| Reviews |
All Music Guide Review:
Review by Ted Mills
"Feel the wrath of my Bombast!" exhorts Smith on this follow-up to their groundbreaking Wonderful and Frightening World of... the Fall, and this collection is ample proof of the pure confidence the group had at this time. Stompers like "Barmy," "What You Need," and the mighty "Gut of the Quantifier" are all led by Brix Smith's twanging lead hooks, filled by distorted guitars and bludgeoning drums, on top of which Smith rants with conviction. But it's the departures from this sound that mark the real interest here: The synth-driven "L.A." looks ahead to the Fall's experiments with electronica; "Paint Work" is an impressionist piece interrupted by Smith accidentally erasing over some of the track at home; and "I Am Damo Suzuki," a tribute to Can's lead singer, which borrows its arrangement from several of that group's songs. The Fall sound mysterious, down-to-earth, and hilarious all at the same time. The CD reissue adds the singles "Cruiser's Creek" and "Couldn't Get Ahead" as well as their B-sides making this an essential purchase.
Mark Prindle Review:
This Nation's Saving Grace - Beggars Banquet/PVC 1985.
9 out of 10
STUDIO ALBUM #8 - This one's tons better (which doesn't explain why I only gave it ONE more point, but let's ignore that for now). This is the most confident-sounding album they've produced - even to this very day. Superstrong production boosts "Bombast," "Spoilt Victorian Child," and "Cruisers Creek" to anthemic levels, which is exactly where they belong (especially "Spoilt Victorian Child," featuring a "Wings"-esque creative but rockin' guitar line). In other news, "L.A." introduces The Fall to the modern electronic dance medium with which Mark would soon become obsessed, "Paintwork" presents an unfinished pop masterpiece to you exactly as Mark would like it to be - drums coming in and out, studio talking in the background, tape manipulation (but perfectly rhythmic all the while!), and "My New House" proves that even with an acoustic guitar, The Fall can sound every bit as aggressive and bitter as ....well, not G.G. Allin, but somebody. That Trent Reznor pansy maybe.
The only reason I didn't give this one a 10 is cuz I've never been too fond of their CAN tribute, "I Am Damo Suzuki," or their James Brown rip-off, "Gut Of The Quantifier." But that's just me talkin'. Most people love them. As a result, this is by a wide margin the most popular Fall album of all time (which means it's probably sold about two thousand copies - you see, they're what you might call a CULT band).
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