Search - Wire :: Pink Flag / 154 / Chairs Missing

Spellbinding Band

daibhidh | Chicago, IL USA | 05/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Wire, and to have their first three (best) albums in one tidy package is a great bonus for folks who haven't heard them before. The range of musical styles they covered in this period (1977-79) is astounding, and STILL sounds cutting edge, all these years later.The debut "Pink Flag" took punk minimalism to the nth degree, way better than anybody else, and remains a definitive, awe-inspiring album. Each song is short, sweet, and to the point -- but what's neat is that there is so much in them that they leave you breathless, despite being so short. My personal favorite tunes "12 X U", "Pink Flag", and "Lowdown" all have lovely, gritty monochord riffs (they claimed their lack of know-how at the time led to this style of play; I love it!) This disc also contains a few bonus tracks at the end (as do all of the CDs in this set).The follow-up "Chairs Missing" (mislabeled in the Amazon listing as "Disc 3") is very different from the debut, with a more keyboard-based sound, and longer songs, and less punky cheekiness and more calculated, passive-aggressive musical malice. I love both cuts of "Outdoor Miner" (one is a bonus; a light and lovely tune), "Heartbeat" and the epic "Mercy" (which builds into a titanic wall of sound). There is a lot of tasty ear candy on this CD, in terms of great sounds, so wear it with headphones and enjoy the nifty mixes.The third album, "154" is even more different from the other two, much more produced, still broodier, with almost a science fiction feel to it. My personal favorites are "the 15th" (a magnificent alternapop tune that I've listened to over and over again), "A Touching Display" (longer still, creating a dense, threatening soundscape) "40 Versions" (cool, throbbing beat that makes me think of the old video game, "Berserk") and "Song I" (a perky Europop instrumental, a rhythm-soaked nod from the drummer, Robert Gotobed). The other bonus tracks on this CD are really creepy, sort of ambient music sound, very machine-driven.There is so much good stuff on these albums I can't do justice to it in this review. You are well-advised to pick this collection up; you will not regret it. It seems Wire got lost in the 1977 punk shuffle (as people went with more accessible bands), but perhaps that's because they were so hard to pigeonhole, soundwise, traversing from pure punk minimalism to heavily-produced alterna-artpop in a mere three albums. But they still mesmerize, impress, and amaze. Viva Wire!"

All of the Music from Wire's Most Creative Period.

Alan Koslowski | Seattle, WA | 12/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much like The Velvet Underground before them, few people ever heard Wire, but (to paraphrase what Brain Eno once said about the Velvets) virtually everyone who did went on to make a signficant musical contribution. This collection of Wire's first three albums is their best, most influential music.Wire was initially classified as "punk rock" by default because of their minimalist sound and song structure. Superficially, Wire's first album, Pink Flag (1977) sounds punk-ish. Wire tear through 22 songs in about 37 minutes. Not only are the songs brief, but Wire employs a very small number of musical tools (they were just learning to play their instruments). The similarities to Punk end here. Most punk bands intended to strip excess and pretense out of music and bring rock back to it's more simplistic roots. Though Wire also aimed for minimalism, they treated music as an art experiment. Even their song titles ("Field Day for the Sundays", "Three Girl Rhumba", "Mannequin") sound like minimalist paintings. With this approach, Wire a create pure, concentrated sound. Colin Newman's vocals and songwriting fit perfectly. Though he isn't always the most comprehensible or personal singer/songwriter, Newman writes clever, often comical lyrics, delivered with a wry wit. "Pink Flag" is a compelling listen from start to finish. Even the worst song, the slight, somewhat generic "Mr. Suit", is entertaining.Wire expand their sound on the subsequent release, Chairs Missing (1978). Sonically their approach is actually fairly similar to Pink Flag, but now Wire's palate has more color. A number of songs feature keyboards and other sonic effects courtesy of producer Mike Thorne. In this expanded soundscape, Wire stretch out and write longer, more mannered and detailed songs. More often than not, this works brilliantly. The lyrics and music are darker and even more obtuse, but Wire seldom slips into arty pretense. "I Am The Fly" is arguably the most clever, funniest song Wire ever produced. Newman sings in the first person(?), taking the perspective of a fly. About half way into the song, a treated guitar actually evokes the sound of a fly to hilarious effect. Occasionally, Wire do slip into redunancy ("Mercy" is about a minute too long) and self-indulgence ("Heartbeat" seems like filler), but these are infrequent exceptions on what is usually a superb album.At their best, Wire synthesize the elements of Pink Flag and Chairs Missing on 154 (1979). 154 features a much more dense, layered production than it's predecessors. The best songs on 154 are usually succinct as on "Pink Flag", but more lucid and elaborately produced. "The 15th" features an infectious melody and ambiguous, yet memorable lyrics. "On Returning" combines the concise songwriting of Pink Flag with the sonic effects of Chairs Missing, but the production is cleaner. "Map Ref. 41N, 93W" is gorgeous, featuring Wire's most beautiful melodies. Wire occassionaly slip into arty pretense. "The Other Window" has an egregiously overblown chorus that would make Keith Emerson cringe. The general tone of 154 is sombre and mostly humorless, making it a difficult album (Wire wasn't an easy band to begin with). The songwriting isn't consistently compelling, featuring only sparse glimpses of Newman's comical wit that was so copious on Pink Flag and Chairs Missing. Though only one or two songs are terrible, much of the songwriting is mediocre, rendering many songs unmemorable. Despite it's problems, 154 does contain several great moments and is an interesting listen, especially in context of Wire's evolution.After 154, Wire temporarily disbanded, citing a dearth of creative ideas. After several miscellaneous projects, the band members reunited in 1987, disbanding again in 1991. During this period, Wire focused almost exclusively on the sonic aspect of music, experimenting with electronics. Unfortunately, Wire focused so much on sound that they're songwriting suffered. Though Wire did create some interesting sounds, the absence of interesting songs renders most of the music forgettable. Though many 1990s techno artists were clearly influenced by these albums (Manscape, The First Letter, etc.), they're only of interest to die-hard Wire fans.What's is remarkable about Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 is how well these albums have aged. While many "punk" artists sound somewhat anachronistic today (The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Damned, etc.), Wire's first three albums still sound vital and invigorating (especially Pink Flag). Perhaps this is because Wire treated music an art experiment performed in a punk context (initially). Consequently, at their best, Wire was just as enjoyable as other punk artists, but with their cerebral approach, Wire created music that is more artistically viable and intelligent than most of their counterparts. Wire has been cited as a major influence by REM, Husker Du, The Cure, The Minutemen, Elastic (who were sued for plagiarizing Wire), and numerous hardcore acts, to name just a few. This collection contains all of Wire's music anyone but the most avid fan needs to hear.Note: Wire very infrequently re-group to perform live shows. They went on a succinct tour of the U.S. this year (2000) and reportedly recorded new material in Chicago."

Absolutely amazing from start to finish

B. Allen-Trick | Madison, Wisconsin, USA | 04/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i don't believe for a lover of post-punk music that there is a better box set out there. if you're hesitant and are new to wire, don't be, jump in and buy this box set. all of the essential early wire material is here, as well as a decent assortment of b-sides and alternate takes.
the debate still rages, which is the best album.
personally i think Pink Flag and Chairs Missing are tied for best but 154 is still very solid. what's so amazing is that although their sound changed dramatically throughout the 3 albums their approach did not.
A Question of Degree, Outdoor Miner, 3 Girl Rhumba, Reuters, I Am The Fly, Heartbeat, 12XU, Field Day for the Sundays-none of these songs i can live without in my collection and you shouldn't have to either.
this box set is an artifact and better than any other album or collection from that period chronicles the transformation from punk to post-punk and goth and makes those connections implicit.in short, if you don't buy this will you respect yourself tomorrow?"