Track Listing

1. Middle Mass
2. An Older Lover Etc
3. Prole Art Threat
4. Fit And Working Again
5. Slates Slags Etc
6. Leave The Capitol
7. Middle Mass
8. Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul
9. Hip Priest
10. C N C Hassle Schmuck
11. Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul
12. Fantastic Life
13. Medical Acceptance Gate

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5304 in Music
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Absolutely essential
Originally released in 1981 on 10-inch vinyl and then notoriously unavailable for over ten years until a somewhat sloppy re-release in 1992, this mini album has continuously been the victim of its format and the greatness of its successor 'Hex Enduction Hour'. This is, however, grave injustice to what is one of the very best Fall albums that they ever received. Surpassed in complexity and craftmanship only by 'Hex' and unsurpassed in sheer energy and gall by no other Fall album, this is not just one of their very best, but it stands out among the quintessential albums of the early 1980s.

For a mere 6-track mini album, the songs are remarkably varied, from the slow 'Older Lover' to the killer attack of 'Prole Art Threat' to the hypnotic, driving riff of 'Slates, Slags Etc', all delivered with an intensity the band has rarely ever achieved since (except perhaps in recent live performances).

This newly remastered 2004 re-release presents the album for the first time in an appropriate context: in addition to the six original tracks there are seven bonus tracks - their 1981 Peel Session, the 'Lie Dream/Fantastic Life' single and a studio outtake - bringing this to a 50-minute document of the band driving towards their zenith.

This is absolutely essential and should be in everybody's record collection, regardless of whether you are a Fall fan or not.

the cherry on the cake
Fall fans tend to differ from fans of other, lesser groups, in that they all tend to become a bit obsessed. I have six of their records (the most I have by any artist, matched only by Miles Davis) and I intend to go to Fopp today and buy Dragnet for a fiver. It isn't easy to say which of The Fall's records are the best, because they are all brilliant and they are all quite different. For me the best albums i've heard are probably Grotesque, which is the most left-field, the Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, which is the first I bought back in 2000 and is the most catchy and headbanging, and Hex Induction Hour, which is the most classicly Fallian. Perverted by Language is a bit murky and meandering and This Nations Saving Grace is a bit unsuccesfully poppy for me. But I think their greatest moment is the concentrated brilliance of Slates. Unlike their longer efforts, every song on this ep is a moment of shear genius, without a single dud song. It is the one I listen too most, and every time I start listening to it I have to turn it up and wait untill it's finished before I can do anything else. Every time I hear the song Slates it sends shivers up my spine. It is one of favourite songs of all time, although you would have a hard time convincing any Fall novices of it's brilliance. Incidentally, I think that Mark E Smith is one of the best British writers of our time in any medium. He runs rings around most contemporary poets or novelists with the originality and imagination of his writing.

fall at their peak
I first came into contact with Slates after hearing An Older Lover on Radio 1 one evening. Having recently got into the Fall I soon bought it (I would call it an Ep)and in those days it was only vinyl. An Older Lover sounded just as exciting as I recalled it from my radio hearing and the ep as a whole was electrifying. Much of this was down to the sheer quality of the songs, the usual lyrical density and impenetrability, and the thrashing juggernaut that was the band of that day; a deal of the credit must also go to Adrian Sherwood's production which barely keeps a lid on things but allows the bands power to virtually seep from the vinyl grooves. It really does sound like someone's attempt to corral runaway horses. As an artefact, the Slates EP has became a seminal piece of vinyl in my collection which does not have to be listened to to be treasured. As record of the Fall, it is testament to a band at its peak, a whirling dervish of creativity and power.