The Fall, The Frenz Experiment (side A)

Plenty has been written about the Fall, so it's hard to add much insight about 1988's The Frenz Experiment. It's crazily midrange-y for a record made at a fancy studio, and the mixes rely far too much on fast VCA compression (especially on the drums and vocals). When Grant Showbiz gets involved, Mark E's vocals pick up a nice overdriven quality, and some creative use of drum machines occasionally pops out. The front cover is weird and distinctive, the back cover is a less good idea.