Dragnet

Dragnet came out less than eight months after the debut. Only Smith and Marc Riley remained from that line-up. Martin Bramah had quit in April 1979, and Smith quickly brought in guitarist Craig Scanlon and bassist Steve Hanley, aged 18 and 19, who became the group's musical backbone until the mid-1990s. Riley moved from bass to guitar and also played keyboards after Yvonne Pawlett left.

It was recorded on 2 to 4 August 1979 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale. The sound is muddy and lo-fi. Riley said that was deliberate, a contrast to the clean sound of the debut, while Smith claimed the studio was so appalled that the group were asked to take its name off the sleeve. Several songs were reworked heavily after Bramah's departure, and he did not receive a credit for his contributions. Lyrically it refers often to the music industry, and "Printhead" and "Your Heart Out" quote or paraphrase reviews of the band's live shows. It was the group's last album for Step-Forward before they signed to Rough Trade in early 1980.

Reception

Dave McCullough of Sounds wrote that the Fall had never been stronger. NME ranked it the 35th best album of 1979, and Billboard placed it fourth among Fall albums in 2018. Jason Heller of Pitchfork wrote that the sludge and subliminal menace of "Spectre vs. Rector" practically invented post-rock as an afterthought. Stereogum's Robert Ham was less enthusiastic and criticized its lack of tension.