| Reviews |
All Music Guide Review:
Review by David Jeffries
The first collaborative album from Mark E. Smith -- leader of the Fall -- and Ed Blaney -- ex-member and occasional manager of the Fall -- was a collection of loose songs and one-off singles, but this second effort is quite different. The Train Part Three features field recordings of trains and train stations with some of Blaney’s acoustic guitar strumming and Smith’s literate rambling woven in. One track, no stops, just 40 minutes of maverick, train-related sound collage for a less spacy, more ramshackle alternative to the KLF’s Chill Out, or something like a hobo journey across the U.K. with Smith as companion. Fall fanatics and tape manipulation addicts are the only ones who need tickets for this trip, but they’re rewarded with a soundscape that’s unique, well-constructed, and Fall-flavored. Plus, there’s some kind of trainspotting “Fallfan equals railfan” subtext to ponder, as if the buckling CD shelves of the Fall faithful weren’t reminder enough.
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