The Fall

On this live album from 1980, the group are rabid with aggression and each song sounds like it's about to collapse on itself. Mark E. Smith couldn't possibly snarl more and guitarist Craig Scanlon, with his repetitive, percussive guitar style helps turn songs like "Rowche Rumble" and "Fiery Jack" into explosive manifestoes of wiry post-punk insanity.

"The difference between you and us is that we have brains," Mark Smith announces to what the written notes call an "80% disco weekend mating audience" at the top of forty-three minutes of rant. The difference I notice is that the band is getting paid, but never mind--I'm so hungry for punk these days that I'm a sucker for the overall sound, maybe even the attitude. Yet though the minutes are divided officially into ten song titles, I confess I have trouble telling one from another except to point out that "Roche Rumble" is pretty fierce momentumwise. I also enjoy "Choc-Stock" (sounds like "pop star") and "That Man" (sounds like "Batman"). And almost any time Smith revs his delivery up toward squeal. (Grade - B)