50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats

Both in its original 2 CD form in 2004, and then later in its retitled 3 CD expansion 58 Golden Greats covering the entirety of the band’s career, the reference point in both title and artwork for this definitive overview of the Fall’s compelling body of work was Elvis Presley. But a friend of this reviewer once made an even sharper comparison, no matter which version of the release, to the James Brown box set Star Time. It suits: as a vision of an artistically compelling and personally frustrating and more often than not infuriating taskmaster cycling band members in and out while always aiming to see what else could be done next — and never forgetting the beat — this collection makes the case in the best possible manner for Mark E. Smith and his many compatriots for their own universe of sonic and lyrical genius. With longtime fan and journalist champion Daryl Easlea both overseeing the track listing and the liner notes in both versions, especially helpful at surfacing highlights given the choppier later years of the group, it’s at once a broad overview and a still focused enough introduction to that which is the Fall.