Week 9. And another live version of Pilsner Trail - retitled Plaster on the Hands for Backdrop. Leading to Peel Session version of Perverted By Language tracks: Smile, Garden, Hexen, Eat Yourself. The band sound a bit tired and for me these tracks don't really work. I don't like Smile: all mouth and no trousers and the recordings sound over produced. Garden goes on and on without really going anywhere. I like Hexen but the LP version is better. Eat Yourself needs more meat than it has here.
And then out of nowhere comes a live version of Words of Expectation! It's not that good but what a weirdo song to play live - 9 minutes of repetition. He Talks is a live throwaway which sounds a bit like Draygo's Guilt.
Then we have the Fall live in Iceland - The bible rated this highly and many thanks @eugeneverb who sourced me a copy of this when all seems lost. Though to be honest it's a weird one - the balance is all out of whack, drums really loud and vocals quiet. Sounds like they were playing in a cave. I read the Fallen whilst on holiday and reading about all Mark's attempts to offset the band it sounds like they're all out of focus here. The Classical is limp and even Eat Y'self Fitter doesn't sound great. Garden - even by the Fall's standards this is an odd live one. Kicker Conspiracy? I'd rather the single version. And then backdrop - stripped off it's freewheeling rotating glory and ending up sounding a bit hollow. Oh Well.
The Man Whose Head Expanded is a cracking single though with it's fast-slow-fast bit. I bought my copy from Revolver in Bristol and raced. Ludd Gang is great - all chants and riffs. And then one of their best singles: Kicker Conspiracy, with that great football ground video. Pat McKack! The single version of wings is not nearly as good as the live one on Backdrop but it remains one of my favorite songs of theirs - understandable but weird with it. Top drawer.
And then a version of Backdrop where Mark sounds utterly wasted and never really gets going. And all this before Perverted By Language. I always felt PBL was the band in transition - or rather the easing in of Brix into the sound.
Eat Y'Self Fitter is one of the best - a tale of going out on the town. This had a video which was almost a literal interpretation with the band having scorpions on their faces for no reason. The rest of the album feels a bit weak though to me. Garden, Neighbourhood are forgettable. Hotel Bloedel is Brix but not good Brix. And the closing Tempo House is great but goes on a bit. I like the blend of Hexen and Strife Knot but the two songs themselves aren't the best. So 1983 was the band in change.
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