The Light User Syndrome

Infobox Album |
Name = The Light User Syndrome
Type = Album
Artist = The Fall


Released = 10 June 1996
Recorded = ???
Genre = Rock
Length = 59:30
Label = Jet
Producer = Mike Bennett, Mark E. Smith
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aj77gjvro6i9 link]
*"NME" (7/10) [http://www.visi.com/fall/news/pics/96jun08_nme-lus.gif8th June 1996]

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Last album = "The Twenty-Seven Points" (1995)
This album = "The Light User Syndrome" (1996)
Next album = "Levitate" (1997)

"The Light User Syndrome" is an album by The Fall, released in 1996 on Jet Records. It was preceded by 18 minute, 3-part single "The Chiselers" and was the group's first album to feature keyboard player and guitarist Julia Nagle, It was the last to feature Brix Smith and the group were without Craig Scanlon for the first time since their debut, "Live At The Witch Trials". The album features a rare lead vocal from drummer and guitarist Karl Burns on a cover version of "Stay Away (Ol' White Train)" by Johnny Paycheck.

Brix Smith told Simon Ford that the album was recorded very quickly, with Mark E. Smith absent for much of the recording, delivering nearly all his vocals on the final day [Ford, Simon (2003). "Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall". London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-8167-2] . Despite this, alternate versions of many of the album's tracks featured heavily across the series of compilation albums issued by the Receiver label in the late 90's ("see Compilation albums by The Fall for further details"). The tour supporting the album was disastrous, with Brix walking out of the group after the soundcheck at Motherwell Concert Hall and a gig in Worthing being declared by long-serving bassist Steve Hanley to be the worst Fall gig ever [ [http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/gig96.html The Fall gigography | 1996 ] ] . By the end of the year, they were playing without Brix, Julia Nagle and Karl Burns, although both Nagle and Burns would return during 1997 for follow-up album "Levitate " [ [http://www.visi.com/fall/gigography/gig96.html The Fall gigography | 1996 ] ] .

Track listing

#D.I.Y Meat (Smith/Smith)
#Das Vulture Ans Ein Nutter-Wain (Smith/Hanley)
#He Pep! (Smith/Wolstencroft)
#Hostile (Smith/Smith)
#Stay Away (Ol' White Train) (Johnny Paycheck)
#Spinetrak (Smith/Smith)
#Interlude/Chilinism (Smith/Burns/Hanley/Wolstencroft/Nagle/Bennett)
#Powder Keg (Smith/Burns)
#Oleano (Smith)
#Cheetham Hill (Smith/Wolstencroft/Bennett)
#The Coliseum (Smith/Spencer)
#Last Chance To Turn Around (Milrose/Bruno/Elgin)
#The Ballard Of J. Drummer (Smith) "(this is the correct title, it was misprinted on early copies as "The Ballad Of J. Drummer")"
#Oxymoron (Smith/Nagle)
#Secession Man (Smith/Burns/Bennett)

Reissues

The album has been reissued twice, firstly by Receiver in 1999 and then by Castle Music in 2002. Both of these editions added the other two tracks from The Chiselers single; "The Chiselers" and "Chilinist".

Personnel

*Mark E. Smith - vocals, tapes
*Brix Smith - guitar, vocals
*Steve Hanley -bass guitar
*Simon Wolstencroft - drums, programming
*Julia Nagle - keyboards, guitar "(listed as "Julie" on some editions)"
*Karl Burns - drums, vocals, guitar
*Lucy Rimmer - vocals
*Mike Bennett - vocals

References

External links

A web page with photos, about the recording of the album "The Light User Syndrome" from [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/julia.nagle/archive/fall02.html Invisiblegirl]