Loading ...The Fall – Slates
By Evan ~ December 11th, 2008. Filed under: collector scum.
“Originally released in a time when “neither an EP nor an LP” was different and not a marketing gimmick, 1981’s Slates was issued as a 10″, but its six tight songs didn’t have that key track to make it as revered as other Fall releases of the time. “Leave the Capitol,” “Middle Mass,” and “Prole Art Threat” deserve their place in the Fall’s hall of fame, but compared to the second, punchy and polished version of “Lie Dream,” they sound a bit anemic. Not a bad taster if you’re new and want some post-punk, pre-pop Fall — and 90 percent of this is prime material. [The 1992 and 1998 reissues added the live and short A Part of America Therein, a worthy complement for which Sanctuary has other plans. For the Fall fan, the bonuses on the 2004 reissue are a mixed blessing. With classic tracks like "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul," "Fantastic Life," and the great "Hip Priest" tacked on, the extras read as if from an early-'80s "greatest-hits" package. Great, but if there's a bummer to be had, they weaken the punch of the original Slates' sprawling attempt to restructure the Fall from punk to prog -- prog in the least pretentious sense of the word. Longtime buyers of the band get better sound quality, great liner notes, and the duplication blues once again.]” – All Music Guide
The Fall
Slates 10″
MediaFire Download Link
Tracklist:
01. Middle Mass
02. An Older Lover, Etc.
03. Prole Art Threat
04. Fit And Working Again
05. Slates, Slags Etc.
06. Leave The Capitol
December 11th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Evan, remind me to arrange for your fellation.
December 14th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Just about everything from this era of The Fall is worth listening to, but I think this one gets overlooked.
I sometimes like to imagine an alternate universe where Mark E. Smith consumed so many amphetamines that he turned into a (very quick) flesh eater…and rid the world of Bono. But then again, someone would’ve had to fill that self-righteous douche void…and I’m pretty sure the entire world would’ve exploded (possibly due to every woman having a simultaneous orgasm) had Sting’s ego gotten any bigger.
August 5th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Even by the standards of The Fall, this is a study in rage which has rarely been surpassed. Outside of The Stooges and The Velvets, the title track is utterly compelling. Smith is clearly at the end of his tether, and it shows. I heard it on the John Peel Show in 1981 and along with “Blast Off” by The Birthday Party, felt it was the perfect response to the dismal New Romantic Movement at the time.
Come to think of it, “Slates” remain the perfect tonic to the current feeble batch today. Bring the noise !