Disco de Wire: “Pink Flag/Chairs Missing/154”

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.

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?

best three records by any late 70's/early 80's band. gang of four/slf/clash/x/heads, maybe ramones, but nobody else came close. these lp's represent 2+ years of london at it's most divided, police and thieves, punks, goths, new wave, whatever. just an incredible source of creativity. wire rank among the best at finding a sound and staying with it...like the damned... and gof. still sounds relevent today.