Live At The Witch Trials

Crappy punk

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

# 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

Bit strange 4/10

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.

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.

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

Wtf

Just a bit meh

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!

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.

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.

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

Easily forgettable

It is just ok

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

Meh

Lots of 80's yelling

Meh

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

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

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.

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

Aight

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.

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

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

2 punk without the energy

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

I don’t get it

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

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 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

Whatever

Meh

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.

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.

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.

punky

Couple of just awful albums in a row. At least I get why this one is here.

A bit shouty this one innit.

Kaoottista punkkia. Ihan mielenkiintoista kun ei ole niin suoraviivaista ja on melodisempaa. Aika kokeellista kanssa. Parhaat: Underground Medicin, Two Steps Back

Boring Britt punk from the 80s. All sounds the same. Low quality musicianship

- sheesh talk about repetitive - I can almost appreciate it - very 70s punk sound - how many live albums can a band have?

Its very punk...too punk for me. Lyrics were great, just too much dissonance and yelling for my taste. For the genre it is right on point and great, but just not my taste really.

I liked the Slits better. This album was not live and no witches were put on trial during the making of this album.

Post punk continues to not be my thing apparently. This album was annoying. Thankful for its short length though!

I believe the word Shite has been used frequently to describe this record. Not agreeing nor am I disagreeing.

mans needs to stop 3inning

ugh. This is the second entry for The Fall on my list. This one was even more insufferable than the first one.

Couldn't feel the love for this. Recorded in a day, impressive , but Smith is just too abrasive for me today.

May 27, 2024 Well, of all the Fall albums I’ve heard this is definitely a Fall album. While it would be easy to admit defeat after 3 albums, I intend to put on Hex Enduction Hour sometime soon, considered one of their best outside of this list. There’s always the possibility that the combo of Smith’s vocals and the noisy guitars just isn’t for me, despite the bristly, energetic performances heard in this debut album.

I've never quite got the Fall. I don't hate it though.

Klinkt alsof t opgenomen is met de microfoon van iPhone oortjes

Lost interest after 4 songs. Not terrible, just didn’t care.

I've listened to Saving Grace-ah, and I listened to Infotainment Scan-ah, and they were all pretty good-ah, and the Fall are a fine band-ah, but they're starting to wear out their welcome-ah...

nah. punk especially Br*t*sh punk is too rough for me. If people are just gonna romp around and talk sing I don't wanna hear that heavy "oi in 'is 'ears through eyes o tears"

Ehhh it was alright

Punk and alternative vibes, teeters on the line of new wave. Of british origin and sounds all together cohesive. Lyrical, and vocal a total miss for me. Not enough grit to be punk, and not enough alternative to be call alternative rock. But, credit due 1979 was early for this type of sound. Counter disco culture album, love that for music in general. Also the percussive element of this album is all aces. Hell right jazz and progressive drums.

Very disappointing. Vocal were like the Stranglers but the music was not as good. A bit shouty and generally poor. I wouldn't listen to this again

Someone tell them that is not, in fact, a live album. 2.4

Eh only ok

Not really my style...

p430. 1979. 2 stars. Not their best work by means, but worth a listen if you enjoy sardonic Mancs in late 70s/early Thatcher era.

Good debut album. Too frantic (and too long) for me. Best song is Music Scene. Lead Brit git does a good job with clear annunciation on the vocal track. I imagine these guys aren’t that popular in Germany based on the subject matter of a few songs. Not on this album, but they do a punked up cover of The Kinks’ Victoria that’s decent. Never been a huge fan of punk, Witch Trials comes in at (2.5*s)

This album is just a drunk Brit singing pub rants to his mates. There were a few good moments but it just kept dragging on and on. I liked the energy but it's pretty noisy and not well produced. There's much better early punk and this could use a bit of polishing.

Side 1 sounds like the neighbor kids practicing in their garage. Side 2 is better and has glimpses of more complexity. Last song is best song. I can picture the scene in the early 70s/early 80s - a bunch of pissed of kids with ripped clothes, patches, and piercings drinking shitty warm beer, smashing up a basement. I'd have joined in the fun.

Sounds like half a song's worth of ideas made into a whole album.

If I listened to this in the 80s, I'd probably think this is rad as hell, but in today's context it doesn't really sound good, and I'm mostly uninterested.

Boring and repetitive. Not great punk, or post-punk.

Had potential but just didn’t work for some reason

Thoughts before listening: British 70s punk rock band that has been around forever. I know that their sound has evolved over the years, but in 1979 I believe this will be kind of a post-punk, pre-new wave kind of sound. Highly influential band that has been cited as an influence by musicians I love. Review: Meh. This isn't for me. I love a lot of punk and indie music, but it still needs song structure and melody to catch my interest. For the most part this is very repetitive, atonal music with Mark E Smith ranting over top. There are a few standouts such as the first song "Frightened", and I enjoy "2 Steps Back" as well. 2-stars.

Ah post punk, all the words without any of the feeling. Unfortunately the vocals just don't lend themselves to the slower post punk style for me. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if the tempo was increased and it had more attitude. This felt like slower complaining.

Not my cup of tea

I both enjoy this while also kinda hating it. Will I listen to again: 1%

Never heard of this band and reading wiki they seem to have an interesting history. Saying that, ehhh... not really my jam. 2.5/5

Ok

couldn't get into it.

After one song I thought this actually wasn’t too bad. After two songs I thought this actually was quite bad.

Liveplattor är sällan kul. Gäller även denna.

It's noisy punk and I just couldn't do it. It may be great noisy punk, but I wouldn't know. I've never heard of this band.

Postpunk met een zeikerige Britse zanger. De zanger klinkt af en toe (bijvoorbeeld op track 1) als een Bob Dylan die articuleert, wat dan wel weer grappig is. Zo erg als gisteren is het niet maar het zit er ook niet gigantisch ver boven. Het feit dat de nummers gemiddeld zo'n 200k streams hebben op Spotify doet wel twijfelen of het in deze lijst hoort. Neem 'Twarres' uit Fryslân, waarvan ik zojuist ontdek dat het geen broer en zus waren, met de hit 'Wêr Bisto' en daarna nog 'She Couldn't Laugh'. Hun album uit 2001 heeft zo'n 19 miljoen streams meer en de niet-hits hebben zo'n 300k streams gemiddeld. Ik benoem gewoon feiten *schouderophaalemoji* Anyway, tussen de 2 en de 3 in dit. Ik vind die NES geluiden (ook al bestond die toen nog niet) wel leuk. Laatste track is het best, die is wat minder post en wat meer punk.

It has some nice elements but it's hard to appreciate if you're not in the mood... I was not in the mood.

This is just noise. The music is repetitive, the vocals are monotonous… ugh. Why did this make the list? The critics liked it; this listener does not. Listened to the first seven tracks, then skipped down to Dresden Dolls because the title seemed familiar. It was fine. Otherwise did not finish.

There’s a semblance of a good album here: interesting basslines, deliberately sloppy, (almost off-key ala Trout Mask Replica) playing and singing and I appreciate the sentiment and no-fucks given approach, but this just didn’t land for me.

bit boring thought i liked it at the start but it just got more and more boring

meh boring

The wiki said that this album was recorded in one day at the studio and I’m assuming that’s because the owner of of studio didn’t allow them back after hearing this. Jkjk it wasn’t THAT bad but I still wasn’t a huge fan and I could definitely see this band fucking around in the studio for a day, making this, and calling it good since it could be plagiarized from 50 other post-punk albums and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

It's listed as Indie Rock in Apple Music, but it sounds very punk to me. by that I mean it's sort of unimaginative, rudimentary instrument playing, and a high-pitched, nasally, South London accented singer with very little variation in his pitch or tone throughout the album. That said, there were a couple of songs where I caught myself bouncing my leg, so it's not 1-star awful. It is kind of tedious; however, so I can't really bring myself to give it more than 2 stars.

I was not digging this and it made me appreciate how unique and special The Clash is. Couldn’t wait for The Fall to finish.

Some decent rifts on some tracks along with some ok melodies. Not a fan really though and nothing stood out to me.

Not my kind of music.

еще больше начала пост-панка и попыток записи лайва в студии ://///

I'll be honest, I listened to one song from this album and decided I was in too much of a bad mood to listen to the rest of it because it was so long and it hurt my ears. I won't give it a 1 because I only listened to the first two songs but. It's close

what stood out the most on the fall's live at the witch trials was the video game-like sound effects used? considering its release in 1979, that seems unusual. the vocals weren't anything remarkable, or interesting. i was bored.

Really love the album title. But that's about it. Definitely got the "post-punk" vibes here; the punky attitude is there, but the music itself is leaning toward the 80s. The album really didn't do much for me at all, though.

I was reading about this guy, seems like he’s a huge dick so I figured his music must be amazing to last. It’s not. He sucks.

Well one good thing I’m learning about these punk/new wave albums is they are all very short. This one wasn’t super great and blends in with all the rest. Kind of like a low-quality Ramones copy in my very ignorant, un-punk-educated opinion. Two stars.

While the instrumentation has a nice sound, I could not get behind the vocals. To be honest I tire of how many punk albums we get on here and none of them are very good. I would be happy to never listen to this one again. 2 stars

I got bord of this fast so many of them sound the same it's not necessarily bad but fuck it's repetitive also I'm not listing to the live versions if we are counting them as part of the album then fuck me this shit works go for 2 hours. It's a 2 on a good day

Live at the witch trials is a decent listen but didn't do anything to really grab me at any point. It's short so inoffensive but I'm not coming back anytime soon Fav songs - Two Steps Back

I couldn't wait for this noise to end. 11 tracks into the 41 an I quit. I have better things to do with my time. That being said, the stereo mix is really cool, but the music didn't connect with me at all and the pit in the EQ from the mids to the tip-top of the highs exhausted my ears. I can't give this one star, because I can hear how genre fans could like this. It's not the bottom of the barrel, but it's not for me.

okay, post punk... don't get the fuss about it. sounds to me like all that stuff from that time. sorry.

Not my thing. At least it was short, but even so it felt too long.

Guay pero no tenía el día de punk

Nun ja …

Didn't really work for me.

Met de manier van 'zingen' en de repeterende melodietjes soms bijna rap. En ergens is dat wel leuk. Ware het niet dat het zo extreem lui is uitgevoerd. Het zullen de punkinvloeden wel zijn. Die later in verschrikkelijke vorm nog duidelijker terugkomen, zoals bij het kerstnummer. Dit wordt ook weer een dikke onvoldoende. Zonde. Er zat best wat meer in.

Dit is de zoveelste reut onder de noemer post-punk, met repeterende gitaarriffjes en aanstellerig gewauwel door een microfoon. De gitaar is semi expres vals gestemd, de zang probeert wanhopig Johnny Rotten na te doen en af en toe flikkeren ze nog een piano van de bovenste verdieping van het kraakpand naar beneden. Daar zal de band dan ook wel naar genoemd zijn.

Harsh and discordant and not for me. It started with an engaging tune and drumming, but went off into usual Mark E Smith world and just is not my taste.

Kinda weak garage punk stuff

When reading the blurb on this band I was excited to listen, then I did. The songs feel like rants over mediocre music, barely cohesive. If Lou reed was both more punk and worse.

A few albums ago I thought I was just a very casual punk fan. This album has proved that i am indeed not a punk fan and only enjoy a select number of punk songs. If you like punk, I think you’ll like this album. If you’re a more casual fan like I am, you might find the album excessively repetitive.

Yikes. This album kinda sucked. I admit I didn’t finish it completely, but I was tired of listening to shitty British punk music. The worst part was the voice. The singers voice sucked. The instrumentals were fine, pretty standard.

Frightened - 2 Crap Rap - 2 Rebellious Jukebox - 2.5 No Xmas - 2 Mother-Sister - 1 Industrial Estate - 2 Underground Medecin - 2 Two Steps Back - 2.5 Live at the Witch Trials - 2 Future and Pasts - 2

1. Frightened - 2 2. Crap rap 2like - 2 3. Rebellious jukebox - 3 4. No Xmas - 1 5. Mother-sister - 1 6. Industrial estate - 1 7. Underground medicine - 3 8. Two steps back - 1 9. Live at the witch trials - 1 10. Futures and pasts - 2 1.7 Bad

12/13/2023 2:42 S Tier————————— A Tier————————— B Tier————————— Futures and Pasts Mother-Sister! C Tier————————— Underground Medecin Two Steps Back Crap Rap 2like to Blow Rebellious Jukebox Industrial Estate No Xmas for John Quays Frightened D Tier————————— Live At the Witch Trials

Wednesday 12/13/2023, 2:42, office A Tier————————— Underground medecin B Tier————————— Rebellious Jukebox Crap rap 2like to blow Frightened Industrial Estate C Tier————————— Futures and Pasts Mother-Sister Two Steps back D Tier ————————— No Xmas for John Quays Live at the witch trials

Heard of the fall I think, not the album. Indie rock from 1979. Chilled vibe at the start. Vocals are a bit annoying - starting to grate on me actually by 3rd song… and had to stop listening. A high 2/5 because I liked the guitar but vocals totally ruin it.

I didn't like it.

Didn't get into this one. Music was tame and vocals sounded disjointed.

Not worth 2 full discs. Bailed on it

boh

Vocals on The Fall records are not polished, but this was worse than usual.

Listened to this while playing Verdant. I actually liked the first track...it kind of caught me off guard and subverted my expectations. The rest of the album was a difficult listen for me. Punk is definitely a genre I've never taken a dive into...ska was the closest I ever came to that scene. Some of the album I found tolerable, but there was a lot that I struggled with. I'm torn. Part of me wants to rate this a 1...but I think it'll get a 2 just because it didn't COMPLETELY fall flat for me.

I've struggled a bit with the 70s punk albums on here so far. Marquee Moon (Television) started to work more for me on a second listen, so maybe this is something that needs to settle in a bit more for me (but Marquee Moon is also a lot more polished than this). I generally didn't love this right now though. I actually liked the first song ("Frightened"), but then it didn't quite come together for me after that. It's super loose and unstructured, very garage-jam sounds. The singer is ok, but his voice is pretty whiny and somehow yelling at the same time. It just wasn't generally working, though there were a few spots here and there that I liked. But then there's also songs like "No Xmas for John Quays," where I just am not tracking it. I do think I get the appeal of this music. It's certainly a lot more raw and outside the box than the mainstream 70s rock. I just think there's a bit higher variability, and this one didn't quite do it for me on the whole. Favorite song: Frightened Other: Rebellious Juxebox, Futures and Pasts 10/19/23

From the school of why have 8 half decent songs when 20 mediocre ones will do

Inoffensive: I don't know how to place this album bc it just wasn't any good. Felt really basic, like someone decided to make an album of the first songs they wrote as a teen or a dad having a mid-life crisis. Not the best at all but I can see this being the background to add some noise in public. I'm not coming back and wouldn't suggest anyone should.

2/10 Je n ai pas du tout aimé

I’m pretty lukewarm to this one. It’s not the worst record I’ve ever heard, and I like the post punk elements in the instrumentation throughout. I just don’t really connect on a songwriting or lyrical level to what the goal was. It feels pretty “there” but not genre defining or groundbreaking in any way. I’d say it’s a mood album for being drunk at the pub around midnight.

yeah this one was not really my thing. the problem for me is that this album seems like it was made to be unpleasant sounding and i think that's the point. unfortunately for me, unpleasant to listen to is not something that i enjoy listening to. a lot of the music is dissonant. the vocals are a bit nonchalant, but also have a bit of a sneer. that's fine. it just doesn't resonate well with me. not my thing

Even if I were drunk in a pub with my mates after a bar brawl, I would still be angry that this was playing.

Not for me.

-i have never heard of this band or this album -frightened was nice and catchy -its feels like pretty average indie rock to me tbh -these songs aren’t bad but they aren’t…….super good to me personally -its catchy and the lyrics are fun -it wasn’t a bad listen, just not for me (loved the guitar bits), two stars probably

Lacked the 'charm' (wrong word, but can't think of a better one right now) of their other album I heard, and was generally quite hard to listen to loud.

Not my jam

I mean, I was expecting a hell of a lot more witches. Meh.

Yuck.

Never got the hype about this lot tbf.

det här var väl inte så bra

Didn't feel like good music to me but it wasn't bad.

what on earth is mark e. smith talking about whats going on. where am i. YA YAAAAA, industrial e s t a t e

Probably just on this list because it was influential.

I really want to like The Fall, people whose taste is almost certainly better than mine think that they're brilliant, but I really struggle. It's too tuneless, and rambly, without anything to elevate it from there in my opinion. 2/5.

Run of the mill punk

Something of a chore

It sounds like several other early punk albums from this timeframe. A lot of 'talky' vocals that are angsty and not really enjoyable to listen to. There must be something lyrically here that gives this album a good review but I don't really listen for that so it ain't working for me...

All the songs sounded the same to me, but maybe I was in a bad mood.

Gibberish lyrics spoken-sung over average punk music. It's often out of tune (if there even was one), almost avant garde. Nonsense. John Peel's favourite band, but definitely not mine.

Great album title, but not my favorite… execution.

No

Okay album, I definitely preferred everything else going on in 1979. Not as good as the punk going on at that time, not overly interesting, and I can't imagine revisiting too often. Mid 2

Not really my thing. Annoying vocalist, repetitive songs.

It doesn't come across as clever as much as it comes off as false advertising.

Nope

Too punky for me

Kinda fun, but kinda happy it's over.

5/10

Didn’t like the vocals, or much of anything else.

I don’t want to dance, I want to go home.

Sounds pretty much identical to 100 other albums on this list so I guess they just said "Fuck it throw in another hella british post punk album the world really needs to hear this one". 4/10

I absolutely enjoy the lead track Frightened, and I thought that was going to be the level of alternative approachability... but i was very wrong. Album becomes much more challenging... uneven timely, a lot of shouting over music, and though some of it evokes a good punk angst, there is also cringey singing attempts. Interesting.

I did not like this

The opening track was fine, but apart from that I didn't get anything from it.

Really unpleasant. 3/10

Two The Fall albums in two days, lucky me! This one is rougher than the previous and, despite a great opening track, there’s really not too much else here that I can get into

Héhé, Live at the Bitchass néné

In my The Fall album review tradition, let's turn to Wikipedia's analysis - The Fall's "Live At The Witch Trials" "is not, despite its title, a live album." I'm sorry, is there an actual live music venue called The Witch Trials? I'd be intrigued, but not sure whether I'd see a show there. I wouldn't see The Fall there, that's for sure. As with their other two albums on the list, Mark Smith's voice ruins The Fall. The album is off-kilter and in your face, but all of that is sabotaged by the way Smith ends every line with an obnoxious flourish or exaggerated accent.

These guys don’t want John Quays to have Xmas. I was expecting him to be some famous British a-hole, but I couldn’t find anything. Maybe he was some local a-hole they knew, or they made him up. The atmosphere brought by the keyboards and bass are the most enjoyable musically. The drum fills are basic and disjointed. The singer likes to add “uh” to the end of words at the end of a phrase. This reminds me of James Hetfield, “mmmYEAH!” I imagine a lot of singers have these signature word enhancements. It is especially noticeable for Mark Smith here. “…chestUH” “…sweatUH” “…homeUH” (all from Frightened). You get the idea.

It was hard to tell if this was actually live. It sounded not as sharp as studio sound but that may just be how the singer is. The instrumentals were decent and had some unique stuff but it was mostly rock/punk throughout. Not the worst album in this list but not worth revisiting. 4.5/10

i admire everything about the Fall except that they are so aggressively unpleasant to listen to

I had a glimmer of hope when I saw witch trials, but nothing about this felt worthy of that title. Should be called Live from the Bore Fest. Another UK band that does not deserve to be on here.

Surprised to find we've actually had another album from the Fall, released like 15 years after this one. Pretty non-descript punk band to me. A couple cool tracks here and there, though one of the ones I liked turns out to have been a bonus track, not even on the album. The Apple Music version is some absurd deluxe with dozens of tracks, and I just deleted all the live stuff and beyond. Not much to say here, it just didn't make much of an impact. Credit to them though for making stuff that seems a bit ahead of its time. '70s punk sort of impresses me no matter what. Favorite tracks: Repetition, Two Steps Back. Album art: Really like the title, but the cover is boring. Tree. 2.5/5

Ni fú, ni fá. Es su primer disco y me gusta como canta Smith pero no creo que sea un disco que vaya a pasar por mi vida más veces. 2 estrellas y ya.

Not my cup of tea

The vocals don't really do it for me

The Fall's debut is a messy one. I think there's some good ideas on display, but it's mostly bogged down by poor execution. It's got a lot of attitude consistent with classic post-punk (before it got soft). I admire the Fall's willingness to experiment with dissonance and different tones (the snare drum, the keys, etc.). Unfortunately, I don't feel like many of these elements work in favor of the songs. The last two tracks are easily the best parts, especially when the producer is shouting the recording times at the band, continuing their frenzy of sound.

Definitely not a timeless classic - it sounds like a cross between The Damned and The Stranglers, and very much late 1970s / early 1980s.

Early hardcore punk. Decent listen. A wretched mean voice on this guy.

15th Feb 2023 Started while working from home, finished in the office. Started for all mankind, got the house ready for Jen’s family staying at the weekend. I know they’re a big deal in the indie scene and loads of people hold them in such high esteem but I didn’t get this.

Liian "kilttiä" punkiksi ja liian punkkia popiksi. En tiedä mitä tästä vois sanoa.

"A drunkard singing pub songs" -- lol. Figures. um 1 or 2. I didn't finish the album and I don't really care to.

Een band waar ik eigenlijk amper iets van kende. Het begon heel aardig maar al snel werd het iets waar ik weer totaal niet met plezier naar kon luisteren.

Not for me

Eh it was okay. By all standards a decent live album but I just didn’t enjoy it that much.

Didn't mind it - wouldn't listen again. 2.5 stars.

meh

It sounds like the drummer has great posture.

Mediocre punk

I don't know how many random British punk albums from the late 70s - early 80s I have left in me. At least it wasn't a live album and the album cover is pretty cool. These guys made 31 albums and 3 of them are on this list? I respect the grind. I'm sure one of them is good.

The Fall's debut album. Recorded in one day and mixed the next. This is more tuneful than I had expected. There is a cheap sounding / toy keyboard tone throughout the album, which ties it together and adds a more cheerful air that nicely offsets Mark E Smith's angry drunk man in a pub vocals. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Frightened Date listened: 11/12/22

Punk. 1979. Great for 1979. Doesn’t fit me now.

Good album title. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was good about this album.

I don't hate it but I don't really like it either. So 2.

I’ve never really got The Fall. I’ve never really got the mystic and cult around Mark E Smith. The album is ok - but couldn’t shake the image of a decent pub band just going through the motions as I listened through it.

Not my bag - too scrappy and discordant - but I enjoyed listening to side two in particular (underground medicen and the last two tracks stood out on the album). I don’t want to listen to it again though and they would make much better songs later on

kinda interesting and funny at times, kinda drags - 2 stars probably. musicality is uninteresting

J'avais pour idée de laisser une chance au style de musique post punk qui, je vous le rappelle, est un style dégueulasse. The Fall l'a bien laissée passer en produisant avec Live At The Witch Trials une nouvelle dégueulasserie.

Cet album était des plus nauséabonds, on sent que Robert a eu besoin de relâcher la pression après une période d'activité exceptionnelle.

3/3 punks rocked

Tried a couple of times but couldn't really get into this one..

suffocation et asthme à l’effort📍gare d’Hanovre (2/5)

Just noise.

Very, very raw. There are some spirited performances on here, but I feel like I'd probably not want to see this if it were at a bar. Favorite track: "Rebellious Jukebox"

Not great but original

Ik vond hier zeer weinig aan

Recommended for: smoking a cigarette in an artist commune. Enjoyed some songs, but skipped more. 2 (disappointing)

sounds like open mic night on a monday at shitty dive bar

I get it I totally get it. A lot of their stuff was great this album though was ehhh

ok, not that speciaal

heel coole albumnaam maar muziek was echt iets dat ik al vaak gehoord had

I really didn't get this one...I listened to it, lots of weird and oddness and some fun stuff...but ya...it seemed like a bit of a fever dream.

Listened to on 6/8/22 Favorite song: live at the witch trials I didn’t particularly enjoy this album and found it super repetitive

2.5

I found this very uninteresting.

Not really that interesting to me. I was mostly bored, nothing really stood out much to me and several of the songs (I'm looking at you 'Music Scene') went on far too long. Not something I'm terribly interested in listening to again or adding to my collection. But I managed to not completely loathe it.

This is like walking into Buffalo Exchange in the early 2000's and the burnout at the register is inflicting this on unsuspecting patrons who are just trying to find a vintage 90's-style mechanic shirt, but quickly decide it's not worth the trouble and leave. What's up for offer is very experimental, repetitive, and very low-fi. It has a garage punk sound, shout-singing, and simple 3/4 rhythms and progressions. I'm sure there's an audience for this, but it's not me.

It was ok. Not my bag.

Awful

I don't know what this is. I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Nope

Wow, this was a bit tough to go through. It felt like they gave The Young Ones a bunch of instruments and said "put together some anti-establishment songs." They were very noodle-y. As a punk semi-fan, I had heard good things about the fall. I'm glad not to have paid attention.

Boring. It's like they have a punk sound but on one-quarter speed. On a second listen I found there was a bit more to their sound than I originally thought. But it was still boring. It also felt like they were trying too hard to be clever (looking at you No Xmas for John Quays). Eventually it just felt pretentious. I gave it the second listen to make sure I wasn't being overly critical. It felt like hard work.

Never listened to The Fall before. I probably never will again.

Bad

Oddball noise. Slint-lite.

I feel like their attitude outweighs their talent. Pub punk, I believe?

This is just bad. 2/5 hours of bad music on this album. Sounds pretty punk for the era though. 4/10.

This album is the debut album from The Fall and is in fact not a live album, as the title suggests. However, it was recorded in a single day and released to positive reviews. The music can be described as a mix of rock and punk, otherwise known as post-punk. "Rebellious Jukebox" was the standout track for me. The band did a great job of forming an instant classic debut album that still holds up as one of their best albums.

not for me in the present frame of mind

I’m much more attuned to this sort of post punky uh oh the 80s are here style sort of stuff, which makes it easier to know that I just don’t care too much for this one

Not for me. No recognized songs

Занятный бредок

Ok. Right. A double album. Here we go... First repeat appearance on this list by an artist I had never heard before we started. Again, I like The Fall. Is this a live album? Because it sounds like it but I also noticed that most of their records on Spotify are "Live from..." and I don't think "The Witch Trials" is an actual place, let alone venue. By "sounds like it" I mean that the drums sound kinda shitty. Like they are EQ'd to cut through a live mix but not to sound appealing when listening back. God, this record is long. Ok. This was recorded in a single day. Had to look it up. And it wasn't originally a double LP. So, I've already listened through the original LP and I'm in the bonus tracks from a reissue now. Overall, I like this record but also can't imagine when/what setting it would make sense to revisit this.

Whoever put this list together was really into British punk music. We've had a lot of it lately - most of which I've really like. Not this one. I think if you're going to be in a band like this, they key is not to take yourself too seriously. I feel like these guys take themselves very seriously - something about it just seems like they're trying very hard to make it sound like they aren't trying very hard. You know? Anyhoo, I won't give them the lowest possible rating because - to their credit - this was probably pretty unique in the "post punk" era and I can actually here how this may have influenced some of the British pop-punk that came later. But still. . .

It’s not for me

So so

Too shouty for me

Punk clásico y poco visceral. Guitarrero.

Did not like

First Listen. Interesting sounds. I like it and want to hear more of it. 2/5 for now.

Conheci e nem lembrarei mais.

A shame that the production mutes the raw intensity present on this LP. As a progenitor of the lo-fi distorted chorus sound, it's boggling that this album eschews a louder, more visceral production style for the flat mix that does nothing for the tracks.

Just couldn’t get going for me

51. Este estudo poderia ser uma ironia académica. Propõe-se a melhorar o reconhecimento de notícias falsas, através da exclusão da sátira, também ela falsa. Nada em mim é plágio, mas talvez o algoritmo não o saiba. Aqui fica a minha pouco subtil forma de o mostrar. MotA: Frightened "Someone's always on my tracks"

Not really something I'd listen to on the regular.

Not my vibe

More uninspired brit punk.

The music isn't that bad, but there's too much of it to the point I got way past fed up.

Meh. Nothing stood out.

never liked how off key punk music sounds with someone singing, I'll never get used to it

5

Nothing caught my ear, but overall quality sound, with a few niche uses

And I thought Rage at the Machine was angry. I guess I like post-punk if its a bit more melodic like the Clash, Gang of Four, The Stranglers etc.

Meh.

I was expecting to like this, but I have to say it's a no for me. Repetitious and sorta boring. 2 stars.

Ja erg brits, klinkt als n stel kiddos die debiel goed zijn met instrumenten

Blech.

Punk with keyboards, interesting

Meh

A bit too yell-y. Not much in the way of melody, and the guitar/instrumentals are not very inspiring

Rebelsk, eksperimenterende punk-rock

Not my kind of music, too wild n screamy, punkish,

I imagine the CIA has used this album to get terrorists to divulge information. It’s two hours of the worst kind of British rambling rock, where every song feels like it started 10 minutes ago and forgot where it was going. And if that doesn’t pique your interest, some of the tracks are live performances that somehow sound even worse. By the end I was ready to confess to shit I didn’t even do.

The upside of punk is that most songs are less than two minutes.

Not my cup of tea.

Two days in a row of not being able to get 10 minutes into an album. I think I made it to track 2 this time though. Just no bueno......

Malísimo. Muy malo. Creo que no soporté más de dos canciones completas. No me gustó nada.

isso aqui é barulho com sotaque britânico

Music is fine, singing is atrocious. Hard pass for me.

Не альбом, а гребаный шум

feels like being stuck in a shabby pub with a bitter, restless man who has decided that everyone around him is an idiot and refuses to stop explaining why. The guitars and bass keep grinding through repetitive patterns while the drums stumble and push underneath them, and Mark E. Smith doesn't so much sing as bark, mutter and rant over the top. Sometimes the sheer awkwardness becomes compelling, but just as often I feel trapped in his monologue, waiting for the next interruption that never quite comes. The album's raw, deliberately unpolished sound makes that feeling even stronger.

This is awful.

Favorite Song: Industrial Estate Least Favorite: Rebellious Jukebox

meh

Utter shite. Worst guitar riffs I’ve ever heard. Like a 13 year old with their Baby’s First fender starcaster. The other instrumentalists aren’t much better. This pissed me off driving to work today. Not because it’s punk music that got me fired up about working for the man and other anti establishment shit- but rather that I had my time wasted by these talentless hacks and Robert Dimery’s incompetence at curating a list. ⭐️

Meeh.... No me gustó

oh great another one of those low energy low effort dissonant atonal albums, ft. some hipster soccer hooligan reciting slam poetry about nothing important. this album's saving grace is that it is not a minute longer. man I need a nap after this one.

en jaksa. pliis. ei enempää renkutusta. en nuku. vaimoni on huolissaan. lapseni kyselevät missä äiti on. äiti on renkutusluolassa. päivä toisensa jälkeen. renkutusta. renkutusta. renkutusta.

nope

It didn’t take long for me to realize this album is not for me, super long and british. Every song feels the same when theres a British guy whining over every track.

I was ready to give a 1 to this album for being a live album. Instead, I gave it a 1 because it's awful.

Nah

Then monotone droning pissed me off

Hey do you guys think the person who made this list is British? I can't tell

not fo me

Not for me

bunch of buns

Classic British punk with a poppy flair. The opening song felt like an attempt at making punk more pop sounding but crashed hard. The simple repetitive monotoned keyboard chords were on the level of nails on a chalk board. In fact, the keyboardist brought great dissonance to the entire album. No better example than “No Xmas for John Quays.” “Mother-Sister” illustrated some really good driving punk rock beats and anarchist vibes, but not enough to drown out the album’s overwhelming 80s midi game keyboard sounds. Please make it stop. “ Live at the Witch Trials” and other songs had lyrics trying to send a message, but the punk approach to push away the masses, especially with the 80s experimental keyboard sound that countered any message that may have been received Without the keyboard, this may album may have shined, but with it, it’s just game over.

Before: Oh wow this is only 30 minutes? Thats a quick album. During: Holy harmonicas, is the half hour over yet?