Disco de The Fall: “Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) [UK]”

Such is the proliferation of Fall product flooding the market that this album title was needed to guide the confused Fall punter. The subtitle is explained by the fact that the tracks were originally recorded between December 2002 and January 2003 and were mixed by Grant Showbiz and Jim Watts in February 2003 for early release as Country On The Click. Promos were sent out and 3 of the new songs were previewed in March on an absolutely sizzling John Peel session, their 23rd for the show.

The release was then delayed after a mix appeared on the internet, causing a put-out Mark E Smith to partially remixe, re-record and re-sequence the album.

The line up of Mark E Smith (vocals), Ben Pritchard (lead guitar, vocal), Jim Watts (bass, guitar, computer, vocal) and Dave Milner (drums, vocal) was augmented by this time with Elenor Poulou (the latest Mrs Smith) on keyboards, and heralded the Fall Mk. 30 (approximately).

I believe this is the first studio album to be recorded since Are You Are Missing Winner (I could be mistaken), but a live album, 2G + 2, appeared in 2002. The material and overall sound seem to be the strongest for some years with Theme From Sparta FC just missing out on becoming the John Peel Festive Fifty No. 1 for 2003 (by one vote apparently), and fade-in album opener Green-eyed Loco Man also voted in to no. 26.

Contraflow conjures up urban M62 hell with a suitably barbed lyric where Mark E counters perversely, "I hate the countryside so much." As always there is an unlikely cover, this time Lee Hazlewood's Houston, and the award for the strangest title goes to Last Commands Of Xyralothep Via M.E.S.

All is right with the world

The last dozen or so Fall albums have been pretty mediocre. If you know your rock and you know the Fall and how bloody amazing they have been, you'd have to agree. But this album is great. Truly. It buzzes and divebombs with the best of them, it comes alive, and, with a couple of exceptions, is full of the kind of hooks and slyness you know they're more than capable of when they want to. I don't know who is in/out in the band and i don't care, i just want them to rock and tease and insult and kick and this thing scores on all counts.

This is a very strong record by any standards. The Fall have been a prolific, innovative band for a long time and hereon they use some of the same bag of tricks they've used in previous eras (overlapping vocals and words, unapologetically minimal keyboard, primitive rhythms, Mark Smith's wonderfully atonal vocal style) to impressive effect.

Not every track on here is great, but a number of them are. The music bears some resemblance to the type of "garage" or "grunge" that was in vogue in the 90's, but it is better than most of that, and the sound here is largely perfect, full of energy but clean. I think the committed Fall fan will enjoy this, and the rock listener who's never heard of The Fall will enjoy it at least as much.

I give this 5 stars for substance; not too many rockers are quoting the Society of the Spectacle by the Situationist International (Guy DeBord) but Mark E. Smith is not below that, and it's a great adventure to contemplate what other references are mumbled and shouted...to which we've yet to gain exposure.

Good beats and sage wit; I suspect sometimes that the Fall is just a red herring for a school of philosophy.

Sparta FC is about as good a post punk-like song as you can get and Mountain Energie is great but the rest of the songs are nothing special at least by Fall standards... This is one of those records that I just wanted to like a lot more than I can honestly say that I do and for the first time I found myself feeling like the inconsistent band line-up is the main reason... If I were new to The Fall I'd probably had run out and bought all their stuff after hearing COTC but since I already own all their other stuff this one just doesn't quite measure up.....