― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:26 (twenty years ago) link
― Keith Watson (kmw), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:29 (twenty years ago) link
― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:34 (twenty years ago) link
...almost as good as Dome 1
― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:42 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:43 (twenty years ago) link
― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago) link
I was glad to see Commercial Suicide get a reissue last year, it's been out of print for too long.
Scott, I agree the follow up to CS ("It Seems") wasn't as strong, but the single "Better Later Then Never" is one of my favorite Newman tracks.
I really like the techno/ambient stuff that he released on his Swim label in the 90s, even if it doesn't really sound like Wire at all.
― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 24 January 2004 16:29 (twenty years ago) link
I've had this album for ages and it just keeps getting better. The first time I heard it I found it impenetrable aside from a few cuts, then as time passed and I heard different sounds, "A-Z" began to open up and became wonderfully dark, brittle, exhilerating and fun. Today it sounds absolutely perfect.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 20 December 2010 20:41 (thirteen years ago) link
I love this one, and I love 'Not To' as well. Haven't heard any of the other solo ones though. What's good?
A-Z (1980)Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish (1981)Not To (1982)Commercial Suicide (1986)It Seems (1988)Bastard (1997)
― O Permaban (NickB), Monday, 20 December 2010 20:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Commercial Suicide is great!
― Pottery Owls (MaresNest), Monday, 20 December 2010 21:50 (thirteen years ago) link
"Singing Fish" is almost ambient instrumentals, nice but not critical. "Not To", which is paired with Fish on a single CD if you can find it, is great and a logical continuation of "A-Z", more off-kilter and even less accessible for the most part. "Commercial Suicide" and "It Seems" are like synth-chamber music with Colin's wonderful baritone and Malka on occasional backing vocals - decidedly different stuff in his catalog, a bit dated but great tunes.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 20 December 2010 22:14 (thirteen years ago) link
I can't remember what the good ones off Fish are called because they're all just numbered, but yeah they're pretty and good for a certain mood but not urgent. "Remove for Improvement" off Not To is dope, pretty and sad and a total fucking earworm, and my two favourite ones off It Seems are "Quite Unprepared" (just like mad nice chilled out synth-hippie shit) and "Round and Round".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvy7KAbpfFo
― Sgt's Laughter (Sgt. Biscuits), Monday, 20 December 2010 22:27 (thirteen years ago) link
"Fish / Not To" was one of the first CDs I bought, it has a pristine and autumnal appeal for me. "A-Z" is more abrasive - not a "mood" record.
― Hexum Enduction Hour (u s steel), Monday, 20 December 2010 22:42 (thirteen years ago) link
I like "Life On Deck" as much as any Wire song- seamless mix of teh weirdly pretty with the very awkward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP_prz8aPKQ
― bendy, Monday, 20 December 2010 23:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Beautiful song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMRRk100TBU&playnext=1&list=PL797AE62E4274874D&index=3
― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 00:27 (thirteen years ago) link
don't forget about those Githead records, too.
― nerve_pylon, Tuesday, 21 December 2010 00:29 (thirteen years ago) link
A-Z was to be the fourth Wire album. If you check the liner notes, everyone is on it except for (I think) Lewis.
― The Jolly Roget's Thesaurus (S-), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 01:40 (thirteen years ago) link
A-Z >>>>>>>> 154
― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 01:48 (thirteen years ago) link
How did this album pass me by all these years??! So far the brightest silver lining of the last 3+ weeks of quarantine. "Order for Order" popped up on youtube autoplay yesterday and I thought it was some lost Kas Product song at first. Just a phenomenally inspired album.
― Fetchboy, Saturday, 4 April 2020 03:20 (three years ago) link
Wire got a bit... diffuse at the end of their initial run. While I like Dome, it's always been mostly about Newman for me, so 'A-Z' is the long-lost Wire album (the others around the time like 'Not To' are also very good).
Make sure you don't miss 'Commercial Suicide,' from '86. Very different but possibly even better.
― Soundslike, Saturday, 4 April 2020 03:33 (three years ago) link
They reissued his first 3 solo LPs in 2016 with a plethora of bonus tracks and demos, thanks for the reminder - I haven't listened to that new material since they came out.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 4 April 2020 04:20 (three years ago) link
thanks for the reminder
Don't bring them though.
― Bridge Over Thorley Waters (Tom D.), Saturday, 4 April 2020 09:41 (three years ago) link
― Soundslike, Friday, April 3, 2020 11:33 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
cosign
― Paul Ponzi, Saturday, 4 April 2020 11:47 (three years ago) link