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Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
1979
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!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.
Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 16/20 Innovation: 17/20 Bangers: 20/20 Emotional response: 16/20 =82 Fuckin crackin mate
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
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.
A surprisingly decent, very old album. Has meaningful and cryptic lyrics with an abrasive sound throughout
I guess this is punk without the aggressive/fast music. Also, the riff on the last track sounded like Republica's "Ready to Go"
Wreszcie powrot na lono wyspiarskie, gdzie tym razem wylosowalo post punkowa perelke, bo live at the witch trials to jeden z tych albumow, ktory raczej nie podejdzie szerokiemu gronu sluchaczy, ale tych ktorych zauroczyl zmieni w the fallowych fiendow, laknacych wiecej tego typu materialu, co stanowi o jego unikatowosci tego krazka, zaczynajac od tytulu, live at the witch trials, pasowaloby do zapisu jakiegos wystepu, ale jest to debiutancki numer grupy, a nazwa moze nawiazywac do tego, ze calosc zostala nagrana podczas jednodniowej sesji, co do samych livowych albumow, to w dyskografii zespolu jest ich 55 co z 31 albumami studyjnymi tworzy naprawde gigantyczna kolekcje, co jest w tym wszystkim najciekawsze jest to jak wygladal sklad grupy w przeciagu tych prawie 40 lat, jedynie wokalista i osoba odpowiedzialna za teksty byla czlonkiem ktory pozostal z orginalnej ekipy i zakonczyl swoj zywot jako ojciec zalozyciel bandy, dajac wystepy z wozka inwalidzkiego, po smierci Marka Smitha banda zakonczyla dzialanosc w 2k18, wiec juz to daje wskazowke gdzie bedzie lezec jedna z glowych sil zespolu, kontencie lirycznym, 38 minut materialu nagrania ma w sobie tyle pomyslow, ktorych ciezko szukac na calej dyskografii niektorych zespolow, tak patrze na ciebie U2 i radjohedzie, glownym poruszanym tematem sa narkotyki, z dosc wyraznym protestem przeciwko szuakniu wolnosci w niewoli substancji, co najlepiej slychac na trakach frightened, no xmas for john quays, jedna z lepszych gier slownych jakie widzialem w tytulach piosenek, ale nie jest plyta wylacznie o drugach, bo kawalki takie jak rebellious jukebox ladnie podsumowuje brytyjska scene muzyczna, porownojac ja do grajacej szafy, jest to jeden z najbardziej catchowych songow calej plyty, zwlaszcza fragment refrenowy i wykorzystane tam klawisze, ale co do powtorzen, to jest nawet caly kawalek na ten temat repetition, song stworzony zeby byl jak najbardziej monotonym songiem plyty, akurat nie pojawia sie na orginalnym wydaniu, ale spotifaj mial ultra giga deluxe z ponad dwoma godzinami materialu i prawdziwymi livowymi nagraniami, niestety wiekszosc w dosc garazowej jakosci, repetition moglby byc nihilistycznym hymnem stwierdzajacym nijakosc wszystkiego wokol, jak na post punka to nie moglo zabraknac takze tematow zwiazanych z nierownosciami spolecznymi, zwlaszcza jesli chodzi o los klasy pracowniczej jak na kawalku industrial estate, wiec jest czego sluchac, a przygrywa temu dosc klasyczny sklad, bo gitarka, basior, drumy i klawisze, ktore najbardziej sie wybijaja na tle innych instrumentali i czuc ich obecnosc, pewnie dlatego tez pan Pawlett ktory na nich gra pojawia sie jeszcze na kilku materialach bandy, ale jak na material nagrywany podczas jednej sesji to nie ma sie za bardzo czego przyczepiac do reszty ekipy, produkcja odwalila takze kawal dobrej roboty, majac porownanie sluchajac prawdziwych livowych wersji, instrumenty sa wyraznie zaznaczone na kanalach, a jednoczesnie czuc buntowniczy charakter i lajwowosc nagrania na orginalnym wydaniu, plyta z pewnoscia przekonala mnie do zapoznania sie z reszta tworcznosci the falla i sama persona jej zalozyciela i osobe wokol ktorej sie zespol obracal Marka Smitha, co do kawalkow ktore leca na plejke, to beda to otwierajacy frightened, swiateczny songers i powtorzeniowy majstersztyk
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 🌟
Really enjoyed this one, especially from a band I hadn't heard before. Will get more play time from me, for sure!
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!
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.
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 🌟
“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.”
Great punk elements throughout, a little too free form for my tastes but can definitely appreciate the sound they were going for
New wave/post punk. It's lacking the post-punk sound both in instrumentation and vocals, and is quite safe tonally. 5/10, lukewarm.
Ja gut, das alles klingt, gemessen an den vielen großen Würfen des späteren Outputs noch recht statisch, Mark E. Smiths Sneer ist noch unterentwickelt und auch rumpeln tut es noch nicht so schön. Wenn auch Schlagzeug und Bass schon damals wussten wo sie hin wollten und wie lange der Kaugummi kaut. Aber da musste man ja auch erstmal drauf kommen, 1979 in einem untergehenden England, und eine vage Idee gibt mir dass ja auch Smith einer der ca. 45 oder so Besucher des legendären Sex-Pistols-Gigs in der Lesser Free Trade Hall im Juni 1976 war (sonst noch dabei: halb Joy Division, die Buzzcocks, Morissey, Tony Wilson und natürlich Mick Hucknall), und auch er seine Lehren daraus gezogen hat. Wollte ich aber nur so loswerden, hat nichts mit der Platte zu tun. Die kriegt von mir 3 Punkte, schon allein wegen "No Christmas for John Quays", für "Music Scene" und für "Rebellious Jukebox".
I love the way Mark E Smith adds a vowel to the end of the last word of every sentence. Makes his rants sound more caustic. I like his attitude and style, and while the first song is a classic, a whole album is a bit much. Hard to believe he/they released 30+ studio albums.
This was fun, I've heard a lot about the Fall but never listened to them. What I found here was a post punk record filled with quick catchy hooks
This is an interesting album from a time when desperately needed new sounds had finally emerged. I never heard of this band. Not surprising since, other than college radio stations, there was zero chance a station (especially in Northern Ontario) would pick this up. I quite like the drumming and read that Karl Burns was fired from The Fall multiple times. Their loss (and gain when rehired!)
I liked the music but can only handle one song at a time, not a whole album. Not their fault.
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.
I’ve long wondered where this kind of sound came from - the sort of punky, speak singing, repetitive riffs and rhythms - I’m mainly thinking Idles and their ilk. And I’ve also long wondered what exactly it is The Fall do to be revered so. I guess now I know on both counts.
3.3 - Sneering post-punk with noisy-busy guitar, punk vocals, minimal production. But synthesizer sounds exceptionally weak. More tongue-in-cheek than pretentious. A cool enough vibe without any standout tracks.
I've struggled with The Fall over the years and only a couple of months ago developed an appreciation for them. There's a certain style of early post punk that kind of blurs together for me - The Fall, Gang of Four, Wire, Mission of Burma... some of it is good, but it lacks some of the personality that set apart some of the better examples of the genre for me (Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Pop Group, Pere Ubu, This Heat).
A refreshingly raw sounding album for The Fall's debut. I didn't know what to expect as I haven't listened to much from The Fall, and it was a pleasant surprise. A good punk record. I quite liked it, not loved, but I'll listen to more from the band!
Not bad sound, I guess they were pioneers of this genre? Not what I was expecting but pretty good.
Great title and album cover. Another fun quirky punky romp from The Fall. Last time I gave them 4 stars. This album feels more like a 3 from me. I am not well-versed enough in The Fall to know if I truly think this is a lesser album than This Nation’s Saving Grace, or if maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
It is a punk rock album. I was not familiar with the band or any of the songs. It was alright.
A beguiling slice of proto-punk. Lyrically very interesting - probably more so than musically
ehhh þetta er svona allt i lagi nema hvað röddin og hreimurinn hja söngvaranum er frekar fokkin pirrandi, gef þessu tæpar 3 stjörnur
I saw one person describing this as a "drunkard singing pub songs". For me that was exactly it. It's not bad, it's kinda decent.
I'm strangely into this... Weird coincidence... I read a book (Sellout) that talked about a historic performance by At the Drive In at Big Day Out. They give an extended shout out to the Fall who'd I'd never heard of.
My first exposure to this band was given to me by this generator 10 months ago, their 90s Infotainment Scan, and it was absolutely horrendous, and I absolutely hated the conflict with Mark Smith's vocals. But I gave their earlier work a chance, and I actually really enjoyed their range of styles over the decades. This is my first time hearing their debut, and I immediately enjoyed it from start to finish. I immediately knew going in this would get poor reviews from this site. It's super abrasive and hard on the ears not used to post-punk. The production is intentionally low too, but the instruments are well-balanced, which I believe works in their favor. It's post-punk at its rawest yet true to form. The lyrics are nonsensical and punk in spirit, the vocals are energetic and goofy, and the instrumentals are tight and dynamic. I bet if the album were 100% instrumental, people would appreciate it much more. It's dark and mysterious (props to the bassist), and the keyboard serves as an ode to krautrock, sticking out from the rest of the crowd. The solos are quick and subtle, lasting for only a few seconds and lacking flashiness. They're small treats if you can pick them out. As a whole, the tracks roll from one to the next, distinctive yet cohesive. I'm giving 3 stars merely because it doesn't live up to the standards of similar style post-punk records (think Killing Joke). The record is full of creativity, but I only saved "Frightened" and "Rebellious Jukebox" as standalone pieces I'd enjoy listening to on their own. No doubt I'll listen to this time and time again; post-punk is my favorite genre.
A bit too yell-y. Not much in the way of melody, and the guitar/instrumentals are not very inspiring
I was expecting to like this, but I have to say it's a no for me. Repetitious and sorta boring. 2 stars.
And I thought Rage at the Machine was angry. I guess I like post-punk if its a bit more melodic like the Clash, Gang of Four, The Stranglers etc.
never liked how off key punk music sounds with someone singing, I'll never get used to it
The music isn't that bad, but there's too much of it to the point I got way past fed up.
51. Este estudo poderia ser uma ironia académica. Propõe-se a melhorar o reconhecimento de notícias falsas, através da exclusão da sátira, também ela falsa. Nada em mim é plágio, mas talvez o algoritmo não o saiba. Aqui fica a minha pouco subtil forma de o mostrar. MotA: Frightened "Someone's always on my tracks"
A shame that the production mutes the raw intensity present on this LP. As a progenitor of the lo-fi distorted chorus sound, it's boggling that this album eschews a louder, more visceral production style for the flat mix that does nothing for the tracks.
Whoever put this list together was really into British punk music. We've had a lot of it lately - most of which I've really like. Not this one. I think if you're going to be in a band like this, they key is not to take yourself too seriously. I feel like these guys take themselves very seriously - something about it just seems like they're trying very hard to make it sound like they aren't trying very hard. You know? Anyhoo, I won't give them the lowest possible rating because - to their credit - this was probably pretty unique in the "post punk" era and I can actually here how this may have influenced some of the British pop-punk that came later. But still. . .
Ok. Right. A double album. Here we go... First repeat appearance on this list by an artist I had never heard before we started. Again, I like The Fall. Is this a live album? Because it sounds like it but I also noticed that most of their records on Spotify are "Live from..." and I don't think "The Witch Trials" is an actual place, let alone venue. By "sounds like it" I mean that the drums sound kinda shitty. Like they are EQ'd to cut through a live mix but not to sound appealing when listening back. God, this record is long. Ok. This was recorded in a single day. Had to look it up. And it wasn't originally a double LP. So, I've already listened through the original LP and I'm in the bonus tracks from a reissue now. Overall, I like this record but also can't imagine when/what setting it would make sense to revisit this.
I’m much more attuned to this sort of post punky uh oh the 80s are here style sort of stuff, which makes it easier to know that I just don’t care too much for this one
This album is the debut album from The Fall and is in fact not a live album, as the title suggests. However, it was recorded in a single day and released to positive reviews. The music can be described as a mix of rock and punk, otherwise known as post-punk. "Rebellious Jukebox" was the standout track for me. The band did a great job of forming an instant classic debut album that still holds up as one of their best albums.
This is just bad. 2/5 hours of bad music on this album. Sounds pretty punk for the era though. 4/10.
Boring. It's like they have a punk sound but on one-quarter speed. On a second listen I found there was a bit more to their sound than I originally thought. But it was still boring. It also felt like they were trying too hard to be clever (looking at you No Xmas for John Quays). Eventually it just felt pretentious. I gave it the second listen to make sure I wasn't being overly critical. It felt like hard work.
Wow, this was a bit tough to go through. It felt like they gave The Young Ones a bunch of instruments and said "put together some anti-establishment songs." They were very noodle-y. As a punk semi-fan, I had heard good things about the fall. I'm glad not to have paid attention.
Not really that interesting to me. I was mostly bored, nothing really stood out much to me and several of the songs (I'm looking at you 'Music Scene') went on far too long. Not something I'm terribly interested in listening to again or adding to my collection. But I managed to not completely loathe it.
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.
yeah ok some kind of vaguely punk, art rock, anti-music sort of nonsense. you know this is music for people who like to think they "get" it, when really it just isn't very good. it's annoyingly self-referential, uses jarringly dissonant chord progressions (probably on purpose), singer just talks/yells in a grating northern English accent, presumably thinks he's telling poignant stories. 1/5 - I'd give it 2 just because it probably pre-dates black flag and doesn't drag on for an hour, but then I'd feel bad for Arcade Fire yesterday, getting lumped in with this sort of silliness.
Eine rotzig dünn hingeschnodderte Suppe. Sorry ich kann diesem vertonten Zähneknirschen auf Speed wenig abgewinnen. Auch war mir immer schon die huldvolle Haltung bei der Aussprache des Namens Mark E. Smith so suspekt - vergleichbar mit Leuten, die das „Sir“ bei Alec Guiness oder Peter Ustinov so genüsslich kennerhaft und verschworen jovial betonen. Ich find da nun wirklich nix bemerkenswert dran. Ungläubige 0.4
Soort van Engelse punk stijl maar dan met muzikanten die net niet in de maat spelen en een zanger die ook niet heel veel zangkwaliteiten heeft. Het nummer "Rebellious Jukebox" klinkt nog wel aardig. *
Hard pass. When it sounds like I'm going to get yelled at instead of sung to, I tap out.
Live at the Witch Trials by The Fall (1979) You can add this one to the list of albums that aren’t worth taking the time to put on a list. The Fall (basically Britisher punker Mark E. Smith and his Britisher punker buddies du jour from 1979 to 2017) has made a steady living shoveling feces our way since this debut album “Live at the Witch Trials”. Pity. There’s good punk rock out there, but this ain’t it. The less said about the ‘lyrics’ and the ‘vocals’, the better. Musically, most of these tracks amount to anti-melodic discord lazily draped over an almost competent rhythm section (The drummer, you see, is afraid of his own fills). And it sounds like the entire album was recorded in one day (It was). A clue to their version of artistic seriousness is the last three lines of the closing track: “Six minutes! 6:40! Ok, studio, that’s plenty.” Now to be fair (I always try to be fair), there’s some beautiful honesty in the titles of some of the tracks (“Crap Rap 2”, “Rebellious Jukebox”, “No Xmas for John Quays [junkies, get it?]”, and “Two Steps Back”), but that’s where the beauty ends. I think I hear the witches screaming, “Either turn that crap off or light the damn fire!” But no, this is one of the 1001 albums they must hear before they die. 1/5
This is not an album I would say needs to be heard before I die. If anything, I would have preferred never to listen to this album. Sounds like a high school band
Best Song: No song is good enough to be the best of the bad bunch. Worst Song: Rebellious Jukebox. Everything about this sounds like a high school band's first performance of the second song they've ever written. Their classmates are nonplussed. Overall: Short (thankfully). Nothing exciting nor interesting here. Another example of when this list degrades into "1001 albums and older British man remembers from his youth."
Just miserable. Potentially the worst album I've ever heard. You start listening to this album and finish with your mind hurting from confusion. It's just gibberish and noise. I would have been happier living my life not knowing about this album, but yet, my mind is weighed down by the fact that this exists.
Sounds like a school kid that just started their first garage band. A shit garage band. Shannah (0.5) Bill (0.5) Conor (2)