Wire - 154 +Album Reviews

A different direction for Wire...

neurotic librarian | cyberia | 04/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...that shows off their stunning creative depth. I was first slightly put off by the gothicism & dramaticism of some of the tracks, but soon learned to appreciate the album as a whole. 'two people in a room', 'the 15th', 'a mutual friend', 'once is enough', 'map ref.', '40 versions' and 'song 1' are as good as any songs Wire have ever recorded, and this includes 'Pink Flag'. The two reviewers below were either too impatient to really give this record a listen, or just didn't understand the direction the band was going in. 154 is one of the most influential rock records of the late 70s. Bands like Sonic Youth --listen to 'Two People in a Room'-- and REM --up to and including 'Fables of the Reconstruction'-- would have missed some key ideas had this album never been recorded. The darker music on this album, along with what 'The Damned' were doing at about the same time also inspired the entire '80s goth-rock scene (not my taste, but palatable in it's inception on 154), as well as bands like the Cure and Depeche Mode (whom I cared none too much for). This is a very strong album, and I have more respect for bands that evolve and challenge their listeners, than for those that grind out the same thing every time they record, unless they're selling out, of which Wire can certainly not be accused."

GET WIRED!!

PLS | Brisbane, Australia | 03/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was blessed to grow up in Oz during this period of great musical evolution. The Saints and Radio Birdman charged the senses in the mid-70's to aspire you to listen to 'great music'. Both bands first three albums fit into this category of 'great'. Not one bad song amongst a plethora of power and energy. Such joy!
Very few bands of any era can boast of such. WIRE is one. An amazing array and combination of sounds and words that evolve over the first three albums that can only be classified as 'GREAT'. Of all three albums, which I bought when they were first released, '154' is in my top 5 albums of all time. Knowing and loving the transition through all three WIRE albums, '154' came as the biggest surprise on first listening. It is a wonderous collaboration between four talented musicians who pushed all the boundaries to produce something so unique that it demanded unlimited listenings to try and work out all the nuances that made this so audio-addictive. The moods, the themes, the riffs, the sound effects, the singing.....the every part of it is wonderous and rare. Open your heart and your mind, play it at all different volumes and times, only then will you realise that it deserves a place in your collection."

THIS ' NUMBER ' SHOULD BE PLAYED ---

Kingreg459@aol | Denver | 11/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not without reason is this recording referred
to as 'Post-punk Floyd.'
And as such, headphones plus a well-tempered
E.Q. will reveal many clever audioscapes. WARNING: This is not Moby; if you want cutesy synth
pop, get a Casio. Responses welcome. I can't recommend this disk more urgently."

154 still matters in this day and age!

Mike | North Bergen, NJ | 04/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This has to be the first truly great Wire cd, certainly the best

one in their first incarnation. 154 is filled with all the nihilistic, murky, schizophrenic variety that made it their finest achievement. 154 takes a few steps further from Chairs Missing and makes no apologies for where it takes the listener.In a nutshell, 154 takes one to a dreamy, crazy place with many questions and no answers. A place of musical paranoia and lyrical madness. Right from the start, 154 lures the listener into a wonderous, surrealistic soundscape. Even if there are a few cuts that hark back to Pink Flag (On Returning, Two People In a Room) and Chairs(Mutual Friend), the rest is the next step in Wire's intriguing evolution. Maybe some would place "The 15th" and Single KO" as also Chairs-influenced, but I would say that those two are murkier, and less accessible than "Outdoor Miner".

With that said, the rest ventures into unprecedented instru-mentation and novel melodies. Frontman, Colin Newman, shines on "Indirect Inquiries" and "Forty Versions" as well as on "The 15th", my favorite by the way. The meshing of schizophrenic lyrics with twisted guitar licks, bass, and flexible drumming, speaks volumes. Right hand, Graham Lewis, steps forth and takes center on some cuts (Touching Display, Other Window). The album opener, "I Should've Known Better", begins with Lewis singing and not Newman, another indicator that things were really changing.

154 is rather hard to categorize, like the band itself, aside from declaring it post-punk. Basically, it is a surreal blend of Pink Floyd, The Clash, and The Cure. It is an integral piece in the post-punk catalogue. And amazingly, not surprisingly, the cd is still influential and referenced to this day.

"

(3.1 miles ESE of Melrose, Iowa)

Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 06/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a big fan of Wire ever since I heard their first album, PINK FLAG. Beginning (more or less) as a group of visual artists wanting to expand into music, embracing the (at the time adventurous) punk sensibility and approach to their new medium, Wire (Colin Newman, Bruce Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Robert Gotobed) have -- as true artists -- never been afraid to allow their art to develop. From album to album, the listener can easily hear the progression made by this group. As they became more and more competent on their chosen instruments, taking them (and all of their aspects and possibilities) into their hands as tools, much like an artist might work with different brushes or methods of applying paint, they have always been true to their own vision, never sacrificing it for the sake of commericial appeal.That being said, there are examples on almost every recording they've made of songs that 'could have been' hits. The most notable example on 154 is 'Map ref. 41N 93W' -- combining a truly 'catchy', hummable melody with intelligent (but not obscure) lyrics, in a 'radio-friendly' length, I think this song is one of the best singles ever released by a 'non-commercial' band. The wordplay in this song -- as in so many of their works -- is stunning.Most of the songs on 154 are short -- with the exception of 'A touching display', there's nothing here over 4'30". Each one is a mini-masterpiece, displaying many different styles of sound sculpting. The band plays most of the instruments themselves (coaxing some amazing sounds from the standard guitar/bass/drums format), with some synth added by Mike Thorne (their producer), and occasional contributions on voice, flute, viola and cor anglais from four other guests. None of the 'outside' instrumental additions compromise the 'group' effort of the band, however -- this is Wire's creation, from start to finish.The band's lyrics are always intelligent and literate -- as in the above-mentioned 'Map ref.', stimulating wordplay abounds, and images and emotions are brilliantly conveyed.I was listening to this cd in my car yesterday with my (nearly) 16 year-old daughter, whose tastes are of course more contemporarily oriented -- she was impressed with it. I think it's something that will continue to stand the test of time -- art is, after all, timeless. I would easily rank this among my 'top ten favorite rock albums of all time'."

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	Wire 154 Genres: Alternative Rock, Rock 1994 reissue of 1979 album includes five bonus tracks, 'Song 1', 'Get Down (parts 1 & 2), 'Let's Panic Later', 'Small Electric Piece' & 'Go Ahead'. 18 tracks.
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