Wire - Best of the Post-punk bands ?

Colonel Kurtz

Have been listening to a lot of Wire's stuff recently, from the late 70's post-punk era. In particular, the albums Chairs Missing and Pink Flag.
It's mightily impressive stuff.

Anyone else familiar with this band ??

Lunar Junkie

Yeah, excellent band.. you should check out their 3rd album '154' too. The stuff they released in the 1980s is supposed to be quite good, with a different sound to their first 3 albums, but I haven't got around to checking it out yet. There's a DVD of them playing on the German TV show Rockpalast in 1979 which is fantastic (particularly if you like the 3rd album).

Colonel Kurtz

Cheers! I must try and locate that DVD. Sounds cool

I've heard they had a "comeback" album aswell a couple of years back - supposed to be excellent.

I'm amazed that I could be a big music fan for 20 odd years and never hear of this band until a couple of months ago - music like this just does'nt get enough airplay.
It makes me wonder how many other great bands from that era are going undiscovered to music fans today ?
It would be so much better to listen to music like this, than the R&B pollution that's clogging our airwaves these days!

JC 2K3

I bought a book over the weekend called "Rip It Up and Start Again - Postpunk 1978-1984" by Simon Reynolds. It's pretty good, I mainly bought it because it had a section on the bands from SST records from the Postpunk era, which I love. There seems to be loads on Wire in it, although I've never heard them, must check them out.

It's an amazing, but unknown era of music though.

DerekD Goldfish

Wire are great one of my favorite post punk bands though not quite my favorite(Gang of Four) post punk was a fantasitc period in music its a pitty most of its revivalits are so adverage

and I highly recomend that Simon Reynolds book

John

+1 for the Simon Reynolds book too

Wire are great but not my favourite post punk band (Einstuerzende Neubauten or Joy Division). First three albums are incredible, if you haven't got them try and get the old reissues in the jewel cases with the extra tracks, the new reissues aren't as good. Read & Burn is their newer sound (the live album/DVD The Scottish Play is worth getting too). The 80s stuff doesn't appeal to me that much, a couple of the 12"s are OK but not a patch on the first three albums and the more recent stuff.

Not as good but worth a mention are Colin Newman's new band Githead. Kind of like 80s Wire but I find them nicer to listen to.

Attractive Nun

Right, I'm going to make an effort to get into post-punk over the next couple of months. I often hear recommendations for so many of the above bands, and it's about time I started getting into them.

So, am I missing any major ones in the below list, as a starting-point?

Wire
Joy Division
The Fall
Einstuerzende Neubauten
Echo & The Bunnymen
Gang of Four

Lunar Junkie

There's an absolute ton of good music that falls into that category. I guess some people would call Television and Talking Heads post-punk, but you probably already know about them (if you don't, check them out!) For your initial investigations, to your list above I'd add:
The Chameleons
Magazine
The Durutti Column (they're not your typical post-punk sound, though)
Pere Ubu
Mission of Burma

If you really get into the genre there are more peripheral ones worth investigating too, like:
This Heat
The Raincoats
Crispy Ambulance
Modern English
Section 25
Essential Logic

Some of the New York 'No Wave' era groups overlap into this territory too, I'd recommend checking out a few, such as the Bush Tetras, Liquid Liquid, James Chance & The Contortions, Y Pants..

Attractive Nun

So much music...

I am indeed well acquainted with Talking Heads, though for some reason I've never listened to Television with much attention. I'll 'purchase' Marquee Moon now and then make some further headway into the rest of your, and this thread's, recommendations over the coming weeks.

Cheers!

John

Buy the book Rip it up and start again by Simon Reynolds and buy albums by the bands that sound interesting. Or buy a couple of those Rough Trade compilations (the post punk one obviously but the electronic one has some good stuff on it too).

Badly Drunk Boy

Lunar Junkie wrote:

Pere Ubu

My 'The Modern Dance' is missing in action. I have the case, but the CD is gone. It's not as if anyone would rob it. Unless they wanted to go on a Sentimental Journey...

Didn't The Cure rip off Wire for one of their biggest hits? (My head is in bits at the moment. I'll remember later...)

roundcrisis

pink flag by wire its a really amaizing album, I hear off them because some bands where making covers in a compilation called whore. it was at least 7 years ago, and Lush did a particularly nice one.
I think this is the way to make people in their 20s to listen to previous bands, I mean when someone thye know and like cover it.
I Imagine in 20 years some bands will be covering BRMC hehehe that should be fun.

nlgbbbblth

Wire are amazing. Finally got to see them live in 2000. HQ.

Favourite LP is their fourth - Document and Eyewitness (1980).

Then 154.

Their second coming in 1987 was pretty thrilling too. It was hearing tracks from The Ideal Copy on Peel that got me into them - then I worked backwards.

ThousandLeaves

Yes, oh yes.

They never were that well known but they did influence a fair few, as is usually the case. Kind of prefer them to Gang of Four, little more interesting musically, less funky (suppose that can be a plus or a minus depending).

Of all the ones mentioned The Fall would have to be the clear winner. Can't be beat.

Colonel Kurtz

Lunar Junkie wrote:

There's an absolute ton of good music that falls into that category. I guess some people would call Television and Talking Heads post-punk, but you probably already know about them (if you don't, check them out!) For your initial investigations, to your list above I'd add:
The Chameleons
Magazine
The Durutti Column (they're not your typical post-punk sound, though)
Pere Ubu
Mission of Burma

If you really get into the genre there are more peripheral ones worth investigating too, like:
This Heat
The Raincoats
Crispy Ambulance
Modern English
Section 25
Essential Logic

Some of the New York 'No Wave' era groups overlap into this territory too, I'd recommend checking out a few, such as the Bush Tetras, Liquid Liquid, James Chance & The Contortions, Y Pants..

And let's not forget about PIL, XTC, and The Associates - although none of these are as good as Wire

noby

Re: the Simon Reynolds book, which is excellent. There was talk of a compilation to accompany the book being released this year. Not sure if it ever was.

John

The compilation is out ages and it's fairly crap. The Rough Trade Post Punk 2CD is much better.

Lunar Junkie

Colonel Kurtz wrote:

And let's not forget about PIL, XTC, and The Associates - although none of these are as good as Wire

Gah - yeah, dunno how I forgot about PIL and XTC - put those on the list too, Attractive Nun! .. I've never heard The Associates though.

DerekD Goldfish

Lunar Junkie wrote:

Gah - yeah, dunno how I forgot about PIL and XTC - put those on the list too, Attractive Nun! .. I've never heard The Associates though.

First 2 Associates albums are great cack after that though
I highly recomend "Sulk" altough some people my be put of by the camp camp vocals

ive been looking for some Attractive nun for ages where could I find some

funktastic

Cabaret Voltaire, I've got 'Red Mecca' and 'The Original Sound of Sheffield '78-'82' which are both good.

Suicide are also good.

As far as I can remember Reynold's book goes on about Swell Maps a lot. I went out and bought 'Jane from Occupied Europe' which was highly recommended, but I found it to be total ****e! Also saying that I've always found the more highly regarded 'Second Edition' by PIL to be way below their debut.

DerekD Goldfish

Cabaret Voltaire, I've got 'Red Mecca' and 'The Original Sound of Sheffield '78-'82' which are both good.

Get "2x45" cracking record

I've always found the more highly regarded 'Second Edition' by PIL to be way below their debut.

Have to disagree with you there I love it recently got the metal box reissue from 4 beards done with origonalesque packaging

The Slits are by far and away the most overated post-punk band

Amorphous Head

i prefer "The Fall" out of all the post-punk bands then Joy Division

bullpost

I'd also recommend you checkout John Cooper clarke's "Snap, Crackle and Bop" album from this period.