Just came in the mail today. Listened through twice-- can't find much to dislike about it!

Straight out the gate it is kicking. First 4 tracks are real nice. Guitar work on Antidotes is great. Quite like Inevitable too. Mad.Men-Eng.Dog-- one of those ineffable Fall cuts that are pretty bravely experimental.

Though like some of the post-1990 Falls I've been gathering, there are 2-3 tracks that to me seem aimless or pointless, overall I was pleasantly surprised to like it much more than I expected.

Though they are very different albums in terms of production and feel, I would be hard pressed to say which I will be playing more frequently- Marshall Suite or Levitate or Light User Syndrome. However I find the three of them superior to Infotainment Scan. Looking forward to digging further into all these.

So many albums to catch up in...so little time...

I personally find all other Fall studio albums superior to The Infotainment Scan. I say this mostly because I always enjoy when Grimo--who visits the board all too infrequently--posts to defend the album. Where are you, Grimo?

There's no accounting for taste,by the way have you took your meds today? B)

I was wondering when you'd get back at me for the joke I made at your expense in another thread, baldgentleman. Congrats. I don't know what's the more cliched way to provoke vehement responses, taking a poke at The Infotainment Scan or slamming psycho trendies from Brooklyn. The former is better, though, beacuse at least those who respond have some intelligence and don't need to be drug off to the psych ward. Still miss Grimo, though.

Doktor John, thankyou for your kind words. I am pleased to have helped you see the error of your ways. Imagine you are dancing to Lost In Music and The League Moon Monkey Mix right now.

Doktor John, what do you think of the last LP?

...and Grimo makes a triumphant return, with a genuinely clever post! Yes I just lose all volition and begin to move my feet when the 1993 classic comes on, especially Service, which, contrary to what some believe, doesn't last longer than And This Day--it just seems like it does.

The Real New Fall LP? I rather like it. Perhaps not among their very best, but the tracks are remarkably consistent--not much filler or waste cuts like the three studio albums which preceded it, as good as they were. What do you think of it?
As you no doubt know, the "slightly different" American version will be out soon?
Will I eagerly, fanatically and stupidly buy it? Do you even have to ask? I'll let you know how it is.

Hmm, D-O-K-T-O-R, obviously some silly joke I don't recognize. I'll find out, though.

Where can I preorder it besides Amazon.com, as Narnack does not have it up yet.
this being the new album, the real new fall lp formerly country on the click.

I LOVE 'The Infotainment Scan'


I only recently (this week) received the 'Marshall Suite' and think it's a really strong release. I recently bought Levitate too and although it's more 'difficult' than many of the later albums I've heard I reckon it will be a real grower.



I've gone a bit crazy updating my Fall CDs this month; arrived this week!
Levitate
The Marshall Suite
The Infotainment Scan
Slates/A Part of America Therein
Grotesque
Touch Sensitive (Bootleg Box)

On their way-
Dragnet
Live at the Witch Trials
Totale's Turns
The Frenz Experiment
The Unutterable
the Light User Syndrome
Hex Enduction Hour
Room To Live

There goes my credit card balance!

Some of these I had on cassette and some, particularly the later ones, I've never heard before.

Tell me about it! I am well on my way to replacing my long lost vinyl collection with CDs. In fact, I just picked up 'Kurious Oranj' and 'Wonderful and Frightening' today!! Woo hoo!

As a side note, the release of 'Wonderful and Frightening' that I picked up is crammed with goodies -- including the 'C.R.E.E.P.', 'Oh! Brother', and 'Call for Escape Route' singles.

Yeah, curiously Beggars decided to load up the CDs of TWAFW and TNSG with all the contemporaneous single tracks, etc. and even went so far as to reproduce the artwork for the singles in the booklets... not sure why they didn't follow through with subsequent discs. Bend Sinister esp. is sorely lacking -- it should at the very least have also included Hey! Luciani, Entitled, Hot Aftershave Bop, and Lucifer Over Lancashire.

Oddly enough, my 'Wonderful and Frightening' CD had the C.R.E.E.P. cover on the front. I had to double-check the back and spine to make sure I had the actual full album. I wonder if this was an error or intentional.

I did notice this trend with TNSG. It's nice to have the extras alright (I'm especially pleased to once again have 'Call For Escape Route' -- great EP) but the boundaries between the albums and the singles really get blurred.

Then again, I guess The Fall isn't really as album-oriented as other bands. They were always releasing singles, EPs and mini-LP's. Quite a chaotic track-record!

The C.R.E.E.P. cover is supposed to be on the back... they probably just stapled a batch of booklets wrong.

As for albums, yeah, they never really bother with sequencing or attempting to make a collection of songs into a cohesive whole.

The Marshall Suite is simply one of The Fall's records which I can't get into. It's good, I can see that, but it doesn't engage me emotionally as most of the others do.

I find I listen to MS as a whole, rather than cherrypick certain songs...seems to work better that way...

The same for me about not getting into it, but then I like that, knowing there's something that one day might suddenly click :)

I listen to most Fall records, nay, most records, as a whole.

Could be wrong, but I was under the impression the CDs of W&FW and TNSG came out after their original vinyl/cassette counterparts (in '88, maybe?), whereas the others were done simultaneously. This would mean that W&FW and TNSG were more like retrospective, comprehensive CD reissues.

Funny this, the only Fall LPs I listen to end-to-end are Live at the Witch Trials and Cerebral Caustic - the rest are a side at a time, or a liberal selection of tracks here & there. I go through RNFLP sometimes, tho' The Past only as light relief... and Marshall Suite and Unutterable come close.

Interesting, because a few folks have commented on LPs as integral wholes. I never really experienced them like that, so bitty ones are fine by me. Damn, another poll impulse seizes me by the vitals. Ooer!

You're not wrong at all - both WAFW and TNSG were issued on CD in 1988, rather than 84/85, and thus helpfully included the additional tracks from around that era. Quite why Bend Sinister didn't get the same treatment tho' (and Rex missed out Auto Tech Pilot, one of my faves from that era), I dunno :unsure:

I suppose the only thing that bugs me about the two CD reissues is that the album tracks and the bonus tracks are all mish-mashed together. I've said it before - the bonus tracks should be at the end. There are some new fans to The Fall who genuinely think that, say, Oh Brother comes after Elves on the original album when clearly it never did - ruins the overall "original album" sound to me.... :banghead:

See, this I don't get, and it goes hand in hand with what Otherdave was saying, too...

"Original albums" are two halves, not one whole. Putting extra tracks between the two sides, as long as you don't break up the sequence of the sides themselves, shouldn't matter at all.

In fact, when I used to listen primarily to vinyl long ago, I often only listened to half an album at a time. I don't really see the point for continuity, say, between "Elves" and "Slang King" because there wasn't any to begin with.

Yo
Why are we not praising The Marshall Suite.
What!
Have just now, 5 years late, figured out that it must be one of my favourite Fall albums :applaud:

Besides a few tracks, i think this album is rather bland and, well, dull :mellow:

I agree with everybody. Half of it's totally ace & the other half's pretty so-so. But it's a fave if only for Touch, Shake-off & Antidotes.

i'm with the doc: marshall suite one of my faves too (reckon for intensity it's up there with 'hex' & birthday song's a "killer"...)

marshall suite is fantastic, excellent job by julia negle on this album, its a classic.

Awe-inspiring. I usually skip Touch Sensitive, then the whole album grips me and won't let go until the end.

birthday song is fabulous.

I must admit I quite like "The Marshall Suite" the album has similar ideals to something like "Are You Missing Winner" but that (A.Y.M.W.) just sank "Suite" has reserviced with a cool vibe ............gotta go now that things on about Deeply Vale and I want to get which year I went right though 78' seems too early B)

Superb album - This Perfect Day is one of my fave cover versions, eclipsed only by F-'oldin' Money :)

fully agreeed cousin clayts.

I've always quite enjoyed this record and often pick out songs from it (esp. Antidotes and the Crying Marshal) but I rarely listen to it all the way through. I wonder why.

I agree - only listen to Touch Sensitive, This Perfect Day, Antidotes & Foldin Money.

I'm in the same boat. I'd love to like it more...just doesn't cut the mustard for me.

First 5 tracks are great plus Antidotes and Crying Marshal. Don't care much for many of the others. In fact, can't really recall any of them at this moment.

Shake-off is fantastic.

this is probably the only time i will disagree with you.

I like all of the songs on this record individually - I just don't think it hangs together as an album very well. The three-sided vinyl version, with Tom Ragazzi closing side two, is much better-balanced than the CD version, but there's still something not quite right about it - as though it's slightly unfinished.

for me it has an air of granduer, but only sparkles a couple of times. undeniably on shake-off and later on antidote, but apart from that....

I've only heard a bit of it... wow, (Jung Nev's) Antidotes is incredible. Is this the Fall? I need to catch up.

yes it is very awesome

touch sensitive
shake off
antidotes

end of album for me. it does have a granduer about it, but its the weakest since the 97 onward revival.