speaking.
Idk man I was thinking about something else the entire time
Not my cup of tea.
not my deal
Ok
I would have liked this back in the day. Has a sound that is familiar to the sounds of other bands that I enjoy…
напомнил recoil и депеш
I picked through this album and didn’t find anything really to like. No favorites.
Have great love for The Fall. This record would not be my choice for the 1001. Hope to see Hex Induction, Nations Saving Grace and a few more offered for consideration.
Too many UK albums of middling talent on this list
not my fave.
1. I think I’ve heard of The Fall before but never really listened to much of their music 2. This Spotify artist synopsis is so much word vomit about literally everything this band ever did 3. Seems that the band is centered around the vocalist and has actually been playing for the better part of 40 years until he died in 2018 4. His vocals are very drawl-y where you can barely understand half of his words, not exactly my preferred 5. Smith often goes on long free-form “rants” which remind me kind of LCD Soundsystem (who apparently is one of the “acknowledged disciples” of Smith) 6. It’s weird that despite being a 70s post-punk band (which had their heyday in the 80s) that the album chosen is from the early 90s which seems past their “prime” (artist description even mentions this album didn’t sell that well but did have good reviews) maybe it’s just the “I actually like this niche album of theirs” 7. The only Top 10 song of theirs in terms of listens/popularity is Lost In Music while everything else doesn’t even have that many plays. To me it’s… fine? If this is the greatest the album has to offer maybe The Fall just isn’t for me 8. Glam-Racket is kind-of good? I like the music backing and the vocals are slightly more interpretable 9. I find this album somewhere between the middle-ground of I don’t really care for it, it’s actually not that bad, and maybe I kinda like a couple of songs. Overall pretty mid to be honest I suppose 10. The League of Bald Headed Men is kinda fun and good guitar backing 11. Feels like there isn’t much variation in this album in terms of music backing or vocals, which is kinda disappointing reading the band’s synopsis about how they blend across so many genres 12. What the hell, Mancunian means from Manchester??
seemingly neverending, would be good for a drive in a big city at night I feel like. Is occasionally bizarre but not a bad sound at all
6.5/10
Previously rated: #466 - This Nation’s Saving Grace (2/5) #855 - Live At The Witch Trials (2/5) *********************************************** Album #944 Again, like the previous album of theirs I listened to, the vocals ruin anything positive going on here. It's like they think it's super uncool to put any effort into them. Well, some of us would appreciate it very much. The music can be decent in spots, but they run it into the ground with repitition, and the songs don't seem to progress or go anywhere. I can pretty confidently say now that I'm not a fan of The Fall at all.
The last Fall album I got from the generator was Live at the Witch Trials, with which I really struggled. I wanted to like it and enjoyed the post-punk feel of the backing tracks, but I just couldn’t get past the singing. This time around with the Infotainment Scan everything feels much more accessible and the singing isn’t nearly as grating to me. There’s a pretty weird progression to this album too. It starts off with pretty straight forward post-punk, but more and more electronic and dance elements start to reveal themselves. A bit of a strange mix, but it kind of works. Overall, I enjoyed this one and I might need to give Live at the Witch Trials another spin to see if it was as difficult and unenjoyable to listen to as I remember.
Wild
Starts slow but becomes absolute banger towards the mid point
This was really not what I expected from earlier The Fall albums. But man was it cool.
Please be serious.