WIRE - Album by Album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by debased, Jan 17, 2018.

  1. DRM

    DRM Forum Resident

    Admittedly, the only album I ever have heard by Wire is 154. (Which I realize is not being discussed yet...)

    I bought it right when it came out...in the late 70's...having never heard of Wire, based on a review in Rolling Stone.

    I think that Wire led to a lot of the smart/stylized atmospheric sound of a certain strain of music in the early to mid 80's.

    And led eventually to Radiohead.

    And OK Computer.
     
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  2. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I'd put it right there with the first 3 from The Clash and Simple Minds......yeah, I went there. :D

    Mannequin is one of my all time favs from the 70s and I happen to love disco so that's saying something. I had a babysitter bring Wire, Clash, Pistols, Bowie, Lou Reed and a few others over when my mom went to TN for a week. My whole world was changed from thinking I would forever listen to The Beatles and Beatles-ish music forever. Mom came home and I was asking for in her words "Mohawk Music". I actually lost friends over it cos' I'd dare interrupt the battery of Kiss and AC/DC albums with Pink Flag.......how can you be an outcast at 12 anyways?
     
  3. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    Oh, another influence Graham Lewis has cited is Neil Young (which brings us back to my "Pink Flag" [as opposed to Pink Flag] thread).
     
  4. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream


    :biglaugh:
     
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  5. ciderglider

    ciderglider Forum Resident

    On the 2nd He Said album, Graham Lewis covers a Leonard Cohen song. Maybe Lenny was an influence on Graham's vocal stylings?
     
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  6. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Colin Newman was a big Todd Rundgren fan. By the way I don't hear any Neil Young or Todd Rundgren in Wire whatsoever - they are one of the most European, least rock 'n roll, rock bands ever.
     
  7. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    No laughing, especially via emoticon. You wanna laugh at my Simple Minds pals you man up and send me a text. Here's an emoticon I doubt very much you'll recover from. :waiting:

    For the record, Life in a Day is average but #2 and #3 more than make up for it. If u laugh again there's plenty more little men doing things that I can post.

    Pink Flag is just behind Big Country's The Crossing as far as greatest debuts, it is that good.
     
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  8. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    Are you kidding? Either way, I'm laughing.
     
  9. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    It's subjective.........or am I operating under a misconception? Back to Wire, aren't they great?
     
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  10. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    All great records. :righton:
     
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  11. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Thank you sir. They all are great. I think people my age (approaching 50) are lucky to have grown up with our formative years being at that place where Punk became Post Punk and gave life to the UK/NY and points beyond explosion in the late 70's early 80's. Had it not been for my mom trying to land a man and jetting off to Tennessee I may not have ever heard of Wire or had my music affinity make such a hard turn to all the great alternative music. Seemed the whole world was listening to Kiss, AC/DC, Zeppelin....during that time, well at least those in my circles. I know a lot of folks introduced to Wire through The Ideal Copy or "Kidney Bingos" who couldn't imagine they were such an innovative "punk" band years before. I'd use Pink Flag as an educational tool and no one to my knowledge didn't love that album after hearing it.
     
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  12. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    I just can't put the Simple Minds, or Big Country, in any type of discussion comparing them to the first 3 Wire lp's. If you can, more power to you.
     
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  13. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    I was 17 when Pink Flag was released. Me liking this music and other punk/post-punk in the mid-late 70s was not the popular stance in my high school. Today many of my peers, as they approach 60 and beyond, think they know everything. So nothing's changed. :laugh:
     
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  14. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    It's cool. We're talking 1st albums, different genres but with similar impact on those genres. Wire and The Clash set the bar for their genres.
     
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  15. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I was 11 I think when I first heard them. I can vividly remember the album cover among the Pistols, Clash, Bowie, TRex and others all leaning up against the massive stereo at our house that was more like a piece of furniture with a record player, reel to reel and radio sitting among massive built in speakers. The girl who introduced it all to me wound up running away and committing suicide in a very cliche move for that period. In one day I went from politely humoring my best friends as they showed me all 4 album covers of the same Kiss album they got for their birthdays...etc, listening to Hell's Bell being played over and over and over................to thinking the androgynous look just might work at school when it started back up. I converted some, had fights with others but it was worth it. BTW, I'm reminded on a daily basis that I know very little.
     
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  16. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    In the mid 70s, 4 of my friends dressed up like Kiss with full hair and makeup and would lip sync for talent shows, complete with flash pots and smoke. They even put on a "concert" for a church teen club. They were quite good at it.
    To each their own.
     
  17. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Sure. I understood why my friends liked their Kiss albums, just wasn't for me. I wasn't really given the same level of understanding when it came to Pink Flag. Just played it last night and my daughter really liked Mannequin. She usually disregards me and my music so that's saying something about the album.
     
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  18. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    I am not a Simple Minds/Big Country fan. I remember clearly when those bands were big, and I couldn't stand them then. The Clash 1st lp is great, legendary. Rope is ok, but suffers from a lot of weak songs and bad production. London Calling is a good listen, but it's generally a mediocre stab at their take of r'n'b/ska/reggae, and some ok originals thrown in. Not knocking them, they were a fantastic live band. But Wire's 1st 3 are constantly challenging and listenable, intense, timeless records. On a completely different plane.

    You're right when you say this is all subjective, but while it's possible that I will never listen to the Clash again, those Wire lp's, especially Chairs Missing and 154 will always have a place in rotation for me. Like I said, timeless.
     
  19. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    If I may interject...
    Simple Mind's early records sound nothing like "Don't You Forget About Me". Have you heard Reel to Real Cacophony? If not, at least give it a listen before dismissing their entire output based on their 'bigness' period. If you've heard it and don't like it, then that's cool, and forget I said anything. They might not be Wire, but they shouldn't be laughed at, IMO. It reminds me of the Kiss fans who laughed at me in high school in 1977, for liking Wire. We should be beyond the laughter by now.
    Cheers. :tiphat:
     
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  20. Popmartijn

    Popmartijn Senior Member

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    What a coincidence! I was just looking up some data regarding Wire when I saw this thread. I don't have anything by them yet, but Pink Flag is making me curious, with all those short (and to the point?) songs. So, this being SH.tv, what is the best CD version out there? According to Discogs, the album was released on CD in 1987, 1994 and 2006. Which has the best sound quality?
     
  21. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    Sure I've heard it. Remember when the store I was working in got the first import copies(I'm old). It's not bad, but it does sound dated to me.

    Look, I'm not putting down the Simple Minds or anybody else. This thread was about Wire, and my initial post was simply how I thought the 1st 3 lp's were incredible. If anybody thinks that there are other runs that were equal or better, or had equal or more impact, that's fine. I'm not debating it. Everybody is entitled to their opinion.
     
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  22. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    It's all good. My wife is a pretty big SM fan but I can't play any of their first 3 for her. It's different music, if you like Wire's early albums then there's a good chance the more "dance" oriented side of the "Post Punk" genre might not be for you. Wire has had the respect of the music industry for a long time and deservedly so. It took SM quite a while before consensus was that their early albums might be at the very least influential if not legendary......depending on who you ask. I like all of Wire's stuff, even when they slipped a bit there's still plenty to like but you're right, those first 3 is a run that most bands can only dream of.
     
  23. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    Are we on Chairs Missing yet? Absolute masterpiece, much better than Pink Flag or most other things..."Mercy" is the peak, one of the greatest tracks ever recorded. French Film Blurred, Marooned...outstanding. Outdoor Miner.
     
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  24. debased

    debased Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Roanoke, Virginia
    [​IMG]


    Chairs Missing (Harvest, Sept. 1978)

    1. Practice Makes Perfect (Gilbert/Newman)
    2. French Film Blurred (Lewis/Newman)
    3. Another The Letter (Gilbert/Newman)
    4. Men 2nd (Lewis)
    5. Marooned (Gilbert/Lewis/Newman)
    6. Sand In My Joints (Lewis)
    7. Being Sucked In Again (Newman)
    8. Heartbeat (Newman)
    9. Mercy (Lewis/Newman)
    10. Outdoor Miner (Lewis/Newman)
    11. I Am The Fly (Lewis/Newman)
    12. I Feel Mysterious Today (Lewis/Newman)
    13. From The Nursery (Lewis/Newman)
    14. Used To (Gilbert/Lewis)
    15. Too Late (Gilbert)

    Colin Newman - Vocals, Guitars
    B. C. Gilbert - Guitars
    Lewis - Bass, Vocals
    Robert Gotobed - Drums

    Mike Thorne - Keyboards & Synthesizers
    Kate Lukas - Flutes on Heartbeat

    Produced by Mike Thorne

    1994 CD Bonus Tracks
    16. Outdoor Miner (Long Version) (Lewis/Newman)
    17. A Question Of Degree (Lewis/Newman)
    18. Former Airline (Gilbert)

    2006 Credits:
    All tracks arranged by Gilbert/Grey/Lewis/Newman except "Outdoor Miner" by Grey/Lewis/Newman
    Melody - Tracks 1 - 5, 7 - 15 by Newman, track 6 by Lewis
    Words - Tracks 1, 3 & 15 by Gilbert, tracks 2, 4, 6, 9 - 13 by Lewis, tracks 5 & 14 by Gilbert/Lewis, 7 & 8 by Newman

    Additional releases:

    I Am The Fly (Newman/Lewis)/Ex Lion Tamer (Gilbert/Lewis/Newman/Gotobed) 7" (Harvest, Feb. 1978)
    Produced by Mike Thorne

    Dot Dash (Newman/Lewis)/Options R (Lewis) 7" (Harvest, June 1978)
    Produced by Mike Thorne

    Outdoor Miner (Lewis/Newman)/Practice Makes Perfect (Gilbert/Newman) 7" (Harvest, Jan. 1979)
    Produced by Mike Thorne
     
  25. swampwader

    swampwader Forum Resident

    Location:
    Reading, Michigan
    "French Film Blurred" is my favorite Wire song. It is my exact aesthetic and I'll never tire of it. I first heard this album in 1989 with the Restless reissues. I was quite familiar with the band thanks to the Trouser Press Record Guide & Book Of Rock Lists (wish I still had that mean spirited book :laugh:). Anyway, the readily available The Ideal Copy was ok ("Ahead" seemed so state of the art) and A Bell Is A Cup & "Kidney Bingos" were part of my 1988 soundtrack (age 19). But when I finally heard those first 3 albums I'd read so much about, it was simply life changing for me as a music nut. I learned bass guitar in 1989 playing along to Pink Flag and learned just how heavy and intense rock music can get with 154.

    But Chairs Missing will always be my favorite. I remember the first time I listened to it was lying down with headphones on after partaking strong herbs all alone on a balcony at my apartment complex at the time. It was just exactly what I wanted from a band and nobody, save for maybe Bauhaus, that I was familiar with at the time, came even close.

    Though it's a bit cynical, I enjoyed reading your post, and I hope for the sake of this thread's life that you're wrong :winkgrin:. This is the first I've actually heard/read that their first album's title was a reference to Pink Floyd, but I have always made that connection in my mind (The Harvest records thing just made it obvious to me). Then again, in my mind Chairs Missing sometimes sounds like the Floyd with Eno & Robert Wyatt covering Steve Harley's "Back To The Farm" or something similar...Nevertheless, Wire were completely original.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2018
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