Hex Enduction Hour (1982)

Hex Enduction Hour is considered by some to be the definitive Fall album, the first album to contain the dual drummer set-up of Paul Hanley and Karl Burns that helped separate The Fall from any other band, and songs that are among the band's best and most distinctive. However, it also may be the worst album to use when introducing someone to the Fall, for many of the same reasons, as the band learned in 1984 when Motown Records, interested in signing the band, asked for an example of their back catalog and when given Hex stated "I see no commercial in this band whatsoever." The album open with a song filled with Fall trademarks, "The Classical", which explodes open with both drummers pounding a rhythm along with Steve Hanley's bass riff, and soon are joined by an abrasive, ugly guitar line. Finally are Mark E. Smith's not sung but yelled vocals, lacking not only any sense of melody but also rhythm, that would be enough to turn away almost any new listener expecting a run of the mill rock track, and any that remain will likely be turned off by the words Smith shouts. "This is the home of the vain! This is the home of the vain! Where are the obligatory niggers? Hey there fuckface! Hey there fuckface!" may be the most off putting opening lyrics to any album ever made, and it is a testament to Mark E. Smith that he was either brave or stupid enough to do it anyway. The rest of the track just pounds ahead, and may be the most distinctive track the Fall ever made, since even when it was covered by their best imitators Pavement they felt the need to change the words.

Onto the rest of the album. "Hip Priest" is a slow track, dominated by by drums and bass until about half way through, when wild guitar strumming creates a layer of noise for Smith to yell over about being an unappreciated hip priest, getting dirty shirts out of the wardrobe, and a man named Dan. Later in the album is "Winter", another slow bass and drum heavy track, which builds throughout until fading at the end. However, the next track "Winter #2" (originally the first track on side B of the original LP) seems to just continue where "Winter" left off, as though they weren't recorded separately but instead simply as one track that was sliced down the middle.

"Just Step S'ways" opens up with Mark E. Smith speaking the lines "When what used to excite you does not / Like you've used up all your allowance of experiences" before the song kicks in, and he continues speaking while another band member talks under him in usual form, and that line could be used to define a lot of The Fall's songs, simply being indifferent to everything, since there's nothing you haven't already seen before. Next up is "Who Makes The Nazis?" a question no one may have been asking, but Mark E. Smith is going to answer for you anyway, claiming it in to be "all the O's" (whatever that means), George Orwell, bad television, "balding smug faggots", "intellectual half-wits", as well as some other people. The weirdest part of this track is without a doubt the muffled, spoken lines "Remember when I used to follow you home from school babe? / Before I got picked up for pedophilia" which is a line I don't understand, and quite honestly have no intention to.

The album closes with "And This Day", a ten-minute long track filled with everything we know and love about The Fall jammed into one. Two drummers pounding out beats, a heavy bass line, screeching guitars, cheesy keyboard presets, and Mark E. Smith rambling like either a genius or homeless lunatic, most likely a combination of the two. It's a strong end to what is most likely the most original sounding album The Fall ever made.

Next up is the bonus material, two songs from a Peel session and miscellaneous live recordings from the era. The Peel tracks are great as always, although with the great remastering job done on the main album (the bass sounds so wonderful) they no longer sound particularly better like they may have used to. The live tracks range in fidelity from bad to awful, but are all good performances but an extremely strong line-up of musicians, and add some value to the album.

Hex Enduction Hour - A