Okay, Wire megapost time.
Wire are one of my favourite artists, and while a lot of people are peripherally aware of their influence on modern music, they're often forgotten. Wire are one of the key early figures of post-punk, and music journalists love to refer to them as "the British Velvet Underground" due to both bands being immeasurably influential but not commercially successful. Wire were a critical influence on artists as varied as Joy Division, Minor Threat, REM and Guided by Voices and that's barely scratching the surface. But the purpose of this post isn't to ramble about who Wire are, but rather to introduce you to their discography.
Let's begin at the start (or start at the beginning!), with the first three albums - the only three produced with the "unofficial fifth member," producer Mike Thorne, and easily the strongest three records in their discograph.
Pink Flag (1977)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?otymtwmeatzThe Wire album that most people have already heard, or at least heard of. 21 songs of punk energy combined with art-rock sensibilities in around half an hour. Wire abandon punk's reliance on traditional verse-chorus nonsense and craft minimalist songs that end when they run out of words. A simply amazing album that remains one of my personal favourites. This download includes two singles ("Dot Dash" and "Options R") that were released shortly after the album as tracks 22 and 23 - I strongly recommend listening to the album without these two tracks, as while both tracks are fine, the album as a whole is much more successful without them.
Chairs Missing (1978)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ymjzytzyd4mDefinitely not a Pink Flag Mk II, Chairs Missing marks the beginning of Wire's flirtation with electronic music. Songs both sound like and go for as long as more traditional pop songs here, and keyboards enter the mix. But the sound remains fresh and powerful, and the music sounds modern even after over three decades have passed. "Outdoor Miner," one of my personal favourite tracks from the album, is a sublime pop song about a bug that burrows through leaves. It could have actually broken Wire as a commercial band if EMI's attempt to rig chart position hadn't forced their appearance on Top of the Pops to be cancelled. If you enjoy the track, hunt down the extended single mix (I prefer the shorter album version, but it's worth a comparison).
154 (1979)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?yjgykcntjjqA continued electronic and experimental slant is evident in 154, possibly due to Brian Eno influences (an art-school acquaintance of a couple band members). The album itself is not as much an unqualified success as Chairs Missing or Pink Flag, but is nonetheless an excellent album. Increased influence on texture and atmosphere don't compromise the band's ability to write great, simple songs.
After 154 and some confrontational live shows of mixed success, Wire had an extended hiatus (or broke up and got back together, depending on who you talk to). Shortly afterwards, Colin Newman, the lead singer, put out a solo album with the assistance of Wire drummer Robert Gotobed. His debut album is included as it expands upon the sonic blueprint of "Two People In A Room" from 154 and definitely feels like a part of the Wire discography. Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert also released some more experimental work under a few names (notably Dome) but you can hunt this down yourselves
Colin Newman - A-Z (1980)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?azwy3nvktwyNewman also put out albums in '81 and '82 (one of them an instrumental record) that I haven't listened to myself.
Wire reformed in the mid-eighties when electronic music had well and truly been embraced by the mainstream, and embraced a dancier sound with a stronger emphasis on the electronic elements seeping into their '70s work. Gotobed was largely sidelined as the band incorporated a drum machine into their work. Graham Lewis takes on the role of lead vocalist in a good number of tracks across their late-'80s work, and the records don't, by and large, stand up quite as well as their first three records. Partly I think this is due to the nature of technology at the time - Wire's goal was to create dense, textural (pop) music and either their proficiency with the technology at hand or their access to said technology did not always meet these goals.
The Ideal Copy (1987) (plus Snakedrill EP and live tracks)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?wndnf1mgjmzAn interesting effort, not on par with the first three albums but certainly worth a listen nonetheless. I feel some of the album tracks can be a little dry, with too much emphasis on texture and not enough on the songs themselves. However the Snakedrill EP (tracks 9 to 12) is more successful, combining the electronic sound with genuine energy and quality songwriting that evokes their '70s work. Notable for being a reunion work that makes a significant effort to push towards the future rather than resting on past laurels - though, given Wire's sound changing significantly on every album thus far, this is hardly a surprise.
A Bell Is A Cup... Until It Is Struck (1987)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?znon3fnjtnzReleased shortly after The Ideal Copy, A Bell Is A Cup... shows a more confident Wire, with substantially more success in adapting their new sounds to strong songs. The record is perhaps the most "poppy" of their releases, but is undeniably the highlight of their late '80s work. This version of the album contains 4 bonus tracks, as per the CD release.
It's Beginning to and Back Again (1989)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?d13mrahti2yNot strictly a studio album, this record is created through the remixing of live Wire recordings, to the point where they don't necessarily reflect the original live recordings. I'm still undecided on my feelings towards this album, but it's included for the sake of completeness.
Manscape (1990)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?itwizynzmfzSignficant internal band tension, particularly from Gotobed, whose role was becoming near non-existent, leaves this as probably the least successful Wire album. Shortly after this album, Gotobed left the band, and they released another album, "The First Letter," going by WIR (removing a letter to signify Gotobed's departure). Unfortunately I don't have this album so it hasn't been included in this post. I've listened to it before and I don't recall it being amazing, though.
Wire (or WIR) went on an extended hiatus again, before reforming a decade or so down the track, starting off with the impressive Read & Burn project.
Read & Burn 01 (2002)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?mekywjnmedy
Read & Burn 02 (2002)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?udg5ymeizizReleased within the same year, the Read & Burn EPs show a Wire back in full form. The electronic experimentation of the late-eighties is largely abandoned for a triumphant return to guitars and drums - the sound is certainly not an attempt to recapture Pink Flag though, with an impressive guitar sound courtesy of producer...Colin Newman, who's dabbled extensively in the studio across the previous decades. Each EP has its own distinct sound, and both come highly recommended.
These EPs were then collected, with some new tracks, on an equally impressive LP:
Send (2003)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?a4m2oncttfnWire took a break for a while, then reappeared with two more new releases, again with each capturing a distinct modern sound. Straight forward, clean and minimalistic rock remains the focus:
Read & Burn 03 (2007)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?wonfuzimjwgAnother Read & Burn project - quieter and more pop-focused than the previous two, but still effective.
Object 47 (2008)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?in42djwkmjiJust as "154" was named for the number of live shows the bands had played at that date, Object 47 recognises the 47th physical release of Wire (including singles, live records, etc). Both this album and Read & Burn 03 come highly recommended.
Finally, a couple of curios that you might want to investigate if you enjoyed the albums and EPs (or if you're already a Wire fan and don't have these...):
Twelve Times You (2000)http://www.mediaf!re.com/?yqknygzzmnyA couple interpretations of Wire's most enduring song, "12XU."
I was also going to include "The Drill" from 1991, an album full of remixes/different interpretations of the one track, but unfortunately my version is too high quality to easily mediafire. If anyone is desperate for a copy, let me know via PM and I'll try to work something out.
