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- Date Released: January 1, 1981
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Post-Punk
- Label: Cog Sinister / Voiceprint
Scratchy guitars, surprise rhythmic shifts and unfussy production? It must be the Fall.
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We Say...
Fall frontman Mark E Smith once grumbled that Geoff Travis and his aides were a bunch of "fucking hippies." Compared to Smith and his Manc mates, they probably were. But even that couldn't silence the Fall's incredibly fertile, though typically on-off association with the label between 1980 and 1983. If there is such a thing as quintessential Fall, then it's probably among the albums issued during this period — Totale's Turns, Grotesque or the magnificent 10" LP, Slates. This set, Early Fall, centers on four pre-Rough Trade 45s. Smith's hectoring delivery and delicious lyric turns dominate, as always, but the scratchy guitars, surprise rhythmic shifts and unfussy production was to be a virtual template for many later Rough Trade artists.
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They Say...
Though Live at the Witch Trials was the first Fall album, the band already had some singles and recordings under its belt, conveniently collected on the self-descriptive Early Years, along with a few post-Witch Trials efforts. Various initial lineups appear -- some tracks have Martin Bramah on guitar, others with Marc Riley after he switched from bass, while Craig Scanlon first steps out with the commanding rave-up "Rowche Rumble." Then there's the keyboard work of Una Baines, later Bramah's partner in the Blue Orchids, who brings her own semi-psych feel to the proceedings. No matter who's around, though, it's still very much the Fall, Smith's immediately identifiable vocals leading the way. It's terribly amusing to hear the semi-conventional punk edge in his voice on some of the earliest songs, but that said, his approach did more or less appear fully formed, down to the drawling "-uh" at the end of nearly every word. Bramah's guitar work contains a delicacy that wouldn't last, at least quite the same way, while first and future drummer Karl Burns throws in his own flair more often than not (including the near-disco moves on "Psykick Dancehall"). There are even some gently pretty moments when least expected -- consider the flow of "In My Area," a portrait of urban breakdown that's almost winsome, or would be if Smith was a conventionally calm singer. The leadoff track -- actually a B-side for the first single, "Bingo Master's Breakout" -- is pretty much the Fall manifesto in a nutshell: "Repetition," drawing together punk's obsession with the basics with avant-garage art rock focus courtesy of Krautrock. The long-overdue CD version included the two cuts from the Short Circuit live album: "Stepping Out" and "Last Orders," neither of which are deathless but still have that certain Fall something.
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| 01. |  |
Repetition |
4:59 |
|
| 02. | |
Bingo Masters Breakout |
2:25 |
|
| 03. | |
Psycho Mafia |
2:15 |
|
| 04. | |
Various Times |
5:16 |
|
| 05. | |
It's the New Thing |
3:29 |
|
| 06. | |
Rowche Rumble |
4:03 |
|
| 07. | |
In My Area |
4:07 |
|
| 08. | |
Dice Man |
1:44 |
|
| 09. | |
Psykick Dancehall |
3:37 |
|
| 10. | |
Second Dark Age |
2:00 |
|
| 11. | |
Fiery Jack |
4:43 |
|
| 12. | |
Stepping Out |
2:43 |
|
| 13. | |
Last Orders |
2:20 |
|
13 Total Tracks, 43:41 Total Length
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Credits
- The Fall - Main Performer // Marc Riley - Bass // Marc Riley - Guitar // Marc Riley - Keyboards // Martin Bramah - Guitar // Karl Burns - Drums // Tony Friel - Bass // Steve Hanley - Bass // Mike Leigh - Drums // Yvonne Pawlett - Keyboards // Craig Scanlon - Guitar // Mark E. Smith - Vocals // Una Baines - Keyboards
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