Always Different and Always the Same

And - to add my own little thought to Big John's - always fookin' fantastic, mate!

It is not that I feel ashamed that I have become a fan when I am 32 years old. But I would have wished that I got into The Fall 20 years ago, then I would not be busy for the next ten years searching for the records (there are about 84 now). Yes, overnight (that is: it had been brewing since I first saw them live in concert) I have become a Fall-fan (How could I not? They were named after one of my favourite books.) and a devout gobbler of MES's rambles and rantings. At the moment I hardly listen to anything else, I must confess, which is a bit of a problem when you got about 30 promo's of new stuff piled up on your desk waiting for a deserved (or not!) review.

This is really the group that you love or hate and I fookin' LOVE it. And shame on those who claim that The Fall have not released anything relevant after Hex Enduction Hour, because The Real New Fall Lp (Formerly Country on the Click) from 2003 is one of the best records I have ever heard in my life.

I don't know, maybe I have been lucky, but up till now I have not heard one Fall-album that was not thoroughly enjoyable, if it was not outright brilliant to begin with.

For those unaccustomed: Start with the early work (Live at the Witch Trials, Grotesque and Slates are all the bee's knees) and then go for This Nation's Saving Grace, which is an absolute masterpiece, were it only because 'I am Damo Suzuki' is on there somewhere. If you do not like any of these, do not bother, you will never understand then. Your loss, mate! But for the record: there is not such a thing as a bad Fall-record.

There is a legend that there are people who do listen exclusively to The Fall. Though I will never be one of them, it is something that, since a few weeks, I can at least grasp the concept of.