Hip Priest and Kamerads

The Fall has recorded for many different labels and has seen more than its share of compilations, none more essential than this one. Hip Priests and Kamerads collects an assortment of tracks the group recorded for the Kamera label. It was highly sought out in the '80s and early '90s, when it was harder to find copies of Hex Enduction Hour and Room to Live, where most of the songs first appeared. However, this set does rescue the excellent b-side "Fantastic Life" and, really, it's hard to argue with any album that includes "The Classical," "Hip Priest," and the particularly vicious "Mere Pseud Mag Ed." Several live cuts further the legend. "And This Day" extends its studio counterpart by a full five minutes. "Just Step Sideways" is pure rancor. "Who Makes the Nazis?" and "Jawbone and the Air-Rifle" are muddy but feature a beautifully cantankerous Mark E. Smith, who always sounds about a step away from assaulting his audience. The addition of the singles "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul" and "Look, Know" complete this portrait of the group's formidable early-'80s work.