| Hip Priest and Kamerads | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | March 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1981–1983 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 50:09 | |||
| Label | Situation Two | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Fall compilation album chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hip Priest and Kamerads is a 1985 compilation album by British rock band The Fall, containing tracks taken from their releases on the Kamera label together with a previously unreleased live track from the same era. It was subsequently reissued with a further four live tracks added.
By 1985, the band's releases on the Kamera label were hard to find and fetching high prices among collectors. [1] Situation Two released this compilation containing all four tracks from the singles released on the label ("Lie-Dream of a Casino Soul"/"Fantastic Life" and "Look, Know"/"I'm into C.B.!"), together with songs from Hex Enduction Hour and Room to Live , one a live version. [2] [3]
The versions of "The Classical", "Fortress", and "Hip Priest" are the album versions from Hex Enduction Hour, and "Room to Live" and "Hard Life in Country" are from Room to Live. "Mere Pseud Mag. Ed." is a live version recorded in St. Gallen in 1983, and at five minutes and 42 seconds is twice as long as the album version on Hex. [4]
The album was originally released in March 1985 on vinyl only.
Hip Priest and Kamerads was first released on CD and cassette in 1988 by Situation Two, with four added live tracks; [5] "Jawbone and the Air-Rifle" was recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1981, "Just Step Sideways" in Brighton in 1982, and "Who Makes The Nazis?" and (the over 15 minutes long version of) "And This Day" at the Hammersmith Palais in 1982. [3] [6] This 14-track running order was maintained on a subsequent CD release in 1995 on Beggars Banquet. [5] The 10-track vinyl version was reissued by Beggars Banquet in Greece in 1985 and by Situation Two in 1990.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Melody Maker | favourable [2] |
| NME | favourable [7] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |  |
| SPIN Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
Reviews from the time of the album's release in both the Melody Maker and the NME were favourable. Melody Maker's Colin Irwin called it "a pretty satisfying documentary of the period", going on to say "all angles are covered in this profile of Britain's most perverse, jarring and—dammit—entertaining band" and calling the tracks "timeless wonders". [2] Cath Carroll', in her NME review, called the compilation "smartly selected and connected". [7]
Retrospective reviews were also positive. Trouser Press described it as "a good introduction for the uninitiated". [4] Ned Raggett, reviewing the album for AllMusic, gave it four stars, viewing the song selection as "nearly impeccable". [3] It received three and half stars from The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, and an 8/10 rating from the SPIN Alternative Record Guide. [8] [9] The Chicago Tribune , however, described the material on the album as "not among the Fall's most accessible". [10]
Hip Priest and Kamerads peaked at number 4 in the UK Independent Albums Chart, spending a total of nine weeks on the chart in 1985. [11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lie-Dream of a Casino Soul" | Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, Mark E. Smith, Paul Hanley | 3:09 |
| 2. | "The Classical" | Scanlon, Karl Burns, Riley, Smith, P. Hanley, Stephen Hanley | 5:17 |
| 3. | "Fortress" | Scanlon, Smith | 1:20 |
| 4. | "Look, Know" | Burns, Riley, Smith, S. Hanley | 4:48 |
| 5. | "Hip Priest" | Scanlon, Riley, Smith, S. Hanley | 7:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Room to Live" | Scanlon, Smith | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Mere Pseud Mag. Ed. (St. Gallen, '83)" | Smith | 5:42 |
| 3. | "Hard Life in Country" | Arthur Kadmon, Smith | 6:03 |
| 4. | "I'm into C.B.!" | Smith | 6:32 |
| 5. | "Fantastic Life" | Scanlon, Riley, Smith, S. Hanley | 5:19 |
The CD and cassette reissues include four extra tracks:
with:
The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.
Totale's Turns (It's Now or Never) is a (mostly) live album by the Fall, released on 5 May 1980.
This Nation's Saving Grace is the eighth studio album by the English post-punk band the Fall, released in 1985 by Beggars Banquet. In contrast to the band's earlier albums, This Nation's... is noted for its pop sensibilities and guitar hooks, and John Leckie's accessible production. This Nation's... was recorded in London between June and July 1985, and is the second of the three consecutive Fall albums produced by John Leckie. The album was accompanied by the singles "Couldn't Get Ahead" and "Cruiser's Creek", and tours of Europe and America.
Room to Live, subtitled Undilutable Slang Truth!, is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was released on 27 September 1982 through record label Kamera.
Hex Enduction Hour is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk group the Fall. Released on 8 March 1982, it was built on low-fidelity production values and caustic lyrical content of their earlier recordings, and features a two-drummer lineup. Frontman Mark E. Smith established an abrasive Northern aesthetic built as part of the 20th century literary traditions of kitchen sink realism and magic realism. Smith described the album as an often-satirical but deliberate reaction to the contemporary music scene, a stand against "bland bastards like Elvis Costello and Spandau Ballet ... [and] all that shit."
Grotesque (After the Gramme) is the third studio album by English band the Fall. Released on 17 November 1980, it was the band's first studio album on Rough Trade.
Dragnet is the second studio album by English post-punk band the Fall, released on 26 October 1979 through Step-Forward Records. Appearing less than eight months after its predecessor, Live at the Witch Trials,Dragnet established at an early stage two key patterns characteristic of the group's future: that of high productivity and that of a regular turnover of group members.
Perverted by Language is the sixth studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in December 1983 on Rough Trade Records.
The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... is the seventh studio album by English musical group the Fall, released in October 1984. It was the band's first album after signing to the Beggars Banquet label. Newcomer Brix Smith co-wrote three of the tracks, ushering in a relatively pop-oriented sound for the group. Paul Hanley left the band immediately after the accompanying UK tour, ending the group's distinctive "twin drummers" period.
I Am Kurious Oranj is the eleventh studio album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was released on 24 October 1988 through record label Beggars Banquet.
Extricate is the 12th album by English post-punk band the Fall. It was made immediately after bandleader Mark E. Smith divorced guitarist Brix Smith. Brix's departure helped define the sound of this album: her background vocals and relatively pop-oriented guitar, which had become mainstays of The Fall, are noticeably absent in this release. In one of the more unusual events in the group's career, she was replaced by founding former member Martin Bramah, who had previously left the group in 1979 to form his own group Blue Orchids.
Cerebral Caustic is the seventeenth full-length studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in 1995 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK Albums Chart at number 67, 19 places lower than its predecessor Middle Class Revolt, marking the end of one of the group's relatively more successful periods.
The Light User Syndrome is the 18th album by the Fall, released in 1996 on Jet Records. It was the group's first album to feature keyboard player and guitarist Julia Nagle and the last to feature Brix Smith, while longtime guitarist Craig Scanlon was fired in late 1995 during troubled recording sessions for "The Chiselers" single which preceded the album. A version of "The Chiselers" is included on the album as "Interlude/Chilinism".
Fall in a Hole is a live album by the Fall, recorded in Auckland in August 1982 and released in December 1983 on the Flying Nun label of New Zealand.
The Complete Peel Sessions 1978–2004 is a compilation box set by English post-punk band the Fall. It was released in 2005 by record label Castle Music.
Live in London 1980 is a live album by the Fall, released in 1982 on cassette on the Chaos Tapes label. Initially a limited edition of 4,000 copies, the album has since been reissued several times as The Legendary Chaos Tape.
A Part of America Therein, 1981 is a live album by the Fall, recorded on their 1981 U.S. tour and originally released only in the U.S. in 1982.
"Rowche Rumble" is a 1979 song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith, Craig Scanlon and Marc Riley. Released as the band's third single, it was the first record by the Fall to reach a recognised national chart when it reached number 31 on the indie chart in January 1980, the first month of that chart's existence.
