During the witch trials of the 17th century, a wave of hysteria swept through Salem, Massachusetts, resulting in the execution of nineteen innocent individuals accused of witchcraft. The events that unfolded during this dark period of history serve as a chilling reminder of the fallibility of justice and the capacity for fear to cloud judgment. At the heart of the witch trials was a culture steeped in superstition and religious fervor. Puritan beliefs dominated the colony, shaping the mindset of its inhabitants. Any deviation from the strict moral code was seen as evidence of the devil's influence, leading to accusations of witchcraft. The town became consumed by paranoia, as accusations were made without evidence or substantiation.
The town became consumed by paranoia, as accusations were made without evidence or substantiation. The fallacy of the witch trials is exemplified by the nature of the purported evidence and the methods used to extract confessions. Spectral evidence, in which the testimony of an alleged victim of witchcraft was taken as proof, was widely accepted despite being based on superstition rather than fact.
Live At The Witch Trials | The Fall
I can’t actually remember now when I first clapped ears on The Fall, but it would have been one of the 1978 sessions they did for John Peel’s indispensable radio show. However, I do remember them suddenly snapping into focus when I noticed that Mark E Smith owned a shit, diamond-patterned V-neck jumper just like mine, and had a similarly utilitarian jelly-mould haircut. More to the point, his singing voice frequently leapt into an adolescent yelp: a smartly-deployed stylistic tic for him, an involuntary penance for the teenage me. Here was a new hero I could mimic without doing a fucking thing.
I might even have put it about that “Mark and I” were sartorially ahead of the curve.
Needless to say, the expanded reissue of the first two Fall albums makes it abundantly clear that there was never a curve broad enough to contain Mark E, nor indeed any pigeonholes sufficiently misshapen for The Fall to fit comfortably into: “No boxes for us”. Though punk was the closest fit in terms of delivery and dissidence, you felt that they treated it in the same way you or I might jump on a horse if it got us to where we were going more effectively.
Released seven months apart in 1979, Live At The Witch Trials and Dragnet reappear here on vinyl (red for the former, black-and-white “splatter” for the latter) and as clamshell 3CD box sets, the format you need if you crave tonnes of extras. Forty years on, the most startling thing about the debut album is how clean Bob Sargeant’s production is. Karl Burns’ drum fills pan across in true stereo, much as you’d expect the drums to do on, say, Rumours… and Frightened sounds like early Roxy Music in a trauma recovery centre until Mark E Smith lopes in, at which point the perspectives shift irrevocably. “I’d run away from toilets and faeces; I’d run away to a non-date on the street.”
It would be wrong to merely cite Smith as the rogue element that has blown in to fuck up your feng shui, because if anything, the broad separation in the mix highlights everyone’s beautiful eccentricities. Martin Bramah’s guitar sounds like hangnails and beaks, Yvonne Pawlett’s patient electric piano parts permanently arch their eyebrows, and the rhythm section of Karl Burns and bassist Marc Riley appears throughout to be cornering hard in an unmoored Waltzer.
Nevertheless, Smith is naturally the eye of the hurricane: a provocative, adversarial presence, setting out his stall in such a way that it blocks the road. “We are The Fall, northern white crap that talks back,” he legendarily scoffs in Crap Rap 2/Like To Blow, demolishing at a stroke any subsequent attempts to summarise his band more succinctly.
Here he is, already dismissing sentimentality (Futures And Pasts: “You can cry for your lost childhood… but remember how you hated it?”), junkie self-absorption (No Xmas For John Quays: “He thinks this is more interesting than the world”) and contemporary culture (Two Steps Back: “Had a look at the free festivals; they’re like cinemas with no films”). Industrial Estate comes across like punk rock with its poles reversed; and the introductory refrain of Underground Medecin [sic]resembles Stepping Stones by Ramases. Honestly.
Extras include the magnificent Bingo-Master’s Breakout, blending insouciance with insight (“All he sees is the back of chairs; in the mirror, a lack of hairs”), and the band’s full August 1978 set from Mr Pickwick’s in Liverpool. Smith sounds almost avuncular, actually thanking the audience between songs, and Martin Bramah’s guitar is in full-on deconstructivist mode by the time they hit Music Scene.
When Dragnet comes along, Bramah, Burns and Pawlett have departed, to be replaced by Craig Scanlon and Steve Hanley. Gone also are the debut album’s production values, to be replaced by an aural smog more befitting Smith’s gleeful obscurantism. Cymbal smashes sneeze out of the gloom, and Smith even has his hood up during A Figure Walks. The distancing is already acute: Before The Moon Falls paces in an obsessive circle (“I must create a new regime, or live by another man’s”), while Printhead and Dice Man establish the music press as fair game for merciless baiting ever after. Above all, Spectre Vs Rector comes at you and at you until you see the face of God in the gaps between the tuning.
Extras include Fiery Jack (hurray!), several takes of the staggering Rowche Rumble in its own elliptical orbit, and full 1979 live sets from Retford and LA, with Smith savouring the incongruity:
“How many bucks will you pay next time?”
Q&A: The Fall guitarist and co-founder Martin Bramah (latterly of Blue Orchids and Factory Star) remembers the feeling of taking on the world with The Fall and working with Mark E Smith
Was there ever any esprit de corps within The Fall, or was the dynamic always combative?
There was a strong feeling of loyalty and mission to the original band. It was us against the world. This was felt very keenly by all of us. It was only when Mark began to wrestle for control of The Fall that this spirit died and he inherited the name for what became his “group.”
How much leeway were band members afforded in collaborative compositions?
It was “band members” that wrote the music. That came from them. The singer wrote the words. Mark developed an important role as editor/director of the music. In this there was little leeway, in the nautical sense.
Do any memories prevent you from hearing the music objectively now?
I hear the music pretty objectively. I have been through periods where I couldn’t stand the sound of Smithy’s berating hubris, but I’m not alone in that! MES was a great talent with a unique voice and I still really enjoy listening to these albums, when I’m in the mood.
And do you feel proud nevertheless when you hear it?
Yes, I feel proud of what we achieved – why would I not? Great records by a great band!
The Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time of the Salem witch trials was William Phips. His close relationship with a few ministers and wealthy community members made his entanglement in the trials unavoidable. Still, it seems that Phips mostly washed his hands of the hysteria and distanced himself from those in charge; however, he did not disallow his officials from continuing their inquest.
This allowed for the manipulation and coercion of witnesses, as they were encouraged to identify individuals as witches to fit the narrative. Moreover, the methods used to extract confessions were brutal. Accused individuals were subjected to physical torture, such as the infamous "witch dunking" or "swimming" test. This involved binding the accused and throwing them into water; if they floated, they were deemed guilty of witchcraft. These methods of torture only served to further perpetuate the hysteria and fear that gripped the community. The fallibility of justice is further demonstrated by the lack of due process afforded to the accused. Trials were conducted in a makeshift courtroom, often without legal representation for the accused, and without proper rules of evidence. The presumption of innocence was thrown aside in the face of overwhelming public pressure and the zealous pursuit of justice at any cost. Ultimately, the witch trials came to an end when the Massachusetts governor disbanded the special court responsible for hearing witchcraft cases. The realization that innocent lives had been lost and that the entire ordeal was based on fear and superstition served as a sobering moment for the community. The fallibility of the system was acknowledged, and efforts were made to make amends and reconcile with the past. The events of the witch trials in Salem serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked fear and the manipulation of justice. Innocent lives were lost due to the fallibility of human judgment and the willingness of individuals to abandon reason and evidence in favor of hysteria and superstition. The lessons learned from this dark period in history should serve as a cautionary tale, reminding us to carefully examine the evidence and ensure that justice is blind, fair, and impartial..
Reviews for "Demonstrating Innocence: The Fall and the Witch Trials"
- Sarah - 2 stars - I found "Demonstrate at the witch trials the fall" to be confusing and hard to follow. The plot seemed disjointed and the characters lacked depth. The author introduced too many subplots that didn't really add anything to the overall story. I was hoping for a gripping tale of witch trials, but this book just fell flat for me.
- John - 1 star - I couldn't stand "Demonstrate at the witch trials the fall". The writing was incredibly pretentious and self-indulgent. It felt like the author was more interested in showing off their vocabulary than actually telling a compelling story. The dialogue was unnatural and the characters were unlikable. I ended up skimming through most of the book just to get to the end.
- Emily - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Demonstrate at the witch trials the fall". The pacing was incredibly slow and nothing really seemed to happen. The descriptions were overly detailed and it felt like the author was trying too hard to create an atmospheric setting. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and by the time the witch trials finally came into play, I had already lost interest. Overall, this book was a letdown.