Yay! A Fall and a hi-fi fan.
The recent two-fer Fall discs have been brilliant, both Fall-wise and sonically.
As for Get The Message, couldn't agree more on the sheer exuberance of that track and the album it comes from. Some tracks on the follow-up, Raise The Pressure are simply stunning, particularly the ones involving Karl Bartos. One or two tracks on that album do, unfortunately sound squashed and less than glorious. As for their third and final album, Twisted Tenderness, please don't get me started. Great title track ruined by demo-like production. The rest is pretty woeful. Hard to write that last sentence: two musical heroes reduced to lumpen plodding.
More about The Fall though ; where to start? Winter is a fine tester, I agree. Last but one album, Fall Heads Roll, has some incredible crunching moments of glory. Three years previous to that, Dr. Buck's Letter usually clears the room as far as the family is concerned. Result!!
The most revealing listening of recent times, however, has been the remastered Steely Dan back-cat. In particular, Katy Lied, Gaucho, Countdown To Ecstacy and Aja. If I had to select one track from all the above that combines musical and hi-fi bliss it would be. . .My Old School by Steely Dan or Doctor Wu or Black Cow or Josie or Peg or Gaucho or. . .damn, can't do it.