What’s on ACSOM’s Stereo? THE FALL with live compilation ‘Box of Ten #2’

The Fall were one of England’s most revered post-punk bands. Formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, they underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith the only constant member.

First associated with the late 1970s punk movement, the Fall’s music has always pushed and challenged boundaries. With Mark. E. Smith at the helm on and off stage, the band has always been characterised by an abrasive, repetitive guitar-driven sound and tense bass and drum rhythms, along with Smith’s caustic lyrics, described by critic Simon Reynolds as “a kind of Northern English magic realism that mixed industrial grime with the unearthly and uncanny, voiced through a unique, one-note delivery somewhere between amphetamine-spiked rant and alcohol-addled yarn.”

The Fall have been called “the most prolific band of the British post-punk movement.” From 1979 to 2017, they released thirty-two studio albums. They were long associated with BBC disc jockey John Peel, who championed them from early on in their career and described them as his favourite band, famously explaining, “they are always different; they are always the same.” Back in 2018, Smith died at the age of 60, effectively putting an end to the group.

No other band in the world can touch The Fall’s magnificence and sheer volume, which are captured here in Box of Ten #2. Issued on Cog Sinister, The Fall’s official label, and following on from the Set of Ten released in 2018, this is a limited-edition set (only 500 units) of 11 discs of previously unreleased live recordings, spanning three decades. The earliest recording taken from 1984 and the most recent from 2014.

Live in Cork 2012 is a bonus disc and will not be available to buy separately.

Each limited edition box set contains:-

The Fall – Live in Hanover 1984
The Fall – Live from New York Tramps 1984
The Fall – Live in Motherwell 1996
The Fall – Live in Edinburgh 2001
The Fall – Live at the Manchester MOHU 2009
The Fall – Live in Newcastle 2011
The Fall – Live in Leeds 2012
The Fall – Live in Cork 2012
The Fall – Live in Nantes 2013
The Fall – Live in Dublin 2013
The Fall – Live in Nimes 2014