The Fall, Live at the Witch Trials (side A)

I find it impressive that with the Fall's 1979 debut Live at the Witch Trials, the group had already established so much of its lasting identity.  While Marc Riley only played bass on the first album before moving to guitar and then leaving the group, his pulsing, repetitive basslines foreshadowed those of his successors.  Smith's dead-pan, semi-narrative vocal style has changed little in the 30+ years since the group's debut.  Drummer Karl Burns also left after Witch Trials, but returned in 1982 to double drum on the Fall's most beloved albums, and his drumming here also provides an obvious foundation for the group's future style.  Only Martin Bramah's scratchy, no wave-y guitar style would not last—future albums feature more tonal and less textural playing.  While Fall albums always sound purposely lo-fi, weird, and primitive, the mixes of Live at the Witch Trials rank among their worst, with drums especially sounding compressed and lifeless.  The red packaging of my domestic copy looks worse than the UK original, and, while I like "Various Times", I also miss having "Mother-Sister!".