Live at the Witch Trials [Red Vinyl]

Includes bonus tracks.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
The long, strange saga of the Fall, arguably the UK's first post-punk band, begins with LIVE AT THE WITCH TRIALS. The group's 1979 debut album was recorded in-studio (despite its title) during a single day, fully capturing the urgency of both the times and the music. Punk poet Mark E. Smith and his ragtag crew had actually been playing in one form or another since '77, so their sound here is surprisingly mature.
Nevertheless, there are some obvious differences between WITCH TRIALS and the style the Fall would develop over the next few years. While the jagged, angular guitars, herky-jerky rhythms, and apocalypse-now lyrics are all in place, there's more of a link to the past; a number of the songs are built around what could almost be conventional blues-rock riffs, and the Ginsberg-goes-to-Manchester frenzy of Smith's best-known material hasn't quite been reached here. Still, this is bold, striking stuff, new territory being gamely charted out by the band, who could never have guessed how seminal WITCH TRIALS would become. This expanded, two-disc edition also features no less than 38 (!) bonus tracks, including singles, compilation cuts, and concert and radio recordings preceding the album session. These generous additions make this a Fall collector's paradise.