Marred only by its refusal to acknowledge any chronological order, Fall is a straightforward rendering of Andi Sex Gang's prolific career as both leader of the Sex Gang Children and, following their 1984 breakup, orchestrator of a remarkably eclectic solo career. Drawing from his singles catalog,... [+] Expand

Marred only by its refusal to acknowledge any chronological order, Fall is a straightforward rendering of Andi Sex Gang's prolific career as both leader of the Sex Gang Children and, following their 1984 breakup, orchestrator of a remarkably eclectic solo career. Drawing from his singles catalog, sessions with Mick Ronson and Tony James, covers of Nick Drake and Edith Piaf, proposed soundtracks for Donald Pleasence movies, and catalyzing agents for the early-'80s goth rock explosion all lie side by side, with only Sex Gang's occasionally disorienting voice even attempting to link all that is flying around. Some unabashed classics, of course, appear. The Sex Gang Children years, while well documented in so many other places, can never be underestimated, and the seven tracks here include six U.K. independent chart Top 20 hits. Sex Gang's own Blind and Arco Valley albums should require no introduction either, with his 1985 rendering of Piaf's "Les Amants d'un Jour" a black cabaret masterpiece. Recorded 15 years later, his version of Drake's "Black Eyed Dog," on the other hand, has little in common with the original; realizing that it would be impossible to even attempt to compete with Drake himself, Sex Gang rearranges the dirge for feedback and noise and, amazingly, pulls it off. Also included in the two-CD package is a full recounting of the Sex Gang Children's cassette-only live debut, Naked, a wild and hectic set that, while effortlessly recapturing the tribal mayhem of the group's original show, does seem out of place amid the vast textures and majesty encountered elsewhere on the set. Sex Gang's own booklet annotations, however, are invaluable, and the entire package is a magnificent showcase for one of the modern age's most entertaining mavericks. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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