We say farewell to Karl Burns for this album, we will see him again, but it was time for Simon Wolstencroft to take his place behind the drumkit.
John Leckie was also saying goodbye after producing the last two brilliant albums with stories of him and Smith clashing and Smith insisting some of the recordings came straight from a tape.
ROD opens the album the usual chugging guitar and then into DKTR Faustus with Mark on megaphone duties and Brix shouting Banana, not the greatest start.
Shoulder Pads has a keyboard that is naff and great all at once and then we are into the single Mr Pharmacist, it’s a cover but they made it their own and was then and is now a glorious stomp along.
Gross Chapel is the ever-excellent Mr Hanley starting us off add a hypnotic riff and Wolstencroft showing he was up to the job. The Fall have another excellent rhythm section. Seven minutes of brooding excellence.
First single Living Too Late has the usual wonderful repetitive beat with Smith talking through the song with the odd falsetto screech thrown in for good measure, honest it’s great. U.S. 80’s-90’s is everything you can ask for, pounding drums, unbelievable bass, stunning riffs with sonic noises and what sound like hip hop drum samples thrown in for good measure.
Terry Wait Sez The Fall rocking out and Bournemouth Runner seems to be slow and ponderous one minute and then off on one the next.
Maybe Smith was needing a change, hence the possible awkwardness with the recording process with Leckie, but here we have a good Fall album but not an excellent one.
7/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Gross Chapel – British Grenadiers