Dragnet

I like all about the Fall. It got here faster than expected, which is a good thing. Michael

Whichever year you first discovered the Fall, you MUST have this 1979 classic LP! This ranks as one of their best and has the first appearaince of Marc Riley on guitar, he is now a DJ on BBC radio and also formed his own band, Marc Riley and The Creepers, back in 1983, who are also well worth a listen. DRAGNET opens with PSYKICK DANCEHALL, with a spoof disco beat at the beginning and during the verses and a thoroughly shambolic but effective two-chord chorus. Mark E Smith, vocalist, rants, shouts and sings off key in his inimitable and unique style. DICE MAN, about the book, methinks, is a pastiche of Bo Diddley with its beat, and also clock the punkiness of PRINTHEAD, a surreal look at the music press from what I can decipher of the lyrics! Smith always throws around cryptic and indecipherable stories in the songs when he feels like it. What I also liked about this LP was the rough and ready production obviously done on a low budget. The CD version is better quality, obviously, but the roughness came across better on my old vinyl copy. Other sings of note - BEFORE THE MOON FALLS, a very repetitive, chugging 'epic'(says word with sarcasm) with a one-chord riff in places which works, if you don't know this song give up the guitar now. SPECTRE VS RECTOR, their version of The Exorcist; FLAT OF ANGLES, a harsh but sometimes poppy number with hints of early Pink Floyd which tells of the tribulations of living in a tower block; PUT AWAY, which shambles along sounding like a bad band rehearsal and is a story of prison. On the CD, you also get ROWCHE RUMBLE, SECOND DARK AGE and another take on PSYKICK DANCEHALL which is actually sharper and ballsier than the album version. These tracks are off a 1979 single release which did well that year. Overall, great to see that this post-punk classic is available on CD again for Fall fans old and young to enjoy. If you're into bands like The Hives and The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand, give The Fall a listen so you can see where they got it all from!

Coming in a close second place to the joy of hearing for the first time a tune, or, even better, a disc of tunes, that, until the moment of hearing it, it was not possible to imagine your life without, is the joy of rediscovering an old gem which - sentiment being fickle - you'd once imagined that you could not live without but had somehow, by passage of years, managed to do exactly that. There was a time when this record, in the scratchy vinyl form which I listen to now, was indispensable to my life. Hardly a day went by when I did not play it. Admittedly, I did have fewer records in those days but it was affection rather than deprivation that informed my choice. At the undeniable risk of being accused of boasting and possessing possibly prophetic (i.e., supernatural) powers, I can only admit, humbly but with undeniable humbug, that I was right to realise then that this record can possibly change your life, your luck and chances with the ladies and gents. People, I present to you, a monument. For diehard Fall fans, there are no tunes to recommend. Each one here is indispensable. But during the months that I inflicted this record on flatmates, I noticed that some tunes went down better than others. Those were Psykick Dancehall, A Figure Walks, Dice Man, Printhead, Before the Moon Falls, Flat of Angles, Your heart Out, Choc-Stock, Muzorewi's Daughter, Spectre vs. Rector and Put Away. How could I have forgotten this record? Get your orders in. Quickly. Ba da ba da!

While I've heard of the other remastered jobs on this ( " right I'll just use me old vinyl. Oh f**k it's scratched" ) this truly must be the definitive collection for this album. It may seem cheaply recorded for some but this is The Fall at possibly their rawest and possibly their most bile-ridden best. It truly has to be The Fall at heart. No other way to describe it, really. Highlights to watch out for are Spectre Vs Rector and Rowche Ramble with all it's outtakes. Possibly the most fun you'll ever have listening to a CD. Absolutely essential

The Fall upset a few listeners when they released Dragnet; some of those who liked Live at the Witch Trials didn't cotton to the 'muddy' recording quality and 'unpolished' musicianship they found on this, their next album; it seemed centered in what the late Claude Bessy called "the overall uncomfortableness of everything". "This is the kind of music I would buy," replied Mark E. Smith to complainants. It's the kind of music you should buy, too — you won’t find this sound anywhere but in a brief phase of The Fall’s long and remarkable production. As Mark himself said, "Let's get this thing together... and make it bad."

I bought this when it came out in 1979 and it remains possibly my favorite Fall album, maybe Hex Enduction Hour is better, but I have a sentimental attachment to this one. This is the Fall at their best I think, the album is worth buying just for Specter vs Rector which is a truly astonishing track. The Fall were one of the most important bands of the 70's/80's and of my life.

okay

Perfect!

Filling in the gaps. Wonderful early Fall LP - nothing to be afraid of for regular fans. Love it.

Considero i Fall il perfetto archetipo del gruppo post-punk. Questo è il loro primo lavoro in studio dato che il precedente Live at the Witch Trials era un live. Sicuramente non si commette un grosso errore quando si sostiene che sia tuttora il migliore della loro discografia. In realtà di dischi cosi i Fall ne hanno partoriti ancora successivamente, ma questo, oltre la qualità musicale in se, ha un’importanza storica notevole essendo uscito in un caldo e vibrante 1979. Il cantato sghembo e provocatorio di Mark E. Smith è diventato oramai storico. Non mi spingo a dire che sia un disco essenziale in assoluto per la musica rock ma occupa un posto privilegiato ed è comunque caldamente consigliato a tutti coloro che amano il genere.

This 2023 reissue sounds a lot better than the previous one i had. I sent that back a few times and gave up on it, but this sounds great. Not the greatest vinyl pressing ever, but highly acceptable. Definitely worth it.