TS: XTC v. Wire

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Has this been done? Listening just now to Drums & Wires has me thinking. The first three Wire records are as good if not better than any of XTC's albums (and anyone else's, really), and Send is an inspiring return to form, but XTC just has more good albums than Wire. Am I wrong?

― panic office, Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

donut ferry not to thread (since attempting to answer this will cause him to go schizo, and his body to split in agony).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

Wire by a million miles, just for those first three records (even though parts of each of their many "returns to form" are good.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

That's a really tough question.

Yes, XTC has more good albums, but I'd hesitate to say that any of their albums were better than the Mach 1 Wire's triumvirate of perfection.

English Settlement and Skylarking are nipping at the heels though.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

...a really tough question, the only way I can answer is by asking myself which I'd be able to do without, if I really had to, and that's Wire, so XTC is my choice.

― mzui (mzui), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

Wire. I'd even take their 80s stuff over XTC's 80s output.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

XTC. quantity of quality.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 18 August 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

wire by a bajillion.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

Wire Wire Wire. (Tho I just started listening to the Dukes of Stratosphear for the first time and I'm really enjoying it.)

― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

Oooh....toughie. I love Wire, but in this bout my heart belongs to XTC.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

That said, XTC were never quite as aloof and scary like Wire. XTC seemed a bit more accesible and had more of sense of humor. By comparison, Wire just seem abstract and austere (this is not a critiscism is the slightest).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

Wow. I've always absolutely loved XTC and think they're brilliant.

Maybe I should hear a Wire song for once........

― PB, Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

XTC by a long shot. I don't think Wire is very good at all.

― -vest, Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

I like Pink Flag, some of Chairs Missing, sold back 154. I have fond memories of the "ear suit" from "A Bell is a Cup" era Wire... but XTC has so much more that I regularly go back to and such a wider breadth of material, career-span-wise...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:26 (twenty years ago)

Wire wire wire. Even though 154 and chairs missing are brilliant, it's life without pink flag i can't imagine.

― ahm, Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

A good question! I love a lot more Wire than XTC, but both made terrible, uninteresting albums, so it's a draw.

(I do prefer Wire's rhythm section, which didn't try as hard to work up a sweat as XTC did).

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

An even better question:

TS: 154 vs The Big Express

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

"(I do prefer Wire's rhythm section, which didn't try as hard to work up a sweat as XTC did)."

LinnDrum's don't sweat.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 18 August 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

True. I meant Drums & Wires-era XTC.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

Wire. Same kind of test, deciding what I could live without. And as much as I like XTC, I listen to Wire a helluva lot more.
And I like watchin' them new DVDs.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

wire by a long shot, but if for nothing else for the the song three girl rhumba. XTCs drama pop get to me after a while, though the song "dear god" is one that suckers me time and time again.

― buyabiznatch, Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:22 (twenty years ago)

Those new DVDs are great. The impassivity of the German audience in the earlier one astonishes me; watching it on TV, I'm blown away, and there they are, just sitting there, politely applauding. Watching the newer one makes me feel like a sucker for missing that tour.

XTC still, though.

― panic office, Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

DVD(s)? Am I missing something? I got the German one, what else is out there? Silly question by the way. Wire will go to the grave with me, not that XTC were bad.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

There's a new one from Wire's most recent tour. I think it's a show in Scotland but I'm not sure.
That was what I enjoyed most about the first DVD: Wire playing this incredible set juxtaposed against a perplexed (and rather unenthusiastic) audience.
I found that really funny.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 18 August 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

i love me so Wire, and i'd say they probably have more solid albums than xtc, but xtc has more songs that i've connected with on a personal level

― ken taylrr has gone off the internet because of you (ken taylrr), Thursday, 18 August 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Tough one.

XTC have written more great songs but they've never released an album as consistently brilliant as Pink Flag.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 18 August 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

Wire is probably my favorite band (or close to it, anyhow). XTC's all right, but they never really connected with me.

― latebloomer's rectal mocha latte (latebloomer), Thursday, 18 August 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

XTC seemed a bit more accesible and had more of sense of humor.

I always thought Wire had a great sense of humor ("...that striped toothpaste can't remove on Monday morning.")

XTC has brought me much joy, but it's Wire I can return to again and again.

Possible exception: "Complicated Game"

― Declan Zimmerman, Thursday, 18 August 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

xtrc = wire for WEEDS

um, in a bad way

― etc, Friday, 19 August 2005 07:28 (twenty years ago)

Hummm. I love Wire, too, but XTC wins for "Summer's Cauldron/Grass" and Wire loses for "Fly in the Ointment" which fucking sucks. Although, for me, music rarely gets better than "Reuters"..

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:23 (twenty years ago)

Why are we comparing them at all? What exactly do they have in common?

― Diddyismus (Dada), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:24 (twenty years ago)

they both influenced maximo park? that's the only thing i can think of

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:24 (twenty years ago)

"Fly in the Ointment" sucks?

you've lost me now.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:25 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't know about that but I certainly can't see much else they have in common (xpost)

― Diddyismus (Dada), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:26 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.mouseinfo.com/disneylandresort/disneyland/fantasyland/attractions/iasw/photos/DSC03254.jpg
"I am the fly, I am the fly, fly in the, fly in the.."

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:37 (twenty years ago)

"What exactly do they have in common?"

Both have names that begin with letters that appear very late in the standard alphabet.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

Both have very short names.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

Both included a member with the name Colin.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

Both released their first single in 1977.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

I like them both.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

Both have released a record that includes the number "2" in the title.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:49 (twenty years ago)

OK, I give up.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 08:50 (twenty years ago)

I think you've just about covered it. Except, one more thing, Colin Newman's from Wiltshire!

― Diddyismus (Dada), Friday, 19 August 2005 09:02 (twenty years ago)

wow!

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 19 August 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

And both get described as "angular" a lot. I find XTC much harder on the ears in this respect, though, as much as I like them.

― Deluxe (Damian), Friday, 19 August 2005 10:30 (twenty years ago)

XTC were only really angular and "new-wavey" for a short while, then they started getting into "proper" Geir Hongro-style songwriting and stuff - Wire have never done anything like that.

― Diddyismus (Dada), Friday, 19 August 2005 10:33 (twenty years ago)

"A Question Of Degree"?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 19 August 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)

Some of Wire's best stuff is when they are being a pop band though, even if a rather odd pop band.

― Deluxe (Damian), Friday, 19 August 2005 10:40 (twenty years ago)

XPOST - If you'd said "Map Ref" i might have agreed with you! But XTC are coming out of a McCartney/ Brian Wilson thang (not all the time of course) and Wire are more kind of Eno thang... I suppose. Lots of impressive songwriterly chords in XTC songs, lots of straightforward chords in Wire songs (albeit put together in a not very straightforward way). If Geir were here, he'd put us all straight on the matter

― Diddyismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Friday, 19 August 2005 10:44 (twenty years ago)

"Geir Hongro-style songwriting"

I'm waiting for the day some band says they are "Hongro Pop".

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Friday, 19 August 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 11 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

WTC!

Xire!

KC & The Sunshine Band!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH!

― donut floccinaucinihilipilification (donut), Friday, 19 August 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

there's not enough love for eighties wire. "a bell is a cup" is a fantastic album. but hell, not even the band agree with me on this.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 19 August 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

You all are selling 154 awfully short. That's my favorite by far.

― Fastnbulbous, Friday, 19 August 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

there's not enough love for eighties wire. "a bell is a cup" is a fantastic album. but hell, not even the band agree with me on this.
-- grimly fiendish (simonmai...), August 19th, 2005.

I listen to The A List about a hundred times more than 154. It's much better song for song.

No one has said it so I guess I will: both bands have recorded quite a lot of crap.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 19 August 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

Wire. Wire. Wire.

Though I loves me a bit of Black Sea.

― Kent Burt (lingereffect), Saturday, 20 August 2005 08:42 (twenty years ago)

XTC easily.

― Rockist_Scientist (hair by Joelle) (RSLaRue), Saturday, 20 August 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)

It's absolutely NOT RIGHT that anyone would ask me to choose between these two bands. CANNOT BE DONE.

― The Spiderwebbed Wilderness (Bimble...), Monday, 22 August 2005 04:56 (twenty years ago)

The impassivity of the German audience in the earlier one astonishes me; watching it on TV, I'm blown away, and there they are, just sitting there, politely applauding.

This is of course an anachronistic way of looking at that Wire show. Of course if today's music connoisseurs were time-bussed into that concert they would be freaking. But part of Wire's greatness is that they were pioneering a new musical language, taking risks, going to some very odd places, with no guarantee of applause. They were not, at that time, canonical. This is what makes them great, a certain "fuck you" art autism. It's also what makes today's bands who "sound a bit like Wire" ungreat, and makes those of us who celebrate Wire today, almost thirty years on, as sheeplike in our way as the cheesecloth-and-denim audience at the Rockpalast show in 1979, and our applause as programmatic as their lack of it.

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 22 August 2005 05:56 (twenty years ago)

Arr, the usual band on as far as Rockpalastwas concerned, at the time, was the likes of the Edgar Broughton band. No other bands approximating punk were booked.

Sheeplike? Well, I haven't seen any of the other shows that Rockpalast did, but my guess is that the intimate theatre/studio setting (in Germany) was more conducive to 'appreciative applause', and the two finger 'rock out dudes' stance had yet to be invented anyway.

Again, time is what makes it less confronational. Witness "no Fun" stooges being used to advertise cbeebies.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 22 August 2005 06:46 (twenty years ago)

"I think if 1978-era XTC covered some songs off Before and After Science, people might not realize they were covers."

Their 1989(-ish) cover of Captain Beefheart's Ella Guru is astonishingly close to the original.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 22 August 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

Was Wire really a punk band?

One of the punkest of the lot I'd say

― Diddyismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Monday, 22 August 2005 08:06 (twenty years ago)

With fifteen songs on Pink Flag under two minutes I would say their brevity says it all.

"I WANNA BE A... FIELD DAY FOR THE SUNDAYS SO THEY CAN FUCK UP MY LIFE"

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

"MARY IS A DYKE!! MARY IS A DYKE!! MARY IS A MARY IS A MARY IS A DYKE!!"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 25 August 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

TOO TRUE! TOO TRUE! TOO TRUE! TOO TRUE! etc etc etc

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

I meant more Momus that at my remove, 25 plus years on, mediated by television, I'm astounded by the performance qua performance, not necessarily the historicity of the event as canonical artifact. I imagine being there would have been exponentially more intense. I'd agree with you if, everytime I'm moved to applaud somethine new, my impulse stems from precognition of future greatness; usually though it's just getting caught up in something exciting, like how poised yet visceral Wire is on that stage, performing those excellent songs.

I still say XTC though.

― panic office, Thursday, 25 August 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

'In' jokes always confuse me.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

I guess with hindsight the answer to 'Was Wire a punk band?' (how do you italisise on this thing?), plainly that would be a big 'No, not really'. In truth they grabbed the full-on attitude by the goollies (I believe that to be the correct vernacular for the time) and built, nay envisoned the tightest little package of pop 'posturing' of its day.

Or as my thesaurus would have it: 'capability in terms of personnel and material that affect the capacity to fight a war'.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

Plainly not a punk band? Have you heard "Behind the Curtain"?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

Wire was on Harvest. Doesn't that make them more of a prog band? Or an "experimental progressive pop" band (like XTC) for those averse to the term "prog"?

― panic office, Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

That last post was a joke wasn't it?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

... I mean it's difficult to see wry grins over the internet

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

Same label as Pink Floyd.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

You don't say. Wow, that's really significant isn't it?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:40 (twenty years ago)

No. I just thought I'd throw it into the mix.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

Same label as La Belle Epoch

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Wire must be as much a Eurodisco act as a punk band then

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

I'd have to draw the line at 'prog' band. Eurodisco? That would be their 'Bell Is A Cup' period.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

Oh I don't know about that, they were quite prog on occasion

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

oh no, the Saints weren't a punk band!!

the Banned, the Shirts weren't punk (you over did it again Sandy, on right, sorry)

and sorry mzui, but its wire for me.

― alexander blair, Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

True. 154 does get a little carried away at times. Were The Saints a punk band?;-)

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

The whole world's gone stark staring mad, I'm tellin' ya

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

Belle Epoque=Eurodisco, thus the "wire must be eurodisco" comment.

They were a punk band for sure. Same as many other punk bands that within two years didn't sound like what we think of as "punk" today.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)

Come along son, let's not cause any trouble.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:21 (twenty years ago)

Well, yes, but they very often did sound like what I, at least, think of as "punk" today - certainly much more than XTC ever did. (xpost)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

DUGGA! DUGGA! DUGGA!

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

Dan's right, my last post isn't

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

hey tony.

xtc.

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

Can someone explain the curiously muffled production of 'Manscape'? Sorry, I'm bouncing around here but I've just started listening to the A List. Not really on message here. Katie? Have we met?

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

The curiously awful songs on "Manscape" have generally obscured my appreciation, or otherwise, of the production of them

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

sorry tolstoy, i was addressing fastnbulbous.

carry on.

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

I put it down to the odd production but it certainly wasn't their finest moment.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:37 (twenty years ago)

I gave up on them as a direct result of it. After them having been my probably favourite band and having saw them play two (at least) of the best gigs I've ever seen. Haven't been back since. Jesus, those abysmal Graham Lewis songs! Write a tune, why don't you!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Had the same effect on me until I picked up Send out of curiousity but not expecting much. Through past loyalty I errm... lifted it from HMV in Manchester only to be mightily excited by the return to form. I've bought all the new material since, I was that impressed and seen them perform twice in the past couple of years. Well worth tuning in again.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Well, I've only heard one thing from this new "new" period and it was fucking diabolical: a bunch of silly old men shouting and being all "punky".

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 25 August 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

Each to their own but it resonates with me, particuarly the wall of noise howl backing most of it. Yeah, they're older but so am I and without getting all "It was all so much better in the old days..." I think they still give a good deal of bands a run for their money.

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:13 (twenty years ago)

Did XTC ever perform on a U.S. TV talk show back in the day? (I know about the Letterman thing, but I'm talking pre-Partridge breakdown.)

I remember seeing footage of Wire performing live on the Suzanne Somers show in 1987. "Dugga dugga dugga" indeed!

― donut gon' nut (donut), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:16 (twenty years ago)

Couldn't answer yer question D, I spent most of that period being lost(!)

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

...or is it found?

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Well... that about wraps that up then. Why am I always at the bottom of these things? (fades into the distance whistling 'I Feel Mysterious Today', a light mist pulling at his collar, the street lamps stroking the air).

― tolstoy (tolstoy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 17:40 (twenty years ago)

*waves at Katie* Have lunch at Yaffa Cafe at St. Marks, will ya?

― Fastnbulbous, Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

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