Ducks Battle Satan

This was the first Fall album I’d ever heard. Whilst at High School I had a mate called Marty who lived in Newcastle and every six months or so we’d record all of the vinyl and CD’s we’d acquired during that time and send copies to each other. I’m not ashamed to say that Marty always had much better and sophisticated taste in music than me. He’s the guy who knew how important Sonic Youth’s Sister was and I’ll be honest that record changed my life. I, in return would send him a cassette of the latest 4AD band like the Pale Saints or Lush. Sure it was hardly a fair swap but I always suspected that I looked forward to his recordings much more than he looked forward to mine.

Extricate was one of those great records that Marty sent me that opened up my ears to punk that didn’t sound like the Clash or the Dead Kennedy’s. Here was punk music with the slickest of slick production propelled by the mildly bored tuneless ranting of a man who probably thought he could be doing something better. As a punk record there are plenty of moments on Extricate that bring the white boy funk front and centre. Sure Hex Induction Hour is a better record but Extricate holds a special place for me as a record that stretched the boundaries of “alternative music”, at least in my teenage mind. I now know that the beat on Telephone Thing is pure ESG but at the time it meant that music all of a sudden didn’t need a “singer”, punk was allowed to have a dance beat and cool indifference replaced angry earnestness. In fact it could be the most avant-garde pop record ever made.

Here’s a post from my friend Doc. Shocking Fall obsessive that he is. I own three Fall records this one, Extricate and the A-sides compilation. I think that’s all anyone ever needs. Doc would disagree. Over to you  Doc E. Smith!

And Doc was asked to do something on The Fall’s Hex Enduction Hour album. Well enough days have passed and no one has blinked so here it is.

Perhaps I need to give a little of myself first. Some would say I am old but I don’t see it that way. However I have been listening to The Fall for 30 years. I bought their first 7” from Rocking Horse Records when it was a tiny shop under the stairs in the arcade. I have, hold, own, possess more stuff by this gruppe than any other bar one. I have had the pleasure of seeing them live 3 times now, including when they toured this beast down here. I can not be subjective about this album let alone objective, so go do the dishes or shoot wild pigs if that bothers you. It might be the greatest rock album released. I rate it with VU & Nico, Highway 61 and Funhouse.

It is 1 hour of music from 1982 of which 15 minutes were recorded in Iceland and the rest in England. It has a double drummer line up to give a solid groove. It’s got shards of guitars and keyboard dropping in and out to keep most of us on our toes. It’s got enough raw hatred and vitriol leaking out to keep most people’s attention. It is not rock music or pop music or dance music or the blues or classical (although it has a killer opening song called The Classical), etc. It is around these days as a single cd or a dble cd with bonus stuff (as you do these days). No filler material and with that length of time once you have been around it once you are ready to go again and not get bored.

OK to put it another way. It’s possibly the sound of my god perhaps talking to me. It’s a big noise that is not always easy on the ears. It talks to me in various ways none of them clear. One minute in and I’m put in my place with “hey fuck face” then I realise it is on the money.

It’s the black monolith of 2001 and I’m the ape-man not yet realising what this thing means to me. You need it even if you haven’t realised it yet.

In a physical sense it’s Osmium. So try to get into it and see how far you get. I’m still working on it.