Wonderful & Frightening World of the Fall [LP]

The Fall: Mark E. Smith (vocals); Brix Smith (guitar, vocals); Craig Scanlon (guitar); Stephen Hanley (bass, acoustic guitar); Karl Burns (drums, percussion, bass); Paul Hanley (drums, keyboards).
Additional personnel: Gavin Friday (vocals).
The high point of the "Brix Period" may well have been the release of The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall. Where before the music was tense, jumpy, and anarchic, here it was focused, harder-hitting, and rocked more. To some, it signaled the end of the Fall, but that was an unfair assessment. Granted, the music changed slightly, but it didn't diminish the band's potency. And, for all the time that Mark Smith had dominated the band, it was becoming clear that Brix's talents as a writer and musician were formidable and deservedly taking some of the spotlight. ~ John Dougan