Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Love the Fall. So….
I did’t skip any but I almost wanted to I think I liked it.
In too annoyed of a mood to give this album any credit
I didn't like this album much at all.
i like the drums, but not for me - skip
Ok, I liked this way more than I thought I would, having heard other stuff by The Fall and just not really having gotten it. This was much more straightforward punk (I guess technically "post-punk" but I have no idea what that means) than the other albums, and I wonder now whether if I'd heard this first I would have liked those better. Probably.
Hate hate his voice.
(84/100)
Good but feels a bit like the fall lite.
Not the kind of punk music I enjoy. Kind of anti-musical, not keen on the snarly sung-spoken vocals, and generally pretty mean-spirited on the whole. At least it was fairly short.
I can be a fan of punk rock and I liked parts of this record while some of it was just not quite my taste. The album starts really strong with Frightened, but unfortunately none of the other songs are as strong as the opening track. I almost rated this a 4, but it falls just below it like a 3.8. I could see this album/band growing on me in the future and could be benefitted by repeat listens. Favorite Track - Frightened Least Favorite Track - Crap Rap 2/Like to Blow (I could have put the title track here, but that feels unfair since it is not really a song and more of a 50 second transition between songs) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Despite being a Manchester band, I've never really paid attention to The Fall. I'm obviously aware of Mark E Smith and I knew that Marc Riley was in the band briefly, including for this album. I got pretty much what I expected which was a solid if unspectacular listen. It's piqued my interest for more.
6/10 Where do you start with a band that released 31 studio albums in 38 years? Especially one that also released many part studio/part live albums, live albums, compilations, EPs and more. The first studio album seems as good a point as any. This is definitely an interesting musical step away from punk into something a bit more artsy over the more attitude-pure sound of trad punk. The rhythm section do a lot of the heavy lifting here, particularly Karl Burns on the drums, who pulls the record along with a good, varying pace that, for the most part, maintains a really good momentum. There are echoes of bands like Joy Division, The Clash and more in tone and attitude, but it doesn’t quite manage to pull itself into as completely coherent a sound as either of those bands, despite starting to show signs of an interesting musical direction. There were times when the repetition became hypnotic and effective and others where its lack of intensity lead it to become a little on the duller side. Mark E Smith certainly has a charisma and “fuck you” attitude that oozes out of every pore of the record, and you can tell almost instantly that he’s probably the kind of guy who’s fun to know, but an absolute shit heel to be friends or colleagues with. There was a rawness to the performances on this record that largely worked in its favour, with that punky DIY aesthetic imbuing the sound with a certain edge of authenticity, but it rarely edged into sloppiness, with one real exception. I feel like the keyboard player, who seemingly only played on this record for the band, has some pretty simple and fairly uninteresting lines that are sometimes given too much prominence in the mix and are also often performed pretty poorly, with timing that slips out of the scope of rawness and into the sloppy. It’s a shame really, because those lines often don’t even offer a great deal extra to the track anyway, so just chopping them out completely wouldn’t have made a lot of difference. Aside from that, I did feel that the record had the sound of a band finding their own direction and sound, so it was a fairly enjoyable taste of that journey. It did have its lulls, and drift into moments of ennui here and there, which doesn’t make me feel like this is a great album, but it’s certainly a good one and has made me interested to see where the band went next. Frightened - After starting in a slightly discordant way, this drifts into a more tonally regular sound quite quickly, but still has a little edge of weirdness to it that I like. The drums are really punchy and drive things forward, with the bass adding in some great fills at the top of its ascending line. It’s quite repetitive, but manages to offer enough variety to keep your ear busy while also building an edge of hypnotic engagement to the composition. Mark E Smith is half way between angry and dismissive and that fits really well against the insistence of the instrumental. Crap Rap 2 / Like To Blow - This takes us in way more of punk territory. It’s driven and pacy, but has a slight lag into the beat that makes it feel deliberately halting in places just to slightly disturb the flow. The keyboard part sounds a bit like the sound a car makes if you leave the door open with the ignition on, which is a bit weird. Not something to consider in 1979, but certainly a tiny bit distracting in 2026. I like it though. The band are tight and deal with that (seemingly) deliberate drop of the rhythm really nicely to add an edge of wonkiness to the sound. Rebellious Jukebox - Oof, the bass line here is quite dissonant for quite a lot of the track, which makes it a challenging listen. As a track it doesn’t quite have the range or quality of performance of the first two tracks either, and it becomes overly repetitive as a result. Luckily it’s pretty short. No Xmas For John Quays - Back to something more darkly punk. It’s menacing and intense, with the drums doing a lot to add interest and aggression to the performance. It has an edge of dissonance, but it works really well thematically here. It feels quite deranged in its composition and has that hypnotic quality to the repetition of the arrangement too. The breakdown sections give it a bit of breathing space too, which works well. Mother-Sister! - The tempo switching in this is pretty cool. It feels like it’s sinking into a repetitive flow, especially with the music having a fairly short cycle, but then they just chuck in a double speed section really briefly that throws off your ear really nicely. There’s a bit less to this, so it does become a bit too relentless by the end, but there are at least those little moments to elevate it. Industrial Estate - The sound of this is good, but it falls again into the trap of being a bit too repetitive and focused on a loop that’s just a bit too short. I think the attitude, pace and delivery of it is really good, it’s just not quite got enough going on for me to get fully engaged in it. But again, it’s short so less of a problem. Underground Medecin - The double tracked vocals in the intro are pretty cool here and then the pace and sharpness of the track proper are really good too. It’s got a punky franticness to it, but it’s clear and crisp production that works well with it. The drumming is great and there’s that edge of dissonance in there that gives it a slightly menacing edge. Pretty good stuff. Two Steps Back - This is a bit more ponderous. I quite like aspects of it, but the keyboard part feels a bit aimless and meandering, particularly as it is so prominent in the sound. It’s an interesting sound, but it feels a bit jumbled and unfocused, even rhythmically at points. It’s also too long to maintain interest, with the meandering and off-kilter approach to the composition not helping in that regard. Live At The Witch Trials - A bit of an odd interstitial track which seems a bit rambly and pseudo-intellectual. Meh. Futures And Pasts - This is based around a decent riff. It drives along nicely with some really good driving that has a tasty bit of swing to the fills. The keyboard player has an exceptionally simple line that they can’t seem to play in time, which is quite distracting. Other than that, this is a pretty good punk track. It’s got attitude and pace and it shifts in and out of its different sections really well. Can’t look past that terrible keyboard playing though. Music Scene - This is a bit of an epic. The keyboard parts are again very simple and not particularly well execute, but the rest of the band are pretty consistent. The track roams and develops quite nicely, although it could probably do a bit more with its length. It’s a tad rambly, but it works pretty well as an album closer as they take their time to drift between different ideas and let Smith’s vocal have a bit of breathing space. Still a bit too long though.
I still don't really get into The Fall. Something about their energy or delivery just doesn't work for me. I don't dislike it, it just really doesn't keep me interested so I'm happy to move on at the end of their albums I've listened to. 2.5/5
The Fall has been hit or miss with me. This one is more hit than miss. I like how they can sound very messy and unstable, but then it just snaps into tightness. I also like the synth work. 3.5/5
Very cool! I like it a lot.
Didn't quite sit right with me, couldn't get into it
Not for me thanks
Interesting post-punk album. The use of synth was mostly excellent, although sometimes distracting. It didn't wow me, but it was a good listen.
This is the musical equivalent of one those little dogs that bark and snap at you just to let you know they are there
⭐ Lyssnade på albumet två gånger när jag var ute och sprang. Det var minst en gång för mycket. Inte min grej. Såg att de har två album till på listan, jag ser inte fram emot dem. Intetsägande punk som få en 1a.
Thankfully, this is the 3rd and final Fall album on this list. I will never have to listen to this crap ever again.
Early Fall. Postpunk
Excellent
It's surprising that The Fall went on to have a career after their debut. This is a mostly forgettable blend of repetitive sounds that just doesn't hit the spot. The second part of the album improves slightly and there are some tunes that are okay. The album is not outright horrible or anything like that but I would describe it as "elevator punk" - abrasive in theory, yet background music in practice. The two songs I didn't really mind are "Underground Medecin" and "Two Steps Back".
Maybe knowing this was The Fall’s first has given it a purity (this month’s theme, it seems) and expansiveness to my ears, something uncertain that was lost once MES fell into the groove. It’s definitely dad to all that was to come, but there’s a little scrappier, more an early rock ‘n’ roll attitude running through, possibilities opening up.
Like most Fall albums it gets a bit samey but still sounds great
The Fall are not for everyone, but they were never intended to be. Mark E Smith’s lyrics, accompanied by just about everyone who was ever in a band in Manchester over the years (and your nan on bongos) are complex, baffling and infuriating enough to reward repeated revisiting. Every time I listen to this, or any other Fall album, I will hear a line or a particular turn of phrase that I’m sure I’ve never heard before and that I haven’t the first idea what it means. “I’ve got shears pointed straight at my chest” Wait, what? If this is your introduction to the Fall, it’s as good a place to start as any. The music is basic post punk and remarkably coherent for an album completed in one day (starting as he meant to go on Smith missed most of the planned studio days through illness). By the time the album was finished the rest of the band had either quit or been fired.
2/5
Nice and kind of weird.
There are some sounds in there that are beyond their time. There are ideas in there from their time
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background 1st listen: What is this crap? 2nd listen: Maybe there is something interesting here 3rd listen: I'm intrigued. I'd like to dig deeper.
The vocals ruined it for me.
my ears are bleeding and i wish i’d never listened to this
Der singt wie Drachenlord redet Haggebuddnä
I don't think I'd ever call myself a The Fall fan. But I can see why people get really fanatical about them, and how they have been low key influential for decades. It's ramshackle, but full of energy and spit and anger and other bodily fluids. Dirty business. But enjoyable.
I’m just not a punk fan. There’s a select group of punk that I can actually enjoy. This squarely fell outside of this camp. Still, giving 2 stars as they aren’t completely devoid of talent.
Brittiläistä pop,punk sekoilua
It seems that I should like this but I did not! I will listen to it if you make me though because you all loved it?
The Fall, where have you been all my life?
I love the way the drums sound, and the bass is hypnotic goodness
7/10
This may be a prolific/legendar artist. The gist of the songs are good. But good GOD that electric piano is SO annoying and takes me out of all the soongs.
Cool
cva nog tbh
This was a pretty decent post punk album. It’s rough around the edges in a way that works, and it doesn’t try too hard to be polished. The attitude is what stood out the most. It reminded me a lot of the Sex Pistols or The Clash, just that sneering, slightly unhinged energy running through everything. You can tell they cared more about vibe and statement than perfection. Nothing blew me away, but it was a solid listen with some real bite.
More punk shite, no thanks
I sure do like this band. This doesn’t have the “holy shit” effect of This Nation’s Saving Grace, which is more accessible. But it’s a wildly confident debut record.
I just spent a week at a recording studio, where we put in dozens and dozens of takes, trying together to make each run through tighter and more accurate than the last. So hearing this immediately after spending time in that environment made it sound like complete amateur hour. I’m still compelled to give it a listen with a more open mind later, but I could not help but be bothered and almost revolted at how sloppy this is, even by punk or post punk standards.
Mid 2.5/5
Definitely not for me, did not like this at all.
7# nice, the first album that i dont know at all. Recorded in a single day? ok, interesting. Post-punk in 1979, when punk wasn't even already established? thats funny. After a quick search, the punk era started in the beginning of the 70s so im wrong. Thoughts about it: me like the sound of thiz, its fun, rebellious but with not much anger the sound of the drums is gud, but the rest sounds muffled Got tired of this quickly, the guitars are tiresome with the high pitched notes (I love Modest Mouse, so i'll just say this was not for me), i guess i was not in the mood for it. wont get a second chance though. If listening to one music its ok
So much repetition. Just mix it up musically a little.
Troisième album proposé par le générateur après 'This Nation’s Saving Grace' que j'avais plutôt apprécié (3/5) et 'The Infotainment Scan' qui ne m'avait pas convaincu (2/5). La basse/batterie sont bien en avant dans ce 3eme album et sont vraiment créatifs, mais les sons de la guitare et du synthé ne sont pas terribles (guitare plein d'effets, synthé vieillot). Les harmonies sont parfois originales, mais les morceaux sont plutôt répétitifs quand ils sont longs. Et j'ai du mal avec le 'chant'. Pas sur d'avoir envie de l'entendre de nouveau. =>2/5
"Frightened", "Mother-Sister!", "Various Times", and "Dresden Dolls" were tracks that I really liked and will listen to again. The rest......not so much. Most of the singing sounds like a cross "Peaches" by The Stranglers and if Joe Jackson forgot to take his meds. I can see where this band would have strongly inflenced a lot of British new wave (Siouxsie and the Banshees being the most evident). However, being influential doesn't automatically make your album worth listening to. These guys should have learned how to edit rather than get so caught up in themselves.
Ehhhhh
4/10
01) Frightened - 5,5 02) Crap Rap 2/Like to Blow - 5,5 03) Rebellious Jukebox - 5,0 04) No Xmas for John Quays - 5,0 05) Mother-Sister! - 5,0 06) Industrial Estate - 5,0 07) Underground Medecin - 4,5 08) Two Steps Back - 5,0 09) Live at the Witch Trials - 3,0 10) Futures and Pasts - 4,5 11) Music Scene - / TOTAL: 4,80 (48/100) Current ranking: 776/816
Likes: production quality is objectively rough, but very charming; atonal and erratic guitars are my jam; creamy grooves in the rhythm section; keys don’t quite match the band aesthetically, but somehow it really works for me Dislikes: vocal style isn’t my favorite; album starts really strong, but doesn’t maintain that momentum; false starts/intro jams of some tracks are better than the actual songs Overall, I was a little disappointed. Thought this was gonna be a 4 based on the first few songs, but it didn’t hold up
Fucking hell, no thanks
If nothing else, I'm learning that there is some distinction in late 70s punk music that I can't put my finger on. There was stuff like the Clash or Television that is fun and just cool. And then there's stuff that just doesn't do anything for me. It feels like it's trying to be cool without behind enjoyable or creative. And this falls into the latter category.
eh, it was interesting sorta punk, but punk is a tricky genre for me to enjoy. Sometimes it's great, but sometimes it just sounds like a guy yelling energetically and rhythmically. This album toed the line somewhere in between for me.
Unremarkable.
Most punk isn’t for me, or at least listening to it for an hour is rough
If they had a better singer, this could have been a four-star album but this guy gives a poor imitation of Johnny Rotten. The drummer is especially good but because of the singer I can only give it three stars.
This is a grower. In my first listen, I didn't get it. I typically enjoy this style, this humor, aesthetic, etc; all that goes into making a record like Live At The Witch Trials, but not much grabbed me. I was interested. I wanted to like The Fall. A few more listens later, and I'm starting to get it.
Fan of some of The Fall's later stuff ("This Nation's Saving Grace" was great), but didn't enjoy this listen. Instruments are cool but the guy's voice is too annoying. After this album finished, Winter (Hostel Maxi) from a 1982 release of theirs played, and it was significantly more interesting than anything on this album.
I like that these guys existed but not much here as far as hooks and good melodies. Some of the best of "post punk" music.
Interesting early fall direct basic but containing all the elements.
Blind album, know the artist from another album project. Honestly feel the same way as the ither album. Something something record in 1 session at the studio, and the song quality overall can make you tell?
i know a couple guys who are mark e smith obsessives. Perverted by Language is the only one of their records i loved, but this is good (and much better than the 90's album also included on this list)
Great album, in retrospect. I was around during these days and for some reason I never really listened to the fall, even though people I know/knew were definitely listening to The Fall. I was probably being a snob of some sort or another. In any case, great album and sorry I missed it in real time. 4 falling stars.
I'm not sure I've ever heard a wider gulf between the talent of the drummer and the talent of the guitarist in one band. The former sounds like a pro, the latter like he just got his first guitar this week.
2.2 This album took a decade off my life, not because it was particularly bad but because it was a decade long.
Meh
J'ai entendu d'autres album de the Fall que j'ai préféré. Il y a un coté un peu trop brouillon qui d'habitude, n,est pas quelque chose qui me dérange, mais là, c'est un peu trop. Je comprend que l'album a été enregistré en une journée, c'est malade, mais je pense pas que ce soit essentiel. Un 3.49!
Ça me rappelle de ces jams que tu retournes te coucher après en te disant que toute est d'la marde. 2.49 étoiles
ya dije que no me gusta cuando me gritan en silencio a los oidos.
ragaca nacnobi jgeradoba qonda bevri artistis mix. gamocdamde vusmine da tan holokosts vswavlobdi
The comparisons made with Public Image Ltd are apt. And when it comes to the music backdrop, I love it. Kind of like PIL’s Metal Box (aka Second Edition), but brighter, shinier and less brooding. Wonderful post-punk vibe. When it comes to the vocals, Mike Smith channels Johnny Lydon but for some reason I’m less forgiving. Not so interested in a derivative PIL here. It’s like, dang, the music sounds so good I’d love to see what other direction this could go. Teenage me would have loved this though. That leaves me unsure whether to round down to 3/5 or up to 4/5. I don’t know what I’ll do but by the time you read this review I will have made my choice.
This album has so much going for it. It is very tight for a band with a garage feel (think Mudhoney), and the tracks pulse with energy throughout. The only real problem for me is the vocals. In this space and genre, it is crucial to not come off as whiney, and for the most part the lead holds it together. However, the range doesn't allow him to distinguish himself well, and by the end of the album, I was tiring of his voice. Despite all of this, it is a really fun album.
Musically o.k. but nothing to really hook me. Is it the vocals or am I not in the right mood for it today? 2,5
Post punk. Noisy. It was fine.
Not my type of album.
50
I didn’t hate it. 2.5
Despite its name, not actually a live album -- although some of the same ethos remained
Not my cup of tea
Not for me.
Post-punk is among my favorite music genres, and while I was familiar with one of The Fall's later albums I had never delved into this one. And that's a shame, because this is classic, early post-punk reminiscent of early Public Image, Ltd. I loved it - particularly bangers like "Rebellious Jukebox". Good fun and a sound that would define a movement.
Maybe it was due to having heard them a couple times in this project and mentally preparing for punk, but it was not as bad as the other albums.
mid
Kul!
Inget som kändes jättestarkt, men det övergripande soundet och en otroligt bra titel på albumet gjorde mig ändå positivt inställd till det hela.
Gjorde inget större intryck.
A band with sounds that would make you guess they're from the 90s 2000s
This would probably be more enjoyable in person honestly. I think if I had been introduced in that way I would like it more. Reminds me of the show the Young Ones. Not really my cup of tea to listen while driving or working out but would definitely go see it in concert or play it as a vinyl.
Ik ken deze band niet dus ik ben best excited. 2 a 3 sterren, vond het niet heel bijzonder.
Kinda reminded me of Talking Heads. Seems they were trying too hard to be outlandish. I am over that style
I would consider this record in the optional category: not an essential listen, not even by the standards of the list, but it's interesting none the less.
Hmm
Burn em
Uhhhhh wow
This is awful. Burn it.
Post punk aint too bad
The spirit of uncut cantancerous spite in audio form. Wierd rhythms, staccato performances, shifting song structures, none of the parts really cohere - it's like all the parts of the album were thrown into a cement mixer and poured straight onto wax. Sounds like total shit - a terrible singer spitting out putrid verse, awful musicians using cheap keyboards and tinny amps, recorded poorly for a weak thin sound - nastiness so pure it's inspired. Grotty, rebellious, annoyed and annoying, the sound of lashing out.
The Fall is a pretty cool band! never listened before!
Hmmm….i don’t know. I don’t hate this, but I’m not sure I’m in love with it. Kinda like a prototype version of Idles. It wasn’t my thing, but one thing I found impressive is that the whole album was recorded in a day. Bands nowadays would pay big dollars and time to have a record sound like it only took a day.
This one's note for me. The vocals our drowned out and it's just yelling and not much singing. The melodies are just loop. I'm thinking how did this one make the list.
Very whiny. All the songs sounded the same. Didn’t like.
Not a must listen album!
1978! Recorded in one day! Amazing. I love this. Bullseye appeal for my indy rock taste buds. Each instrument, each layer, imperfectly perfect. The subject matter matters. Sucker for it all.
Better than expected
Too long, too annoying and too much all the same.
dont worry Mark E Smith. ( i got your back <3 )
Also a little weird, but a little bit rock and roll too.
This is an absolutely horrible album from start to finish.
Delivers attitude, energetic riffs and drums with shouty heavily accented vocals that you'd expect of English punk in the 70s. However, not to my taste.
I was mesmerized when this album first came out. 1979 was an awesome year for music. What struck me was how similar this was to Gang of Four, particularly on songs like Rebellious Jukebox and Two Steps Back. Mark Smith’s vocals are reminiscent of Johnny Rotten and in parts this sounds like Public Image Limited. Similarities aside, the album is a post-punk marvel and the lyrics are well written covering a number of subjects. Although some believe there are better Fall records, this record remains my favorite because it mixes the punk rock into the right amount. Future and Pasts is a good example of a punk rock song converted into a post-punk anthem. Thoroughly enjoyable and no skips. 9/10
It's a bit bollocks innit
Sometimes when you listen to an album you can tell who was never told “no” at any point in their lives.
Fint punk album, ret overrasket over hvor tidligt det er udgivet, virker lidt foran sin tid. Stadig intet bemærkelsesværdigt
Soooo many alt bands from the 80s were just copying Martin Bramah’s homework.
Post punk art rock, raw and angry. I can hear the krautrock band Can influence with the repetitive bass and drums throughout. Can also tell they were a big influence on the bands that I grew up with, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Pavement, etc. If you are a fan of punk or indie art rock give this one a spin.
No thanks
Did not listen. Life is too short to listen to something I know I won’t like.
Good Post Punk, found a song I was looking for years
521/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
This was alright. Vocals weren't my cup of tea.
Favourites 1. Frightened Least Favourite 2. Crap Rap 2 / Like To Blow
I have a vinyl original issue copy of the album in my collection. Just looked on Discogs and seen it’s worth quite a bit now. Seem to remember buying it as John Peel on his Radio 1 show rated it. I also seem to remember that it was marketed at a cheaper price than normal LP’s at the time. Looking at my copy there is the remains of a round sticky patch on the front cover which indicates there may have been a cut price label which I have removed. Long time since I listened as having bought it I was never over impressed and I have never really liked The Fall’s style of music. But today’s listen was enjoyable enough and served as a reminder of what a unique band The Fall were. 3/5 1/1/26
I don’t get this one making the list.
Parquet Courts if they time traveled back to 1979
mmm okay 3.5
The Fall sound right up my alley, but after listening to the four album in this list I didn't really feel the urge to plunge further into their discography. Maybe I need to revisit them? It has been a long time after all. Key tracks: Rebellious Jukebox Underground Medecin
Not feeling this one..
Couldnt finish it 4.6/10
Couldn't connect with this. The studio recording isn't great, as early punk I guess it gets a pass on that, but at any rate I didn't find the music or vocals interesting.
The debut album from a band that is among the most influnetial bands for music that would follow. Witch Trials is not the best album by the fall, but I can see why the critics selected their first. I enjoyed the listen. It has been awile since I listened to this band.
I normally say that I dislike post-punk, but then I’m shown albums like this where the band is treating the studio like a live show and just being load and destructive and punk in a deconstructed way, and I’m won over. Live At The Witch Trials is not flawless. Sometimes, it gets into “fuck around and create feedback to be annoying” territory, which, while punk in ethos, I think has aged like milk from a listening-in-retrospect perspective. But the actual songs on here are all really good, and really my style. Unfortunately, I also have a sinking feeling that this live, punk-as-fuck energy is lighting in a bottle, and they will spend the rest of their career trying to recreate it or just being bland post-punk with cool bass riffs. But at least it works here!
Oof, spotify serves you a 2,5 hour version and safe to say I was very relieved that the album generator links to a 30 minute version. 2/5
My rating 2.5
bleh
Exhausting with no payoff.
The Fall is one of those bands that I've always felt I should like given my tastes, but I just can't get into them for some reason. Bass lines are good, drums are great. Songs are not bad by any means but just lackluster for me I guess.
not the fall I would reach for
eh, i am sure people love it, not my cup of tea
Some rough stuff here.
Second I've heard by these guys I think, the other came over a decade later and sounded very different. This may have been very interesting in context, but now just kinda sounds like every british "post" punk band of that era - johnny rotten lite snarl and fast rough music. It's fine, but it's been done.
I’m going to tell my kids this was Arctic Monkeys.
“Errr what’s this song about?” “Errr nothing.” I don’t necessarily mind a bit of a racket from time to time but how do you make a racket that’s also boring as hell?! What a waste of time.
Just not all that exciting I guess. There's much better post-punk out there.
Sounds like a drunk singing but it is all pretty catchy.
Low 3? Not a bad record but nothing really stands out to me
I could not even get through the first track of this nonsense. Cocaine is a helluva drug; how did anyone involved with this think it was any good?!
definitely pretty mixed on a lot of these but when it works it works. drums and bass are incredible
They definitely have a "we don't give a fuck" punk attitude, and I dig it.
I suspect that this album could grow on me. I had not listened to The Fall before this but they are adjacent to a lot of music I enjoy. A bit punkier than a group like Gang of Four but there's crossover.
Nice
I really enjoyed this album! A quick listen with great energy throughout. Closer to a 4.5 than 4.
2.5/5
I've heard this sound done better by others. I enjoyed some of it, but in the end, it left me wanting listen to other artists in the same vein.
Still not impressive
Ehkä yllättävänkin moderni saundi 70-luvun lopuksi! Olisin antanut nelosen perjantaina, mut nyt viikonlopun jälkeen on sanottava, että levy oli kokonaan unohtunut ja piti käydä kuuntelemassa tänään uudestaan :D 3/5 siis.
Challenging. Some nice guitar licks. I was waiting for him to start singing but he didn't.
Not my thing, boring
Тупой низкосортный панк
Too short to be a live album. Too much time wasted listened to this.
Another punk / post-punk album. This one was okay but nothing really stood out. Overall- average. 2.5/5
I was malding thinking this was another FUCKING live album but it's not. You got me, bri'ish list.
I like some The Fall tracks but most of this is just too rough for me 🤷♂️.
Quite annoying "punk". It's just a singer singing with a monotonous voice. Pretty boring.
Jeg hyggede mig med the Fall igen. Det er nok det bedste ukendte band som listen har bragt med sig.
Trejde The Fall album i projektet. Jeg er stadig mega godt underholdt. Vokalen er klassisk britisk punk. Melodierne sejler rundt mellem lige på punk og finurlige legende indslag. Særligt bassen har en fed funky vibe der giver et godt modspil til vokalens monotone ordsprøjterri.
Spoken word angst is not for me.
interesting listen.
I like music LIKE this but I didn’t really care for THIS.
More UK punk slop
Another album by the band it's cool to name drop to show your music cred but how many people who claim to love this band actually listen to them reguarly? Another issue with this list is the inclusion of debut albums just because the band is seen as "important"(cf. The Rolling Stones debut). This is another album just like that. The Fall have made better albums than this one. The blueprint of all the rest of their career is here - if you listen to this you're not getting anything you wouldn't get from other albums, it's just not as good.Best Tracks: Frightened; Rebellious Jukebox; Industrial Estate
Not a fan of British punk
bomb manchester
The Fall are a very unique band. A single album really doesn't do enough to represent this band. They made 30 or so albums, and every single one is different - some good, some bad. But this, their first album, presents the band as what they are and will always be, abrasive, uncompromising, and not afraid to be different, all driven by Mark E. Smith's singular and equally uncompromising vision. I love his lyrics, which are cryptic, full of wit and satire, and I love his delivery, which is basically shouting in the right key. There's a certain amount of similarity to John Cooper Clarke. But where John Cooper Clarke is funny and dry, Mark E. Smith is about to punch you in the face.
There aren't many albums on the list I haven't finished, but this isn't even music. It's fucking shit
Big nope on this one. Awful vocals, annoying songs, screeching guitars. Sounded like a bunch of edgy teenagers that start a band in the garage, and they've not yet learnt how to play any instruments 1 ⭐️
Another boring early post punk album. The obsession this author has with this era is ridiculous. None of this sounds more complex or interesting than what middle schoolers could construct.
This was a tiring one, couldn't make it through it
This was a really good listen, it feels both classic and very modern. You can tell that this band was incredibly influential to rock music in the 2000's.
Not exactly inviting, but it appears not to care. Repetitive music and vocals, often with nonsensical lyrics. The singer (speaker?) seems to be railing against something like an angry drunk.
Ok punk/new wave.. but dated somehow, and g’ets boring after 4-5 songs
Too much punk on this list. There is. Series bias
It was........ Ok
Sparse and jaggy.
I still can"t enjoy the fall. Mark E Smiths snarling, incomprehensible lyrics carry emotion but no weight. Its easy being a prick and playing your instruments sub adequately. Try playing them well and writing and singing lyrics.
If I could give this negative stars I would
Rinky dink, rattley old rollercoaster Post-Punk ramblings. Pre'y good innit.
This left me Frightened.
Better than expected.
This album had to compete with Unknown Pleasures and 154 for the best post-punk album of that year. Tough for a Wire covers band.
Didn't like the album
Long double album. This was a marathon. Only a few tracks stood out unfortunately.
Full disclosure...I'm pretty sure I've heard No Xmas for John Quayes and thought he was saying Junkies with British accent. Quirky punk with some spoken wordesque ramblings. Not bad but probably won't listen again.
Not bad! I’ve never heard of the group! I was digging the vibe.
This...this wasn't good
That 80’s punk rock sound.
Industrial Estate
Is it Pop? Is it Punk? It's Ponk! Like my joke, the music was rather dull. 6/10
The album surprised me. I really liked the style and didn’t get tired of it at all because it’s so short. I even wanna listen to a few more of their songs 3/5 —————————————— Liked: — Frightened — Crap Rap 2like to Blow
Ugh. Did not enjoy. Atonal, yelling, not much redeeming about it.
I hate punk
Nothing redeeming to say. Nothing.
It’s one of those records when you listen, you see the next forty years of music right before your eyes. Spazzy guitars for Sonic Youth, “toy piano” tone for 2000s indie rock, and sing-talking for post-punk, to name a few.
I kept thinking oh the next song I will really like - had a lot of potential to be songs I liked but they just were a little not exactly what I want to jam to - surprising bc I knew nothing about them - on a re listen there may be some songs I come back to - reminded me of fontaines dc a bit Would give a little less than 3 if possible
MIght have like this back in the day. Listening to it for the first time it seems dated and and vocals are irritating.
Some good early post-punk. Very raw, great and simple but effective production and the vocalist's half singing half talking approach is quite unique. Some more energy could really elevate this, because it's consistently good but rarely amazing. Still, I enjoyed it all the way through.
A pretty good punk album but not my favorite by any means.
No. Not for me. I have grown very weary of these English punk bands. Didn't like the songs. One extra star for the musicianship, and that's the only kindness I will extend. I am very over this style of music on this generator.
There are things I like here but more things I dislike. I like the attitude, the vocal deliveries, the scathing and rebellious vibes. It sits somewhere between punk and post-punk, almost like a beta-testing of things to come. But I dislike a lot of the production. The guitar has this chorused glittery sound that is just kind of thin and annoying most of the way through. The bass and drums don't sit particularly well together. There is kind of this metallic reverb on a lot of the vocals that sounds unnatural. Overall it feels amateur, in a bad way rather than a "homemade punk" kind of way. So there are a lot of good songs here but I find them hard to listen to because of how the mix sounds.
Day 89 Didn’t enjoy this as much as the Fall album I’d had previous. Probably nothing I’ll ever come back to 4/10 Highlight Frightened
Overall an enjoyable album but it is lengthy and there is not a lot of dynamics in the song writing so it began losing my interest by the end.
I can't put my feelings for this album into words.
Great debut and in the top tier of the Fall’s albums. A very unique lineup yet it still sounds instantly like them. Mark E Smith adds so much personality to the songs. The album is full of fantastic raw songs that only get better and the non album singles added on are just as great. This is definitely their punkest record. The start to my favorite band of all time. Rating: 4.9
I started off thinking this really wasn’t for me but liked it more as it went on. Is “side two” just better or are the Fall an acquired taste that I was gradually starting to acquire?
Quite good punk - but not good enough for a 4.
Never heard of this punk group was super happy I got to know this band amazing raw album
3/5 Generic punk/post punk, with ok playing and yet another terrible singer.
Oddly intriguing
After having to listen to a couple of duffers in a row, it was a pleasant surprise to see a second Fall album on this list. Easy 5.
I tire of post punk. Just a bit of a shit genre I'm feeling
Kind of start out ok with the first song and I thought that maybe I could feel differently about British post-punk. That quickly faded.
A lot of British postpunk being thrown at us. This album made me feel better about my own musical playing abilities
It's post punk, it's OK, didn't mind it, wouldn't make an effort to seek it out.
I can never really get The Fall, but I know they're supposed to be important so I keep trying.
2.3
The influence off this is pretty remarkable. That said, I really only like one whole song.
Who made this? Who listens to this? Who put this up as one of the best 1000 albums? This is the worst one yet.
This is post-punk? It feels like drunk punk. No thanks.
Three albums by the Fall. Three Albums by Blur. Two albums by Suede. Two albums by Pavement. Two albums by Oasis. ZERO albums by Warren Zevon. That tells you just about everything you need to know about the musical leanings of the list's compiler. I mean, this group (in its myriad incarnations and personnel lineups) hung around producing music for four decades, so kudos for that, I guess. But the tongue-in-cheek title to their "greatest hits" compilation from 2004 gets it just about right: 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong. They had very little commercial success (and that limited almost exclusively to the UK) and almost no evident influence on any groups or musicians other than the British groups of the 90s that the compiler of this list clearly cut his musical teeth on. Musical tastes are pretty much all subjective, of course, but if you're new to listening to this list, expect a LOT more albums like this. If you're nearing the end of this journey, this is going to sound like a good number of albums that you've already heard.
Sometimes an album will grab my fancy for reasons I can’t fully explain. Am excited to dig deeper into The Fall catalogue. It kinda feels like smart punk? I’m intrigued.
Gear: Moondrop Variations Artwork: 🏜️⬜❔ Production: 😱🔪👂 Music: 🍻🖤😖 Rating: 🧹🧹(🧹)/5
Nothing here I enjoyed much at all, but it wasn't painful, so it's got that going for it I suppose
Wasn’t a fan of the lead singer and some wierd lyrics overall didn’t enjoy listening so slapped a 1 star
Didn't care for this at all.
Classic and more musical than most.
Punk I've never heard. Awesome!
Virkelig solidt punkalbum. Glædelig fredag
Sjov punkplade, fed energi
Yaaass
Ugh, garbage 🗑
Very medium. Rock with off key singing but nothing that sticks.
I guess I appreciate the Mark E Smith ethos
I LOVE the fall
Just not a punk guy unfortunately
Has that very early punk sound with the quick drum beats. Enjoyable. Favorite song: Future and Pasts
Love the name of this album. And how timely with it being October 22 today. :) Hm I like the sound of this, it's borderline punk. Thick English accent. Rebellious Jukebox reminded me of that intro song on Misfits. Yeah dude this album is cool. Heading into a 4 star review. How cool would it have been an adolescent at the height of the punk era. 4 stars.
Had they been american it would have been a 1. Anyway, it's a no from me.
Drummer works overtime on every track, bass guitar is excellent, not sure what keyboards are doing. I liked the manic punk tracks the most
Moments of brilliance but left me scratching my head a bit. I liked the strange keys, drums. I thought there were a few moments of genuine vulnerability that made me want to understand this a bit more. I wasn't a big fan of the last track and I think that swings me into 5/10 territory, but there's definitely moments to salvage or replay from this and I may be revisiting.
Quirky, odd and intriguing. Not a huge fan of the vocal style.
Interesting
The fall's music is all in that fine to listen to once but don't wanna listen again tier for me
70er durchschnittlicher (Punk)Rock
I tried... I really did... Nope. Piss-poor talking & yelling over pretty amateurish guitar licks. Pay special attention to the keyboard on "Two Steps Back." I feel very confident that the keyboard player just took his first piano lesson about 10 minutes before they laid down this track . Next, please. Ultimately, I stopped listening because who needs two hours of this drivel?
I really didn't enjoy this one. I recognise that a lot of the abrasiveness is intentional, and on some level I applaud that... But overall it's just not for me.
Ikke veldig gøy å høre på nei - slapt og kjederlig.. Føler ikke bandet helt vet hva de holder på med og bare finner på ting underveis uten noe særlig baktanke. Nesten som dette er første gang de spilte sammen 🤔 Det eneste positive for min del er at vokalen er grei og musikken glir greit inn i bakgrunnen om jeg holder på med noe annet (i motsetning til Marlyn Manson som var svært tolmodighetstestende). 2/5
Det her gir meg veldig lite, ikke noe fan av denne typen vokal. Veldig masete. 1/5 foreløpig, usikker på om jeg orker mer etter en tredjedel
Helt okei punk. Rakk ikke hele
Whatever dude. I’m not gonna be won over by some angry reactionary because he plays the guitar wrong.
This one didn’t quite land for me. It’s got that scrappy, abrasive energy that The Fall are famous for, but here it often feels more like a chaotic rehearsal than a fully formed album. The rawness can be exciting in short bursts, but over the course of the record it started to wear me down a bit. Mark E. Smith’s sneering vocals and rambling delivery have their charm, but they also make it hard to really sink into the songs. Musically, there are some interesting ideas scattered throughout, with jagged guitar lines and tight, driving rhythms that hint at the band’s potential. But the production is so rough and the performances so loose that a lot of it blurs together. There are moments where it clicks and you catch flashes of what made The Fall such a unique force, but for me, those moments were few and far between. I can see why this album has its place in post-punk history, and I get the appeal of its raw DIY spirit, but it just didn’t grab me in the way I hoped. It feels more like a document of a band figuring themselves out than something I’d come back to regularly.
every time i try to get back into this challenge, it gives me terrible British 70s-90s rock like no wonder i keep giving up
I thought he was saying “no Christmas for donkeys” and I think it would’ve been better for everyone if they’d been singing about donkeys. If I had talent and the balls to stand behind a mic in my teens and twenties I probably would’ve sounded like this and wrote songs like this. Thank god I didn’t. I think I really do get it, what they’re trying to do, or say, and one of these stars is for all that but I just don’t want to listen to it anymore.
This did have to follow Night at the Opera by Queen, but even if it didn't, I think I would have found it gratingly bad. I made it through the original recording, but had to turn it off when the bonus tracks came on.
I have really tried to like the fall. I think this might be my favourite fall record I remember listening to. I do like something about the punk energy. It's dry and durgey in places though. I think personally I need the discord and degeneration in my punk to feel more musical. I've never been huge on lyrics so I'm probably missing a lot from the lyrics.
1. frightened - 1 2. crap -0 3. rebelliouz - 1 4. John - 0 5. Mother -0 6. Industrial - 0 7. Medicine - 0 8. Back - 0 9. Witch - 0 10. Futures - 0
It was fine. 3 star fine
Nothing worth wasting time on here. 1 star or F.
not for me.
No. 315/1001 Frightened 2/5 Crap Rap 2 2/5 Rebellious Jukebox 3/5 No Xmas for John Quays 2/5 Mother-Sister 2/5 Industrial Estate 2/5 Underground Medecin 2/5 Two Steps Back 2/5 Live at the Witch Trials NR Future and Pasts 2/5 Music Scene (2x) 2/5 Average: 2,09 Just not my cup of tea.
Not inspiring. Not terrible. Sounded like the vocalist was an ex punk rocker.
Television-vibbar. Ganske kult
Yet another post punk album
I’m so tired. My dedication to keeping this up is running thin, but I must persist. This album is fine.
Álbum de se esperar do final da década de 70 e início da de 80. Temas anti governo e anti estabilishment. Pessoalmente curti as tracks Industrial Estate e Two Steps Back, em especial a última, descrevendo a alienação do trabalhador de uma fábrica.
Not for me
Okay, so there was some really interesting stuff there. At times the instrumental parts were really cool and did some quirky stuff. But my god, some of those songs were annoying as hell. Especially that really long one about Christmas. I can only listen to a man atonally shouting the same word over and over again for so long (don't come at me Verity). Yeah, I get it, Two Steps Back. Shut up. But nah, it was alright, just not that enjoyable.
I love it. Fascinating to hear where it started for The Fall. Very playful lyrically. Some really interesting instrumental parts. Amazing drumming. Yes. Good.
I liked this! Wild, fun drumming and rhythms. Manifesto-like vibes at times. Playfully insistent. A strong start for The Fall that seems to lay out their ways and intentions. I'm into it.
Interesting to hear the early stuff but also reeks of being cornered by someone's dad with a pint who won't stop talking about how he used to hang with Mark E. Smith and list all the "not quite famous" bands he played bass in and how they could have been as big as The Fall if they didn't settle down and have kids.
Amelodic, atonal, unenjoyable. Clashing & completely identical to one another.
Frightened 3.8 Crap Rap 2/Like to Blow 3.4 Rebellious Jukebox 3.4 No Xmas for John Quays 3.3 Mother-Sister! 3 Industrial Estate 3.1 Underground Medecin 3 Two Steps Back 3.3 Live at the Witch Trials 3 Futures and Pasts 3.2 Music Scene 3.3 Score: 3.254545455
Ok 2/5
I never really got the Fall. It feels like I had to be there.
Highly recommend opening the Wikipedia page and double checking the original tracklist before listening to the entire two hour album that seems to be the only one available online. As for the music, there's a reason bands don't record their albums in one day. The music is shoddy and barely thought through. I get that this is all about the vocalist's rants, but at that point just write an essay and spare us the music. Points for the attitude though. 1.5/5.0: Bad
expected to like this more but it didnt really impress me. i wouldnt mind hearing it again but its not something id reach for
Album 912 of 1089 The Fall - Live At The Witch Trials (1979) Rating : 2.5 / 5 Some solid post-punk here and overall a pretty good listen. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, while I did enjoy it, there isn’t a lot I’m going to take away from it other than the memory of a decent album. It represents its post-punk genre well, with that rough edge and raw delivery, but nothing really reached out and stuck with me.
That was decent, nothing amazing about it.
Nei! Orker ikke…
Awful, awful album. Absolutely hated it.
This rocks. Another band whose name I've known forever but never took the time to listen to until now. Great post-punk here with a weird single-finger keyboard style that sort of sits on top of everything without seeming like it's totally out of place. Reminds me of a tamer Rudimentary Peni in energy and vocal style. Interested on the rest of their catalog now.
Didn't really get it.
Like slowed down punk. Could’ve been interesting, but was mostly boring.