While the Fall have been treated to more than a few live albums over their many decades, a newly discovered '80s recording is now being dusted off for a new release. Called The Fall – Live at St. Helens Technical College, '81, the live effort is set to arrive on February 19 via Castle Face.
BBC Radio 6 presenter and former bassist of the Fall's Marc Riley explained the following of the release:
I stumbled upon the link to the recording of the St Helens Technical College gig on Twitter. I started to listen and recognised it as one of the better sound-board recordings I'd ever heard. Knowing John (Dwyer - of Osees and Castleface Records) was into The Fall I sent him the link just for him to enjoy. He got back and said it was one of the best live Fall sets he'd ever heard and asked if we were cool with him releasing it. So I contacted Steve and Paul Hanley…. then Paul got in touch with Craig Scanlan — and within the space of a week we'd given Castleface the 'OK' from four of the five Fall members on recording. The fifth of course being Mark E Smith who is no longer with us. I believe (from a mate who is armed with a functioning memory and was there on the night) the gig was poorly attended. So much so that the Promoter attempted to pull our fee…which resulted in him being pushed to the floor by our manager Kay Carrol. Sounds about right.
To get an idea what to expect, you can listen to the record's "Leave the Capitol" below, where you'll also find the record's tracklist. That's the cover above.
"I've had the pleasure of being a Fall fan since I was a teen. I was lucky enough to have some guidance from my local record shop stoner-lords," John Dwyer said in a press release. "They turned me on to many of my heroes, but once I heard my first slanted and barky Fall song, I was part of the army for life… Live Fall performances are always a pleasure because they seem to take what already made the Fall great and push it even a bit more into the rough and bloody uncharted wasteland that is drug scorched proto-punk and heady political poetry."
Fall leader Mark E. Smith died in 2018 at the age of 60.
The Fall – Live at St. Helens Technical College:
1. Blob '59
2. Prole Art Threat
3. Jawbone and the Air Rifle
4. Middle Mass
5. Rowche Rumble
6. An Older Lover
7. City Hobgoblins
8. Leave the Capitol
9. The NWRA
10. Gramme Friday
11. Fit and Working Again
12. Muzorewi's Daughter
13. Slates, Slags, Etc
Pre-order The Fall – Live at St. Helens Technical College.
BBC Radio 6 presenter and former bassist of the Fall's Marc Riley explained the following of the release:
I stumbled upon the link to the recording of the St Helens Technical College gig on Twitter. I started to listen and recognised it as one of the better sound-board recordings I'd ever heard. Knowing John (Dwyer - of Osees and Castleface Records) was into The Fall I sent him the link just for him to enjoy. He got back and said it was one of the best live Fall sets he'd ever heard and asked if we were cool with him releasing it. So I contacted Steve and Paul Hanley…. then Paul got in touch with Craig Scanlan — and within the space of a week we'd given Castleface the 'OK' from four of the five Fall members on recording. The fifth of course being Mark E Smith who is no longer with us. I believe (from a mate who is armed with a functioning memory and was there on the night) the gig was poorly attended. So much so that the Promoter attempted to pull our fee…which resulted in him being pushed to the floor by our manager Kay Carrol. Sounds about right.
To get an idea what to expect, you can listen to the record's "Leave the Capitol" below, where you'll also find the record's tracklist. That's the cover above.
"I've had the pleasure of being a Fall fan since I was a teen. I was lucky enough to have some guidance from my local record shop stoner-lords," John Dwyer said in a press release. "They turned me on to many of my heroes, but once I heard my first slanted and barky Fall song, I was part of the army for life… Live Fall performances are always a pleasure because they seem to take what already made the Fall great and push it even a bit more into the rough and bloody uncharted wasteland that is drug scorched proto-punk and heady political poetry."
Fall leader Mark E. Smith died in 2018 at the age of 60.
The Fall – Live at St. Helens Technical College:
1. Blob '59
2. Prole Art Threat
3. Jawbone and the Air Rifle
4. Middle Mass
5. Rowche Rumble
6. An Older Lover
7. City Hobgoblins
8. Leave the Capitol
9. The NWRA
10. Gramme Friday
11. Fit and Working Again
12. Muzorewi's Daughter
13. Slates, Slags, Etc
Pre-order The Fall – Live at St. Helens Technical College.
