The Fall Album: “Fall in a Hole”

I had read the reviews here before I finally decided to buy the CDs. One of the reviewers had warned about the recording - he said the CD had been recorded from an LP and it would skip and crackle. When I got the CDs I was amazed about how good the sound actually is. And as far as I can tell, you can only tell from the intro of "Hip Priest" that it was recorded from an LP. Don't get discouraged to buy the CDs as I did! This is the best early live recording of The Fall - I have all the other ones, and this one has the best sound, and the band is very good!

PS: Well, yeah, the album does skip occasionally and I don't think that's intended. Doesn't really matter. It's The Fall.

This is the mighty fall with the classic lineup of Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon on guitars, Steve Hanley on bass, Karl Burns and Paul Hanley on dual drums, and is essential.

Once you dive in to the Fall, you will very likely get addicted and get all of their lp's. Once that's happened, you will want - rightly - more. You'll then turn to the live lp's and various bootlegs out there and realize that this is the true way of listening to the Fall. They were invariably better live than on disc, and the recordings are out there to prove it.

Having said all of that, this recording is an essential document of the band from 1982. It was right before Riley was kicked out, and the playing is ferocious, uncompromising and sublime. Versions of songs from the 'Room to Live' album (released in 82 and feaured on this tour) outshine the original lp versions. 'Fantastic Life', 'Lie Dream' and 'Mere Pseud Mag' are stunners and every bit as good - maybe better - than the original recordings. Finally, we have 'Backdrop'. If you haven't heard Backdrop yet, it is classic Fall and one of their best songs ever - and this version is the best I've ever heard of the song. It pummels your brain into submission, and you come out of the beating realizing the Fall were the best band in the world in 1982.

Of course, they got even better in 1983, but that's a story for another day ...

"Backdrop" is quintessential Fall and a great track, not released anywhere else perhaps because it's quite possible to interpret it as racist in nature. (Is it? I don't really know. I would hope not). It's rhythmically disjointed and intense. The rest of this is mostly not so great live recordings of tracks already better-done on the studio LPs, and basically an ungodly racket.