180) The Fall - The Light User Syndrome

We knew Dave Bush was for the off and sure enough he received his letter advising him he had been sacked. In came Julia Nagle, and this will shock you all, she became Smith’s girlfriend.

The big news though was that Craig Scanlon was also sacked. Seventeen albums he had played on and had made a significant contribution to the songwriting. Unbelievably, Smith eventually admitted it was a mistake, he made many but was not prone to admitting to them. Scanlon was asked back several years later but declined. I always hope he will reappear one day but if he doesn’t, he made a significant contribution to UK music and should be rightly proud.

The Fall are not really in the best shape at this moment or more accurate Smith isn’t with the drink beginning to be an issue and there are suggestions that he recorded all his vocals in one day.

Normal reviews I look at each track, but this is fifteen tracks, way too long, an hour length album that really can be split into the good, the bad and the ugly.

Of the fifteen I would say DIY Meat, He Pep!, Hostile. Spinetrack, Cheetham Hill (apart from the high-pitched vocals) and Oxymoron are well worth your time, especially Spinetrak, Smith engaged, rhythm section pumping and Brix belting out the title.

Das Vulture, Interlude/Chinilism, Oleano and Powder Keg have their moments but that leaves us with five tracks that even I struggle with.

Stay Away is a cover that is at best a B-side, The Coliseum is eight minutes long and it feels it and Last Chance to Turn Around sounds as if it was put together on a home-made keyboard and The Ballad of J. Drummer and Secession Man are frankly crap.

Not good times and we have more troubles ahead, see you in five weeks for the next instalment.

6.25/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Spinetrack