The Fall - Early Fall 77-79 (1981/2000)

While their audience never expanded beyond a rabidly devoted cult following, the Fall made a significant impact on the post-punk music of the 1970s and beyond. The band underwent numerous lineup changes, but at the center of it all was vocalist Mark E. Smith. With his snarling, nearly incomprehensible vocals and consuming, bitter cynicism, Smith became a cult legend. Every album was a complex, challenging piece of rock & roll, yet none of them sounded the same -- with each album, the Fall explored new territory, from guitar noise to club music. Through every incarnation, Smith retained his reputation as one of rock's foremost experimental artists until his death in 2018.