Live At The Witch Trials

On my first listen, I approached with caution after hearing about The Fall's thorny and abrasive reputation. I enjoyed "Frightened", and then spent the rest of it trying to decipher Mark E Smith's incendiary rants. On my second listen, I started to lose hope that I'd find anything rewarding in "Live at the Witch Trials". It was initially intriguing, but quickly wearisome and seemed more like something to appreciate at arm's length. But then, on my third listen, I was suddenly confronted by the stench of sausage meat, docklands debris, dusty paperbacks and fermented whiskey. I turned round to see the ghost of Mark E Smith, hunched in the doorway and scowling at the books on my shelf. He had absolutely nothing to say to me, but I thought I'd better make conversation. I let him know I was listening to "Live at the Witch Trials" and struggling to enjoy any of it. "Why are you pissing away your time listening to something you haven't the brains or the balls for?" "Well, it's part of this online album generator, it's in the book of 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die". "I always hated those fucking books. Imagine having to be told what to listen to- does this Robert Dimery bloke tell you how to get dressed or wank yourself off as well? Anyway, who the fuck would bother with all that nonsense? I can tell you now that the whole list will invariably be total shite." I steeled myself and pressed on. Told him I couldn’t really connect with the album's format. It degenerated into repetitive, one-note ranting, was poorly produced, had no display of musical skill, and was hindered rather than helped by its "recorded-in-one-day" slapdash feel. He rolled his ghostly eyes to the back of his ghostly head and said I reminded him of all the bum-boys at NME. After some more staggered back-and-forth, I thought I should try and look for common ground. "Do you want to hear what I have given five stars?" "Not really." "The Smiths- The Queen Is Dead." "Never could stand them. Pseudo-intellectual snivelly pap." "Pavement- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain." "Those rip-off twats have never had an original fart, never mind a song." "The Beatles- Abbey Road." "What the fuck is this, 'Music To Be Breastfed To'?" I gave up after that. He did a very deep sigh, and reached for a swig of my beer but just poured it onto the carpet ("I'm always doing that", he said). He told me he really didn't care what I - or anyone on this website, for that matter - thought. He told me that we were all insignificant to him, he's a legend and we never will be, that if I didn't get it and would prefer to listen to The Beatles it's my fault, not his. So, all things considered, I don't feel remotely bad giving this two stars. Sometimes infamy and reputation just can't account for personal preference.

If you're not in the mood, this is just a drunkard singing pub songs. But i'm always in the mood, and when you are, this is one of the most most clever artist. Those bass-lines are proper good. It has a perfect mix of the madchester funkyness mixed with post punk. RIP.

Close to what I like but not exactly

Snarling, growling, like a dog in the corner, Mark E Smith is utterly terrifying, all bark and all bite as the band make incredible post punk. I think this might be genius. I think this might be a work of art.

Easily one of the greatest album titles ever. I’m not sure it’s the best Fall record, but it’s a damn fine one and makes a for a good intro to the the band. If you like this one, check out Hex Induction Hour, which, surprisingly, isn’t on this list.

For a while I was waiting for traditinal songcraft to emerge from the assembled disorder of these boldly struck notes. But after spending a few moments considering the title Industrial Estate, I reckon cascading riffs, tumbling drums and vocals on the point of jumping up and running out of the room are better when only loosely connected. To borrow a phrase from Chuck Eddy, call it soundcraft.

We are the Fall Northern white crap that talks back We are not black. Tall. No boxes for us. Do not fuck us. We are frigid stars. We were spitting, we were snapping "Cop Out, Cop Out!" as if from heaven. PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREFS: RIEN

A surprisingly decent, very old album. Has meaningful and cryptic lyrics with an abrasive sound throughout

I like the energy and attitude, but the songwriting just isn’t there in most cases. I could see later albums by this band really growing into something cool, but this debut just doesn’t do it for me

Bit shite and it just goes on and on

nope

Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 16/20 Innovation: 17/20 Bangers: 20/20 Emotional response: 16/20 =82 Fuckin crackin mate

I am pretty sure that I don't like this album at all, but I was in a peculiar mood on my walk this morning and found myself laughing at a couple of moments that I guess I found absurd...so maybe that is a sign that there is something there. On second listen...I was right, I really don't like this album.

cool

All I could think while I was listening was wow, what a strong debut album. I feel like the opening lyrics to 'Mother - Sister!' really encapsulates this album in the best way. "Er, what's this thing about? Er, nothing." I feel like the artists didn't worry about hitting you over the head with a message or conforming to what might have been expected from a debut album, they just created a series of rocking songs from start to finish. Some might dismiss it as sounding like drunken rambling at times, but I think that's what makes the album special.

Wow I more knew of The fall and Mark E Smith before, but damn I loved that. Raw but crucially great tunes and lyrics, middle of the album sagged a little, but was great!

Abrasive, challenging, raw and so rewarding. Recorded in one day (!) in 1979 (!!) and sounds so fresh Added to my library, and set me off on an exploration of The Fall. Loved this!

Unstoppable energy. Killer rhythm section. Strong standouts like "Two Steps Back" and the album closer "Music Scennnnn-eh" really show Mark E. Smith's casual vitriol. (Find the 1979 version of this if you're new to The Fall - spotify version has 21 tracks and then bludgeons you with a second disk of live sessions. I love the lads, but that was too much even for me . . .)

never heard oof this band before but this album is most definitely going into my rotation. such a good early punk album.

About two years ago, I found my 'in' with The Fall. It was The Infotainment Scan. I tried this, their debut years ago and couldn't get into it, but this time I loved it. Sarky, angular, and 'difficult'. But difficult meaning it's trying to push you away in a way that only gets you more interested.

Although this is not an actual live album, despite the name, it really does have a raw, live feel due to its stripped-down, low-budget production. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite post-punk albums and The Fall’s debut. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by their extensive discography, this is a great starting point. Besides the raw and gritty production and early punk elements, I love the keyboard work on this album. It adds so much texture and depth to the music, providing catchy and melodic hooks. And you can’t forget about Mark E. Smith’s vocals. When I say “singing,” I mean that very loosely. Smith is a master at delivering his vocals in the laziest way imaginable. It’s almost like spoken-word commentary mixed with humming and moaning to the music, but somehow it works perfectly. His vocal style is truly the driving force behind the band’s identity.

How have I never heard this? Loved it, will listen again for sure. It was noisy and fun.

The Mighty Fall! Didn't know this first album, but as good as e.g. Wonderful & Frighening World of and Kurious Oranj. Saw them live once and was amazing, Mark E Smith made sure everything rhymes by e.g. putting "Uh" after each word, my FriendsUH dont count up to one HandUH!. 5 stars!

Just so completely insane and brilliant.

New band to me, love it!!

what a fun album, really weird style but I loved it 10/10

The Fall and McCarthy/Stereolab are the best European bands from the 80s-90s. The generator already did a Stereolab, and now we get the debut Fall album. You could argue perhaps that later Fall songs were a bit more instant-melodic (LA / Hit the North etc) depending on which of the 1000 Fall members was in the band at a certain time, but these are just epsilon-differences. Life at the Witch Trails already sounds as the definitive Fall album. 10/10

Non-linear as MES is, already top form, we get a brief interpolation of our normal human calendar in Christmas song. You can read in the essence of a live album, a rhythm section drowning all else out. Skeletal but wonderful.

Love the fall and love this album

nice

Unmistakeably the Fall and the tones of Mark E once you get past the attitude and toneless tirade is quite mesmeric. The band is marginally better than a pub band and the production sounds like it was mixed in someone's shed. But at the end of the day it's The Fall.

i wish i'd been in the fall. i'd probably have been booted out after a couple of weeks of taking shit form MES but still, what a badge of honour.

A raucous, melodic good time. Melodies and countermelodies balance the punk aggression without muting it in the slightest.

Love The Fall! They're prolific as hell and I don't think this is their best, but it's still great. A very biased 5 since I doubt they have many albums on the 1001.

Genius. Should be on the curriculum.

Can't believe this come out at 79, greatest discovery so far

Rough shod and angry, not an easy listen at all and far from their more polished ( if the Fall could ever be called polished) later work. Grows on you with each listen. Mark E. Smith was a genius

So unrefined, and raw. For a punk album it captures the essence quite well.

Such an incredible first album by this band. Industrial Estate is probably the stand out track or maybe Music Scene is. Anyway the blueprint for just about everything I like about The Fall is here somewhere all ready and perfectly formed. Who would have known just how prolific Mark E Smith would turn out to be. I'm looking in my music collection and I have almost 70 albums by The Fall. This is a definite 5 stars.

Great album. Was playing while riding to work and another cyclist complimented me on my choice of album; so I told her it was my first time with it because of 1001atltbyd lol

Unhinged, weird, but I kinda loved it in all honesty. I think I prefer this one to another The Fall album the generator gave me a month or so ago, This Nation's Saving Grace. Favourite: Mother-Sister! "-Uh, what's this song about?" "-Uh, nothin'."

This was pretty good.

It wasn't the easiest listening but I enjoyed it. I like punk and it was interesting to absorb some of it's origins.

It's a solid album. I honestly don't have too many thoughts other than I thought it was very good but not quite great.

This is a solid post-punk album. It doesn't particularly stand out to me from others in both good and bad ways.

Interesting as always

Sure

Had forgotten how good it is.

Incredible album. Mark E. Smith has an very unique voice. Top 3 Fall album. 8/10

As spot-on a post punk album as you'll find. Intense but properly pissy, full of prickly, bass-forward rhythms and stark, jagged guitars. I appreciate the band's start-stop, punk-inflected approach to pacing, with an effective use of both volume and speed that propels the listener through each song. The songwriting is less coherent than on later albums, but Mark E. Smith's delivery is so compelling, I'm not particularly bothered by it. For a first album this is pretty fantastic. Fave Songs: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, Futures and Pasts, Music Scene, Underground Medecin, Industrial Estate

This unrelenting cavalcade of Mancunian barks, carnival keyboards, incisive, elastic guitar work, and pervasive, post-punk percussion isn’t just up my alley; it IS my alley.

I think I need to listen to more stuff by the Fall.

I enjoyed this a lot. Great to hear Mark E Smith young and spritely and less gravely. I felt it was all pretty tight. Was sad one song wasn't actually about Donkeys not getting Christmas (John Quays etc). A punchy lil album this

Punk como melódico. Está bien. Un 4.

Pretty great! 2nd listen. Standouts: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, more…

punky goodness! or, well, post-punky goodness.

fun.primus punk. or more accurately primus is 90s this i guess. very unnerving mixes of tonality between bass and guitar. Big up these guys

Man, I enjoyed the hell out of that. It's about as punk as it gets so, if that's not your bag, it's gonna be a heavy listen. But it IS my bag and I loved every moment of it. It's clever, it's defiant, it's fun. It's everything I want out of my punk albums PLUS sharp social commentary. I got nothing but good feels for this one. It's a real shame they didn't keep this vibe and, instead, went down the post-punk electronica route on later albums.

Never listened to the Fall before. This had strong Television meets Sex Pistols vibes, but from the North of England. It was a good listen.

It's incongruous that I don't really know the music of the Fall. Late 70s early 80s alternative music is MY era, so why did the Fall escape my grasp? Anyhow my first listen to this album and I very much enjoyed it. It's got some dissonance that reminds me of PiL. Definitely has an avant-garde feel which might explain why it escaped my radar. But even using these descriptors it still had some accessibility. 3.75 🌟

The Fall je jebena grupa, underrated definitivno. Tko voli taj stari hladni britanski zvuk post punka? Ovo je za vas.

If you like punk rock you will like this album and it is as simple as that. As someone who enjoys it I like this album. I don't love it but I do like it. I really don't know how to describe how I feel about this album. It definitely is good but it also isn't like that enjoyable of an album to listen to. It is sort of like "Bone Machine" by Tom Waits in that way. It is a great work of art but not one that I won't come back to super often. Sort of like a great body horror movie like The Big Shave. It is a great piece of art but it is hard to watch. That being said I care a lot about how enjoyable a listen an album is and I can't say I enjoyed this album to the level of a lot of the other ones I have listened to. Solid 8/10 because I don't think it has that much replay-ability for me.

Excellent record, I was entirely grabbed by the repetitive rhythms, only to lose some attention in the second half.

I'm familiar with the eccentricities of Mark E Smith via the stories Adam Buxton tells on his podcast. He definitely sounded like a bit of a character and I think that uniqueness shines pretty well through on this. Punk aligned but also a major divergence from anything I've heard before (which on reflection is probably the point of Punk in the first place).

This the shit im looking for. Cool stuff ive never heard of.

actually quite liked this, do like a manchester band to be fair

I know this is hot garbage, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

I am actually starting to love the Fall, just a little bit

With Live at the Witch Trials, The Fall arrive to a bustling scene not only fully formed (in regards to the brutally antagonistic stance of one Mark E. Smith) but completely contemptuous and skeptical of everything and everyone around them. This album forms the blueprint that would occupy the band's point of view for nearly forty years, embodying the rejection of what's current and the embrace of what's everlasting. They may be Northern white crap that talks back but the only difference between them and us is that they have brains. Favorites: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, Industrial Estate, Two Steps Back, Futures and Pasts, Music Scene.

This album is like a progression from a cool buzz to shitfaced. This is really good, raw stuff from the 70's and tracked really well until the album fell off a cliff after the fourth track and devolved into nonsensical blabbering drivel by the end. I left this really disappointed because it started so strong.

Based on the title I was thinking "man The Fall are way tighter live than I thought" but the name is misleading as this is their debut studio album. None of the hits I know of are on this album, but overall it's a strong debut of what The Fall are all about: doing their own thing, saying what they wanna say, and doing it on their own terms.

I am not super familiar with The Fall, but whenever they pop up and I am hearing them, I definitely dig it. Just some great post-punk. Mark E. Smith rocks. Great listening to this first record of theirs.

Wow. This took me to places I never anticipated. I thought I vaguely knew The Fall, but playing Live At The Witch Trials I realized quickly that this band was not who I thought they were. This is like punk avant garde. After the first bunch of tracks, I realized that IDLES must be inspired by this shit. Two Steps Back was the turning point for me from interested to engaged. But I still can't completely describe the experience... it just sinks in. I'm not curious to hear more from this band. I wouldn't say I love this album, but I have definitely enjoyed the time together and would be agreeable to doing it again sometime 😘

Enjoyed this one. Punk rock vibes. Great lyrics. Love bass and drum parts.

Liked the album and it's fun to hear where all the post-punk bands I regularly listen to come from. 4/5

The roots of punk!

Pretty solid post-punk

Excellent opening track. It had such a good beat. Easy to follow along considering it was my first time hearing it. "I feel trapped by a mutual affection". The lyrics are so surreal and sound like you're on a trip. It's got a real underground punk sound. I'm really into it. The contrast of punk instrumentals to electronic sounds blends well. The sound makes me think of paranoia. It's very hectic and busy. No room to breath, it's just a constant flow of bonkers. It's a very eclectic album. I loved the intro to 'Mother-Sister!' I feel like the singer is on drugs. I think a better word is psychosomatic. I believe the electronic sounds might be a keyboard. Overall, I really loved this album and it was right down my alley. I will definitely listen to it again and add most of it to my playlist.

Rating:7/10 Best songs: Rebellious jukebox, No xmas for John Quays

Gott post-pönk. Stendur alveg fyrir sínu, enn þann dag í dag.

I've listened to some of The Fall's music but not enough. This album is really great. I love the off kilter guitars and organs, and Mark E Smith's rambling, interesting vocals are so good. You can hear their influence in so much of the post-punk I listen to.

I don't mind this at all.

Really enjoyed this one, especially from a band I hadn't heard before. Will get more play time from me, for sure!

Why aren't we burning witches anymore?

This is noisy and falling apart. That's a compliment. This is good.

This was my introduction to The Fall and I’m a fan. This is an excellent post punk album, I carried on listening to the extended version and live tracks as well. I liked the classic punk snarl delivery and sharp guitars. Didn’t find any of the tracks to be filler really, standouts for me were Rebellious Jukebox, Two Steps Back and Music Scene. Great stuff 4 stars

I like the Fall and this is a good one. My biggest issue with this album and the Fall in general is more isn't better. There output is impressive but there songs are highly repetitive. Still good stuff.

I'm only somewhat familiar with The Fall. I've heard This Nation's Saving Grace a long time ago, but I already forgot what it sounded like. I know, that sounds crazy, but it didn't click with me at the time. This album, however, clicked almost instantly. I'm excited to return to this one. I like the punk-ish sound it has. There were some areas that lost me, but for the most part it's good!

Post punk band that I didn’t really like when I first heard them back in the 80’s but have grown to really like (not all, but enough). Good example of their better stuff.

It’s as if whenever Mark E. Smith opens his mouth he is possessed by post-punk itself - also amphetamine - but mainly post-punk. The album opens perfectly with the hauntingly great “Frightened” that really helps set the tone for the entire record. Throughout I was mesmerized by Karl Burns’ erratic drumming. It really encapsulates almost everything I want in a punk drummer. Nothing short of phenomenal. There are a few misses along the way, but not once did I lose interest. What a stroke of luck that Mark E. Smith fell ill during the first days of recording. Being limited to only one day of recording must’ve been the main factor in the frantic vibe on this. And for that I’m glad.

Thought I was listening to the artic monkeys. Cool.

I'd never listened to this album before, but have liked everythibthing I heard from The Fall in the past. I thought this was great, interesting lyrics and a lot of interesting things going on musically. More complex than I was expecting for a punk band, I can see why they're considered so influential.

The Fall is my favorite kind of Post-Punk. The kind that is still pretty damn punk.

"Live at the Witch Trials" is the debut studio album by English punk/post-punk band The Fall. This album was recorded in a single day and mixed by Bob Sargeant. Impressive. At the time the album was released, only vocalist/guitarist Mark E. Smith remained from the original band formed in 1976. This is a unique and eerie sounding album. Both qualities I like in an album. Eerie guitars open "Frightened." An interesting, slower beat. He's in a trance from doing drugs. The drug-theme continues in "Crap Rap 2/Like To Blow." We're pretty much in punk territory here with the pace. Great bass. Scratching guitars. Smith screaming "I Like to Blow." The band gets more of a groove going in "Rebellious Jukebox." Great guitar chorus. A song very much of its late 70's/early 80's time. Smiths' stance against prevailing trends. They're back to drugs in "No Xmas for John Quays." And back to more straight-forward punk. A dark song. Hüsker Dü was listening. There is no Xmas for junkies. A high-pitched guitar starts "Industrial Estate." A punk beat. Smith commenting on the pollution from industry. I dug Smith's I-dont-give-a-fuck tone. He uses that quite a bit. "Futures and Pasts" is more pop-punk. A guitar sounding like a keyboard carries the melody. Smith offers a depressing view of both the past and future. Oh, how punk. And they continue the "Oh-how-punk" attitude on the album closer "Music Scene." Heavy bass and drums. Guitar sounding quite a bit like early P.I.L. A tirade against the music industry. They purposely made it 8-minutes long as a statement and to piss people off. They should have made it 25 minutes. I liked this album quite a bit. I've liked most things I've heard from The Fall. Bits sound like other bands but The Fall is very unique. I know there's a few more Fall albums upcoming and I'm waiting.

I enjoyed this much more than previous Fall albums I checked out, it actually made me laugh a bit. Loved Rebellious Jukebox and the "SIX MINUTES" in Music Scene was funny.

The title of this STUDIO album is either brilliant or idiotic. I can't quite figure it out. But the music itself is exceptionally fierce and thoroughly enjoyable. A post-punk album recorded in a single day sounds like an awful idea, but it's clear that all members must have practiced an insane amount prior to the recording session. Especially the playful drumming of Karl Burns stands out on this frantic, yet quite streamlined collection of tracks. While there are less enjoyable moments ('Industrial Estate'), the highs definitely outweigh the lows: the awesome changes in tempo on 'Mother - Sister!', the perfect opener 'Frightened' and the almost prototype mathrock on 'Rebellious Jukebox'.

A very cool album. O e that I missed back in the day but I'm happy to discover it at this late date. It does get a little avant garde here and there but it ne er loses its pop song way. 3.75 🌟

If this record was a person it'd be Johnny from NAKED. So a pretty good portrait of Mark E. Smith, then.

“An album of staggeringly rich, mature music, inner questioning hand in hand with rock and roll at its fiercest, its finest, its most honest, rock and roll at its naked, most stimulating prime.”

I guess this is punk without the aggressive/fast music. Also, the riff on the last track sounded like Republica's "Ready to Go"