Live At The Witch Trials

Low 3 for the last fall album I got,high three for this one. Similarly interesting lyrics, with a bit more interesting angular guitar work and some songs which aren't just the same loop over and over. That said, still quite repetitive. Live tracks on the extended version give an idea of how fun they would have been live. Not appalling, bit not grabbing me much.

I've tried listening to the Fall before but never really liked them however I quite liked this one. Post punk fun.

2.5

I have two Fall facts: 1, I know the bloke who did the cover art for this album, and 2, my band did a gig supporting The Fall once, and Mark E Smith came out of the dressing room straight on to the stage with a big wet piss stain down the front of his troons. Rock and roll.

It's absolutely hilarious how rinky-dink the keyboard sounds. I liked it when they found some more melodic grooves in the second half and it wasn't purely atonal skronk.

Mark E Smith’s nimbus – part beer soaked carpet, part full ashtray, part fruit machine emptying sounds – hangs so heavily across my impression of The Fall that it acts as a sort of plasma wall; he’s forever stooped over a jar in a Wetherspoon’s in Salford called The Surface of Last Scattering. Just as well we’re here right now, then – ready to be reminded that there’s more to The Fall than just what can be seen through a pint glass, amber-ly. “Live at the Witch Trials” is a coy, lithe record that sort of charms you with its repeated threats of teetering – repetitious without becoming droning, atonal without becoming discordant, scuzzy without becoming sleaze. It’s always just about at the edge of itself; and while it pushes at plenty of boundaries, the songwriting, playing and togetherness keeps the record entirely on track (and “serious” too; there’s certainly plenty of humour in here, but it’s never cartoonish). It’s a cosmic blessing, I suppose, that The Fall and this record – which was almost derailed by Smith’s being taken ill – ever came into being in the first place. From nothing, a spontaneously occurring assembly of elements – then quickly thrown to opposing corners of the universe to propagate, or synthesise, or become entirely new things. Behind the plasma wall, though, they’ll forever be playing this.

It's not awful but it's not great. Funnily enough Spotify played another track by this band after this album finished and it was a great song. Who the fuck chose any of these albums.

Never heard of this band or album. Not my favorite post-punk album but almost there.

Not likely to have a calm time at the diner with THAT jukebox. Post punk at it's postiest-punkiest. They know how to be thrashy/snarky/sneery/ bass line right there punchy drums punching. You were calming down? Here comes the screech!

Say what you like about Mark E Smith. Yes, he was curmudgeonly, awkward, difficult, annoying, obstreperous, angry and he hated Southerners (British). But boy was he prolific! And distinctive! And I have more time for him and his very recognisable, unforgiving style than most of the dross around. Anything that sarcastic and edgy that puts a smile on my face deserves credit. RIP you angry man!

The production alone made this less than enjoyable, and while I recognized the attitude right out of the gate, it wasn't enough to make up for everything else I wasn't grooving on. I almost want to rate the 3 just to prove I can be an edgy-punk enabler, but truth is, I liked it like a 2.

Ah, Mark E Smith and The Fall. Smith is one of the most literate and irascible figures in music, and he arrives fully formed on this debut album. He, like Johnny Rotten and Karen O, so dominates the proceedings that it's almost hard to hear the band behind him. They're a bit raw on this one, though I was into it on today's listen. There are three Fall albums on this list, which is probably two too many as you're either going to enjoy Smith's "singing" or it's going to irritate the hell out of you. But if you dig it, boy are you in luck, because there are about 1.5 million Fall albums, and they're all good. Having said that, I think they're best served by the two compilations A-Sides and B-Sides.

One's a fan but get that this isn't for eveyone and it's certainly not the F"s best effort. Still, a unique/original, if highly spiky and often sour, effort.

Recorded in a day and mixed the day after, The Fall begin as they intend to continue, by not meeting any expectations whatever. It is punk/new wave in its homemade, lo-fi three-chord ethos and it’s angry but the difference is the poetic reach of Mark E Smith’s lyrics. There’s no anthemic sing along chorus a la Love Song; this is uncompromisingly spiky. Smith very consciously channels Johnny Lydon at times. Best track: Probably Music Scene. Fun, if obvious, fact: it’s not a live album, despite the title.

okay but not for me

17/1001 I don’t really have much of thoughtful insight for this album. I liked it, but I don’t think I would listen to it front to back again. I like most of the songs but as an entire work, it just becomes a bit repetitive. The vocals (like a lot of post punk) are a bit over the top and become tiresome. The bass lines are catchy, the drums are solid, and overall the music is really good. It is just the vocals that make it hard to want to listen to several songs in a row.

Nice album 3/5

No

Ah excellent, early Fall. My education continues. New facts emerge, you might say. None of the 'well known' Fall songs here, but all the attitude and the discord, all while haunted by the ghost of punk. Two Steps Back! We're still one step ahead o' you. Yes please. Also, great album cover. And name. Note: the 8 minutes Music Scene is cut off from the linked version but Spotify harbours a remastered version within it's vast and secretive cape, so simply search the album up for the full tracklisting. Plus bonus decent stuff like their debut EP and It's the New Thing. All good stuff.

wtf did i just listen to?

not my kind of music sorry...

Late-70's Indie Rock never really does it for me, and when you include the "Spinal Tap" effect it's just hard to take the vocals on these seriously

Unnecessary to my musical life, but not as bad as I expected. Noise punk.

This was pure auditory torture. I found myself constantly checking how close I was to being done with this album, and it was never close enough. The only solace I had were the few and fleeting moments when the singing stopped.

Angry northern man shouts at the world!

This is bad. The “You can’t make us sing or play melodious harmonies” bit gets tired and boring after 2-3 songs, let alone after 15 of them.

3 Stars (8/15)

Strange noise from a strange man but listenable all the same

This is music that I should like, but I find Mark E Smith really fucking annoying

Not for me

While I enjoy this band and the music, this album was waaaay too long. Guess you just pick the longest one (and 1st) when there are over 175 (!!!!) albums to choose from on Apple music alone.. Jesus! Also thank Christ this is not actually a live album. Phew.

Quintessential The Fall. Does what it says on the tin!

Definitely the best Fall album we've had, interesting post punk where they weren't pushing the boundaries so hard that they ended up putting rubbish in. Definitely more influential than class in it's own right, though I did enjoy a lot of the songs. Futures and pasta and No Xmas For John Quays stand out from the tracklist. I don't think it's a 4 but it's a stronger three the other albums.

Preferred This Nation's Saving Grace, but this is decent. Accessible, and listenable. More focussed than The Infotainment Scam, and my favourite track was Rebellious Jukebox. Hometown hero.

Such a distinctive vocal style old Mark has. Doesn't feel like it should've been released in 1979 but equally I can't really compare it to much later music either. Great post punk sound though I think this was better than the infotainment scan but not as good as nations saving grace so that puts it at 3.5

Another lead singer who only knows one note.

Not for me

I respect it but I don’t like it

Started out just a little grating, but then got way too monotonous and one-note. Tiresome to listen to in one sitting.

I really dig the jangly, raw, discordant music. Wish I had known of this one earlier.

Bonkers.

This sounds like it cost nothing to make

I've never listened to The Fall before. I have heard of Mark E. Smith, whose reputation precedes him. The album has that post punk production thing going on as it sounds like it was recorded through a soda can. Sometimes you can't tell if the music sounds cool or just a bit shite. Smith snarls monotonously throughout the structureless songs. Some songs like Frightened and Rebellious Jukebox were quite alright, but the drab tones and sameyness throughout makes this album not too enjoyable.

# 443 : 25/03/2025 : Nothing to get excited about, not bad, not good, just whiny Brit pop and kind of long and boring.

Utter rubbish.

Not for me

Just no. Not the vocals, not the lyrics.not the music.

I see there are three Fall albums on the list, which is a pleasant surprise, though I'd include Hex Induction Hour over this. This one probably deserves a four, but This Nation's Saving Grace will get a five when it comes around.

Ну слушабельно, вокал не мелодичный мне не очень нравится Панк рок в поп версии, мне не зашло

I mean, I didn't hate it, but it was so messy that I can't see myself giving this anything above a 3. Did not need an eight minute outro.

Donc apparemment, il y a le bon post-punk, et le mauvais post-punk. Ça, c'était le mauvais.

Some of the picks on this list are trash tier music with no cultural, historical, or genre-specific relevance whatsoever. This is one of those albums.

Not for me at all.

This is straight up something you'd hear from a local punk band, playing a set in the corner of your favorite local pub somewhere in the UK. That's not necessarily a bad thing - there's great energy on this thing - but this kind of music does not lend itself well to studio recordings. Better experienced live, and while piss drunk... which is where my two-star rating comes from (listening to studio recordings while stone cold sober)

Meh. Not super exciting.

#527. This album is not long and still it seems entirely too long. 3/5: whatever

Interesting and pretty fun, but I’d ultimately rather be listening to Joy Division.

If you don’t like this then you just have objectively bad taste.

Not my style; 2/5

Hmm yeah. 80's punk. It is under produced, decidedly British, and not unenjoyable.

If I had to listen to this at a witch trial, I'd be on my hands and knees begging to be burnt alive even and I'm not even a witch.

Fuck 1001, did I really need to hear this on Spring Forward, after losing an hour of sleep?!?!? Shouting. Shouting over music that sounds like it was recorded in a tin can rolling down a hill. There's no charm to the chaos, but it's more like the charm of a stray dog that won't stop barking at you. I get the appeal, but I also get headaches. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Frightened

this was a trip and a half 😆

Fabulous album , really enjoyed it x

very good punk album, will listen some more. probably 4.5

Honestly probably the most iconic Fall album right up there with hex enduction hour and nations saving grace, maybe the number one best. 5 stars absolutely no two ways about it. If u rated it lest than 5 you are wrong and need some new ears.

Heard some Buzzcocks and some Pistols. Nothing hooked me in. But interesting enough.

Sounded weirdly raw and tame at the same time. A pleasant surprise though. Looking up their history, they seemed to have influence a lot of good bands that I've listened to and love including B&S.

God this must have been one of the first punk albums ever

It's like groundhog day but I'm asked every day if I like Punk from the 70s. The answer is still no.

Good stuff

Das Album mag zwar als Kultklassiker gelten, aber leider ist nicht viel Positives daran zu finden. Die Musik ist chaotisch und unharmonisch, was das Zuhören zu einer echten Herausforderung macht. Die kratzige und schrille Stimme trägt nicht gerade zur Freude bei. Besonders enttäuschend ist der Song "No Xmas for John Quays", der mit seinem monotonen und düsteren Klang eine traurige Stimmung verbreitet. Insgesamt ein unterdurchschnittliches Hörerlebnis im Kontext von Rock und Punk.

They seem unhappy.

I can I can appreciate breaking the rules of music a little bit, but this is a hard NO!

Pretty terribly honestly.

Post-punk does so very little for me. It feels soulless. There's no groove to it for me.

Not a massive fan of the fall, but this is grand. maybe i just like their early stuff

I was digging the sound of many of the tunes, but it's too bad they're so repetitive. You can definitely hear their influence on many alternative bands. I just wish the songs went somewhere instead of repeating the same handful of notes over and over and over.

Didn't thrill me, sorry

It's kind of like seeing where all my favorite bands came from. Not everything on this album hit but I still respect it a lot. 3.5

The Fail

I couldn't get through this one. Neither the music, nor the lyrics spoke to me. At all. Every song has an air of self-importance, but is completely uniteresting and uninspiring. 1.5/5

Of the many bands I have not heard of on this list The Fall will most likely be one of the more memorable ones that I probably won’t listen to often. These guys rip. The Fall were so ahead of their time. The guitar work is primal and beautiful.

I was introduced to The Fall by a room mate back in 1979 with this album. It is an absolutely terrific post-punk clatter of an album with Mark E Smith's vocals to the fore. I still don't think it's the best Fall album, but what a debut. I went on to buy pretty much all their albums as they were released - until Smith died in 2018. This is an essential album.

This project has made me realise that I really dislike post punk.

Strange, but I like the first song. It's creative

It was really a lot for me to even finish this album. I can’t even explain which part particular stood out how bad but all of it just sucked. It sounded like it was trying to be something it isn’t, and it failed at even trying.

jesus cracking christ The best I can say about this THIRD ^$%#@ ALBUM BY THE FALL ON THIS LIST is that it's not as terrible as the other 2. ...which is like saying my picking up hot dog poop last night wasn't as bad as being stuck for 3 hours on a stalled commuter rail with no open windows in dead of summer when the train's plumbing is also not functioning. ...*occasional minutes in a row* of the music isn't terrible and has a decent-70s-raw sound but the fact that there are 3 albums by this shitty drunken buffoonish band led by this dead shithead for a "singer"... "oooo but you just don't GET it" - yeah stfu - this idiot was so far up his own ass... write a fkng song like a lot of their contemporaries did in the early punk age. This is rubbish. 3/10 1 star.

🎧Post-punk is pretty hit or miss for me. This one’s a miss.

It was okay, a decent listen

One or two decent tracks. The rest bored me a bit.

Very nice album, I enjoyed a lot and I got the chance to discover The Fall

Not really my vibe, 5/10

Pretty good, super heavy British accent, grungy alt rock. Just realized it came out in 1979. Earlier than I would've guessed. Closest i can compare is a mellower groovier but still grungy Stooges maybe?

I've liked what I've heard of The Fall before, but its thats been more Mark E Smith doing weird spoken word singing. I didn't like the more chaotic sound of this record as much. I liked it, but definitely didn't love it. Album Cover: (B-)

"Crap Rap 2" is fun. I hadn't read the song title, and I thought they were saying "There's no xmas for donkeys". I was thinking that seems very unfair given that Mary literally rode one. Glad to hear that isn't the case. This kind of punk doesn't do much for me. It would be fun at a basement show with some drinks in me, but not as a casual listen. I didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't come back to it in a casual setting. 5/10

Yeah nah! Definitely nah! That for more and more horrible as I kept playing it.

3.5

Spotify says, "Out of all the bands who formed during the '70s punk revolution, none were longer-lived, more prolific, or more innovative than The Fall." To which I really just want to say, "Oh bless your heart, whoever from the band's PR team wrote that." Talk about a load of horseshit, that statement and this album together. According to the 1001 albums book, this album was recorded and mixed "in just two days." Maybe they should've taken a bit more time, is all I'm sayin'. Second star is simply because I happen to like the punk movement. But this is not a great example.

Yeah I fuck with it

ну, мне не особо зашло

Only the last track stood out. Did not bother with the additional track added on re-release.

The singer cannot sing. The drummer is really good but it's still unlistenable.

I liked the main beat of Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox is also fun. Not a bad album tbh. Not my favourite but had a bit of energy which was cool. Good background music. 2.5/5 stars.

Sounds way ahead of its time but I didn’t enjoy listening to it. Guitars need tuning 2.5/5

Never listened to the fall and there were bits that were fine but majority was a struggle. Wouldn’t return

Good sound quality for a live album. Some very good drumming.

☹️

This is the second album from The Fall I've gotten, the first being This Nation's Saving Grace. I like this better, the raw production fits their sound a lot better.

Added this to my collection. Classic old punk vibes.

This is an interesting one. The instrumental choices are quirky in a good way. I like it.

There used to be a coffee shop in my neighborhood in Brooklyn called The Fall Cafe. The owner named it that because he liked this band. I was only familiar with the Fall by name, I had never really heard their music that I know of. I didn't really like the coffee shop so I never investigated the band. I'm comfortable with my choice. Mostly reminded me of The Stranglers or The Standalells. But, I'm aware that could be just me, as I'm not very familiar with those bands either outside of a handful of songs. Mostly this album is OK. I'd probably have liked it more if I were around in the mid 70s. PS. That Dresden Dolls song they have is dope

Bit shouty.

Pre punk rhythm wise. Wasn't sure if I would like it enough to rate fairly

Amateur sounding, plain and lifeless.

Like the style and the punk vibe. Short album that I could easily listen to again and again.

2.5

I gotta be honest, I have never listened to an album by The Fall before this and I was half-expecting it to be a mishmashy mess, and it is, sort of, but in a way that makes sense rather than distracts. It's like a knife fight in an alley.

This was absolute shite. Please never make my ears hear this again. I would rather roll around in battery acid.

3.5/5

45 years without hearing The Fall ... will not be listening again. Bad music, terrible voice.

I like some but they started getting samey to me after a while (I am not an album listener)

I'm not sure about this one. Quite a bit of impressive writing and creativity. Unfortunately, a bit mixed with some tedious songs. But overall, I think I dig it. Like a hair more than meh, but not quite so-so.

I do enjoy some British punk music.

This wasn’t awful. But at the same time, I’d never put this on again. I found myself tuning it out often.

Too weird

You can tell this band was influential on indie rock to come, although the voice and lyrics were a bit rugged.

The vocals are a bit of a mess, but the underlying music is captivating enough to keep at 3-stars.

Never have heard of this group until this album popped up today. Interesting album, it's definitely got the post punk sound, but there's this REALLY ANNOYING keyboard sound on all the songs that goes along with the harmony. I hate it. Just for that alone, I just couldn't get into this album. 2/5

We had one The Fall album on this list before. This album might be marginally better than that one, but I didn't see it then, and I don't see it now. All tracks just fly over my head. Not interesting enough hooks or anything really to evoke any sort of emotion for me.

Punk with a hint of new wave. There were some nice songs, "Rebellious Jukebox" has a really good guitar riff. For every good song there are plenty of really bad ones. Was going to give it a 2 star but by "No Xmas for John Quays" I just wanted it to end.

I appreciate this guy having UK roots, but this album only serves to show where Punk has come from. And it's roots aren't great. Never sniffs the Clash once

Ah, what might have been. Some triffic post-punk indie vibes here and about the only Fall album I've listened to that might contain, what some people know as, songs. I know Mark E. Smith is a god to some, but wouldn't The Fall have been so much better if he hadn't been such a cantankerous arse. Dreading the remaining albums that I know are just waiting for me on this list.

Not for me

Breath of fresh air after the Ramones album. Now this is the kind of punk I like: ill-tempered, brash, rough-edged, just wants to get off work and head for the beer. I’m sure there are better Fall albums but this is the first one I’ve listened to, and I’m glad I started with their first so I can see where they go from here. Sure, it’s a must-listen, #48.

Kinda ok. Interesting. I can see why that album is part of th mix, and why it's a well rated one, or a poorly rated one. I may listen to it again. It has something a bit special. 4 stars.

2.5hrs of nonesense.... Not in a Sabrina Carpenter way

I slightly liked Frightened and Rebellious Jukebox. But the rest of the album was either "meh" or kind of annoying.

I probably would have like this if I wasn't in such a bad mood.

Feels like a precursor to Arctic Monkeys in places, and like the cartoon rock band from 'Home Movies' screaming 'Freaky! Outie!' over and over again, too. So uneven but not unpleasant.

Drunk yelling at a mic with discordant instrumentals. WTF is up with this, and why is this on here. Did not need this before dying. 1* 2.5 hours of garbage -- maybe no one should have given them access to the studio. I skipped all the bonus tracks, fuck this noise.

An alright album but no real standout so gs.

The title gave me the impression that this was going to be some dark shit. Some Emperor like band the were going to flex in my face. What I got were two noisy songs that sounded like it was recorded on a karaoke machine in 1977. I'm good.

Un punk como nunca lo había oído; apasionado y profundamente novedoso. Disfruté de esta corriente musical con mucho gusto. La música es excepcional y contestataria a una realidad exterior gris y cada vez más gris.

2.5

paskoja biisejä laulettu paskasti ja tahalleen miksattu päin persettä gg. korvat tuntuu kuin hukkuvan, pissaan. ääh vittu jaksa laita jotai kopypastea tähän: Muriseva, muriseva, kuin koira nurkassa, Mark E Smith on äärimmäisen pelottava, kaikki haukkuu ja puree, kun bändi tekee uskomatonta post-punkia. Minusta tämä voi olla neroutta. Luulen, että tämä saattaa olla taideteos. mitä vittua nyt taas?? murisee kuin vittu tsiile tekisi maalin brasseja vastaan konsanaan. noh ei kyllä minun mielestä kuulu yhtään räihkäilyä, pelkkää laiskaa (huonoa) punkkipelleilyä. nämä eivät tiedä syytä miksi punkki joskus harvoin toimii, eikä ilmeisesti kovin moni muukaan.... en minäkään. frightened

I thought it was 90s music. Cool drums, but the "singer"...

Hard to contextualise this awful greatness. I suppose that is the real root of awe but that doesn't mean we'll all enjoy the listen. Like a brutalist building of sound. Sharp, repetitive forms. A sublime harshness. Scoring it seems even more pointless than usual; simultaneously a 5 and a 1.

Crappy punk

What a mess

I wasn't much of a fan, it sounded like a bunch of noise to me. I can see how people can like it but not for me

idk... theres something here

3.5/5

Not a fan.

I have many Fall albums...never heard the 1st album...much rawer, stripped down and heavier.. a little early Gang of Four-ish... Not bad at all and I'm old.. RIP Mark E. Smith

Garage post-punk style? I like it straight from the first track. I might not listen to it quite often cuz there are other better ones. Havy bass elements, just like what should happen in post punk music, satisfying. Some weird mixing, not sure if that's my headphone or. I'd really like to give it a 3-3.5/5, I first thought of giving it a 3.5-4 because I'm right in the mood for some new post-punk music, but this album is way tooooooo long.

What even the heck. This was a.....shockingly bland album.

Not up for this at all

Don't think I'll ever get The Fall. Mark E Smith is often made out to be a musical genius, but I don't hear it. Can't imagine sitting down to listen to this again. The only thing I can say is that they have a unique sound. 2/5

Not really my style

I think this spoke to me a lot more than the last album we heard from The Fall. A better, shaggier and more rebellious sound to me. Also quite like the cover and album name

Cool sounds. Guy seems weird though

punk 🤝 rap

# Album Name: Live at the Witch Trails # Artist: The fall # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Pretty. bang average album if im honest. Nothing really stood out for me apart from its length - way too long. Hence marked down to a 2. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No

Standard punk rock album. Nothing bad here, just not the biggest fan of it. Played SF6 while I listened to the album. Standouts: Rebellious Jukebox, Industrial Estate, and Futures and Pasts.

More art punk

Not my thing. Doesn’t sound good to my ears

Favourite songs: Frightened, No Xmas for John Quays, Futures and Pasts Least favourite songs: Rebellious Jukebox, Industrial Estate, Live at the Witch Trials 3/5

Bit strange 4/10

I can see the appeal but it gets kind of repetitive after a bit.

Utterly forgettable.

I just don’t click with the Fall even though I feel like I should. Every aspect of the songs speaks to me in some way, but I find listening to them unpleasant.

I really dig the vibe - it has a raw “live in studio” feel to it that few bands can really pull off. Definite revisit

Didn’t like anything about this.

1. "Frightened" 3,6 2. "Crap Rap 2/Like to Blow" 3,4 3. "Rebellious Jukebox" 3,3 4. "No Xmas for John Quays" 2,9 5. "Mother-Sister!" 3 6. "Industrial Estate" 2,6 7. "Underground Medecin" 3,2 8. "Two Steps Back" 3 9. "Live at the Witch Trials" 3 10. "Futures and Pasts" 3 Average 3,10

Enjoyed this

Very solid fun punk

Solid album with a lot of weirdness. I enjoyed it, reminded me of a tamer Subhumans.

I wish I could use half stars because this is the most 3.5 album I've ever heard. I really, really enjoyed some of the moments that came out of the chaos, but too much of the album is really just chaos over a really repetitive vamp.

“Basic British beats belong here” -List Father to the tune of TMNT

Raw creativity harnessed by punk sensibility

Mark E Smith and The Fall are certainly one of a kind. Wiry guitars, prominent simple repetitive rhythmic bass, synthy key flourishes, and the off-kilter atonal mad ramblings put this album firmly in the early post-punk scene. They can capture both the tempo and energy of classic punk as well as the longer, repetitive, dronier post punk explorations. A lot of it blends together and not many tracks stand out as particularly special - it’s a good album and the start of an interesting career, but not a personal favorite.

Listening to this record was a lot like listening to the subplot of a movie or a lengthy movie about the preceding proxy wars in Europe that led up to the main event, World War I, historically interesting, and perhaps necessary for a deeper understanding and scheme of things, not exactly as stalling as the main adventure. Yes I heard Nirvana and Green Day. Yes, I heard the Talking Heads and other contemporaries but it certainly is no London calling.

My assessment of their 8th album, This Nation's Saving Grace, seems to fit here, too: I have no idea how to comment on this. The "singing" is just annoying, the music sometimes makes some kind of sense, but then there are some weird noises in between, and that is annoying, again.

man i really like this band. they have the attitude just short of annoying and the dude has a cool voice.

This wasn’t for me. I had no idea what to make of it.

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.

Genre: Post-punk This album’s first half is really overshadowed by its second. Most songs on the first half aren’t that great, and most of it wasn’t really striking to me. The second half has more decent songs I don’t mind though. The closer, Music Scene, while having its moments, doesn’t feel like it has to be the length that it is, which is eight minutes. I’m fine with long songs but this one was mostly a chore a get through. This album has okay performances and production most of the time thankfully, I think the bass, synths/keyboards, and drums sound really nice. The “recorded-in-one-day“ fact is a bit apparent sometimes though. The vocals could use some work in places and most of the time the music isn’t the most striking. While good stuff can be found here, most of this album feels a bit annoying to sit through. It has its moments, but most of the time it doesn’t really set itself apart from other post-punk albums that i’ve listened to. It’s meh, just didn’t really do a lot for

Wtf

Big fall fan, seen them live, but they're back catalogue is immense, and I can't lie, I didn't know this album. As with (most of) the rest, I warmed to this pretty quickly. In fact, it's more accessible than a lot of their work. So long as you appreciate Mark E Smith is tone deaf and can get over his unique-er singing style, then you'll be in for a treat -er.

This would be passable if it was at a local concert at a dive bar, but it definitely doesn't belong in one of the 1001 albums to listen before I die

Just a bit meh

I finally have a punk album that i like

Listening via headset on my work laptop, but I wish I had a mixer so I could boost the bass in the first song, because that riff is great. The bassist definitely sounds like they're the only one with previous music experience. I didn't know this was going to be a punk album, but Rebellious Jukebox is definitely a punk song. Quote from the singers Wikipedia sums it up pretty good, "rock & roll isn't even music really. It's a mistreating of instruments to get feelings over." What a great album.

This sounds like "My kid's first band". What the heck is this? How could this possibly be a top 1001 album of all time? OF ALL TIME?! If this was made with children's toys as instruments, then maybe I can understand and appreciate the limitation that was put on the artists. The bass player deserves to be here, everyone else needs to take some music lessons. The drummer needs to practice with a metronome. Here are some sounds that I prefer over this album: babies crying, someone chewing gum with their mouth open, rubbing cotton balls together... I struggled big time just trying to get through the album. This is terrible. I don't understand. 1/5

Ugh jeez, this is almost as bad as getting a rap album. Really struggled to listen to this one - just sounded toneless and boring and repetitive. Maybe that’s meant to be the appeal?

For some reason every time this album gets reissued the number of tracks on it doubles. It's been growing exponentially since 1979 and currently the number of songs is equal to the number of grains of sand on an average length beach. In order to listen to the whole thing before they die of old age, fans have been reduced to listening to hundreds or even thousands of the songs at once on specially adapted gramophones. The good thing is this often produces sounds that you can see and taste and is referred to the Multiple E. Smith effect. But be warned! It's not a live album despite what the title may suggest. And we never find which witch came top in the trials and carried off the coveted golden broomstick award. Disappointing.

It's a coinflip between a 2 or a 3 for me. On the one hand, it's punk, and very low-effort punk at that. By the late 70s, few bands were on such tight schedules that they genuinely had to record albums in timeframes as short as one day. In general, I don't enjoy projects that have low effort. (It's one reason why I'm so critical of the punk genre.) Also, whoever's on lead vocals has that unbearable drunken monotone that crops up in pretty much every new British rock band in the late 70s. I refuse to grow numb to this. They're competing with the likes of 70s-era Queen (which some of you are giving 2s and 1s for some reason), and I refuse to lower my standards too far below the late great Mercury's voice. On the other hand, I caught myself tapping my foot a few times. The music on Live At The Witch Trials is surprisingly catchy, especially when you've just completed a couple of difficult uni assignments and you're feeling particularly anti-establishment. The riffs, played on a janky and jangly sounding electric guitar, are actually pretty solid. The singing is absolutely terrible, but then who needs a good singer anyway? (Wait a minute. I need a good singer. Who am I kidding?) 2/5 Key tracks: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, Mother - Sister!

This is the third (and last) album by The Fall that was on this list. I didn't know I needed three albums by The Fall and I probably did not. Regardless, I feel the same about this one as I felt about the two other albums. There are good songs followed by what I would describe as "not good" music. Sometimes, like Crap Rap 2 the "crap" is written in the title. Frightened Rebellious Jukebox Two Steps Back Futures and Pasts All of these are good songs but followed by songs I care less for. My opinion on the Fall has not really changed. Very hit or miss for me.

All punk rock albums from the 70s sound the same. Every. Single. One of them.

Surprised myself by quite liking it 😂

Not helped by the fact this came a day after the Buzzcocks, where I said maybe I was wrong about early punk being generally crap and overrated. This is definitely more Sex Pistols than Buzzcocks. Just little effort in places for little efforts sake. Other than the opener, nothing worth paying attention to.

1/5. After some good post-punk albums on this list, I had optimism I was the not liking it phase. This album brought me back unfortunately. Like, I hear the punk and understand the choice of having sounds that are offensive is the point, I just feel like there is a better way of going about that. This album does not do itself any favors. Best Song: Not really any of them, maybe Rebellious Jukebox idk

This one was new to me. I’m a post punk, no wave fan, so it was a good fit.

Not bad, kind of like Gang of Four with slightly less interesting lyrics.

This did a lot less for me than I thought it would. There could be more to this than I thought but I didn't find much of anything. Some mood work but it felt like it didn't have a ton of substance.

Great title, awesome art work. Sounds like they are having fun, but I am not. There are some decent melodies, but this was a bit of a chore.

Sounds like a lot of other 1970s British punk bands, especially the Sex Pistols.

Perhaps one of the most important post-punk records ever made, and one of the best records Mark E. Smith ever released, even if it does end up overstaying it's welcome by just a few tracks.

Meh. Not really bad.

This was OK, got a little repetitive after a while with nothing really that memorable.

With The Fall's protean discography you gotta start somewhere. Why not start indeed with their first LP, where Mark E. Smith proved from the get-go he was leagues ahead in the post-punk game? As weird as this record is, it could have been released yesterday, and -- in the current British crank wave revival at least -- no one would have batted an eye. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) Number of albums left to review: 54 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 408 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 236 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 303

Drummer knows what he's doing, but it looks like the others are deliberately going for an amateurish sound. Sometimes nice and sometimes annoying. 2.8

Easily forgettable

It is just ok

Like a punkier version of Velvet Underground, albeit with decipherable lyrics. To chaotic for me.

Alltså det ääär ju en cool skiva. En sån som man verkligen vill säga att man diggar. Men helt ärligt alltså, jag blev inte uppslukad. Kanske hade funkat bättre på vintern, när man går hem i snön typ.

Meh

Lots of 80's yelling

Don't fully get The Fall fandom thing, some tracks have a certain charm but mostly incoherent

I almost like Industrial Estate, Underground Medecin, Two Steps Back

Meh

Not one I expected to be well-liked here, and I'm not surprised to see that 2.64 score, but as usual it's blatantly wrong. It's raw, rough around the edges, and at times weirdly catchy. "Frightened" is one of my favourite recent discoveries, I listened to the start of this album while walking my dogs and was just walking down the street just in awe of how amazing the keyboard sounds on that song. It's almost like a sonar, and of course Mark E. Smith's delivery over that and the jagged guitars and bass makes for a really interesting listen. The rest of the album is very much the same, with some tongue-in-cheek humour (say "John Quays" out loud) but never loses its appeal, with a couple earworms in there. Their Peel sessions from around this time are also very much worth a listen, so I highly recommend those too. 8/10

Some good parts but not great overall. Standout songs: Frightened Two Steps Back

original songs and styke

Pretty nice start pacing was a little slow

For a brief second I thought I had accidently started playing Escape (The Piña Colada Song). Alas, no.

I think this thing is charming. It's brief, punchy, and I think the concept is solid. Aesthetically it's there. I think the first track starts off really strong. It can be hard to bridge rock music with cryptic and scary music which tends to be more polished and crisp. I think this is a valiant effort. I think the sound is pretty standard post punk. I think it mostly holds up but doesn't exceed expectations. I'm not exactly sure what he means when he says he likes to blow.

I want to go back and rank the Sex Pistols higher.

"lads, what if we make a punk album, but take out all the distortion and add a midi keyboard." I get part of the punk aesthetic is not being in time (or in tune), nonsensical lyrics and aggressively pushing your individual self over the song you're playing, but when you take out the loud noises and leave everything to be recorded on toy instruments, it sounds fucking awful. This is borderline unlistenable. Just awful.

It is not, despite its title, a live album. First few tracks kind of muddled together but gained steam in the middle tracks. Found my head bouncing and my feet tapping. Found it an enjoyable listen. Might take a casual listener a second to get over the exaggerated pulling vocals.

I enjoyed the first song but the rest of it seemed a bit of a let down.

This early outing feels a lot closer to its post punk peers than their later outings…. but their sheer work ethic and output means that I’ve only just scratched the surface of this….

The fall is one of those bands you should like and there’s a lot to recommend them but I’m not the biggest fan. A bit like the smiths. Mark e smith was a very clever man with a great turn in lyric. Yes. You probably should hear this. But you mightn’t get it. Nonetheless it has a style. And is important to the growth of post punk and post classic rock.

kind of noisy punk. annoying britishness dont explain to me why its important. The extremely low number of listens, except for track 1 suggest a "1001 Albums effect" . no thanks

I listened to "Live at the Witch Trials" all the way through. I am now going to re-run my review of "This Nation's Saving Grace" word for word: I never got The Fall, so I thought "here's an opportunity to give them a proper go, listen to whole album, one that is regarded as their best and most accessible. Maybe Mark E. Smith's voice isn't the most annoying bleating you ever heard once you get used to it. Maybe this is not just one of those bands that John Peel fell in love with and played so much that they became a beloved British institution through sheer familiarity, regardless of being complete rubbish. Maybe this is a band so bad that they're good." Nope. Just nope.

If I'm in a certain mood, I'd like this, but it's a 2.5 star listen for me.

Normally music like this would be just what I needed. But there was something missing her preventing me from enjoying it. Just wasn't feeling it.

Oh wow, another British post-punk band from the 70s/80s. What a surprise. I definitely needed more of this. Yeah, I didn't care for this album much. I'll start with the praise that I have. I actually do like the instrumental sound quite a bit. It's pretty interesting. I'd call it good. "Frightened" is a pretty solid song. The album is a pretty decent length. The rest of the album isn't my cup of tea. I respect this album, but I just don't really vibe with it enough to give it a super high rating. The vocals are fine, I guess. They're okay and aren't too annoying. The writing could have more substance to it. I feel like this album needs more to keep me engaged. I don't know what it is, but I feel like this just could have been a more fun album. It's not the length. I can see potential here. This could be a great album, it just needs a bit more to it. Oh well, maybe I'll find that in one of the other two albums that this band has on the list. Really? 3 albums for The Fall? You serious? Those other two better be damn good albums. 3/5.

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!

Aight

This was dumb but at least it felt like he tried. Corny record. I’ll still give it three. Again at least it sounded like he cared.

OK. I grew up LIVING the post-punk, punk scene. I used to go every weekend to the L&G Club in New London Connecticut and watch all sorts of psedo to genuine punk acts. I LOVE several of the old school hardcore punk artists, even went to see Billy Idol as an old man and it was still so amazing... Anyhow, sure, The Fall has the right sound, the right sort of singer, the right "feel" overall, but somehow... IDK? They are like... "Yeah, listen to this song and it is like punk is." But somehow it is not "Punk." I think it is the heart maybe? The real social and political "fuck the system" punk that makes it so magical. It is just sort of middle of the road, punk by the numbers. No offense. Some of the songs work. But the album is 41 songs long and it just becomes a drag...

More of a trip, but you can see where it’s going.

still a long way to fall

I don't know what post-punk is but this record is the definition right here

Not for me

I was thinking this would be a 2 because while it's definitely not for me, I could at least kinda appreciate it. Then "No Xmas for John Quays" came on and I could not wait for it to be over. The album didn't really improve much for me from there but at least became "tolerable". Overall I just kinda found it to be noisy. I stuck through it because I'm just determined to listen to every album and every track. You can be certain though I only listened to the songs on the original release and not the over 2 hours on the release version.

Live At The Witch Trials was a disappointment. What a great name first of all. After that, there is zero melody. It’s very 70s punk but the bad version. Vocals are lifeless a lot of the time. 4.2/10

Not a huge fan, but it's better than some of the other punk albums I've listened to.

I enjoyed how raw and hypnotic this album was. Rough around the edges garage punk vibe. I love the song No Xmas for John Quays. 3/5

Favourite Song: Frightened

The musical equivalent to scratching a sunburn.

Not using a private Spotify session. I knew of The Fall for more of their less punk more pop music(though using the words pop and The Fall seems wrong) never really listened to the punk version. This is music to listen to in a crowded bar, drinking low quality mass produced beer, while getting pushed shoved, and getting covered in other people's sweat and drinks. I tend to avoid that scene these days.

The earnest nature of the first song gave me hope, but alas, that hope was ill-placed. This is not in the top 1001 albums you should listen to, surely it’s not

My weekly reminder that I do not like punk rock

This is just not that good. I hate some of the instruments on this one

Bardzo dobry post punkowy album. Dobrze się słucha i zdecydowanie wrócę czasami

meh

I dig it! Classic post punk. 3.8

2 punk without the energy

Long and a bit too pretentious. It's not a bad sound, but it definitely started to get tedious about halfway through.

Some brits getting hyped and garage bandy about something. Not bad but ok.

Listened to the first couple tracks. It grew on me. Some real sweat on the stage British punk with some nice weird synth tones, clear present drums and interesting guitar textures. Fun, even if it’s not really my cup of tea.

First time I've listened to this band. My kind of weird.

Too long. Some cool stuff and some not cool stuff. Not my genre most of the time

I enjoyed this - especially Mark E Smith's delivery with '-uh' at the end of each phrase. Rough and raw

That lead singer is terrible. He started trying to hold a note and I hit stop and moved on. More trash

Mark E. Smith doing Mark E. Smith things.

I don’t get it

Not bad. I don’t know if I’d ever rush to listen to it again

I missed categorized The Fall in my mind, so was very pleasantly surprised by this album.

Not a fan of this proto-punk style, unfortunately. Too sloppy for me.

Pure brit punk in the best ways

Really good rhythm section but the guitar sound doesn't work here. Too clean and the use of open strings doesn't match with Mark Smith's vocals. Still, it's OK with Two Steps Back being a standout track.

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 . . .)

Old rotty punk

Difficult. Would've enjoyed this at 14, but I'm not 14 now.

Non mi so piaciuti.. il cantante canta troppo dissonante

Niet mijn ding, hoor veel muziek door elkaar heen

High hopes after first track. Dashed.

I've like the other releases from The Fall on this list so far and this is another interesting one that probably requires a bit more time. Frightened certainly captures me from the start.

Always different, always the same, as the Peel line goes. I do enjoy their schtick, but I don't think any Fall album is gonna get to a 5 with me. But at the same time, probably never get a 3 or lower either? 4s for The Fall, then! Fave tracks - "Frightened" is a fun kick off. "Rebellious Jukebox" and "Futures and Pasts" are both stand outs. "Bingo-Master's Break Out!" and "Various Times" if we're allowed to include bonus tracks!

Terrible. Opening track sounded vaguely interesting, but I can't abide this sort of thing. Pretending you're punk is just daft. All I can see there to link them to the likes of the Sex Pistols is the poor copy of the vocal style.

Genius. Should be on the curriculum.

I never heard of this album or band before today. Maybe because I'm not british? Anyway, thats kind of the whole reason I'm here is to discover music thats new to me so lets do this. /listens to entire far-too-long double album OK, so its not a terrible album, but its not really good either. Vocals and composition are nothing special, and the production is unremarkable. And it goes on for WAYYYY too long. 2/5

Unpleasant singing, guitar

wasn’t doing really anything

Whatever

Meh

no, no, no; kann ich mir nicht (dauerhaft) anhören

1.5 So, I took a nice long break from this project. While I am not exactly sure how long (this album was generated on July 8th and I was already quite a bit behind when I gave up but it's November 13th already). I can't believe the first thing I am coming back to is The Fall. The Infotainment Scan was my first 1 in this project. Maybe seeing this was up next is what prompted me to stop trying. On to the album itself - The Fall is still not for me. Frightened was the best on the album, but that's not saying much. I think I disliked this less than The Infotainment Scan, but that could be my excitement for starting this up again talking.

I've never heard of The Fall before, but I tend to like post punk music, so I had high hopes heading into this review. Unfortunately, I didn't care for this album very much. Musically, this album felt pretty one dimensional to me. The guitar tones were interesting and gave them album a unique feel, but they felt repetitive over the course of the album. The overall sound was really raw, but it didn't offer anything new or divergent from the punk sounds of the late seventies in my opinion. In general, I wasn't a big fan of the off-kilter keyboards, but there were some keyboard parts on the latter half of the album that weren't as off-putting to me. Lyrically, this album had some flashes of brilliance, especially on "No Xmas for John Quays." Overall though, I didn't really feel like this album offered anything new or exciting for post punk. It wasn't as bad as Pere Ubu, but it certainly fell short of Gang of Four and Magazine.

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

3/5

Não rolou pra mim, inclusive não sou um grande fã de post-punk. Não tenho problema em um som mais "cru" mas esse timbre dos instrumentos e efeitos, com essa voz desanimada e um sotaque ultra-britânico não me pegou não. Não odiei também, mas acho que não volto a ouvir.

I'd rather actually be at the Salem witch trials burning on a wooden pole than listen to this again.

The Fall doesn’t seem to do it for me even though I like this kind of music. Maybe they’re just too British. Favorite songs were Frightened, Futures and Pasts, and Rebellious Jukebox.

Another late 70s British punk album. Yay!! 2.5

Okay. Fuck it. The album "was recorded in a studio in a single day". Listening to the whole thing AND writing a thoughtful review seems like more effort than the band put into producing this album. This is a bundle of scrambled notes and slurred lines held together by energy and attitude.