Live at the Knitting Factory

AMG Review of Live at the Knitting Factory

Dave Thompson
All Music Guide

Recorded during the Fall's visit to Los Angeles in 2001, this remarkable album captures a remarkably unstable live show, largely peopled by recent material -- but none the worse for any of that. Most of the terms that are traditionally applied to a Fall live show are applicable here, from raucous and rambunctious to seething and snarling. What renders this set so valuable, however, is Smith's refusal to acknowledge anything remotely approaching a comfort zone, neither for himself nor for his audience, and this set expertly captures the ensuing dislocation. The CD, however, tells only half of the story -- the same show is also featured on disc one of the Access All Areas, Vol. 2 DVD, where you can see, and not simply hear, the audience reeling before a full-on Fall onslaught.