The Complete Peel Sessions

It may seem a little bizarre to claim that a collection that runs nearly eight hours is perhaps the definitive Fall album, but there’s no two ways about it: the over a quarter century of work featured on The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004 is a sweeping documentation of Mark E. Smith’s obsessions over those years and the considerable abilities of the many musicians that helped bring his and their own ideas to life. With thorough documentation from journalist and long-time Fall fan Daryl Easlea, along with an introductory essay detailing the years of the professional activity and respect between Smith and John Peel before the latter’s 2004 death, it’s a running series of snapshots of whatever lineup was active at the time of recording, performing everything from new singles to random covers to yet-to-be-released efforts to the very occasional look back into an ever growing back catalog. Among the many gems throughout: the eighteenth session from December 1994, with a returned Brix Smith and Karl Burns joining in on unique versions of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”