1994
Bonjela complexion moment for MES in LA, 1994.
Yes Karl Burns was back, so were we in for a new era of Fall sound akin to the halcyon double drummer days of 1983? Well no, actually, we weren't but it was nice to see him again.
One single and one album this year, kicking off with this year's marketing ploy. The single was available on CD, 12" and clear vinyl 10", with a yellow vinyl 7" for the Americans. All versions contained three songs. The title track '15 Ways' was a rather bland offering, MES not seeming to know whether it was 15 ways to leave your man, 10 ways, 16 ways, or conversely 8 ways to
keep your man. Very confusing and a bit drab tbh. 'Hey Student' was next, a new version of 'Hey Fascist' from 1977. I can't compare the two as the original was virtually unlistenable on the old live '77 LP, but 'Student' was a blisteringly fast number, including an amusing ad-lib on the Peel session version about "masturbating to Shaun Ryder's face".
Last up was 'The $500 Bottle Of Wine' which most Fall fans detest. Not me, OK it's not 'New Puritan' or 'J Temperance', but it's an inoffensive enough bluesy song along the lines of 'Married 2 Kids' and undeserving of the slagging it gets imo. The single got to #75, so as a marketing ploy it failed.
It probably failed because punters were getting fed up with finding all the single tracks on the LP - 'Middle Class Revolt' was not a great album and included all three tracks above. It even starts with '15 Ways' which is hardly thrilling, so when track 2 'Reckoning' proves to be equally as bland, alarm bells begin to ring. Thankfully the next two tracks are much better, but again we've heard them before - 'Behind The Counter' and 'M5' were on the late 1993 single, so nothing of new interest has shone through yet. Track 5 maybe? Sadly not, 'Surmount All Obstacles' is another of Rex Sargeant's wall of sound productions, only this time with an even lumpier and muddier feel, MES' vocals sounding muffled as if the mic is too close to his mouth. Title track 'Middle Class Revolt' continues in the same vein, although the drumming is excellent here and worthy of a mention. 'War' is an old Henry Cow cover, to me unheard of so a new Fall song to my ears, and thankfully it's bloody good too. The drums pound relentlessly and we're treated to a full on Hanley bass masterpiece, track of the album so far, but not to forget it was also on that late '93 single. A feeling of laziness and lack of ideas is beginning to take hold.
Next up is 'You're Not Up To Much', and turns out to be an overlooked treat. Craig and Steve are left to do what they do best, so we have a nice jangly guitar line and another cracking bit of bass. MES sounds mournful, a sad song about lost love or depression? I dunno but it works well all the same. 'Symbol Of Mordgan' follows, here we have a conversation between Craig and John Peel about Manchester City FC with a lot of badly played guitar in the background for three minutes. For fuck's sake. 'Hey Student' we've dealt with, time for another cover version. 'Junk Man' was originally by The Groundhogs (I think?) and is crap, although it does tell us where the opening lines to 'Squid Law' came from. '$500 Bottle Of Wine' we've covered.
A new song next? Sadly not, 'City Dweller' is a remake of 'Cab Driver' from the late '93 single, so
still we're getting nothing new. In fairness though it's much better than 'Cab Driver', MES' vocal being higher in the mix so as to be legible, and a decent slab of electronica from Dave Bush, the song probably being lent to his keyboards rather than having them cause annoyance above other instruments. The closing track is yet another cover, an old Monks song called 'Shut Up'. It's poor and not a patch on 'Black Monk Theme'. My apologies if I sound so negative with this album, but out of 14 tracks, 7 we'd heard before, 3 were covers and 3 were simply dull to diabolical. This is frankly not good enough for a Fall LP. The public responded and the album peaked at #48.
I could have chosen 'War' for my pick of the bunch, but I didn't want a second cover in a row, and besides I think 'You're Not Up To Much' edges it. This is The Fall in grand style, maybe not a bone fide classic, but in it's company head and shoulders above the rest. Enjoy.
I have a theory that MES himself may have thought The Fall were in need of a good kick up the arse after this poor show. He decided to give Brix a ring....
It's another cracker featuring the more familiar chipmunk style Brix vocal. 'Pearl City' next is slightly below par throwaway number, apparently inspired by a Chinese takeaway in Manchester. It's OK, Lucy on backing vox. Track six, 'Life Just Bounces' is a re-recording of the old White Lightning b-side, and an improvement over the original. Much meatier and vibrant, curiously involving what sounds like a squealing pig in the background. It was also a rare moment for a bit of Dave Bush synth, he'd been very quiet so far. 
'I'm Not Satisfied' is a Frank Zappa cover, the only cover on the album. It's dire. Things go a bit weird from now on, next up is 'The Aphid', another fast guitar fest, this time narrating about how to retrieve an insect from a carpet. And very good it is too. 'Bonkers In Phoenix' is just that - bonkers! It's a Brix penned song sung in delightful gerbil-on-helium style, which MES tore apart and added huge swathes of electronic noise to, while adding his own thoughts on veggie vs meat burgers at Glastonbury. There is an alternate version minus most of the electronica which is quite exceptional, but wasn't released until the remastered CC many years later. I do wish they'd have used that version in the first place. 
'One Day' is yet another speedy rush, with some delicious guitar work from Craig, it's basically 'The Aphid' again though. And so to the novelty track, 'North West Fashion' show is a bit of a jam session with MES introducing various catwalk characters. Any song including Hugh McSheepshagger, Richard & Judy's bastard offspring and Mr Stephen Hanley modelling the bald look, is fine by me. 
