The Fall – The Frenz Experiment

This reissue of The Fall’s 1988 'The Frenz Experiment' album has slipped out practically without any fanfare. It was their most accessible album at the time, and now seems to be the most underrated and unloved. The Fall's tenure on Beggars Banquet during the 1980s resulted in some of their most commercially successful and critically acclaimed work which was no doubt helped by the presence of Brix Smith, who consciously pushed the post-punk cult heroes in a more accessible direction.

'The Frenz Experiment', their tenth studio album, was their first to crack the Top 20 in the U.K., and the album's only proper single, a triumphant cover of the Kinks' "Victoria," charted nearly as high as the original, and became the Fall's second Top 40 hit. While the album itself is certainly punchier and more cleanly produced than previous Fall releases, with vocals and drums much more prominent in the mix, much of its material probably threw the band's newfound audience for a loop.

Like other Beggars-era Fall albums following the 1985 classic 'This Nation's Saving Grace', 'The Frenz Experiment' benefits from excellent production, and even its less successful moments are still highly adventurous and worth hearing. Looking at the package and listening now, there is an ’80’s sheen to it, with an effort to smooth out some of the rough edges, and for the first time it appears that Mr Smith is ‘playing the game’, whether due to matrimonial or record company influence it certainly helped it sell.

This double set covers all recordings made in 1987 with 21 tracks in total - the original album plus the singles and b-sides including the all conquering 'Hit The North' and the Kinks cover, 'Victoria'.

2 x Vinyl, Reissue, Expanded Edition, Gatefold Cover

The Frenz Experiment Crime Gene

A1 Frenz 3:24
A2 Carry Bag Man 4:24
A3 Get A Hotel 4:35
A4 Victoria2:44
A5 Athlete Cured 5:52
B1 In These Times 3:26
B2 The Steak Place 3:55
B3 Bremen Nacht 7:09
B4 Guest Informant (Excerpt) 0:40
B5 Oswald Defence Lawyer 5:59
Singles And B-Sides
C1 There's A Ghost In My House 2:36
C2 Sleep Debt Snatches 6:18
C3 Mark'll Sink Us 4:53
C4 Haf Found Bormann 2:43
C5 Bremen Nacht Run Out 4:40
C6 Northerns In Europ 2:18
D1 Hit The North Part 1 4:00
D2 Australians In Europe 5:14
D3 Guest Informant 5:51
D4 Tuff Life Boogie 2:42
D5 Twister 5:08