the pure essence of an album

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I always wondered what B.Wilson made of "Pale and Precious". And then I found, in the Domenic Priore Book, someone played it to him and he thought 1) that they were trying to sound like Paul McCartney, and 2) not much.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:15 (nineteen years ago) link

Collideascope sounds more like Oasis than anything, but don't let that decide for you, I've had my go.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:16 (nineteen years ago) link

That's preceisely why I binned "Collideascope" and said it sounded like Oasis!!!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Dada, only one go per album please! :)

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:20 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh sorry! I'm new to this game...

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:21 (nineteen years ago) link

You won't see Jackie on this list...

1. Vanishing Girl (Red Curtain) - 2:30
2.
3.
4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You... (Johns) - 3:04
5. Collideascope (Johns) - 3:21
6.
7. Shiny Cage (Red Curtain) - 3:15
8.
9. The Affiliated (Red Curtain) - 2:17
10.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:30 (nineteen years ago) link

Notice how Colin Moulding's doing so much better than old clever clogs Andy Partridge?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:31 (nineteen years ago) link

1. Vanishing Girl (Red Curtain) - 2:30
2.
3.
4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You... (Johns) - 3:04
5. Collideascope (Johns) - 3:21
6.
7.
8.
9. The Affiliated (Red Curtain) - 2:17
10.

I only really like the music hall pastiches now, so goodbye Shiny Cage.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:33 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, that killed that one. You guys will have to do "galang" next or summat.

Hey, how come the 'winners' are up on the first thread message? Is this a backwards thread after all?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:00 (nineteen years ago) link

tom did the trick... it's gonna be the tracklist to an "Essence de ILM" compilation...

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Tom was being helpful. I like it!

OK, I'll pitch in:

1.
2.
3.
4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You... (Johns) - 3:04
5. Collideascope (Johns) - 3:21
6.
7.
8.
9. The Affiliated (Red Curtain) - 2:17
10.

Goodbye "Red Curtain."

― Eppy (Eppy), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:08 (nineteen years ago) link

ah right! Nice one.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:09 (nineteen years ago) link

1.
2.
3.
4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You... (Johns) - 3:04
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. The Affiliated (Red Curtain) - 2:17
10.

Collideascope should have been throw out earlier.

― zeus (zeus), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:23 (nineteen years ago) link

somebody take a second pick, and finish this one up!

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Albert Brown is the essence here.

1.
2.
3.
4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You... (Johns) - 3:04
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Next up, trim the fat off the album with less fat than any other. What is the essence of Wire's Pink Flag?
1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6. Start To Move
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10. Pink Flag
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15. Strange
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

― The King of Flop Threads, Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:54 (nineteen years ago) link

nice choice! im gonna wait a bit on this one...

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:58 (nineteen years ago) link

The first pick here can't but be arbitrary - but "Start To Move" does nothing other tracks on the record don't do better.

1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10. Pink Flag
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15. Strange
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:59 (nineteen years ago) link

Poisoned by R.E.M. and it do drag on a bit so goodbye "Strange":

1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10. Pink Flag
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

― Don King of the Mountain (noodle vague), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:00 (nineteen years ago) link

after this, maybe the next few SHOULD be non-rock albums, just to get some new interest. or whatever - maybe people should just fend for themselves. i know i love wire.

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I'll remove one of the sludgy tracks - "Pink Flag"

1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

Also, "Options R" was a bonus track on the CD reissue.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link

dammit - that was in my top 5, tim!

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:04 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybe just because it has the misfortune of coming after "106 Beats That," but meh to "Mr. Suit":

1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

― Eppy (Eppy), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I'll take of Reuters. I love it, but slow and heavy is not the essence of Pink Flag.

1.
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different To Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22. Options R

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:10 (nineteen years ago) link

22. Options R

as it was a tagged on b-side

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link

as far as i can tell, there's three favorites here, and two or three dark horses.

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Different To Me is one of the few weaker tracks.

― zeus (zeus), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:35 (nineteen years ago) link

"field day for the sundays" is only a means to an end, however awesome it may be.

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:52 (nineteen years ago) link

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU
22.

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:53 (nineteen years ago) link

after this, maybe the next few SHOULD be non-rock albums, just to get some new interest.

there's always that masterpiece of a Scarface album upthread that got orphaned

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I was kinda rooting for "Field Day for the Sundays."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:57 (nineteen years ago) link

tim - i know - as soon as i typed it, i felt like i disagreed with myself. there IS a strong element of "finished before it starts" to PF, and field day is a great/possibly-the-best example thereof. it just feels a little too meta to me to call it the essence of PF for those purposes.

but whats done is done. the essence will be more clear-cut, it seems.

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 17:11 (nineteen years ago) link

(thats the problem)/(thats whats fun) about doing this with my favorite albums; it feels like you really need to understand the album from a few angles, and my view of the essence of the album changes as i look more closely.

heisenberg!

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 17:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Hah, I was um, sorta daydreaming about doing this album. I need to get a life. I know. Thanks KoFT.

I'm killing Feeling Called Love. The straight ahead one-four-five thing, even if sarcastic (is it?) doesn't stand up to the freshness of the rest.

― Declan Zimmerman (Declan Zimmerman), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 18:45 (nineteen years ago) link

In my daydream I knew "Reuters" would go quickly, and was thinking where is the "Island of Lost Toys" as it were for songs non-essential to albums that are essential in and of themselves?

― Declan Zimmerman (Declan Zimmerman), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 18:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Goodbye Brazil. It doesn't do anything that the others don't. Champs must win, thx bye.

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7.
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19. Champs
20.
21. 12XU
22.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:00 (nineteen years ago) link

i dont even care about tipping my hand here; in my mind, these are the essential songs.

"reuters" - just because its not representative doesnt mean it isnt the essence. i mean, maybe its longer for a reason. and opening tracks get a little extra consideration in my mind.
"field day" - see an above post for my flipout regarding this one.
"three girl rhumba" - iconic - maybe the best and most memorable riff on an album full of riffs.
"ex lion tamer" - almost as good a riff as 3GR, and the clearest display of wire's polemics and the physical momentum of the playing.
"pink flag" - see "reuters" description - title tracks seem to deserve more attention for this, too.
"12XU" - vitriolic, riffy - probably the talking at the beginning makes this one the obvious choice AND the best choice.

just missing the cut are "it's so obvious" and "106 beats that."

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:08 (nineteen years ago) link

It would seem 12XU would be the favorite, but I hope it doesn't win. It's not nearly artsy enough to be the essence of this record.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:26 (nineteen years ago) link

it has the attitude and the sound of the band, though...

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:30 (nineteen years ago) link

I usually think of "The Commercial" as little more than an interlude.

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7. Brazil
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11.
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19. Champs
20.
21. 12XU
22.

― Ross Godfrey (scatter), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 21:03 (nineteen years ago) link

petesmith OTM! And, who says essence must be one song? The atom was the supposedly indivisible particle. Wrong.

But it's just a game. Hence:

It would seem 12XU would be the favorite, but I hope it doesn't win. It's not nearly artsy enough to be the essence of this record.

I've seen the 'popular' track win more times than not, and oh well, that really just ends up confirming for me that me 'n' the masses (even ILM masses?? is there such a thing?) never seem to agree (see my post on "Driving Me Backwards" up thread) but from what I've observed in a brief time here isn't disagreement the spice of ILM?

― Declan Zimmerman (Declan Zimmerman), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 21:13 (nineteen years ago) link

"Champs" is pretty cool but i'm gonna apply the oft-used "doesn't do anything that the don't" criticism.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 23:47 (nineteen years ago) link

whoops, I somehow snuck "Brazil" back in there with my post. The album should look like this right now:

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7.
8. It’s So Obvious
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11.
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19.
20.
21. 12XU
22.

― Ross Godfrey (scatter), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 23:50 (nineteen years ago) link

"It's So Obvious" = boring and short.

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7.
8.
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11.
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19.
20.
21. 12XU
22.

― sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 01:17 (nineteen years ago) link

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7.
8.
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11.
12. Straight Line
13.
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19.
20.
21. 12XU
22.

― casey (t. fiend), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 01:29 (nineteen years ago) link

(sorry if I slayed somebody's sacred cow. It was the only song I could in good conscience cut... this is a tough one. Even if we all know which one is gonna win.)

― casey (t. fiend), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 01:31 (nineteen years ago) link

it's nice to see some of my faves making the cut on this one, even if some of my faves have been slain.

― Declan Zimmerman (Declan Zimmerman), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 02:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Great as it is, "12XU" is too ramalama-play-dumb-punky to be the essence of Pink Flag. It's a useful pointer as to where Wire started (ie. down the Roxy Club) and as to what they had already moved away from - but at this stage, it has to go.

1.
2.
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6.
7.
8.
9. Surgeon’s Girl
10.
11.
12. Straight Line
13.
14.
15.
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 08:32 (nineteen years ago) link

While we're waiting for Pink Flag to get whittled down, let's poke a sharp stick at Dare :

1. The Things The Dreams Are Made Of
2. Open Your Heart
3. The Sound Of The Crowd
4. Darkness
5. Do Or Die
6. Get Carter
7. I Am The Law
8. Seconds
9. Love Action
10.

Get Carter is inessential, yet is a link back to those old HL/The Future instrumentals, which seems a shame to lose. So 'Don't You Want Me' takes the fall - it feels like a stand-alone single to me.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 08:39 (nineteen years ago) link

I am the law is too plodding, doesn't seem to match the pace of the record

1. The Things The Dreams Are Made Of
2. Open Your Heart
3. The Sound Of The Crowd
4. Darkness
5. Do Or Die
6. Get Carter
7.
8. Seconds
9. Love Action
10.

― Laney, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 08:51 (nineteen years ago) link

I love the intro, but not so much the rest of it, so I'll lose "Do Or Die".

1. The Things The Dreams Are Made Of
2. Open Your Heart
3. The Sound Of The Crowd
4. Darkness
5.
6. Get Carter
7.
8. Seconds
9. Love Action
10.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 09:04 (nineteen years ago) link

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