Live at the Witch Trials
Encyclopedia
Live at the Witch Trials is the debut album by The Fall, first released on 16 March 1979. It is not, despite its title, a live album, but was recorded in the studio in one day and mixed by producer Bob Sargeant the next. In 2004, bassist Marc Riley
told the BBC that the group had been booked into the studio for a week but that Mark E. Smith
had fallen ill, leading to the cancellation of the first 3 days. No singles were taken from the album, a practice that would be commonplace for the group until 1986.
Some songs dated from earlier incarnations of the group with both Tony Friel
and Una Baines
featuring on the writing credits. Described by AMG as "brilliantly scabrous", the album was given a generally positive reception, with Record Mirror
in particular giving it a full five stars and describing the album as "a rugged, concerned, attuned, rebellious jukebox". Melody Maker
was less impressed, being especially negative about the group's then-rhythm section of Marc Riley and Karl Burns
. In the event, by the time the album was released, Burns had already left the band and guitarist Martin Bramah
also quit shortly afterwards to form Blue Orchids, leaving Mark E. Smith as the sole remaining founder member.
†See note about the US edition below.
Tracks 12-14 formed the "Bingo Master's Break-Out!" EP, originally released August 1978 with tracks 15 and 16 being the group's second single, originally issued November 1978. Tracks 17-19 were a summer 1977 rehearsal tape which had previously emerged on a bootleg single whilst tracks 20 and 21 were October, 1977 live recordings previously issued on a Virgin Records
compilation Short Circuit - Live At The Electric Circus.
Tracks 1-4 were the group's first session for John Peel
, tracks 5-8 being their second. The remainder were taken from Liverpool 78
, a live album recorded at Mr Pickwick's in Liverpool on 22 August 1978. The sound quality is inferior but the recording is of historical interest.
In his autobiography Head On, Julian Cope
claims that the lyric of "Two Steps Back" refers to him; the song does contain the line "Julian says 'How was the gear?'".
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
told the BBC that the group had been booked into the studio for a week but that Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
had fallen ill, leading to the cancellation of the first 3 days. No singles were taken from the album, a practice that would be commonplace for the group until 1986.
Some songs dated from earlier incarnations of the group with both Tony Friel
Tony Friel
Tony Friel is a bass guitarist known for his role in different New Wave bands.He attended Heys Boys Secondary School, where met Martin Bramah and got, along him, Art O Level. He and Bramah shared many interests. In mid-1970s, they were introduced, by their friend Barbara Smith, to her brother Mark E...
and Una Baines
Una Baines
Una Baines was best known as the keyboard player in the first line-up of British post-punk/new wave band The Fall. Her strong feminist ideals shaped the band's early political stance and she remains one of the very few Fall members, other than frontman Mark E...
featuring on the writing credits. Described by AMG as "brilliantly scabrous", the album was given a generally positive reception, with Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
in particular giving it a full five stars and describing the album as "a rugged, concerned, attuned, rebellious jukebox". Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
was less impressed, being especially negative about the group's then-rhythm section of Marc Riley and Karl Burns
Karl Burns
Karl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
. In the event, by the time the album was released, Burns had already left the band and guitarist Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah
Martin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
also quit shortly afterwards to form Blue Orchids, leaving Mark E. Smith as the sole remaining founder member.
Side one
- "Frightened" (Mark E. SmithMark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
, Tony Friel) – 5:02 - "Crap Rap 2" / "Like to Blow" (Martin Bramah, Smith) – 2:04
- "Rebellious Jukebox" (Smith, Bramah) – 2:51
- "No Xmas for John Quays" (Smith) – 4:38
- "Mother-Sister!" (Smith, Una BainesUna BainesUna Baines was best known as the keyboard player in the first line-up of British post-punk/new wave band The Fall. Her strong feminist ideals shaped the band's early political stance and she remains one of the very few Fall members, other than frontman Mark E...
) – 3:20† - "Industrial Estate" (Friel, Bramah, Smith) – 2:00†
†See note about the US edition below.
Side two
- "Underground Medecin" (Bramah, Smith) – 2:08
- "Two Steps Back" (Bramah, Smith) – 5:03
- "Live at the Witch Trials" (Smith) – 0:51
- "Futures and Pasts" (Bramah, Smith) – 2:36
- "Music Scene" (Bramah, Yvonne Pawlett, Smith, Marc RileyMarc RileyMarc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
) – 8:00
Original US edition
The US release of the album, also in 1979, came in alternate artwork and removed "Mother-Sister!" and "Industrial Estate", replacing them with "Various Times", the b-side of the group's second single "It's The New Thing". All subsequent editions have followed the original UK tracklisting.Reissues
The album was available in its original form until the late '80s, being reissued on vinyl, cassette and CD by IRS Records in 1989. In 1997, Mark E. Smith's own Cog Sinister label issued a CD edition that was poorly mastered from a below-standard vinyl copy. However, in conjunction with Voiceprint, Cog Sinister reissued the album again in 2002, claiming to be remasterd but was, in fact, simply a clone of the IRS disc, and adding the tracks from the group's first two singles, "Bingo Master's Breakout" and "It's The New Thing". In 2004, Castle Music released a definitive 2 CD edition of the album, mastered from the original tapes and with a vastly expanded tracklisting. However, the Castle Music reissue used a vinyl source for the three 'Bingo Masters Break Out' EP tracks, the original tapes having been lost.Disc one - 2004 edition
- "Frightened"
- "Crap Rap 2" / "Like to Blow"
- "Rebellious Jukebox"
- "No Xmas for John Quays"
- "Mother-Sister!"
- "Industrial Estate"
- "Underground Medecin"
- "Two Steps Back"
- "Live at the Witch Trials"
- "Futures and Pasts"
- "Music Scene"
- "Bingo-Master's Break-Out!"
- "Psycho Mafia"
- "Repetition"
- "It's The New Thing"
- "Various Times"
- "Dresden Dolls"
- "Psycho Mafia"
- "Industrial Estate"
- "Stepping Out"
- "Last Orders"
Tracks 12-14 formed the "Bingo Master's Break-Out!" EP, originally released August 1978 with tracks 15 and 16 being the group's second single, originally issued November 1978. Tracks 17-19 were a summer 1977 rehearsal tape which had previously emerged on a bootleg single whilst tracks 20 and 21 were October, 1977 live recordings previously issued on a Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
compilation Short Circuit - Live At The Electric Circus.
Disc two - 2004 edition
- "Rebellious Jukebox"
- "Mother-Sister!"
- "Industrial Estate"
- "Futures And Pasts"
- "Put Away"
- "Mess Of My"
- "No Xmas For John Key" (sic)
- "Like To Blow"
- "Like To Blow"
- "Stepping Out"
- "Two Steps Back"
- "Mess Of My"
- "It's The New Thing"
- "Various Times"
- "Bingo-Master's Break-Out!"
- "Frightened"
- "Industrial Estate"
- "Psycho Mafia"
- "Music Scene"
- "Mother-Sister!"
Tracks 1-4 were the group's first session for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, tracks 5-8 being their second. The remainder were taken from Liverpool 78
Liverpool 78
Liverpool 78 is a live album by The Fall, first released June 4, 2001. These tracks have subsequently been reissued as part of an expanded Live at the Witch Trials....
, a live album recorded at Mr Pickwick's in Liverpool on 22 August 1978. The sound quality is inferior but the recording is of historical interest.
In his autobiography Head On, Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
claims that the lyric of "Two Steps Back" refers to him; the song does contain the line "Julian says 'How was the gear?'".
Personnel
- Mark E. SmithMark E. SmithMark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
; guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on "Live at the Witch Trials"; tapes on "Music Scene" - Martin BramahMartin BramahMartin Bramah is a British musician best known as a founder member of both The Fall, Blue Orchids and Factory Star....
- guitar, backing vocals - Marc RileyMarc RileyMarc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Karl BurnsKarl BurnsKarl Burns is a British musician best known as drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band between 1977 and 1998....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Yvonne Pawlett - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...