- Crap Rap
- It’s the New Thing
- Rebellious Jukebox
- Two Steps Back
- Put Away
- Like to Blow
- Frightened
- Underground Medicin
- Industrial Estate
- My Condition
- Mess of My
- No Xmas for John Quays
- Psycho Mafia
- Various Times
- Futures and Pasts
- Stepping Out
- Music Scene
NOTES
62 minutes
Audience Recording
My Condition appears on The Fall Box Set
Last known appearances of My Condition and Futures & Pasts
Primal and primordial pugilistic pointillist and provocative Fall gruppe in a run of album recording and gigs in “The Capital” in late 1978. A loud and hissy and warbly audience capture which nigh on many years later sounds good but not great. There is an ongoing inter-song commentary by the taper and chum. Sound is a bit echoey in parts but generally very listenable.
That this is recorded/captured two days after the laying down of “Live at the Witch Trials” indicates its importance in the canon of the gigs.
Crowd fave “New Thing” kicks things off with some attitude and matters continue in this vein with a ramble through the pubs of Prestwich.
Noisy audience chatters over a bass lead intro with castrati to “Two Steps Back” – “Manicured Noise” (support band from Manc) are questioned re equipment failure, noise etc. There is a brief hiatus as gear is sorted and then there is a mammoth thing of infinite drift and improv – surging sounds and rattling growls of noise dominate in Can-like/Neu-like repetition. Glorious and funky at the same time.
A breathless version of never officially released “Put Away” reflects Bramah’s tendency to solo loosely over the rhythm. This is an angular little beast bent out of shape by Marks words and Burns drums. MES opines that “things have changed” in London reflecting on the lack of chains and pins in the audience. Manic “Blow” is a shuffling leper of a thing with atonal/chordal noise and urgent bass from Riley.
A monstrous “Frightened” lumbers along like some ocean tossed leviathan, Pawlett’s keyboard a chiming pulse against which Bramah casts splintered chords and Burns bubbles uncontrollably. Interesting use of echo towards the end on Mark’s vox as it builds to a violent climax. “Medecin” is more “John Quays” than its original sense – the recording starts to break up about half way through – but it ends in a pummelling repetition which unfortunately is cut short.
MES opines on the people of Cleveland and a short and shambolic (in a good way) take on “Ind. Est.” is delivered with some venom. “Take it easy, make it snappy” introduces the rolling and chiming repetition of “My Condition” – more than anything this song presages the future direction of the band and its own successor “A figure walks”.
“Mess of my” with a “note of your choice” is substantially a rant – the two part feel to the song held together by punchy drums – an interesting loose middle section improvs its way into a clashing halt. “John Quays” is in tune with the festive spirit and is essentially a wall of noise. “Psycho Sicko Quester Disco” has an unfortunate glitch and Mark introduces it with some glee as a “great song” – some immense guitar here from Martin.
Mark introduces “Various Times” with a character health warning – this hangs round a hypnotic circular riff played in unison by Pawlett and Riley. A bit shouty in parts but generally and piece of memorable early Fall.
Matters close on my recording with a quick rush through “Mother-Sister” which feels hurried, after a break a sumptuous skank through a bubbling “Steppin’ Out” with feature organ drone.