Disco de The Fall: “Code: Selfish [Bonus Disc]”

This album is almost never mentioned among the Fall's essential works, but it certainly should be. I'm no Fall apologist either - I'll fully admit that they put out some real stinkers in the mid-90s. That said, this album can easily stand next to "Hex Enduction Hour" and "This Nation's Saving Grace". It's not nearly as ferocious as either of those, but the awkward techno experiments that marred so many of their albums from around this time are kept to a minimum and the songs are universally strong. "Free Range" is the single that most Fall fans have already heard, but "Return", "Birmingham School..." and "Just Waiting" are also excellent tracks. Definitely pick this one up.

From the Fall's house/dance period, which produced some amazing tracks that are must-haves, but also a certain amount of filler, weaker tracks, songs without distinction, some cliches, and it's too bad as well that the production is just so tepid. I look at Shift-Work and Code:Selfish as transitional albums. From the Brix 80s fallout, and the very strong if uneven Extricate album, they link to the solid Infotainment Scan of 1993, and then to Middle Class Revolt, which has some of the highest high points of this period. I can think of maybe three tracks on Code:Selfish that are really indispensable. But you might as well get it because you'll enjoy it, and Mark E Smith is admirable even on albums like this. He doesn't play memory-lane hits, always looks forward, tries and sometimes fails, and embarrasses most of his generation just by example.

Code: Selfish is one of The Fall's more obscure albums from the early 1990s. The first track, Birmingham School Of Business, has a complex structure with churning guitar patterns; Free Range has a faster driving beat, while Return is a hypnotic number with interesting synth and guitar interplay. Time Enough At Last is closer to traditional rock, as is Everything Hurtz with its urgent beat and almost punk feel. Immortality has a chugging beat and Just Waiting has some delicious jangling guitar parts. Gentleman's Agreement is a gentle rock ballad, and Married, 2 Kids is a type of mid-tempo story song with jazzy touches. The problem is the lack of really gripping songs. None of them remains in the mind after repeated listens. Shift-Work is the only other Fall album that I'm familiar with, and I like it more than Code: Selfish which is not a brilliant album but does offer enough of this band's inimitable genius to please the fans and satisfy those who love idiosyncratic rock.