Wire fans probably already know this story, but it's worth posting for anyone coming in late. The Ex-Lion Tamers and Wire- the amazing story via cassette
One of the greatest debut albums ever. All of their albums are different so comparing them is pretty futile but this one is their only perfect one.
Pink Flag is my favorite 1977 punk rock album. It makes so many other albums from that year seem almost backwards-looking by comparison, even if those other albums are still good as well. It is not my favorite Wire album, though. Like most people, I love the brevity of the songs, the sometimes unconventional song structures, and I have always been a big fan of the guitar tone. I love how, on many tracks, it's not just run-of-the-mill distortion - it sounds like the guitar amps are on the verge of being blown! Some of the most powerful tracks are actually the slower, heavier numbers, like "Reuters," "Lowdown," and the title track, all of which are positively dark and menacing, and proved that punk didn't always have to be fast-tempos. But I also like how, even at this early stage, they were already laying down some startlingly melodic pop with wonderful songs like "Mannequin" and "Fragile." So, with Pink Flag they were off to a great start, but the fact that they would grow creatively at an exponential rate within a year is nothing short of amazing. I love Pink Flag but for me, Chairs Missing is where things start to get really interesting!
First album and the Roxy live album they are punk, second album is post-punk. Fans of Wire should check out the following film that was on Sky Arts a couple of weeks back: Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976-90 review – the most thrillingly creative place on earth It's pretty good in general, once it gets past the over-told Bowie stuff which is boring now, as it features things like the Birthday Party, but it also features the chaps from Wire.
The Roxy gig 1st April 1977 is the place where Wire recorded history starts: apart from "Lowdown" and "12XU" (released on the LP), they played and recorded "Mary Is A Dyke", "Too True", "Just Don't Care", TV", "New York City" and surprisingly a cover of JJ Cale's "After Midnight". These first appeared on the Behind The Curtain collection in 1995. Subsequently the full Roxy sets were released in full: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Roxy-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AXWSW4N9HTCF7T973ZA3
I don't have much of an opinion as to whether it's punk or not, but stating that it's not punk, it seems to me, assumes a pretty narrow definition of "punk" (which may be correct, which is why I don't have much of an opinion).
Before I even heard them, I first read about Wire and Pink Flag in Trouser Press. From what I recall it was a rave review, which was good enough to me to buy it. An absolute brilliant album.
Member of Gryphon, the only other band Mike Thorne had produced. First prog-punk connection ever, I think.
Really? I think the 77-80 (you can stretch it out to 82 if you want) period is the equal to any other rock era including the 60s. There were roomfulls of great albums released.
A very narrow one, but it's subjective, I suppose. Nonetheless, don't try and tell me "Surgeon's Girl", to name but one, isn't punk!
Pink Flag is a fantastic record, and an incredible debut. It truly helped usher in the post-punk era, and did it near the very beginning of the punk era. Ahead of their time? Probably, I dunno. Ask Eno.
I learned about Wire while I was sifting through unlabeled 1980/81 home demo tapes from the Meat Puppets. There was a song on a tape that was note-for-note perfect. Very compact and catchy. After deciphering a few lyrics and feeding them into google, I figured out it was "Outdoor Miner." The song was still fairly new at this time (around '80). These Phoenix weirdos nailed it (sorta): More on the song "Outdoor Miner:" The making of Wire's Outdoor Miner Perfect Pop | Outdoor Miner By Wire | SquidInky
Well, let's be honest - he's certainly not saying anything that's controversial or which deviates from conventional wisdom.
