John Dwyer’s Castle Face Records have announced the release of The Fall: Live At St. Helens Technical College, ’81.
The album will be issued exclusively on vinyl (12” and a 7” in a gatefold jacket, including a digital download) on February 19, with 50% of the label’s profits going to Manchester homeless charity Centrepoint.
“I’ve had the pleasure of being a Fall fan since I was a teen,” says John Dwyer. “I was lucky enough to have some guidance from my local record shop stoner-lords. They turned me on to many of my heroes, but once I heard my first slanted and barky Fall song, I was part of the army for life.
“The word prolific gets tossed around a lot. It almost seems like a slag-off in the press, as if they wish the artist would produce less so they wouldn’t have to do their self imposed job of judging releases for the rabble. The Fall is subjected to this lazy word often. Yet I can honestly say that I am SO thankful for any nugget of Fall that lands at my feet and in my brain. Live Fall performances are always a pleasure because they seem to take what already made the Fall great and push it even a bit more into the rough and bloody uncharted wasteland that is drug scorched proto-punk and heady political poetry.
“So, it is with great pleasure that we introduce this Fall bootleg soundboard recording to you. Recorded during one of the many strong points in the bands vast and mighty history. They really burn bright here and bring every ounce of what you expect from this formidable force. We have reached out to every surviving member of the band, the sound person, the bootlegger who recorded it and the photographer and received their blessings & help piecing it all together.
“Nothing but the hits here folks and as raw as you dig it. This one really is exceptional in terms of live sound for The Fall. All the stars were aligned over St. Helens that eve. And it wouldn’t be complete with a bit of Fall fan saltiness so, fuck you too, Jason.”
Check out the tracklisting for The Fall: Live At St. Helens Technical College, ’81 below.
01. Blob ’59
02. Prole Art Threat
03. Jawbone and the Air Rifle
04. Middle Mass
05. Rowche Rumble
06. An Older Lover
07. City Hobgoblins
08. Leave the Capitol
09. The NWRA
10. Gramme Friday
11. Fit and Working Again
12. Muzorewi’s Daughter
13. Slates, Slags, Etc