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Avg: 4.0 (63 ratings)
- Date Released: November 26, 2002
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Post-Punk
- Label: Cog Sinister / Voiceprint
A murkier, defiantly unpolished collection.
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We Say...
No one does post-punk longevity like Mark E. Smith. Breaking out from Manchester’s experimental music scene in 1977, the Fall have stuck it out for three decades, with much of their sound and spirit intact. Though Smith’s contrary invective dominated the 1978 debut, Live at the Witch Trials, the presence of a toytown-sounding organ lightened the load. No such niceties on this follow-up set, a murkier, defiantly unpolished collection that struggled to be heard through producer Grant Showbiz’s lo-fi sonic smog. Smith’s puns, paranoia and puzzling observations on pop-life mug the ears, Marc Riley and new boy Craig Scanlon’s scratchy guitars veer from delicate (“Flat of Angles”) to magnificently dirge-like. For an example of the latter, head straight for “Spectre vs Rector,” eight minutes of the Fall at their long and grinding best. “Muzorewa’s Daughter” cooks up a similar effect in less than half the time. And there’s even a hint of self-eulogy. “Who is not irascible,” sings the famously irascible Smith on the ominous “A Figure Walks,” “He is no genius.” Indeed.
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They Say...
The Fall's second album was also one of the hardest to find in later years, getting only sporadic re-presses and reissues. Though some opinions would have it that there was a good reason for this -- namely, that it was something of a dead end sonically -- it's not as bad as all that. It's true that more than a few tracks come across as Fall-by-numbers (even then, they were already better than plenty of other bands), but there are some thorough standouts regardless. There's also another key reason to rate Dragnet high -- it's the debut album appearance of Craig Scanlon, who picked up on the off-kilter rockabilly-meets-art rock sensibilities of the initial lineup and translated it into amazing guitar work. No less important is the appearance of Steve Hanley, who would soon take over on bass for Marc Riley, who in turn moved to guitar, forming one heck of a partnership with Scanlon that would last until Riley jumped ship to form the Creepers. Generally, the songs which work the best on Dragnet throw in some amusingly odd curves while still hanging together musically. The full winner is unquestionably "Spectre vs. Rector," an amazing combination of clear lead vocals and buried, heavily echoed music and further rants, before fully exploding halfway through while the rhythm obsessively grinds away. Another odd and wonderful cut is "Muzorewi's Daughter," which starts out sounding like stereotypical Hollywood music for Native American tribes before shifting between that and quicker choruses. "Dice Man," with its rave-up melody and slower vocal- and guitar-only chorus, not to mention the weird muttering elsewhere in the mix, says it all in under two minutes and has fun while doing it. Through it all, Mark E. Smith rants and raves supreme, spinning out putdowns, cracked vocals, and total bile with all the thrill and energy one could want from a good performer. [Also available with bonus tracks "Rowche Rumble," "In My Area," "Fiery Jack," "2nd Dark Age," and "Psykick Dancehall No. 2."]
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| 01. |  |
Psykick Dancehall |
3:51 |
|
| 02. | |
Figure Walks |
6:13 |
|
| 03. | |
Printhead |
3:17 |
|
| 04. | |
Dice Man |
1:46 |
|
| 05. | |
Before the Moon Falls |
4:34 |
|
| 06. | |
Your Heart Out |
3:07 |
|
| 07. | |
Muzorewi's Daughter |
3:44 |
|
| 08. | |
Flat of Angles |
4:58 |
|
| 09. | |
Choc-Stock |
2:40 |
|
| 10. | |
Spectre Versus Rector |
7:57 |
|
| 11. | |
Put Away |
3:26 |
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11 Total Tracks, 45:33 Total Length
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Credits
- The Fall - Producer // Marc Riley - Guitar // Marc Riley - Vocals // Steve Hanley - Bass // Mike Leigh - Drums // Craig Scanlon - Guitar // Grant Showbiz - Producer // Mark E. Smith - Vocals // John Brierley - Engineer
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