Compilation albums by The Fall
Encyclopedia
British rock group The Fall have had a large number of compilation albums issued since the band's first releases in 1976.
) is also included, and a CD reissue in 2000 adds two tracks from the various artists compilation Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Ballroom, from the same time. 2002's Early Singles drops "Dice Man" and adds three singles recorded for Kamera Records in 1981 and 1982, with their B-sides. In 2003, tracks from the Step Forward singles and two albums recorded for the label were selected for It's the New Thing! - The Step Forward Years.
In 1985, Situation Two Records (an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records
, to which the band was signed at the time) released Hip Priest and Kamerads, a compilation selected from the 1981-1982 Kamera singles and albums (Hex Enduction Hour
and Room to Live
), with live tracks recorded at around the same time. The Fall had two stints with Rough Trade Records
before and after their time with Kamera - tracks from the Rough Trade releases were compiled on 1987's Palace of Swords Reversed, 1993's The Collection, 2002's The Rough Trade Singles Box, and the same year's two-CD set Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology.
Psykick Dance Hall (2000) collects material from throughout the 1977-1983 period.
) are compiled on The War Against Intelligence - The Fontana Years (2003), and Listening In - Lost Single Tracks (2002) - as the name suggests, the latter album collects various singles and their B-sides, with three mixes of Shift-Work
album track "So What About It" previously only available on a scarce promo-only single.
The Fall released four albums for Permanent Records between 1993 and 1995, and tracks from all of them are compiled on The Permanent Years - Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room (2006).
, and released The Light User Syndrome
in June of that year. At around the same time, as a result of what the band's leader Mark E. Smith
described as "daft deals I signed when I shouldn't have done", several compilation albums consisting of previously unreleased live and demo material were released by the affiliated Receiver Records. Tracks from these compilations have been recycled in further compilation albums, sometimes including tracks from The Light User Syndrome.
Between January and April 1996, three albums were released on both LP and CD: Sinister Waltz, Fiend with a Violin and Oswald Defence Lawyer. All three had very little information about their sources, but clearly contained out-takes, live tracks, and rough demos, and consisted almost exclusively of previously released songs. In May 1997, tracks from these three albums were selected for The Archive Series, on Rialto Records, and in the same year Receiver packaged the three together as The Other Side of the Fall, and also released a double-CD selection from the original compilations called The Less You Look The More You Find, with tracks from The Light User Syndrome added.
Late 1997 saw two new Receiver compilations, Oxymoron and Cheetham Hill, which again consisted almost exclusively of alternate versions of previously-released material. Tracks from these, the previous three compilations, and The Light User Syndrome, were included on a further compilation in 1998, Northern Attitude. Finally, Oxymoron and Cheetham Hill were issued as a triple-CD set in 2003 by Castle Records, with the 1996 live album 15 Ways to Leave Your Man.
and Edwyn Collins
. It was deleted quickly but reissued in 2006 and remains available.
2003's Rebellious Jukebox is an odd mixture of material spread over two CDs, mainly from prior to 1983 but also including some tracks from the first Fontana album Extricate
, and a few from 2001's Are You Are Missing Winner
, with a DVD containing an interview with Smith. However, in 2006, it was reissued without the DVD. A similarly strange juxtaposition was found in 1998's Smile - It's the Best of the Fall, which mixes Rough Trade tracks from the early eighties and (yet again) some from The Light User Syndrome.
Finally, in 2004, the Fall issued a genuinely career-spanning compilation, 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
, which included 39 tracks from throughout the 1978-2003 period across two CDs.
The Fall Box Set 1976-2007, a 91-track collection spanning the group's career to date was released in September 2007. It features a number of rare alternate versions and a disc of live material including many previously unreleased songs.
selected tracks from the band's many sessions for John Peel
's radio show, for the album The Peel Sessions. In 2003 a two-CD set Words of Expectation collected sessions from 1978–1981 and a couple from 1996 (the 1996 sessions being mainly songs from The Light User Syndrome). Two years later in 2005, all the band's Peel sessions were finally released by Castle Records in the six-CD box The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004.
Early years 1977–1983
77-Early Years-79 is a compilation of the band's first four singles, all originally issued on Step Forward Records, and was first released as an LP in 1981. One album track ("Dice Man" from DragnetDragnet (album)
Dragnet is the second album by The Fall, released on 26 October 1979. It was recorded 2nd-4th August of that year.The album was recorded less than 8 months after its predecessor, Live at the Witch Trials, establishing at an early stage two key patterns of the group's work; that of high productivity...
) is also included, and a CD reissue in 2000 adds two tracks from the various artists compilation Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Ballroom, from the same time. 2002's Early Singles drops "Dice Man" and adds three singles recorded for Kamera Records in 1981 and 1982, with their B-sides. In 2003, tracks from the Step Forward singles and two albums recorded for the label were selected for It's the New Thing! - The Step Forward Years.
In 1985, Situation Two Records (an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
, to which the band was signed at the time) released Hip Priest and Kamerads, a compilation selected from the 1981-1982 Kamera singles and albums (Hex Enduction Hour
Hex Enduction Hour
Hex Enduction Hour is a 1982 album by The Fall. It was the first album to feature both Karl Burns and Paul Hanley in a two-drummer lineup and was partly recorded in Iceland during the group's 1981 visit, with the remainder being completed in a disused cinema in Hitchin, England...
and Room to Live
Room to Live
Room to Live, subtitled Undilutable Slang Truth!, is the sixth studio album by The Fall. First released September 27, 1982, it was recorded as a quick follow-up to Hex Enduction Hour which had been released in March. It was to be Marc Riley's last album with the group.The group had originally...
), with live tracks recorded at around the same time. The Fall had two stints with Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
before and after their time with Kamera - tracks from the Rough Trade releases were compiled on 1987's Palace of Swords Reversed, 1993's The Collection, 2002's The Rough Trade Singles Box, and the same year's two-CD set Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology.
Psykick Dance Hall (2000) collects material from throughout the 1977-1983 period.
Beggars Banquet 1984–1989
Virtually all the tracks from the many singles released by Beggars Banquet are collected on 458489 A Sides and 458489 B Sides (the latter is a two-CD set or long play cassette). The only exceptions are a few mixes of the single "Hit The North" and the unedited version of "Cruiser's Creek".Early 1990s
Tracks from the Fall's brief period with a major label (Fontana, a subsidiary of Phonogram RecordsPhonogram Records
Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....
) are compiled on The War Against Intelligence - The Fontana Years (2003), and Listening In - Lost Single Tracks (2002) - as the name suggests, the latter album collects various singles and their B-sides, with three mixes of Shift-Work
Shift-Work
Shift-Work is a 1991 LP by the British rock band The Fall. Released through Phonogram Records, it marked, in the opinion of critic Ted Mills, a change in direction for the group, as "repetitious grooves became interspersed with pop song structures." Non-vinyl versions of the record feature the...
album track "So What About It" previously only available on a scarce promo-only single.
The Fall released four albums for Permanent Records between 1993 and 1995, and tracks from all of them are compiled on The Permanent Years - Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room (2006).
Receiver Records
In 1996, The Fall signed to Jet RecordsJet Records
Jet Records was a small British record label set up by Don Arden with artists like Electric Light Orchestra , Roy Wood, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Riot and Magnum. The first release on the "Jet Records" label was "No Honestly", a UK top 10 for its singer and writer Lynsey De Paul in November 1974...
, and released The Light User Syndrome
The Light User Syndrome
The Light User Syndrome is an album by The Fall, released in 1996 on Jet Records. It was preceded by 8 minute, 3-part single "The Chiselers" and was the group's first album to feature keyboard player and guitarist Julia Nagle, It was the last to feature Brix Smith and the group were without Craig...
in June of that year. At around the same time, as a result of what the band's leader Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
described as "daft deals I signed when I shouldn't have done", several compilation albums consisting of previously unreleased live and demo material were released by the affiliated Receiver Records. Tracks from these compilations have been recycled in further compilation albums, sometimes including tracks from The Light User Syndrome.
Between January and April 1996, three albums were released on both LP and CD: Sinister Waltz, Fiend with a Violin and Oswald Defence Lawyer. All three had very little information about their sources, but clearly contained out-takes, live tracks, and rough demos, and consisted almost exclusively of previously released songs. In May 1997, tracks from these three albums were selected for The Archive Series, on Rialto Records, and in the same year Receiver packaged the three together as The Other Side of the Fall, and also released a double-CD selection from the original compilations called The Less You Look The More You Find, with tracks from The Light User Syndrome added.
Late 1997 saw two new Receiver compilations, Oxymoron and Cheetham Hill, which again consisted almost exclusively of alternate versions of previously-released material. Tracks from these, the previous three compilations, and The Light User Syndrome, were included on a further compilation in 1998, Northern Attitude. Finally, Oxymoron and Cheetham Hill were issued as a triple-CD set in 2003 by Castle Records, with the 1996 live album 15 Ways to Leave Your Man.
Later compilations
Tracks from throughout the 1990s are included on A Past Gone Mad (2000), A World Bewitched (2001), and High Tension Line (2002). A World Bewitched is particularly notable as it is a two-CD set and includes many of Mark E. Smith's guest vocals for other artists including Inspiral CarpetsInspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...
and Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
. It was deleted quickly but reissued in 2006 and remains available.
2003's Rebellious Jukebox is an odd mixture of material spread over two CDs, mainly from prior to 1983 but also including some tracks from the first Fontana album Extricate
Extricate
Extricate is a 1990 album by post-punk band The Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced Brix Smith. Brix's departure influenced more than just the subject matter of the album, it also helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and post-punk guitar,...
, and a few from 2001's Are You Are Missing Winner
Are You Are Missing Winner
Are You Are Missing Winner is an album by British rock band The Fall, released in November 2001 on CD and in January 2002 as a vinyl picture disc. Since the previous year's release of the critically acclaimed The Unutterable, Fall front man Mark E...
, with a DVD containing an interview with Smith. However, in 2006, it was reissued without the DVD. A similarly strange juxtaposition was found in 1998's Smile - It's the Best of the Fall, which mixes Rough Trade tracks from the early eighties and (yet again) some from The Light User Syndrome.
Finally, in 2004, the Fall issued a genuinely career-spanning compilation, 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong – 39 Golden Greats is a greatest hits album released by The Fall in 2004. It was the group's first career-spanning compilation, with a selection of songs from the 1978 EP Bingo-Master's Break-Out! up to the 2003 album The Real New Fall LP . The selection of...
, which included 39 tracks from throughout the 1978-2003 period across two CDs.
The Fall Box Set 1976-2007, a 91-track collection spanning the group's career to date was released in September 2007. It features a number of rare alternate versions and a disc of live material including many previously unreleased songs.
Peel sessions
In 1999, bassist Steve HanleySteve Hanley (musician)
Steve Hanley is an Irish-born English musician, based in Manchester. He is best known for playing bass guitar in The Fall from 1979 to 1998, and afterwards in The Lovers....
selected tracks from the band's many sessions for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's radio show, for the album The Peel Sessions. In 2003 a two-CD set Words of Expectation collected sessions from 1978–1981 and a couple from 1996 (the 1996 sessions being mainly songs from The Light User Syndrome). Two years later in 2005, all the band's Peel sessions were finally released by Castle Records in the six-CD box The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004.
List of compilation albums
- 77–Early Years–79 (1981)
- Hip Priest and Kamerads (1985)
- Nord-West Gas (1986)
- Palace of Swords Reversed (1987)
- 458489 A Sides (1990)
- 458489 B Sides (1990)
- The Collection (1993)
- Backdrop (1994)
- Sinister Waltz (1996)
- Fiend with a Violin (1996)
- Oswald Defence Lawyer (1996)
- The Archive Series (1997)
- The Less You Look, the More You Find (1997)
- Oxymoron (1997)
- Cheetham Hill (1997)
- Smile... It's the Best of (1998)
- Northern Attitude (1998)
- The Peel Sessions (1999)
- A Past Gone Mad (2000)
- Psykick Dancehall (2000)
- A World Bewitched (2001)
- Totally Wired – The Rough Trade Anthology (2002)
- The Rough Trade Singles Box (2002)
- High Tension Line (2002)
- Listening In (2002)
- Early Singles (2002)
- It's the New Thing! The Step Forward Years (2003)
- Words of Expectation – BBC Sessions (2003)
- The War Against Intelligence – The Fontana Years (2003)
- Rebellious Jukebox (2003)
- Time Enough At Last (2003)
- 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong – 39 Golden Greats50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong – 39 Golden Greats is a greatest hits album released by The Fall in 2004. It was the group's first career-spanning compilation, with a selection of songs from the 1978 EP Bingo-Master's Break-Out! up to the 2003 album The Real New Fall LP . The selection of...
(2004) - The Complete Peel Sessions 1978–2004The Complete Peel Sessions 1978–2004The Complete Peel Sessions 1978–2004 is a 6 CD compilation album released by British avant-rock band The Fall in 2005. It comprises all 24 sessions the group recorded for the late John Peel's radio show. Peel was a fervent supporter of the group from early in their career, and The Fall recorded...
(2005) - The Permanent Years – Paranoia Man in Cheap Sh*t Room (2006)
- The Fall Box Set 1976-2007 (2007)
- I've Never Felt Better in My Life 1979-1982 (2008)