Sometimes it's the ones you feel like flinging out the window at first that you appreciate all the more later on. My own choice would be The Wonderful and Frightening World... This was the second Fall album I ever bought, after This Nation's Saving Grace, and while I liked TNSG right away, I had problems at first with TWAFWOTF. I thought, "I spent money on this garbage?" Tracks like Lay Of The Land and Copped It at first sounded like chaos without a point, especially Gavin Friday--"this guy can't even rant correctly." Of course, I now think those two are among the album's best tracks, and that Mr. Friday's contribution really adds to the atmosphere. It didn't hurt that the original American release (the Days of Vinyl, y'know) had two more tracks than the English version. Close runners up would be Perverted by Language--took a little while to appreciate the sustained vision of this one, and The Light User Syndrome. Listened to the latter the other night, and while I've always liked it, the stronger songs on it REALLY sounded better than I remembered.

Just like the last poll I started, I've included only "regular, official releases", despite the fact that some that don't fit that category are quite good.

room to live...has some filler on, but as time goes by, it fills less...and fills my head more...not quite sure how to put this...I like it in any case, and hardly played it when it came out, though I can't remember why not.

Witchtrials never really grabbed me until repeated listening to this year's re-release made me realise the brilliance of it. Amazing record.

:applaud:
I agree - don't know if it's because it's the fourth time I've bought it (Tape,Lp, CD,CD) and I want to get my money's worth - but the new version of LATWT really has opened my eyes to that album - never really rated it before -



- bring on CC :P

I always thought it was odd that such a great debut which sounds like none of its contemporaries, which was the first blood of the Fall was always so strangely overlooked. In fact its got some of the wierdest and most unhinged Fall sounds on it. The only way I can get my guitar to sound anything like that is if I put some of the strings slightly out of tune!

Thought I'd bump this one...I found shiftwork a real grower. Hated it at first, now I hate it less.

WAFWOTF for me. there was only a couple of songs that really grabbed me on first hearing it - lay of the land, elves, pat-trip dispenser (i know i know but i had the cassette version). i have been listening to the vinyl "proper" version of late (due to talk of disneys dream debased elsewhere) and the whole sound of the album has really grown on me. that second side i used to think was awful is now glorious.

All the fall albums i own have grown on me but this month its the unutterable.its amazing.whan people go on about the fall being just a standard garage band with mes on top they ought to give this one a listen.

Close one between WAFW and RUR. The garage one wins through (esp played loud) - still not 100% convinced by WAFW....

Interesting to see RUR is in t'lead at present

Bend sinister.
Found it very boring to begin with. Still don't have time for the likes of R.O.D and Dr.Faustus, but the rest is very good. Probably wouldn't cut my top ten fall albums though, but it's certainly nowhere near the bottom anymore.

When Levitate came out I thought it was full of half-finished songs and a bad attempt to jump on the latest bandwagons, but it just keeps getting better and better...

I agree - been listening to a lot of '97 gigs, and they really were dead tight then, although some may argue they'd shot it....which they did later :)

Didn't like LATWT much when I bought it and heard it for the first time about 5 years ago as it sounded really dated. Within a few months I found that I was playing it more or less constantly and now for me it's a true classic. My girlfriend is quite astute and got it right first time when she said of Rebellious Jukebox 'it sounds like modern art'.

Yeah, I hear that too. Kind of listened to it a few times and put it aside when it came out, and now it's near the top of the pile (with Witch Trials, incidentally.)

I think what ruined it for me at the time was the sense of resignation present on the album. Smith was hardly there in a lot of the songs, and it seemed like it might be the end of the road. It's an emotionally draining record, actually, which you can't say about much of the Fall's catalogue. Given time and perspective, it really looks like a hurdle cleared succesfully, and I find it a lot easier to appreciate.

I can't appologise enough for dismissing Hex after a few spins :ohdear:

My D.I.Y Hex was (I had to make do because I could not find the album)

1 The Classical (Hex Version)
2 Jawbone (Peel Version)
3 Hip Priest (APOAT Version)
4 Fortress (HPAK Version)
5 Deer Park (Peel Version)
6 Mere Psuad Mag Ed. (HPAK Version)
7 Winter {Hotel Maxi} (Hex Version)
8 Who Makes the Nazis? (Peel Version)
9 Just Step S'ways (HPAK Version)
10 Iceland (Hex Version)
11 And This Day (HPAK Version)

When I bought the album I was unimpressed, and admittedly I still prefere my own version, but repeated plays have left an positve impression and it's growing into one of my faves :)

Oh, I also wrote off CC - Now I love it :applaud:

Still think Shift:Work is largely crap and the same goes for MCR and Levitate , although I like a few tracks on each of them.

The one's that have come to mind are Cerebral Caustic and AYTMW - they both had a number of tracks I rated but now I like more the less the whole thing.

I think AYTMW has probably gone up in my estimation the most - so far. I don't even mind Ibis Afro Man these days.

I think the only Fall album that I really hated at first and have grown to like now is AYAMW. With all the other albums I either liked them immediately or I still don't like them.

The gigs are far superior to the album, I think.

After listening to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Buckley from Nov 97, I'd have to agree with that, Martin. Very solid indeed... (do I feel some trading coming along ? ;))

didn't like light user syndrome at first

but have grown to love it :wub:

Prestwich Ennui....

Loved it from the off :wub:

From tomorrow, I'm gonna give AYAMW a second listen. Yes, second! Hated the thing on the first play - haven't bothered with it since. The last time I did that was with Shiftwork, which is now my favourite. Yes, I know no one likes Shiftwork, but then no one likes Millwall except me, either!! :D

Most people on here, you'll be glad to know, realy like Shiftwork.

I'm not one of them, though :nahnah:

Wot no Interim?

It's a poll from 2004, before Interim was released...

I must start reading the threads properly. :ohdear: again.

Nah, don't - it means I won't be able to prove what a self-satisfied, smug, smart-arse pedant I am any more :lol:

Middle Class Revolt for me!

that because you're ignorant Jim..... :P

1. LUS tops it because I really hated it on the first few listens and its taken me nearly nine years to appreciate it.

2. Levitate took a bit of time for obvious reasons but now its in my top five fall albums.

3. Dragnet- for some reason the greatness of this record took a while to register with me but thats probably just because I'm a bit stupid.

I Am Kurious, Oranj. At first I was put off by its unFallness, but I have grown to enjoy its subtleties and changes of mood. I think it's essential. The live LP I Am As Pure As Oranj is great, too.

Like your windows, huh? :lol:

WAFWOTF for me. 'Pat Trip Dispenser' -> 'Slang King', a might combo.

Shift-Work ruined for me with glossy production..

I usually like almost any Fall record at first because so many are so good. Usually, I either continue liking the record (with most) or gradually retreat (CC, IS, MCR, RUR, 27 PTS).

Dragnet was hard for me because of the sound: lo fi production + marginal vinyl pressing + crappy stereo = hard to fully appreciate this album. As I got to really love my crappy cassette dub of my record, it was one of those things that made me realize that great music could be lo fi. This was around the same time I discovered Homestead's repressing of "Hi How Are You / Continued Story" LPs, that really hammered home that same lesson.

What about live Fall albums that are growers?

Live in Reykjavik took several listens for me until the magisterial version of 'Backdrop' worked its magic.

Has to be Cerebral Caustic for me..hated it at first.

That one's still growing on me.

Like one of those desert plants that takes fifty years to bloom.

For me it's like one of those plants that you try to nurture by watering as much as you can, but still refuses to bloom.

I picked Middle Class Revolt because it used to be my worst Fall album, now it's only my second worst.