When All Else Fails... is the second vinyl LP by 16-17, released in 1989 through Vision. It is the second full-length vinyl album of the band.
The Dusted Magazine writer Doug Mosurock reviews: "By the time of 1989âÂÂs When All Else Fails LP, 16-17 had become, unbelievably, even more aggressive, this time as a result of Kneubühler adding new technologies and a whole palette of unconventional sound-generating devices to his setup. The approach here is positively industrial at times, as on âÂÂPedestrian Dub,â where sax and guitar are infused with enveloped, processed barbs that make each bleat and downstroke sound like wavering sheet metal, and Remond's shell tones all the more alien. The cyclic rhythms of their earlier work reappear on âÂÂWho Planned All This?â and âÂÂClap Trap,â but the rictus of dance rhythms and the drive to innovate moved the band beyond earlier works..."
Adapted from the When All Else Fails... LP liner notes. Musicians:
Tracks 2, 4, 5 & 6 recorded live on 9/12/1988 at restaurant Hirscheneck, Basel, on a 4-track recorder Tracks 1 & 3 recorded live on 31/3/1989 at the Kulturfabrik, Wetzikon, on a simple cassette tape deck. Mixed at the Wolf 2.8.1. studios in Basel.