Wire - the greatest band of the late 70s

Glad I've seemed to waste yours.

 

He asked why I felt the thread was pointless? I gave my reason/opinion on it. Thanks for your .02_

 

After six pages of enthusiastic discussion, you're the only one who appears to feel misled or aggrieved by the way that the OP posed this. Now you're just trying to justify a threadcrap.

 

As are you,congrats

 

By the way, there are copies of A Bell is A Cup for less than $10 on Amazon, to the poster who said they were expensive.

 

..funny you should mention that. I also bought the 3 original discs on release. Anyway due to this thread I listened to 154 again the other night. Around 24 seconds into "On Returning" there is a little skip like sound - is this the same on your disc? My disc is still mint - and in any case my CD player hardly ever skips.

I am wondering if it on the original tapes or just this CD version?

 

Question: Did any of their other early songs get different mixes on the singles (other than Outdoor Miner)?

 

Editions Mego is putting out a Dome box set: http://editionsmego.com/release/DOME12345

 

I believe that was the only one until the first reunion era.

 

a door is a jar... unless it is closed

Love Wire! They are one of my favourite bands from the late 70s straight into the late 80s.

Have most of the LP and 12" vinyl releases up to Manscape in '90. A Bell Is A Cup... Until It Is Struck is a great album!

 

Got a used copy
of 154 Saturday
with bonus tracks for $5.00

 

Probably my favorite punk band, their first 3 albums are all amazing, can't pick a favorite out of the 3, all 3 are different but about equally great.

 

yup, 1st 3 albums are classics. Some good stuff after they reformed but not nearly as important or consistent. I do applaud them for exploring new sounds as opposed to trying to recreate the sound of the 1st 3.

I saw them when they reformed in 1986, at the time the Snakedrill EP came out. They didn't play any songs from those 1st 3 records, but the band who opened for them "Ex Lion Tamers" played Pink Flag from start to finish!

 

Been in a Wire mood last week... Amazing, what are the first three albums great to hear after finding hem back in my cd cabinets. Time for expanding my collection to 'The Ideal Copy' and 'A Bell is a Cup'!

(I suppose thete is still no better, sonically speaking, cd issue of these?)

 

Pink Flag and Chairs Missing are terrific albums. This thread has convinced me that I need to seek out a copy of 154 as well -- for some reason the description of that one on All Music Guide made me think it might not be my cup of tea, so I'd never gotten around to it. Anyone have any opinions on the currently in print version on CD vs. any prior ones?

 

Whether or not they were the greatest, I think it can be safely said that Wire were the '70s equivalent of the Velvet Underground in that not many people bought their records, but seemingly everyone who did started a band. Their sound is all over '80s indie rock.

 

Not long ago, I picked up their infamous live release Document & Eyewitness, which was recently reissued. I'd always avoided this one due to its rather dodgy reputation, but after hearing a lot of this material get reworked for their later Change Becomes Us release, I was intrigued to go back and check out the old source material. It's a rather difficult listen in a lot of respects--poor sound quality, fractious performance atmosphere--but I've really become fascinated with it. They definitely had the material for a very promising fourth studio album if they'd kept working together at that point, though many of these songs did end up appearing on Colin Newman's solo albums from the early 80s. The new D&E includes some interesting bonus material, like the excellent "Our Swimmer" single and other rehearsals from near the end of their first incarnation.

 

Wire are without peer. They strike chords in me that no other band - no other art, really - can.

 

A good band I own the first 3 albums but Magazine eat them for breakfast in every way .

 

So many great bands were spawned from punk. Hard to pick one but Wire is definitely way up there.

 

I've been in a Wire mood too; I listened to Change Becomes Us yesterday and Colin Newman's Not To on my way to work this morning. I had Not To on vinyl for years, but never really got into it for some reason. When I bought a CD version it became my favorite of his solo work.

 

Magazine: a bog of prog, a clump of punk and a heavy dollop of pretention. Brilliant! (not).

 

I like Wire. A lot.

But Devo in 1978 was probably the greatest band that ever was.

 

Careful, you could be describing 154 there!

 

I like Magazine's singles, but the first two albums were unfocused affairs and swamped by the keyboreds. Correct Use of Soap was pretty good... Martin Hannett sent Dave Formula off to the pub.

But hey, this is a WIRE thread. Dumping on Magazine is perfectly acceptable.