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The Fall

The Light User Syndrome

Deluxe Edition Remastered 2 CD | ICON 1052

  • Originally released 1996
  • 2 CD Deluxe Edition
  • 12 Bonus Tracks, including singles, alternate takes and live versions
  • First CD reissue for this album in 20 years
  • Includes extensive oral history by Daryl Easlea with newly conducted band member interviews
  • Remastered by Andy Pearce
  • Expanded booklet designed by Edward ODowd (Psychic TV)
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CD 1 Track Listing

  • 1. D.I.Y. Meat
  • 2. Das Vulture Ans Ein Nutter-Wain
  • 3. He Pep!
  • 4. Hostile
  • 5. Stay Away (Old White Train)
  • 6. Spinetrak
  • 7. Interlude/Chilinism
  • 8. Powder Keg
  • 9. Oleano
  • 10. Cheetham Hill
  • 11. The Coliseum
  • 12. Last Chance to Turn Around
  • 13. The Ballard of J. Drummer
  • 14. Oxymoron
  • 15. Secession Man

CD 2 Track Listing

  • 1. The Chiselers (single A-side)
  • 2. Chilinist (single B-side)
  • 3. Hostile (alternate version)
  • 4. Oleano (alternate version)
  • 5. Italiano (outtake/remix)
  • 6. He Pep! (alternate version)
  • 7. Interlude/Chilinism (alternate version)
  • 8. D.I.Y. Meat (live version)
  • 9. Spinetrak (live version)
  • 10. Das Vulture Ans Ein Nutter-Wain (live version)
  • 11. The Coliseum (live version)
  • 12. Chilinist (live version)

Lineup

  • Mark E. Smith - vocals, tapes
  • Simon Wolstencroft - drums, programming
  • Brix Smith - guitar, vocals
  • Julia Nagle - keyboards, guitar
  • Stephen Hanley - bass guitar
  • Karl Burns - drums, vocals, guitar

Special Guests

  • Lucy Rimmer - vocals
  • Mike Bennett - vocals

The Fall’s first and only release on the reactivated Jet Records label, The Light User Syndrome is often acclaimed as the last classic-style Fall album, owing both to the presence of longtime personnel including guitarist/singer Brix Smith, multi-instrumentalist Karl Burns, bassist Stephen Hanley and drummer Simon Wolstencroft, as well as its guitar-driven post-punk sound.

The Fall’s 18th studio album, The Light User Syndrome finds Mark E. Smith on top form, including one of his legendary “pre-cogs” in “Powder Keg.” Along with 13 Fall originals, the band deconstructs Johnny Paycheck’s “Stay Away (Old White Train)” and Gene Pitney’s “Last Chance to Turn Around” (aka “Last Exit to Brooklyn”). The centerpiece of the album, and of this period of The Fall, is the multipart “Interlude/Chilinism,” an expansion of pre-album single “The Chiselers.” The Fall claimed three spots on legendary English DJ John Peel’s 1996 Festive Fifty chart of listeners’ favorite songs, more than any other artist; “Cheetham Hill” led the way at #6, followed by “The Chiselers” at #13 and “Hostile” at #16. Simply put, The Light User Syndrome is a great Fall album, and a must for anyone who enjoys the band’s immediately preceding Beggars Banquet, Fontana and Permanent Records periods.

While previous CD reissues of this album have included a mere two bonus tracks, The Light User Syndrome has now been brought in line with the majority of The Fall’s acclaimed catalog reissues as a 2 CD set. This Deluxe Edition includes period-relevant singles, B-sides, alternate versions and live recordings from 1996, newly remastered by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham; augmented by an expansive booklet including a brand-new 6000+ word oral history conducted by Daryl Easlea, who interviewed the band members in March 2022.