Back catalogue: Punk/Hardcore

Review: Levitate - the post-punk legends' 19th studio album - has been scarcely available on vinyl so commands a high price usually. Cherry Red did press a limited-edition triple lp edition in 2018 to satisfy some of the demands. Thankfully, the esteemed indie label is doing fans a solid again by presenting the two-LP edition on transparent red vinyl for the first time. The reason for its scarcity being that the label that originally put this out in 1997 - Artful Records - is thought to have gone bankrupt, so it has been out of print over the years. Standouts from this eclectic record, artful album (there was seemingly no idea too out-there, with drum n' bass even slotting in there) include '4 1/2 Inch', 'Spencer Must Die' and 'The Quartet of Doc Shanley'. All of which are the only tracks recorded at Edwyn Collins' studio in London, with producers Keir Stewart and Simon Spencer at the controls. Meanwhile, the album is notable for being the last to feature two long-time Fall members, drummer Karl Burns and bass player Steve Hanley. Hanley, along with Joy Division's Peter Hook and Andy Rourke, is one of the all-time great bassists out of Manchester, and once described by the late, great Fall founder Mark E Smith as the defining element of the Fall's music. With the Fall's creative, viscerally entertaining back catalogue one of the most cited among new bands in the U.K. today, Levitate proves that being Fall-esque might mean very little as no one has made an album quite like this.

Review: In 1993, The Infotainment Scan, The Fall's 15th studio album, delivers an unpredictable mix of post-punk, glam rock and electronic experimentation. Mark E Smith's distinctive vocals and cryptic lyrics were paired with tracks like 'Ladybird (Green Grass)' featuring Steve Hanley's rumbling bass and the infectious glam stomp of 'Glam-Racket'. A standout cover of Sister Sledge's 'Lost in Music' provided an unexpected yet dazzling disco twist. The album also featured the chaotic energy of 'A Past Gone Mad' and the menacing dirge of 'The League of Bald-Headed Men'. Though initially intimidating, the album rewards perseverance. Tracks like 'Why Are People Grudgeful?' stand out as quirky pop gems in an otherwise abrasive, genre-blurring collection. It's an essential entry in The Fall's vast, ever-evolving discography, showing off Smith's unique ability to fuse disparate influences into a cohesive, challenging listen. Reaching number nine on the UK charts, The Infotainment Scan continues to fascinate and confound today. This set of CD's combine the original album, the BBC sessions, 2 live concerts where they performed many of this albums songs plus a CD of bonus tracks. This is a fantastic look into the Fall's overall music around the release of Infotainment Scan.