Hip Priest & Kamerads [Original recording reissued]

The Fall | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 27, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Beggars UK - Ada
• ASIN: B0000018BC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,682 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lie Dream of a Casino Soul

2. The Classical

3. Fortress

4. Look, Know

5. Hip Priest

6. Who Makes the Nazis?

7. Just Step Sideways

8. Room to Live

9. Mere Pseud Mag. Ed.

10. Hard Life in Country

11. I'm into C.B.

12. Fantastic Life

13. Jawbone and the Air-Rifle

14. And This Day

Editorial Reviews

So named due to this being a collection of stuff released on the Kamera label, for a long time Hip Priests was the only way to listen to material from the mighty Hex Enduction Hour album, as well as Room to Live and related singles like "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul" and "Look, Know." For that reason alone it was a useful collection, though it was also flawed in that nearly everything was mastered for CD from vinyl, a harbinger of what would eventually happen in the late '90s with any number of early Fall reissues. It's especially noticeable on "Hip Priest" itself. Whether or not one wants to debate the aesthetics of such an approach, it's still more than a little frustrating. Thankfully, the song selection is nearly impeccable -- omissions are unavoidable, but there's no overlap with Palace of Swords Reversed, and the highlights are legion: "Hip Priest," "The Classical," "Mere Psued Mag. Ed.," "I'm Into C.B.!," and the absolutely wonderful B-side "Fantastic Life." The CD and cassette versions both include a useful bonus of interest to hardcore fans -- four live cuts of varying fidelity of other material from that time. "Who Makes the Nazis?" is OK enough, but the take on "Just Step Sideways" gets delivered with rough, fiery authority. At the end of the collection, meanwhile, there's an extremely muddy take on "Jawbone and the Air-Rifle" that will likely cause immediate departures on the part of neighbors and friends. A full quarter-hour ramble and stumble through "And This Day" concludes the release as a whole; it's a great performance that at nearly every point sounds like it'll collapse into formless chaos. Mark E. Smith is his typically contrarian self, while the lineup has its usual off-center way with the proceedings. -All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Compilation of Kamera Records tracks, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hip Priest & Kamerads (Audio CD)

Collecting both sides of non-LP singles, and selected album tracks from "Hex Enduction Hour" and "Room To Live," this album essentially is a compliment to "Palace Of Swords Reversed," which gathered tracks from The Fall's time at Rough Trade Records. "Hip Priests and Kamerads" isn't as strong an album as that other compilation, but it does boast some pretty good tracks, such as both sides of the "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul"/"Fantastic Life" single, "The Classical" and "Hip Priest." It also is the only place one can find the studio versions of the "Look, Know"/"I'm Into C.B.!" single, as well as 5 live tracks of songs from "Hex Enduction Hour," 4 of them not on the original release. These range from the great ("Just Step Sideways") to the average ("Mere Pseud Mag. Editor") to the awful ("And This Day," which is a bad song to begin with). I would not make this the first album to buy of the Fall, but once you have established your fanship, it will be necessary.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RAW-THE WAY I LIKE IT, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hip Priest & Kamerads (Audio CD)

This is a hit and miss album but is a gem nonetheless. One song called The Classical is one of my favorite Fall songs ever. It's totally gothic sounding with a hypnotic bass line. Jaw Bone is a classic post-punk song. Some tunes totally suck and are so repetitive you will have to fast foward. And there is a 15 minute song called And This Day that no one can play for more than four minutes. But with The Fall you have to take the good with the bad.

5.0 out of 5 stars one of their best albums!, December 14, 2002

By 

"dmtsymphony" (west vancouver, b.c. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hip Priest & Kamerads (Audio CD)

If you have never heard "the classical" then you are in for a major treat.However it is not the only gem on this great great album. Admittedly, I am a HUGE fan of the fall, and can claim to have been one for nearly 20 years - almost their entire history - so I guess I am a bit biased, but this record ranks among my favorites by the band. I always preferred their earlier lo-fi sound, where they would pummel a riff into the ground. This album, along with Grotesque, and Nations Saving Grace, and Frenz Experiment and....STOP ME - I COULD GO ON FOREVER!
It's a good one. Check it out!