Live at the Witch Trials

Released

So the last great band of the 20th century came out of the box fully formed and only John Peel really noticed? Our Mark E. Smith is wandering around taking magic mushrooms and boiling cigar butts and making the jukebox fight back. This version had Karl Burns on drums, maybe a little less coherent than he would later be, but still plenty rumbustious. Martin Bramah didn’t last long in the band, which does not obviate his nutty and springy parts. Considering the range of approaches in the post-punk era, it helps to remember that this music isn’t particularly aggressive or weird. The Fall take little scraps of known rock and then just loop them while Smith tells us what he’s been thinking about. They sort of cycle on in the background, grinding away while he reads his latest notions out. It goes on like this until the end.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Suggestions
Black and White cover

Black and White

The Stranglers
Dois cover

Dois

Legião Urbana
Coast to Coast cover

Coast to Coast

River City Tanlines
Strip cover

Strip

The Chameleons
Atom Drum Bop cover

Atom Drum Bop

The Three Johns
The Psychedelic Furs cover

The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs
Grave City cover

Grave City

Stick Men With Ray Guns
Echoes cover

Echoes

the Rapture