(Guest columnist Paul Kaufman picks his favorite late ’70s LP as part of the ongoing series originated by Wallflowers frontman David Rinck.)
Best album from 1977? There’s a lot of competition. Of course, a lot of press covered the Sex Pistols’ “Never Mind the Bollocks” and the first Clash album; deservedly so.
But if I had to choose just one from that year to take to a desert isle, it would be “Pink Flag” by Wire. This primitive collection of 20 very short songs (some under 1 minute) dramatically threw down the aesthetic gauntlet back then: all you boring, epic-writing, guitar soloing prog rockers are now obsolete. Without the overt political slogans of the time, they were nevertheless revolutionary in their sound and approach. Spare three chord music; spare imagery:
If you had a room, he’d paint it white.
Avoids the day, prefers night.
Build slight.
A remarkable thing about Wire is that they refused to get comfortable in the new terrain the
y established. The second album, 1978’s “Chairs Missing” is significantly different from the first. Instruments are tuned, and clean production replaces garage spontaneity. Instead of straight, uptempo rock, some numbers are slow, atmospheric, and even creepy.
Versatility also appears: this collection contains one of the finest melodic pop songs ever, “Outdoor Miner” (props to Bart Mendoza for turning me onto this back in the day). The tune is sweet, the lyrics are clever and playful. I only wish I could write like this!
No blind spots
In the leopard’s eye
Can only help to jeopardize
The live of lambs
The shepherd cries
In 1979, they released a third album, “154”. I feel this is less distinguished than the first two. At this point they were becoming more experimental, with mixed results, although “Blessed State” is a great track here. They broke up after this to pursue solo endeavors. A number of reformations occurred over the years, with heavy dabbling in electronics on some records, quirky pop on others (“A Bell is a Cup Until it is Struck”), but for me their first two LPs were the most impressive.
— Paul Kaufman
More “This We Dug”!
Saw the re-united Wire at some place in LA when they toured for their Ideal Copy tour. They had an opening act that played both Pink Flag and Chairs Missing in order, without stopping. Wire came on and played nothing but new material and skipped 154 completely, which saddened me ’cause that’s always been my favorite. Sucker for the experimental, I guess.
Saw the re-united Wire at some place in LA when they toured for their Ideal Copy tour. They had an opening act that played both Pink Flag and Chairs Missing in order, without stopping. Wire came on and played nothing but new material and skipped 154 completely, which saddened me ’cause that’s always been my favorite. Sucker for the experimental, I guess.
Ex-Lion Tamer was their name and they were awesome.
They didn’t speak at all --except to say “Side Two” after the song “Pink Flag”--and paced the songs to the millisecond.
Wire was excellent and a welcome comeback.
Give 154 another shot. It rules.
Ex-Lion Tamer was their name and they were awesome.
They didn’t speak at all --except to say “Side Two” after the song “Pink Flag”--and paced the songs to the millisecond.
Wire was excellent and a welcome comeback.
Give 154 another shot. It rules.
this is what I love about this blog, the random connections that come up -- Ex-Lion Tamer included Mick (London) Hale of Mod Fun and Crockodile Shop…
this is what I love about this blog, the random connections that come up -- Ex-Lion Tamer included Mick (London) Hale of Mod Fun and Crockodile Shop…
Can Simon please say something about large, cartilaginous fish being vaulted by Wire? I would love a guest appearance by the band.
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
Can Simon please say something about large, cartilaginous fish being vaulted by Wire? I would love a guest appearance by the band.
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
I never got Wire. I don’t think I’ve listened to them enough to have ever given them a fair hearing. In other words--and in the interest of conjuring the lads--they started off on the wrong side of the shark.
Alas, though, my powers of conjuration seem pretty limited. The Joey trick was impressive, but my subsequent efforts haven’t even produced a Pete Best…
I never got Wire. I don’t think I’ve listened to them enough to have ever given them a fair hearing. In other words--and in the interest of conjuring the lads--they started off on the wrong side of the shark.
Alas, though, my powers of conjuration seem pretty limited. The Joey trick was impressive, but my subsequent efforts haven’t even produced a Pete Best…
Wrong side of the shark? So they started off by jumping the shark?
So they started off with the Fonz as a teacher wearing a tweed jacket with suede elbo patches and then worked there way back words to the fonz wearing a leather jacket and hanging around a mens room?
I never really listen to WIRE but when I get a chance I am going to pick up Pink Flag, I never really got into The Fall either until about a year ago, and I am now a fan, so…….
Wrong side of the shark? So they started off by jumping the shark?
So they started off with the Fonz as a teacher wearing a tweed jacket with suede elbo patches and then worked there way back words to the fonz wearing a leather jacket and hanging around a mens room?
I never really listen to WIRE but when I get a chance I am going to pick up Pink Flag, I never really got into The Fall either until about a year ago, and I am now a fan, so…….
Don’t question me, Dylan. There is only one shark, and I am he.
I’ve had Pink Flag on my to-get-to list for like 30 years… One day!
Thanks for invoking Fonzie’s evolving wardrobe. If I remember correctly, the leather jacket itself didn’t appear until the second season. In the first, he--and did we really accept him as a midwestern Italian American?--wore a windbreaker so as not to appear too juvenile-delinquenty. Different times, eh? I guess that jacket was taken away by Chuck, the oldest Cunningham boy, who disappeared after season 1 WITHOUT EXPLANATION. What are you hiding, Mr. C?
Don’t question me, Dylan. There is only one shark, and I am he.
I’ve had Pink Flag on my to-get-to list for like 30 years… One day!
Thanks for invoking Fonzie’s evolving wardrobe. If I remember correctly, the leather jacket itself didn’t appear until the second season. In the first, he--and did we really accept him as a midwestern Italian American?--wore a windbreaker so as not to appear too juvenile-delinquenty. Different times, eh? I guess that jacket was taken away by Chuck, the oldest Cunningham boy, who disappeared after season 1 WITHOUT EXPLANATION. What are you hiding, Mr. C?
Hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy coooooooool it!
Sorry Simon, I mean Shark, it will never happen again:-0
Yeah the Fonz wore a grey london fog style jacket in the first season.
Hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy coooooooool it!
Sorry Simon, I mean Shark, it will never happen again:-0
Yeah the Fonz wore a grey london fog style jacket in the first season.
Dylan, correctamundo on the jacket. It was actually a pretty cool look for him, though chronologically I would have thought the leather to be first, then the toned-down tan or grey jacket. I liked him better when he didn’t speak much (1st season).
As for Wire, I ended up following them past 154 to the supremely underrated Document and Eyewitness (great songs, bad recording, more punk rock and freaky insane shit), waiting the interminable 5 years to the reformation stuff, until Bell Is A Cup lead to even worse bland crap. And yet, by comparison, even Manscape is better than so much being made at the time.
Their solo stuff, on the other hand, other than one or two Colin Newman albums?…Garbage.
Maybe I’ll do a This We Dug on how and why everyone must know the ouevre of The Fall, even the newer stuff.
Been into them since everyone I know turned me onto them at the exact same time in 1983.
Dylan, correctamundo on the jacket. It was actually a pretty cool look for him, though chronologically I would have thought the leather to be first, then the toned-down tan or grey jacket. I liked him better when he didn’t speak much (1st season).
As for Wire, I ended up following them past 154 to the supremely underrated Document and Eyewitness (great songs, bad recording, more punk rock and freaky insane shit), waiting the interminable 5 years to the reformation stuff, until Bell Is A Cup lead to even worse bland crap. And yet, by comparison, even Manscape is better than so much being made at the time.
Their solo stuff, on the other hand, other than one or two Colin Newman albums?…Garbage.
Maybe I’ll do a This We Dug on how and why everyone must know the ouevre of The Fall, even the newer stuff.
Been into them since everyone I know turned me onto them at the exact same time in 1983.
Reuters!
I saw Wire at the Casbah in 2002 and was blown away by what an energetically tight set they played.
Pink Flag is up there with Killing Joke’s debut for great first albums I never tire of.
Reuters!
I saw Wire at the Casbah in 2002 and was blown away by what an energetically tight set they played.
Pink Flag is up there with Killing Joke’s debut for great first albums I never tire of.
Wire’s “Chairs Missing” is without question one of my favorite albums. The songs on the record cover a wide range of styles from the eerie, “Marooned” and “Used To”, contrasted with the grinding sound of “Sand In My Joints” and “Too Late”. The minimalist album cover art is quite appealing, quite!
Wire’s “Chairs Missing” is without question one of my favorite albums. The songs on the record cover a wide range of styles from the eerie, “Marooned” and “Used To”, contrasted with the grinding sound of “Sand In My Joints” and “Too Late”. The minimalist album cover art is quite appealing, quite!