Reviews (page 7 of 8)
I was not excited for this after my experience with their other album on here, but oh my god, this was rough to get through. It's borderline unlistenable to me at points. It made me a bit angry and I was relieved to be done with it. If you told me you liked this album, I'd be worried about you. I would generally say it gets a tad bit better in the second half, but that's really just a shift from being annoying to being nothing. That last song being so long was torture though. So close to done, yet so far... My favourite song was Underground Medecin, I guess.
Off pitch singing, terrible lyrics, no melody, and broken tempos.
I don't like The Fall. This is a live album that lacks any notable qualities of a good live album, let alone a must-listen. It sounds like it was recorded in someone's living room and was half-arsed the entire time. Maybe that's the point, I dunno.
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
A good, angry punk album with some interesting electronic elements dominating a fair amount of the tracks.
C'est pas mauvais. Certaines tounes j'ai vraiment biena imé d'autre moins. Il y a le style punk un peu melange de plein d'autre chose. C'est original 3.25
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...
Man, I enjoyed the hell out of that. It's about as punk as it gets so, if that's not your bag, it's gonna be a heavy listen. But it IS my bag and I loved every moment of it. It's clever, it's defiant, it's fun. It's everything I want out of my punk albums PLUS sharp social commentary. I got nothing but good feels for this one. It's a real shame they didn't keep this vibe and, instead, went down the post-punk electronica route on later albums.
The Fall je jebena grupa, underrated definitivno. Tko voli taj stari hladni britanski zvuk post punka? Ovo je za vas.
All the songs sounded the same to me, but maybe I was in a bad mood.
Rating:7/10 Best songs: Rebellious jukebox, No xmas for John Quays
This is a little better than the average punk bad of it’s era, but barely. The Fall have their own unique sound carved out, and it’s not bad, but it isn’t very exciting either. Most songs sound pretty similar, even if they are all good. Except for the Christmas song and the last track which has too much time and too little vocals, I enjoyed the whole thing. 3/5
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.
cool
Great album title, but not my favorite… execution.
No
Not good.
If you like punk rock you will like this album and it is as simple as that. As someone who enjoys it I like this album. I don't love it but I do like it. I really don't know how to describe how I feel about this album. It definitely is good but it also isn't like that enjoyable of an album to listen to. It is sort of like "Bone Machine" by Tom Waits in that way. It is a great work of art but not one that I won't come back to super often. Sort of like a great body horror movie like The Big Shave. It is a great piece of art but it is hard to watch. That being said I care a lot about how enjoyable a listen an album is and I can't say I enjoyed this album to the level of a lot of the other ones I have listened to. Solid 8/10 because I don't think it has that much replay-ability for me.
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 for me. I might have liked it if I was a whipper snapper when it came out.
The Fall and McCarthy/Stereolab are the best European bands from the 80s-90s. The generator already did a Stereolab, and now we get the debut Fall album. You could argue perhaps that later Fall songs were a bit more instant-melodic (LA / Hit the North etc) depending on which of the 1000 Fall members was in the band at a certain time, but these are just epsilon-differences. Life at the Witch Trails already sounds as the definitive Fall album. 10/10
Not really my thing. Annoying vocalist, repetitive songs.
Excellent record, I was entirely grabbed by the repetitive rhythms, only to lose some attention in the second half.
It doesn't come across as clever as much as it comes off as false advertising.
Nope
I’m not a fan of punk and I’m certainly not a fan of PostPunk but this kind of makes sense. A more cynical and considered side of punk. I think I don’t really understand the genre, all the attitude but none of the energy? What is the point? But yeah, this works. Still don’t really like it but at least I get it.
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 wish i'd been in the fall. i'd probably have been booted out after a couple of weeks of taking shit form MES but still, what a badge of honour.
Why aren't we burning witches anymore?
I'm a fan of the cleverly named album. The music itself is entertaining, but nothing to really write home about. Mom, if you're reading this, please know that I didn't send this to your home address.
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
Non-linear as MES is, already top form, we get a brief interpolation of our normal human calendar in Christmas song. You can read in the essence of a live album, a rhythm section drowning all else out. Skeletal but wonderful.
The opening track was fine, but apart from that I didn't get anything from it.
I know "Jon Quays" is supposed to sound like "junkies," but the way he sings it it sounds more like "donkeys," and I'd much prefer an anthem about denying an ass the right to celebrate a holiday than what we actually got. Best track: Futures and Pasts
5/10. Finally got to a song where I was like, "Yeah, this one is pretty good" and then realized that I'd gone past the original album and was listening to a more popular single that they'd tacked on the re-release.
Really unpleasant. 3/10
Lots of really inventive and impressive stuff. But it leaves me cold
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
Easily one of the greatest album titles ever. I’m not sure it’s the best Fall record, but it’s a damn fine one and makes a for a good intro to the the band. If you like this one, check out Hex Induction Hour, which, surprisingly, isn’t on this list.
Héhé, Live at the Bitchass néné
Not available on spotify
There is something about putting an English accent behind some punk or New Wave that just makes it sound amazing. I had never heard of the fall, but they are excellent. Guitar work and drums are super solid, catchy, and thrilling. A lot to like here overall. perfect album to ride the motorcycle around the living room to.
This album is like a progression from a cool buzz to shitfaced. This is really good, raw stuff from the 70's and tracked really well until the album fell off a cliff after the fourth track and devolved into nonsensical blabbering drivel by the end. I left this really disappointed because it started so strong.
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.
The don't give a fuck attitude is somewhat appealing but is overshadowed by the annoying repetition, dissonance, and things out of key. Mercifully short, which helped. I was listening with Margaret, and she said "too noisy, two stars, move on." I am rounding up to 3.
You've gotta start somewhere.
Based on the title I was thinking "man The Fall are way tighter live than I thought" but the name is misleading as this is their debut studio album. None of the hits I know of are on this album, but overall it's a strong debut of what The Fall are all about: doing their own thing, saying what they wanna say, and doing it on their own terms.
I always find it helpful when this project serves up an album in the punk and post-punk lane because it reminds me how far back these styles go. This band formed in 1976 and released this album in 1979, and I can hear how groups like this were responding to the punk elements of simplicity and rawness by becoming more musically complex and, at least to my ear, interesting. There are some good tracks on this record. It's an album I can imagine myself listening to again.
Despite listening to a lot of post-punk, I haven't listened to a large amount of punk music, but this is good! "Frightened" is really good, reminding me a little bit of, like, The Cure or Bauhaus, and some Christian Death (to a degree). The other songs are not quite as good, but still fun, and I do like "Rebellious Jukebox." "Repetition" also came up at a weird point since I was trying to write about performance studies theories of repetition. Overall, good punk album, so worth a listen every once in a while, but something I'd actively seek out, not listen to as casually. (4/5)
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
Another Fall album (after The Infotainment Scan) that was a bit more interesting and enjoyable (and synthy) than I expected. Enough musical and lyrical quirks to keep me engaged for most of the runtime, but not quite enough that I can see myself returning to it. 2.5 / 3
i admire everything about the Fall except that they are so aggressively unpleasant to listen to
Unbearable. Made everyone in my house feel angry and irritated.
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
I really like The Fall, but this is nowhere near their angular, snarky best. This album just hints at the greatness of something like Hex Enduction Hour, which was to come in a few years.
Tässä on ääniä ja hyvä kuunnella jos harmittaa maailman meno. Ukraine!!! Stop the war!! Ukraine!!! Ei merkittävän kuuloista musisointia kuitenkaan..
3.5 really. I think 10 years ago it would have been a 4, but I think I just don’t enjoy this style as much as I used to. Weird!
This is noisy and falling apart. That's a compliment. This is good.
What happens when punk meets some kind of experimentalism? Nothing so remarkable. It's good, but I'll forget about it tomorrow.
I've never heard of "The Fall" before starting this list and weirdly, I got 2 albums of theirs in one week. The first one was confusing but (I think) enjoyable. This one had a great song to start it off. It reminded me of the sort of horror rap songs that were kind of popular in the 90s, I think. I got a little excited but that was easily the high point of the album.
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
first listen meh
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.
some early punk I'd never heard of before. Not bad
All filler no killer
Not actually live
A raucous, melodic good time. Melodies and countermelodies balance the punk aggression without muting it in the slightest.
Two Fall albums in a row. This one was not as good as the other one. Singing just as terrible.
Definitely not a timeless classic - it sounds like a cross between The Damned and The Stranglers, and very much late 1970s / early 1980s.
The title of this STUDIO album is either brilliant or idiotic. I can't quite figure it out. But the music itself is exceptionally fierce and thoroughly enjoyable. A post-punk album recorded in a single day sounds like an awful idea, but it's clear that all members must have practiced an insane amount prior to the recording session. Especially the playful drumming of Karl Burns stands out on this frantic, yet quite streamlined collection of tracks. While there are less enjoyable moments ('Industrial Estate'), the highs definitely outweigh the lows: the awesome changes in tempo on 'Mother - Sister!', the perfect opener 'Frightened' and the almost prototype mathrock on 'Rebellious Jukebox'.
It’s as if whenever Mark E. Smith opens his mouth he is possessed by post-punk itself - also amphetamine - but mainly post-punk. The album opens perfectly with the hauntingly great “Frightened” that really helps set the tone for the entire record. Throughout I was mesmerized by Karl Burns’ erratic drumming. It really encapsulates almost everything I want in a punk drummer. Nothing short of phenomenal. There are a few misses along the way, but not once did I lose interest. What a stroke of luck that Mark E. Smith fell ill during the first days of recording. Being limited to only one day of recording must’ve been the main factor in the frantic vibe on this. And for that I’m glad.
Dur de me prononcer. D'un point de vue production/mixing et musicianship c'est super solide. Côté composition et vocals ça m'énerve un peu. J'ai autant adoré que détesté.
Gott post-pönk. Stendur alveg fyrir sínu, enn þann dag í dag.
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.
1.75
On my first listen, I approached with caution after hearing about The Fall's thorny and abrasive reputation. I enjoyed "Frightened", and then spent the rest of it trying to decipher Mark E Smith's incendiary rants. On my second listen, I started to lose hope that I'd find anything rewarding in "Live at the Witch Trials". It was initially intriguing, but quickly wearisome and seemed more like something to appreciate at arm's length. But then, on my third listen, I was suddenly confronted by the stench of sausage meat, docklands debris, dusty paperbacks and fermented whiskey. I turned round to see the ghost of Mark E Smith, hunched in the doorway and scowling at the books on my shelf. He had absolutely nothing to say to me, but I thought I'd better make conversation. I let him know I was listening to "Live at the Witch Trials" and struggling to enjoy any of it. "Why are you pissing away your time listening to something you haven't the brains or the balls for?" "Well, it's part of this online album generator, it's in the book of 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die". "I always hated those fucking books. Imagine having to be told what to listen to- does this Robert Dimery bloke tell you how to get dressed or wank yourself off as well? Anyway, who the fuck would bother with all that nonsense? I can tell you now that the whole list will invariably be total shite." I steeled myself and pressed on. Told him I couldn’t really connect with the album's format. It degenerated into repetitive, one-note ranting, was poorly produced, had no display of musical skill, and was hindered rather than helped by its "recorded-in-one-day" slapdash feel. He rolled his ghostly eyes to the back of his ghostly head and said I reminded him of all the bum-boys at NME. After some more staggered back-and-forth, I thought I should try and look for common ground. "Do you want to hear what I have given five stars?" "Not really." "The Smiths- The Queen Is Dead." "Never could stand them. Pseudo-intellectual snivelly pap." "Pavement- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain." "Those rip-off twats have never had an original fart, never mind a song." "The Beatles- Abbey Road." "What the fuck is this, 'Music To Be Breastfed To'?" I gave up after that. He did a very deep sigh, and reached for a swig of my beer but just poured it onto the carpet ("I'm always doing that", he said). He told me he really didn't care what I - or anyone on this website, for that matter - thought. He told me that we were all insignificant to him, he's a legend and we never will be, that if I didn't get it and would prefer to listen to The Beatles it's my fault, not his. So, all things considered, I don't feel remotely bad giving this two stars. Sometimes infamy and reputation just can't account for personal preference.
Liian "kilttiä" punkiksi ja liian punkkia popiksi. En tiedä mitä tästä vois sanoa.
Anghhh
"A drunkard singing pub songs" -- lol. Figures. um 1 or 2. I didn't finish the album and I don't really care to.
I don't mind this at all.
The Fall is bij mij verkeerd gevallen met hun 'no Xmas for john Quays' (luister: junkies). Vervelende lui.
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.
Zeer tegen m'n gewoonte in heb ik deze plaat niet afgeluisterd. Ben m'n cd's aan het uitzoeken en luisteren nu naar Lucky Fonz III. Past me vandaag beter dan die hese herrie.
Not for me
Saw the Fall 4 times in 4 different decades. Always an interesting band. Chaotic at times. Never dull. For years I thought this, the debut was a live album! This pretty much sets a template for the future dozens of album. Very assured. It does what it does well.
Just not very good. There’s a certain angers energy in it, but the voice is just unpleasant and the music isn’t very impressive or enjoyable to listen to. I’m sure teenage angst elevates it but I’m 31 and this just isn’t good.
I don’t really know what to think of this he’s not a great singer but he sounds very uninvested and I don’t usually tend to mind weird singers but I didn’t really like his voice. Still though this thing apparently only took a day to make and for that it’s quite awesome and the instrumentation is quite good. 3/5
Eh it was okay. By all standards a decent live album but I just didn’t enjoy it that much.
I enjoyed this much more than previous Fall albums I checked out, it actually made me laugh a bit. Loved Rebellious Jukebox and the "SIX MINUTES" in Music Scene was funny.
Didn't mind it - wouldn't listen again. 2.5 stars.
The Fall will always be shite
I’d rather be burnt at the stake than listen to this again. The Fall were shite.
This was my introduction to The Fall and I’m a fan. This is an excellent post punk album, I carried on listening to the extended version and live tracks as well. I liked the classic punk snarl delivery and sharp guitars. Didn’t find any of the tracks to be filler really, standouts for me were Rebellious Jukebox, Two Steps Back and Music Scene. Great stuff 4 stars
Most of this album isn’t really my thing, though on second listen it grew on me a bit. Think you gotta be in a certain screams mood for it though haha Saved songs: Rebellious Jukebox, Mother-Sister!
Love the fall and love this album
meh
I'd never listened to this album before, but have liked everythibthing I heard from The Fall in the past. I thought this was great, interesting lyrics and a lot of interesting things going on musically. More complex than I was expecting for a punk band, I can see why they're considered so influential.
nice
It sounds like the drummer has great posture.
The Fall is my favorite kind of Post-Punk. The kind that is still pretty damn punk.
Another half an hour of trash from The Fall. The author has a rager for this band…70 albums in and the 3rd from them. I think this is just a band that I don’t get. The music is interesting at times, but the vocalist may be the worst voice in recorded music. My anger builds with each song. Is this guy playing a joke, or is his ego so massively inflated that he doesn’t care how bad he sounds? Please no more from this band.
"Live at the Witch Trials" is the debut studio album by English punk/post-punk band The Fall. This album was recorded in a single day and mixed by Bob Sargeant. Impressive. At the time the album was released, only vocalist/guitarist Mark E. Smith remained from the original band formed in 1976. This is a unique and eerie sounding album. Both qualities I like in an album. Eerie guitars open "Frightened." An interesting, slower beat. He's in a trance from doing drugs. The drug-theme continues in "Crap Rap 2/Like To Blow." We're pretty much in punk territory here with the pace. Great bass. Scratching guitars. Smith screaming "I Like to Blow." The band gets more of a groove going in "Rebellious Jukebox." Great guitar chorus. A song very much of its late 70's/early 80's time. Smiths' stance against prevailing trends. They're back to drugs in "No Xmas for John Quays." And back to more straight-forward punk. A dark song. Hüsker Dü was listening. There is no Xmas for junkies. A high-pitched guitar starts "Industrial Estate." A punk beat. Smith commenting on the pollution from industry. I dug Smith's I-dont-give-a-fuck tone. He uses that quite a bit. "Futures and Pasts" is more pop-punk. A guitar sounding like a keyboard carries the melody. Smith offers a depressing view of both the past and future. Oh, how punk. And they continue the "Oh-how-punk" attitude on the album closer "Music Scene." Heavy bass and drums. Guitar sounding quite a bit like early P.I.L. A tirade against the music industry. They purposely made it 8-minutes long as a statement and to piss people off. They should have made it 25 minutes. I liked this album quite a bit. I've liked most things I've heard from The Fall. Bits sound like other bands but The Fall is very unique. I know there's a few more Fall albums upcoming and I'm waiting.
Good but not dinner music
Mediocre punk
Look mate, I am always biased when it comes down to The Fall. This album rocks. Love how young Mark E Smith handled the mojo in this record. You can hear many bands drinking from this nectar in the decades to come. Hit the north!
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.
Punky, in the dad kind of way. Clearly inspired the likes of I, Ludicrous and Sultans of Ping. Enjoyable.
The generator gave me The Infotainment Scan nearly 300 albums ago. I did not like that. I do like things like this. But not exactly this. I think if I had first heard this album back in the early 80's when I was into this kind of music I probably would have been a fan. But right now it hits me as only medium fun and eventually medium tedious.
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.
Post punk noise. Sounds like they are making it up as they go along
Really hard to listen to I had to give up on it. Don’t get why this is on the list…
Accidentally wrote this review under GZA, so here is my GZA review: I enjoyed the presentation of this album. I like how a lot of hip hop albums have these little interludes, it makes it feel truly like an album as opposed to a bunch of songs. That being said, it’s really hard for me to stay interested in songs when they’re loop/sample based. I know it’s all about the lyrics but I just automatically check out when the production is like that. I will say that for a hip hill album the production was a little more interesting than average and some of the chopped grooves were kind of cool. But ultimately it all just feels like background music to me. 2.7
Oof I did not like this. I thought he was also saying No Xmas for Donkeys.
If this record was a person it'd be Johnny from NAKED. So a pretty good portrait of Mark E. Smith, then.
Good album title. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was good about this album.
Another album from The Fall and another album that took a few listens to 'get'. Superb album
Unhinged, weird, but I kinda loved it in all honesty. I think I prefer this one to another The Fall album the generator gave me a month or so ago, This Nation's Saving Grace. Favourite: Mother-Sister! "-Uh, what's this song about?" "-Uh, nothin'."
This is why this list is so great. It introduced me to albums like this. Love it.
I don't hate it but I don't really like it either. So 2.
Recorded in a single session-it is noticeable. No variability at all. Sloppy. Annoying. Most of these albums are punk/rock English bands. Going to do some research into who put together 1001 albums after this one.
Bad
Another band I’ve never heard of. Wikipedia says they are post-punk. I don’t really understand what that means, but other post-punks bands I’ve listened to, such as Siouxsie and the Banshee, haven’t really clicked for me. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: No Xmas for John Quays I’ll be completely honest and say I just don’t understand this genre of music. The vocals are difficult to listen to, the guitars are overly twangy, and it was generally an unexciting listen. I’d love to find an album of a similar genre that does click with me so I could at least appreciate other albums from a musical standpoint. As things are, I find it boring and kind of annoying. Needless to say, I can’t see myself returning to this album any time soon.
I enjoyed this one more the second listen. Songs are pretty simple in nature, but are good tunes with catchy riffs and melodies. Can be pretty fun to sing along too. I like "Rebellious Jukebox", "Industrial Estate" and 'No Xmas for John Quays" the most probably, but 'Music Scene' would be up there too. This album is not bad, I'd give it a try. 3.25/5
Started listening to this as I was online, early in the morning. Must have listened to 20 odd tracks which I was by now finding hard going, thenI noticed there were another 20 to go! I couldn’t stand the thought so bailed out. 1*
Not entirely sure what to make of it. I think it was good.
ilahduttaa ja ärsyttää hiljaiset syna-blingit ja nintendo. mutta muuten vaikea sietää
Ensimmäiset kolme biisiä ovat lähes täysosumia: ne toteuttavat täydellisesti tämän levyn musiikillista ideaalia, jossa post-Johnny Rotten-vokaalit yhdistyvät taustoihin ja riffeihin, joiden kauttaaltaan yllätyksellinen melodisuus tekee lopputuloksesta enemmän kuin sulatettavaa eli nautinnollista. Kokonaisuudessan levy ei ole yhtä laadukas, mutta kaiken kaikkiaan se on raikas ja toimiva, eikä mitenkään mahdottoman kaukana neljästä tähdestä.
Not really a fan of this. I don’t hate it like I have some of the post-punk but Imjust don’t think it lives up to the hype.
Not worth being on this list
The Fall is off to a good start with their first studio album: Live at the Witch Trials. It feels fully formed and yet this record doesn't overstay its welcome like some later albums by the Fall. I wish they had made a habit of the brevity on display here.
Sounds like a lot of where Turnstile and Arctic Monkeys might have gotten some inspiration? Cool arrangement and sound, not a big fan of the vocals though. The guitar with the clean chorused sound is nice though, just wish it was a bit more present in the mix. The band overall is a bit sloppy and off time, but I don't mind it. The lyrics are kind of just juvenile, though. I like how the sound is consistent though, like it all ties together. And I think the clean guitars is a nice touch, sounds kinda like a Roland Jazz Chorus and a single coil guitar. Alright - can't even make it through the album. Vocals are just not my thing at all, songs are too juvenile and whiny, and structures are pretty boring.
The Mighty Fall! Didn't know this first album, but as good as e.g. Wonderful & Frighening World of and Kurious Oranj. Saw them live once and was amazing, Mark E Smith made sure everything rhymes by e.g. putting "Uh" after each word, my FriendsUH dont count up to one HandUH!. 5 stars!
Decent punk album but easy to tune out and forget about.
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
it's craggy, it's raw, it's at times terrible to listen to. but it's also rather brilliant. Psycho Mafia my standout track
Didn’t enjoy this one either - a 3rd 1 star in a row I’m afraid. It just lacked any interesting ideas and ended up up being a dull listen. I like punk but what was this rebelling against? Melody?
Two Steps back is a standout. Very enjoyable in parts
Whirlwind. Tight album
Have resigned myself to the fact that I just hate punk. And I think I hate it more having listened to this. A lot of the playing sounded pretty good, especially from the rhythm section, but I didn't come close to remotely enjoying one single track.
Punk - Blergh
5/10 meh, nothing spectacular
This had some great moments on it but felt a bit tedious to listen to. You really have to be in the right mood for it, but it's some great punk. I can see a time a place for it but mostly I think it was important to hear once to better understand British post-punk.
kinda interesting and funny at times, kinda drags - 2 stars probably. musicality is uninteresting
Sure
A true classic but hard to stand. Massive negative affect. Mark E Smith the king of irritability and bad vibrations!
Wow, this album really sucks. We already had the misfortune of two albums by The Fall, both of which got 2 stars from me. Although this is one is apparently worse than the others, my sentiment stays the same over all three - jarring, unpleasant and without any serious redempting features.
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.
Easily forgettable punk album.
Decent rock album but that's about it, nothing remarkable or outstanding about it
Punk como melódico. Está bien. Un 4.
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)
Liked these guys! Probz didn’t need a full album of it though. Will check out the other tracks per Sean’s input. But we rating the album not the band or the songs.
Liked the album and it's fun to hear where all the post-punk bands I regularly listen to come from. 4/5
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
Definitely grating, mark e smith is not a beautiful singer. Good ideas here tho, and can be exciting. Wish the album on Spotify wasn't full of extras 🤷
A decent album by The Fall. Not my favourite of theirs, but enjoyable nonetheless.
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.
Wow I more knew of The fall and Mark E Smith before, but damn I loved that. Raw but crucially great tunes and lyrics, middle of the album sagged a little, but was great!
Snarling, growling, like a dog in the corner, Mark E Smith is utterly terrifying, all bark and all bite as the band make incredible post punk. I think this might be genius. I think this might be a work of art.
Fun album, enjoyed it.
We are the Fall Northern white crap that talks back We are not black. Tall. No boxes for us. Do not fuck us. We are frigid stars. We were spitting, we were snapping "Cop Out, Cop Out!" as if from heaven. PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREFS: RIEN
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
Hmmm. Trying to think of something I liked about this one. Hmmm. Nope.
I am pretty sure that I don't like this album at all, but I was in a peculiar mood on my walk this morning and found myself laughing at a couple of moments that I guess I found absurd...so maybe that is a sign that there is something there. On second listen...I was right, I really don't like this album.
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.
Pink rock, pleasant enough but did not hold my attention
Angry, almost toxic album that screams '1979'. They finished it in a day, took me a little longer.
This was fine. Nothing amazing, but it wasn't terrible.
My first exposure to this band was given to me by this generator 10 months ago, their 90s Infotainment Scan, and it was absolutely horrendous, and I absolutely hated the conflict with Mark Smith's vocals. But I gave their earlier work a chance, and I actually really enjoyed their range of styles over the decades. This is my first time hearing their debut, and I immediately enjoyed it from start to finish. I immediately knew going in this would get poor reviews from this site. It's super abrasive and hard on the ears not used to post-punk. The production is intentionally low too, but the instruments are well-balanced, which I believe works in their favor. It's post-punk at its rawest yet true to form. The lyrics are nonsensical and punk in spirit, the vocals are energetic and goofy, and the instrumentals are tight and dynamic. I bet if the album were 100% instrumental, people would appreciate it much more. It's dark and mysterious (props to the bassist), and the keyboard serves as an ode to krautrock, sticking out from the rest of the crowd. The solos are quick and subtle, lasting for only a few seconds and lacking flashiness. They're small treats if you can pick them out. As a whole, the tracks roll from one to the next, distinctive yet cohesive. I'm giving 3 stars merely because it doesn't live up to the standards of similar style post-punk records (think Killing Joke). The record is full of creativity, but I only saved "Frightened" and "Rebellious Jukebox" as standalone pieces I'd enjoy listening to on their own. No doubt I'll listen to this time and time again; post-punk is my favorite genre.
It was ok. Not my bag.
Awful
Very 70s punk sound. ok
I'm strangely into this... Weird coincidence... I read a book (Sellout) that talked about a historic performance by At the Drive In at Big Day Out. They give an extended shout out to the Fall who'd I'd never heard of.
I don't know what this is. I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.
Repetition
Buena onda, suena súper
Nope
just bad 1.5
Sounds like a school kid that just started their first garage band. A shit garage band. Shannah (0.5) Bill (0.5) Conor (2)
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.
I like the Fall and this is a good one. My biggest issue with this album and the Fall in general is more isn't better. There output is impressive but there songs are highly repetitive. Still good stuff.
No me gusta
good band.
Post punk band that I didn’t really like when I first heard them back in the 80’s but have grown to really like (not all, but enough). Good example of their better stuff.
I saw one person describing this as a "drunkard singing pub songs". For me that was exactly it. It's not bad, it's kinda decent.
Never listened to The Fall before. I probably never will again.
Like most Fall albums it gets a bit samey but still sounds great
Bad
“An album of staggeringly rich, mature music, inner questioning hand in hand with rock and roll at its fiercest, its finest, its most honest, rock and roll at its naked, most stimulating prime.”
A very cool album. O e that I missed back in the day but I'm happy to discover it at this late date. It does get a little avant garde here and there but it ne er loses its pop song way. 3.75 🌟
Oddball noise. Slint-lite.
I feel like their attitude outweighs their talent. Pub punk, I believe?
I didn't care for it.
This is just bad. 2/5 hours of bad music on this album. Sounds pretty punk for the era though. 4/10.
It's a solid album. I honestly don't have too many thoughts other than I thought it was very good but not quite great.
This 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
No ps no
All I could think while I was listening was wow, what a strong debut album. I feel like the opening lyrics to 'Mother - Sister!' really encapsulates this album in the best way. "Er, what's this thing about? Er, nothing." I feel like the artists didn't worry about hitting you over the head with a message or conforming to what might have been expected from a debut album, they just created a series of rocking songs from start to finish. Some might dismiss it as sounding like drunken rambling at times, but I think that's what makes the album special.
ehhh þetta er svona allt i lagi nema hvað röddin og hreimurinn hja söngvaranum er frekar fokkin pirrandi, gef þessu tæpar 3 stjörnur
Pretty great! 2nd listen. Standouts: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, more…
Torture. Painful listening Cover art: my favourite in a week 4/5
Just miserable. Potentially the worst album I've ever heard. You start listening to this album and finish with your mind hurting from confusion. It's just gibberish and noise. I would have been happier living my life not knowing about this album, but yet, my mind is weighed down by the fact that this exists.
I am actually starting to love the Fall, just a little bit
A beguiling slice of proto-punk. Lyrically very interesting - probably more so than musically
Pretty solid post-punk
Best Song: No song is good enough to be the best of the bad bunch. Worst Song: Rebellious Jukebox. Everything about this sounds like a high school band's first performance of the second song they've ever written. Their classmates are nonplussed. Overall: Short (thankfully). Nothing exciting nor interesting here. Another example of when this list degrades into "1001 albums and older British man remembers from his youth."
It is a punk rock album. I was not familiar with the band or any of the songs. It was alright.
Enjoyed this one. Punk rock vibes. Great lyrics. Love bass and drum parts.
Enjoyed this!
I’m much more attuned to this sort of post punky uh oh the 80s are here style sort of stuff, which makes it easier to know that I just don’t care too much for this one
Great title and album cover. Another fun quirky punky romp from The Fall. Last time I gave them 4 stars. This album feels more like a 3 from me. I am not well-versed enough in The Fall to know if I truly think this is a lesser album than This Nation’s Saving Grace, or if maybe I just wasn't in the mood.
This one takes the cake This is the absolute worst album yet
Not bad sound, I guess they were pioneers of this genre? Not what I was expecting but pretty good.
I'm only somewhat familiar with The Fall. I've heard This Nation's Saving Grace a long time ago, but I already forgot what it sounded like. I know, that sounds crazy, but it didn't click with me at the time. This album, however, clicked almost instantly. I'm excited to return to this one. I like the punk-ish sound it has. There were some areas that lost me, but for the most part it's good!
Not for me. No recognized songs
Interesting punk album, didn’t really move me
This is not an album I would say needs to be heard before I die. If anything, I would have preferred never to listen to this album. Sounds like a high school band
Early light heavy metal?
Sounds like an album I should have already listened to. Very enjoyable
Really enjoyed this one, especially from a band I hadn't heard before. Will get more play time from me, for sure!
A refreshingly raw sounding album for The Fall's debut. I didn't know what to expect as I haven't listened to much from The Fall, and it was a pleasant surprise. A good punk record. I quite liked it, not loved, but I'll listen to more from the band!
Live at the Witch Trials by The Fall (1979) You can add this one to the list of albums that aren’t worth taking the time to put on a list. The Fall (basically Britisher punker Mark E. Smith and his Britisher punker buddies du jour from 1979 to 2017) has made a steady living shoveling feces our way since this debut album “Live at the Witch Trials”. Pity. There’s good punk rock out there, but this ain’t it. The less said about the ‘lyrics’ and the ‘vocals’, the better. Musically, most of these tracks amount to anti-melodic discord lazily draped over an almost competent rhythm section (The drummer, you see, is afraid of his own fills). And it sounds like the entire album was recorded in one day (It was). A clue to their version of artistic seriousness is the last three lines of the closing track: “Six minutes! 6:40! Ok, studio, that’s plenty.” Now to be fair (I always try to be fair), there’s some beautiful honesty in the titles of some of the tracks (“Crap Rap 2”, “Rebellious Jukebox”, “No Xmas for John Quays [junkies, get it?]”, and “Two Steps Back”), but that’s where the beauty ends. I think I hear the witches screaming, “Either turn that crap off or light the damn fire!” But no, this is one of the 1001 albums they must hear before they die. 1/5
Pretty trash
what a fun album, really weird style but I loved it 10/10
Paunkað, áhugavert, ætti að hlusta aftur
Занятный бредок
Hard pass. When it sounds like I'm going to get yelled at instead of sung to, I tap out.
Punk
Not my pubm I'm
This the shit im looking for. Cool stuff ive never heard of.
Annoying and atonal singing ruined the experience for me
I couldn't listen to any more, it's a mess
Not a pleasant album to listen to
I've struggled with The Fall over the years and only a couple of months ago developed an appreciation for them. There's a certain style of early post punk that kind of blurs together for me - The Fall, Gang of Four, Wire, Mission of Burma... some of it is good, but it lacks some of the personality that set apart some of the better examples of the genre for me (Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Pop Group, Pere Ubu, This Heat).
This was terrible. I have no idea what I just listened too. Tedious screaming dude over repetitive baselines? My friend's band in middle school had more musicality than any of this.
It's incongruous that I don't really know the music of the Fall. Late 70s early 80s alternative music is MY era, so why did the Fall escape my grasp? Anyhow my first listen to this album and I very much enjoyed it. It's got some dissonance that reminds me of PiL. Definitely has an avant-garde feel which might explain why it escaped my radar. But even using these descriptors it still had some accessibility. 3.75 🌟
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
Pleasantly surprised. I did enjoy this one, but couldn’t hang for the live recordings
So so
Too shouty for me
Punk clásico y poco visceral. Guitarrero.
Close to what I like but not exactly
Did not like
First Listen. Interesting sounds. I like it and want to hear more of it. 2/5 for now.
Incredible album. Mark E. Smith has an very unique voice. Top 3 Fall album. 8/10
You can tell it's written in one day, rip.
Extremely bad.
Horrible, horrible. Almost Coldplay level horrible
Soort van Engelse punk stijl maar dan met muzikanten die net niet in de maat spelen en een zanger die ook niet heel veel zangkwaliteiten heeft. Het nummer "Rebellious Jukebox" klinkt nog wel aardig. *
Gewoon nee. Lekker met zn allen langs elkaar heen spelen. Omdat het kan ofzo.
3.3 - Sneering post-punk with noisy-busy guitar, punk vocals, minimal production. But synthesizer sounds exceptionally weak. More tongue-in-cheek than pretentious. A cool enough vibe without any standout tracks.
I’ve long wondered where this kind of sound came from - the sort of punky, speak singing, repetitive riffs and rhythms - I’m mainly thinking Idles and their ilk. And I’ve also long wondered what exactly it is The Fall do to be revered so. I guess now I know on both counts.
For a while I was waiting for traditinal songcraft to emerge from the assembled disorder of these boldly struck notes. But after spending a few moments considering the title Industrial Estate, I reckon cascading riffs, tumbling drums and vocals on the point of jumping up and running out of the room are better when only loosely connected. To borrow a phrase from Chuck Eddy, call it soundcraft.
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.
Wreszcie powrot na lono wyspiarskie, gdzie tym razem wylosowalo post punkowa perelke, bo live at the witch trials to jeden z tych albumow, ktory raczej nie podejdzie szerokiemu gronu sluchaczy, ale tych ktorych zauroczyl zmieni w the fallowych fiendow, laknacych wiecej tego typu materialu, co stanowi o jego unikatowosci tego krazka, zaczynajac od tytulu, live at the witch trials, pasowaloby do zapisu jakiegos wystepu, ale jest to debiutancki numer grupy, a nazwa moze nawiazywac do tego, ze calosc zostala nagrana podczas jednodniowej sesji, co do samych livowych albumow, to w dyskografii zespolu jest ich 55 co z 31 albumami studyjnymi tworzy naprawde gigantyczna kolekcje, co jest w tym wszystkim najciekawsze jest to jak wygladal sklad grupy w przeciagu tych prawie 40 lat, jedynie wokalista i osoba odpowiedzialna za teksty byla czlonkiem ktory pozostal z orginalnej ekipy i zakonczyl swoj zywot jako ojciec zalozyciel bandy, dajac wystepy z wozka inwalidzkiego, po smierci Marka Smitha banda zakonczyla dzialanosc w 2k18, wiec juz to daje wskazowke gdzie bedzie lezec jedna z glowych sil zespolu, kontencie lirycznym, 38 minut materialu nagrania ma w sobie tyle pomyslow, ktorych ciezko szukac na calej dyskografii niektorych zespolow, tak patrze na ciebie U2 i radjohedzie, glownym poruszanym tematem sa narkotyki, z dosc wyraznym protestem przeciwko szuakniu wolnosci w niewoli substancji, co najlepiej slychac na trakach frightened, no xmas for john quays, jedna z lepszych gier slownych jakie widzialem w tytulach piosenek, ale nie jest plyta wylacznie o drugach, bo kawalki takie jak rebellious jukebox ladnie podsumowuje brytyjska scene muzyczna, porownojac ja do grajacej szafy, jest to jeden z najbardziej catchowych songow calej plyty, zwlaszcza fragment refrenowy i wykorzystane tam klawisze, ale co do powtorzen, to jest nawet caly kawalek na ten temat repetition, song stworzony zeby byl jak najbardziej monotonym songiem plyty, akurat nie pojawia sie na orginalnym wydaniu, ale spotifaj mial ultra giga deluxe z ponad dwoma godzinami materialu i prawdziwymi livowymi nagraniami, niestety wiekszosc w dosc garazowej jakosci, repetition moglby byc nihilistycznym hymnem stwierdzajacym nijakosc wszystkiego wokol, jak na post punka to nie moglo zabraknac takze tematow zwiazanych z nierownosciami spolecznymi, zwlaszcza jesli chodzi o los klasy pracowniczej jak na kawalku industrial estate, wiec jest czego sluchac, a przygrywa temu dosc klasyczny sklad, bo gitarka, basior, drumy i klawisze, ktore najbardziej sie wybijaja na tle innych instrumentali i czuc ich obecnosc, pewnie dlatego tez pan Pawlett ktory na nich gra pojawia sie jeszcze na kilku materialach bandy, ale jak na material nagrywany podczas jednej sesji to nie ma sie za bardzo czego przyczepiac do reszty ekipy, produkcja odwalila takze kawal dobrej roboty, majac porownanie sluchajac prawdziwych livowych wersji, instrumenty sa wyraznie zaznaczone na kanalach, a jednoczesnie czuc buntowniczy charakter i lajwowosc nagrania na orginalnym wydaniu, plyta z pewnoscia przekonala mnie do zapoznania sie z reszta tworcznosci the falla i sama persona jej zalozyciela i osobe wokol ktorej sie zespol obracal Marka Smitha, co do kawalkow ktore leca na plejke, to beda to otwierajacy frightened, swiateczny songers i powtorzeniowy majstersztyk
Not one of my favorites
One of the weakest of the early Fall albums but still some moments to savour
Just couldn’t get going for me
A little clashy and out there for my taste!
Unlistenable. Terrible rhythm section sabotages attempt to be PiL.
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"
I liked the music but can only handle one song at a time, not a whole album. Not their fault.
Thought I was listening to the artic monkeys. Cool.
Semi weird punk. Later half was good!
Not really something I'd listen to on the regular.
Pretty good, sounds like Punk mixed with New Wave and Alternative music.