547. The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace (1985)
















Track Listing

1. Mansion
2. Bombast
3. Barmy
4. What You Need
5. Spoilt Victorian Child
6. LA
7. Gut Of The Quantifier
8. My New House
9. Paintwork
10. I Am Damo Suzuki
11. To Nkroachment/Yarbles

Review

Here we are, just arrived at the mid-80s and we get there with an album that is somehow not of that time. It is of no particular time, however, it has elements of the most interesting rock coming out of the 70's like I Am Damo Suzuki, Marl E. Smith's tribute to Can and the best song in the album, or elements of stuff to come in the 90's.

No band's guitars sounded as much like late Radiohead as The Fall's in this album, particularly in Bombast and the last track. There are also elements which go all the way to the B-52's with LA and Vixen, while still sounding distinctively like the Fall.

This is a much easier album to listen to than Live At The Witch Trials for example, but that doesn't make it less of a Fall album, in fact this if this is what The Fall sound like doing pop, bring it on.

Track Highlights

1. I Am Damo Suzuki
2. LA
3. Paintwork
4. To Nik Roachment: Yarbles

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The group were without Paul Hanley, who left amicably towards the end of 1984. However, they were also briefly without his brother bassist Steve Hanley who took four months paternity leave from the band in the early part of the year. A tour was undertaken and the group recorded the double a-sided single "Couldn't Get Ahead / Rollin' Dany" and subsequent single "Cruiser's Creek" with Simon Rogers standing in on bass. The group had met Rogers through ballet dancer Michael Clark and he had already co-produced the early recordings of Brix Smith's other group The Adult Net. When Hanley returned, Rogers remained with the group, switching to keyboards and guitar - Hanley's return was marked with the inscription "S Hanley! He's Back" on the run-out groove of side one of the album.

The album is frequently cited as one of the group's finest. It ranked at #46 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005" and the CD edition was awarded the rare accolade of 10.0/10 by Pitchfork.

I Am Damo Suzuki live at the Hacienda... sorry about the sound quality: