The Fall - The Wonderful and Frightening World of... the fall (Omnibus Edition)

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Originally released in 1984, The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall was the band’s eighth studio album and their first for Beggars Banquet. This release chronicles that year; from the full integration of Brix Smith into the group, the introduction of John Leckie as the recording producer, the BBC sessions, live shows, changes in the line-up and the rise of a wider appreciation for The Fall’s music.

 

The first CD edition (issued in 1988) followed the extended track sequence of the cassette but for this Omnibus Edition the album has been re-mastered from the studio analogue tapes and restored to its original nine song format with all additional tracks on disc 2.

 

Disc 3 gathers all the relevant BBC sessions: not only a predictable John Peel session recorded in December 1983 (the earliest recordings of TWAFWOTF material) but also previously unreleased sessions from David Jensen and Janice Long as well as a ‘Saturday Live’ recording.

 

Disc 4 is a live recording made by VPRO radio at Pandora’s Music Box festival in The Netherlands and is remarkably perky considering The Fall took to the stage for their headline set at 3.15am on a Sunday morning.

 

Compiled for fans, the Omnibus Editions are intended to expand and illuminate the development of specific albums, bringing together all the relevant single releases with previously unreleased studio, session or live recordings. Omnibus Editions are presented as limited edition box sets and include CD’s in the Japanese-style paper sleeves, reproducing the original vinyl cover art, with a 48 page book. Despite the de-luxe packaging the sets are great value and priced to retail below £20.

 

The Fall made the leap to a semi-major label – Beggars Banquet – with The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, hooking up with noted producer John Leckie to create another smart, varied album. Contemporaneous with the slightly friendlier “Oh! Brother” and “C.R.E.E.P.” singles without actually including them, Wonderful and Frightening World makes few concessions to the larger market – every potential hook seemed spiked with the band’s usual rough take-it-or-leave-it stance. Mark E. Smith’s audible, tape-distorting spit on the descending chord blast of “Elves” – already spiked with enough vocal craziness as it is – gives a sense of where the album as a whole aims. Brix Smith co-writes about half the tracks, creating a strong partnership with many highlights. It may start with a semi-low-key chant, but when “Lay of the Land” fully kicks in, it does just that, Craig Scanlon in particular pouring on the feedback at the end over the clattering din. Smith sounds as coruscating and side-splittingly hilarious as ever, depicting modern Britain with an eye for the absurdities and failures (and crucially, no empathy – it’s all about a gimlet eye projected at everyone and everything). Two further standouts appear on the second half – “Slang King,” a snarling portrayal of a cool-in-his-mind dude and his increasingly pathetic life, and the concluding “Disney’s Dream Debased.” Though unquestionably the most conventionally attractive tune on the album, ringing guitars and all, Smith’s lyrics portray a Disneyland scenario in hell, however softly delivered. Elsewhere, Gavin Friday from the Virgin Prunes takes a bow with his own unmistakable, spindly vocals on the trebly Krautrock chug of “Copped It” and the slightly more brute rhythm of “Stephen Song.”

41/2 out of 5 stars – Ned Raggett – All Media Guide

 

CD1 The Wonderful And frightening World Of… THE FALL

Lay Of The Land

2 By 4

Copped It

Elves

Slang King

Bug Day

Stephen Song

Craigness

Disney’s Dream Debased

 

CD2 SINGLES and ROUGH MIXES

Oh! Brother

God-Box

O! Brother

c.r.e.e.p.

Pat – Trip Dispenser

C.R.E.E.P.

New Fiend (2 By 4) *

No Bulbs 3 (Unedited Version) *

Slang King 2

Draygo’s Guilt

Clear Off!

No Bulbs

Lay Of The Land (Rough Mix) *

Pat – Trip Dispenser (Rough Mix) *

New Fiend (Rough Mix) *

Slang King (Edits Version 1) *

 

CD3 BBC SESSIONS

Creep (Peel session)

Pat – Trip Dispenser (Peel session)

2 By 4 (Peel session)

Words Of Expectation (Peel session)

God Box (Jensen session) *

Lay Of The Land (Jensen session) *

Oh Brother (Jensen session) *

Creep (Jensen session) *

No Bulbs (Long session) *

Draygo’s Guilt (Long session) *

Stephen Song (Long session) *

Slang King (Long session) *

Copped It (Saturday Live) *

Elves (Saturday Live) *

Fortress / Marquis Cha Cha (Saturday Live) *

 

CD4 Live at Pandora’s Music Box Festival *

Lay Of The Land

Craigness

2 By 4

Draygo’s Guilt

No Bulbs

Kicker Conspiracy

Stephen Song

Copped It

Pat – Trip Dispenser

Middle Mass

 

*PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

http://archive.beggars.com/releases/107/the-wonderful-and-frightening-world-of-the-fall-omnibus-edition

whilst not my favorite fall album i'll still pick this up. new session and live disc should make it worth it. the sound quality on my original cd is awful so hopefully this'll be better now its been spruced up.

actually i want to see it before i buy it. the image on that link makes it look like a dvd case size which i definitely don't want

next up the much better this Nation's Saving Grace omnibus edition