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Pink Flag
Wire
1977
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!A lot of bands have built a lot of careers on ripping off this punk classic (hello Elastica, hello Guided By Voices). Considering it has helped spawn genre after genre, DC hardcore to the early 2000s British post-punk revival, it still seems to go somewhat under the radar. They must be gutted that they sold sod all records and made no money off of it really.
Short fast loud and so good. Can hear this having so much influence on everything from Talking Heads to the Chats. Loved how the drums were mixed - the triplet cymbals in Lowdown got me good. Three Girl Rhumba and the title track were also great. Lowdown and Surgeon is my highlight.
British punk album. Lot of super short songs. Great energy, similar to The Clash. Which is probably the lazy comparison, but sue me. Very tight, which quick catchy riffs and tight drumming. Some songs are maybe just a little too short, but I really like it all. The guitar riffs and bass lines are GOOD.
I really enjoyed this album. I love how no song overstays its welcome. It's just this speed punch assault of energy. The music and vocals are exactly what I think of it terms of Brit punk, and it still sounds great.
Pink Flag is what I used to refer to my grandmother's minge as. I turned a bit darker and even green as the years went by. Still a top shag though.
One of my favorite albums of all time. "Mannequin" was my most-played Spotify song this year (2021). This is the album that got me into punk music. The concept of this album is a suite of 21 minimalistic tracks that come and go in a span of just over a half hour. You just get a taste of each track, each unique idea, before moving on to the next. Album starts off with a memorable and exciting build up in "Reuters" that explodes in punk madness. I love the madness in the verses (both the vocals and the distressing apocalyptic description) followed by the chorus and the melodic screaming repetition of the word "rape" that slowly mellows off. Next track, "Field Day" demonstrates one of my favorite punk techniques. Burst of explosion for 4 seconds then STOP. Explode again for 4 seconds then again stop. Happens two more times then boom next track already. Not sure who invented this, maybe the Sex Pistols, but the "fuck this let's start over" attitude is all over this album. Things like this make each of these tracks, no matter how short, memorable. "Three Girl Rhumba" starts off with a memorable yet reptitive riff, and continues with the same riff the whole track, except when it deters randomly twice in the middle then at the end. It's so unexpected and surprising. Love the "go underrrr" at the end. Invites the audience to sing along even for just a brief moment. "Ex Lion Tamer" one of the best songs, complete and lengthy. Kicks off at 12 seconds, explodes at 24 for the chorus, starts over at 48 in a perfect transition, only to do the exact same thing one more time before extending that ending for another minute. I love that technique where they repeat the melody and one lyric, like "Stay glued to your TV set" with the back vocals but change the loudness and tone, throwing in some grunts, before ending it with a satisfying decelerated conclusion. Same reason why I liked the end of "Three Girl Rhumba," and a theme we'll see again many times. "Lowdown" is the easiest to hear the very punk lyrics. Another thing I noticed is the grunge-like bass. Not sure if there's any connection to the later movement or how common it was in punk, but it really sticks out here. That halfway break following "That smell of you" is orgasmic. Then there's the other type of ending I love. Also repetitive with the same melody and lyric, but less spooky and more energetic, usually ending so suddenly before starting the next track. "Start to Move" and "Brazil" are examples of this. Still invites me to join in and burst out. "Surgeon's Girl" is my favorite of the <90 second tracks. Love how they make fun of their mumbling vocals by diverging the "go insane" into something intentionally incomprehensible. Reminds me how they often sing so much it's hard to sing along, so this gives me an excuse to just go "yayayayayayayaya." "Pink Flag" closes off the first side, with the same type of build-up intro as "Reuters." My god that when they start going "How many dead or alive" and it devolves into intense chaotic screaming, dying down only to build up again, die down then one last yell. Intense and the perfect way to wrap up the first side. An instrumental piece bridges the two sides. "Straight Line" continues the themes I love. "106 Beats That" is the first of a string of more avant-garde tracks that could be labelled as post-punk. Starts off lofi and abrasive, almost like later hardcore but not as aggressive. Then it gets weird and spooky near the middle with the use of ever increasing synths and fuzzy guitars, ending before it gets any stranger. "Mr Suit" is my other favorite short track, absolutely love the fuck you lyrics. Then we jump into our second post-punk track. A more complete piece, this sounds like something straight off their next album "Chairs Missing" (which is a crime not being on this list). Spooky and atmospheric, perfect for any Halloween playlist. Love the clinking at the end. "Fragile" is another strange one, jangly and could fool people as an alt rock track of the 80s. Stands out like their masterpiece "Outdoor Miner" in their next album. Years ahead of the scene... I guess you could call this post-punk, but it's not very punk at all besides the "fragile" vocals. "Mannequin" is my favorite song off the album. Another post-punk entry, it's the most melodic of the songs, with a perfect bridge, a lovely three part harmony, savage lyrics, with an accompanying vibrant sound. Next three tracks are good. The album ends with the highlight "12XU" which has my favorite bass, ending on a satisfying note. This album is a unique experience with nothing like it, yet parodoxically is a perfect introduction to get people into punk or post-punk, perfectly utilizing an agglomeration of techniques only found in punk-like music. This is also the most accessible of their albums. You can instantly fall in love after just one or two listens. Even the weaker tracks one can grow to appreciate. Highly influential and with nothing bad to say, it not only goes down as a 5 star rating, but as one of my favorite albums of all time.
Amazing. True punk. Can hear all the influence on music through the decades. Catchy, long, short. Has it all. Three Girl Rhumba stopped me and my jaw dropped. Had no idea where that riff came from. Loved Field Day for the Sundays. Totally content with a 28 second song. Damn, how amazing.
With (among much more) the guitar sound of grunge and the brevity of hardcore, it takes a special kind of ingenuity to make a punk album that sounds like this in 1977
Discovered this one in college and was a favorite among friends and roommates. Wish punk on the whole sounded more like this than say The Ramones or The Sex Pistols. So many ideas crammed into such a tight space. Love the way it moves along. So efficient and refined in it's execution. No fat to be trimmed here. Many songs are short but all completely satisfy. Art-punk at its finest. The song "Strange" is in my musical spank bank. The album leaves me wanting more.
Enjoying this one a lot, punky messy, great sound and style to it. Have definitely slept on these guys and I'm pleased its on the list!
Love this mix of punkish-indie rock. Both the bite-sized and longer tracks alike share a kind of spastic energy reminiscent of acts like Squid or black midi today, and the remaster on this thing is insane - sounds like it could have been recorded today. The sludgey guitar tone that features on many of the tracks is absolutely perfect to boot.
An album I revisit fairly often, fairly unlike anything else as it just flows from short song to short song. The first stretch from "Reuters", to "Field Day for the Sundays", to "Three Girl Rhumba" ending in "Ex Lion Tamer" is a huge opening sequence.
Where has this album been all my life? Post-Punk in its purest which is one of my favorite genres. Brilliant!
There are 21 tracks on the album and the album is 35 minutes long. Quick and fast and no messing around
Very, very good. I've listened to it roughly twice now. I feel like there's a lot going on in this cluster of little nuggets. No song outstays its welcome; in fact, some would be welcome to stay a little longer. But that's the point, I suppose. These are finely polished little gems - it takes a lot of buffing to make these gems sound so unpolished.
I love punk. I really do. "Pink Flag" is a great punk album. But. It's missing one of my favorite aspects of punk. The sheer, nihilistic joy of punk is missing here. The classic punk stance of "the world is screwed up and screw the world" seems to be missing. Instead, Wire has leaned hard into the angrier aspects of punk. The overall theme is darker, angrier, and more raw than other punk albums of the time. This is often cited as a reason for calling this early post-punk or even pre-hardcore. And for all that, it's good. The sheer intensity of the minimally produced, almost raw sound is enticing in the same way that great hardcore is. It's compelling. But I do so wish there were some lighter moments. I prefer my punk to be delivered with a knowing smirk, not a glowering scowl.
Deconstructing punk almost as soon as it's born is cool. Manufacturing said de-punk brand as ready made detritus is art school cool. Doing it all without melody or groove is high stakes. A few times here the payoff is exponential, a bunch more it's handsome, but a few too many you don't leave the bookies with much more than you walked in with.
Bien essayé de la part des Minutemerde mais la couverture ne prend pas, ils sont très facilement reconnus et jugés comme il se doit. 2/5, et qu'on ne les y reprenne plus.
Une série d'interludes punk aussi insupportables que ceux des Minutemerdes. Je savais toutefois à quoi m'attendre puisque les noms de groupes constitués d'une couleur et du mot flag s'inscrivent tous dans ce style musical considéré par les gens intelligents comme un errement dans l'histoire du quatrième art.
One of the defining records, I don't get wire's appeal usually but this album is an exception.
Very cool album throughout, definitely had some bangers and flowed pretty well. If i had any complaints about it, i think the songs could be longer
A thoroughly bitching album. The rockier tracks have shades of The Black Keys, while the punk tracks are pure Ramones and Minutemen. I like my punk musicians to be... actually able to play music, so this album was a real treat.
I enjoy reading the wiki entries on each of the albums and this one was a good one that reinforced why this album stands out from the rest of the random late 70s to mid 80s British bands that have an entry on this list. tldr; “Richard Hell but good. See Black Flag, Robert Pollard, and Franz Ferdinand”
Definitely needed to be in 1001 Albums with the amount of influence this album has had on punk rock. Also it slays.
Why has no one told me to listen to this album before? It feels so ahead of its time, and it keeps getting better as the album goes. One of the early masterpieces of punk 5/5
Even if the songs weren't great (they are) it could be a 5 star album just for the amount of influence it's had on so many bands and artists that I enjoy. It's just all around great.
I wish I had some really thoughtful, critical thing to say. All I can think is this is a damn fun album. Great great great!!!
Love this album. Minimal punk perfection with a great dynamic range, from the repressed anger of Mannequin to the beautiful Strange. So different from its contemporaries, this album should be vaunted alongside the first Ramones effort for its succinct and focused energy. A masterpiece only surpassed by what came next from the band. 10 stars.
So very good. I love the story of when Wire resumed touring in '87 after many years off. The opening band covered Pink Flag in its entirety so Wire didn't have to revisit their old sound. https://gojohnnygojohnny.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-ex-lion-tamers-wire-the-amazing-story-via-cassette/
I thought this album was fantastic. I found myself thinking about how much I'd love to hang out these guys. They seem like a perfect mix of smart and cool. The intonations that they make with their voices are subtle for punk, but really lend themselves to the beat. I particularly liked "Fragile" and "It's So Obvious." I will definitely save some of these songs for future listens.
Punchy, fun songs tightly coiled in a record with no filler in my opinion. Great punky stuff.
Artsy and angry, my favorite flavor of punk. Been meaning to listen to this one for a while and it was well worth it!
I totally love the album, though I'm not into punk music. This one is so energetic and harmonic and high-quality, so I would keep it for my collection.
A little lighter and earlier punk. I have to think of this sound happening next to the Brady bunch and Elvis, rather than more modern music. It really inspired so much.
Wire don't muck about. It's crazy that this came out in 1977. Way way ahead of its time. I wish I could be this economical.
I wasn't expecting much after looking at the wikk but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a very solid pop punk album.
Quick with good vibes. Some absolute bangers like Ex Lion Tamer. Definitely added to my personal playlists.
Great roots punk, gotta admit I wasn't aware of this band, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. These guys should've been more famous.
I hadn't ever heard of this band but from the notes it sounds like that's not surprising. The album definitely holds up!
Erm... well, it was good. I listened to it this morning, but my day has been rather broccoli heavy to be honest. Everything else has taken a backseat. 🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦
all these remastered versions. hope its pretty instrumental or todays gonna be long. Surprisigly decent. maybe a 4?
Certainly not the kind of music I listen to normally, but I actually found it somewhat enjoyable for what it was.
Really intense harmonics and likable sound from a punk-band. Short tracks that not all sound the same. (7/10) Favorite Tracks: Mannequin, 12xU, Three Girl Rhumba
Good. I usually don't enjoy punk, but this album was very enjoyable. I also really like the album art.
Really enjoyed this, liked the short songs and the dirty guitars. My favorite tracks were "Pink Flag" and "Strange." Interested to hear more of this band now.
The band sounds the best when it goes to the darker realms of post-punk and alternative. Reuters and Pink Flag are the best from the first side.
A more polished late 70's punk album. Akin to what Green Day did for late 80's punk. I'm happy I listened to it, but I probably won't again. That's probably the source of the divide between its critical success vs its commercial success.
Personally loved it. Some good punk vibes, a few dope songs I will listen to again. Worked well with my poopy butt
Definitely bridges that gap between punk rock and the beginnings of New Wave. It's good shit.
Yes enjoyed it a lot good old fashioned early punk. Never really heard them before so a great discovery
Super fun record somewhere between punk and post-punk. Just a tight set of songs, in, punk, out. Favorite tracks: "Three Girl Rhumba", "Ex Lion Tamer", "Lowdown", "Strange"
Enjoyed this one after never listening to The Wire in the past. Fun album. For being a post-punk progenitor I was slightly surprise on how "punk" this sounded. 4/5
True head bobbin' shit right here. Bunch of short, quick songs to put a pep in your goddamn step. Brit punk for the win.
Glanced at the tracklist, though it was another too long album... then heard it qnd wished it was longer. Im presuming that elastica paid them some royalties...
Nice sound. This time I looked up some history about it, so I was better located while listening to it. I felt like listening to punk and post punk a bit more. I liked it but wasn't able to listen to the whole album before taking these notes.
21 songs filled me with dread at first. 35 minutes later and it was all over. I played Pink Flag for a second time. Intelligent and dumb - exactly how I like my guitar music. I had no idea that REM's Strange was a Wire cover. This is the very decent album that Elastica never made.
Una de les pedres filosofals d'on va nèixer el post punk i un altre dels grans discos de 1977, que sembla un any beneït per la inspiració. Petites píldores subversives, ja poden ser melòdiques ('Mannequin'), polítiques ('Reuters'), sarcàstiques ('Field Day for the Sundays') o pròpiament cançons del moment ('Strange'). Tota la influència que va generar parla del disc per si mateixa
A fascinating missing link between the early stages of punk and post-punk and the following hardcore, new wave, and alternative scenes. At times Pink Flag sounds like traditional punk, reminiscent maybe of The Sex Pistols whose debut album dropped the same year. Other times, dark, distorted guitars bring to mind the brooding of The Stooges. Midway through the album, I hear a seed of Talking Heads. Other songs foretell Black Flag or The Dead Kennedys. Wire moves effortlessly and fluidly between genres and probably spawns a couple along the way. Even lyrically, they move between smart, political lyrics (see "Reuters") to more lager-soaked, in-your-face, punk-grousing with songs like Mr. Suit ("Take your fucking money and shove it up your arse"), depending on the sonic profile and intent of the song. The effort in their shifting lyric styles and music approaches is worth noting. It is what elevates this album to more than the average quality of its individual songs. Pink Flag is not an easy listen. Few of the 21 tracks could be singles (though you will likely note that "Three Girl Rhumba's" excellent guitar is sampled on Elastica's "Connection"). Rather, the album is an intersection and likely origin point of many emerging styles of the late 70s and beyond. Wire is at once slavish and subversive to genre conventions as they present archetypical sounds and subjects and then utterly ignore precedent on how to piece them together, assembling component parts of countless styles in new and novel ways. As a result, Pink Flag is a genre-defying musical madhouse.
If there is one thing this whole exercise has taught me, it's that I am a fool for having ignored punk music from the 70's for this long. Shame on me! This album, with its 21 songs in 37 minutes, is a whirlwind of musical thoughts. Don't conflate that for a lack of quality though. In contrast to my equal appreciation of prog-rock, I also appreciate that Wire didn't feel the need to draw anything out. If they could get the idea across with a single verse and 40 seconds, then sobeit. Each track, be it an entire song or a segment, is complete and stands on its own. If you're only glancing across the album, you would be forgiven for thinking much of it is all the same, but a closer listening reveals the contours of something unique in every song. Some of the brightest spots for me, which also show the diversity of sound across the album, are 'Three Girl Rhumba', 'Lowdown', 'Mr Suit' and 'Champs'.
Wow, what a fun ride that was. 21 songs in just over half an hour, and each one a joyful vignette of punk simplicity.
Really solid punk/post-punk album. Some hardcore riffs, and some melodic bits. Enjoyed the punk yelling.
Good sound, solid album. I cannot recall hearing them before but I do like the album and would listen again.
Amazing to think they were making this as punk was also about The Damned and The Pistols.
Pièces de deux minutes qui gueulent fuck off avec enthousiasme. Très chouette. Le batteur ne semble pas comprendre qu'il devrait bûcher, donnons-lui l'excuse qu'en 1977 ce genre de musique était à ses balbutiements.
Hey, this is the album that birthed Elastica! But, in all seriousness, I struggle to classify Wire as a full on punk band. More like an art rock group that saw the punk explosion as an opportunity to get their foot in the door and get their foot in the door they did. Mixing short songs with harbingers of what they would later come up with, Pink Flag remains Wire's defining statement forty-five years on through sheer invention and aplomb. Yet another example of 1977 being a sublime year for music. Favorites: Reuters, Three Girl Rumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange, Fragile, Mannequin, Feeling Called Love, 12 X U.
Inspired a whole mess of punk rock listening, in addition to some jazz. I like the rawness. It's very forward-thinking, reminds me of music that would become the staple of the 80s.
Interesting sound, love the vibe but at the end of the day a little too classic punk for me
Punkcito divertido y de buen sonido. En especial me gustó que va al grano y hacen un disco corto pero variado y cada canción tiene su propio sonido. Me gustó en especial la rola de Three Girl Rhumba aunque me quedo con la duda del truco de magia: “
3.5| otra banda infravalorada que a mí parecer se lleva de calle a los sex pistols. Ni parcel que fuera un disco de los 70s Bien crudo como debe ser el Punk
Du bon gros punk quoi, je trouve quand même qu'en 45s t'as pas le temps de mettre grand chose dans tes chansons ^^
3.5 | No tenía conocimiento de la banda. Después de leer un poco sobre ellos y sobre el disco entiendo el que esté en la lista, se oye agradable y se entiende la influencia que pudo tener en mucha música posterior. De hecho al escucharlo de inicio me sonaba como si fuera punk ochenterón y me llamó un poco la atención ver que era del 77, continuando mi temática de "bandas que eran mucho mejores musicalmente que los pistols y menos conocidas;" como en el 80% de estos casos las letras simplemente cumplen su chamba para el género, nada que llame particularmente mi atención. No se si es un disco que fuera a poner en rotación, creo que aunque me agradó mucho y tiene una duración muy correcta ya hay mucho mucho punk como para seguir añadiendo. Muy bien hecho, entiendo su importancia, no me dejó boquiabierto pero me agradó mucho conocer algo nuevo que valga la pena. Terminé escuchándolo tres veces, cada una agradándome ligeramente más que la anterior; algo bueno debe decir eso.
Really enjoyed it. First time I’ve listened to them, and was interesting to notice the influences it’s brought to other artists over the years. Weird vibes at the end, almost went a bit chronicles of Nirvana. Overall 7/10
Really liked this, bet they were a good live band. Once again, listening to it now, I get the feeling it's impact at the time is difficult to comprehend. Wire also strike me as one of those bands whose influence is greater than their own success. It sounds to me like they influenced a lot of the 90s US punk bands I like.
very standard 1977 punk. hard to see that this band goes full new wave in 79 and starts producing much better music.
Guter Punk wenn es das gibt. Ein extra Punkt fürs Cover das ich wirklich großartig finde
Reminded me of every Brisbane punk rock band that exists right now. Cool seeing the influence come through.
I've never heard an album like this with many short songs one after the other. I had this on in the background while doing some chores and it passed me by without catching my attention in a negative or a positive way.
I listened to the album but cant remember listening to it. Every song sounded the same (which wasnt a bad thing) I dont think its a bad album by any means, but definitely not one that ill remember by next week
Usually don’t like punk at all really, but this album was a more subtle punk ting so I didn’t hate it. I might be wrong but wasn’t 1977 really early for punk? Maybe this album inspired/paved the way for punk? Maybe a 2.5 star for me cus I’d be more likely to put the previous Hendrix album on instead of this but it’s pretty good as far as punk goes tbh
songs are short but sweet with frequent changes in pace. album has more tracks than you'd typically see from the 70s and 80s. songs themselves aren't very unique, pretty typical for underground punk rock. got a little bored around the 10th song.
Mostly forgettable, with a few bright spots. But not enough to make it worth repeated listening.
Pink flag is definitely a cool album. It’s definitely groundbreaking, ahead of its time and tight. I just got a bit bored with a lot of its songs.
A very quick album to get through, reasonably simple punk rock but kept me mostly interested.
“Pink Flag” by Wire (1977) If music can be compared to a meal, this album provides a 21-course repast, spicy and varied, inviting and adventurous. Of mixed quality, yet in small servings, these dishes are paced rapidly enough to sustain interest. Twenty one underdeveloped songs in thirty five minutes. Whew. Now I need to breathe deeply and maybe smoke a cigar or take a walk. There is an interesting lyrical preoccupation with numbers, perhaps giving meaning to the title track, “Pink Flag”, asking “how many dead or alive?”. Since this track and “Strange” are the longest tracks on the album, one suspects that there is an anxious expression of concern about what the hell is going on in this most lethal century in human history. It’s an attractive anxiety. Melodies are minimalist or lacking altogether. The chief musical aim seems to be the display of a dizzying variety of rhythm guitar sonic textures and grooves, with a heavy use of effects. Lyrics, vocals, and rhythm section are all relegated to a secondary, supportive function. Punk vocal stylings are, well, punk. And not good punk at that. This ain’t Henry Rollins. But this album is definitely worth a listen or two, if only to experience some of the entrancing things that can be done with simple barre chords on an electric guitar, even without a high level of physical dexterity. 3/5
New band and new music for me. I'm curious as to where this album fits with punk and the rest of the music scene at the time of it's release. There wasn't anything that stood out in particular to me, good or bad. With some of the tracks being so short, I may need to listen again just to make sure I heard everything.
It was hard to get a good listen because my co- judge kept turning the stereo off whenever I put it on. I know that they were influential and quite revered at CKCU in the 80s. I think that thrashy fast numbers would have been predecessors to American punk like Black Flag, which I despise, and then the more melodic (longer like more than 90 second) numbers may have influenced bands like XTC. But they didn’t seem to me much of an influence on themselves. They took a real left turn on the LP after this one and actually hired a cover band to open for them and play songs from this album!
Albums like this remind me how harsh the music business can be. These guys have a decent sound and easily piqued my interest. They are not following a neat and tidy roadmap that was set out for them. The album was released in 1977 so the roadmap wasn't yet written. Sure they're not in the same league as Talking Heads, The Clash, et al but they should have sold a few more albums and I should have at least heard of them. Tough business.
Engelse punk. Ik vind het wel iets hebben. Heb misschien wel een geheim zwakte voor dit soort schreeuwerige muziek. Zit lekker veel energie in. Verder is het ook weer niet heel bijzonder. ***
34. Pink Flag - Wire 21 tracks. I say 21 tracks, but 6 of them are under 1 min long so the whole album is still only 35 mins and it works by keeping you interested & engaged with no time to be bored and switch off. Decent. 3/5
El Punk es esto. 21 canciones en 35 minutos y 36 segundos. No los conocía de nada y tienen cosas buenas. Se nota que han influenciado a mucha gente desde que debutaron con este disco en 1977. Me gustaron: Three girl rhumba, Ex lion tamer, Start to move, Mannequin y Different to me.
I like it when music that falls generally somewhere in the very broad "punk" category has some groove to it, and this band brings it nicely. I appreciate punk mostly for its cultural significance and influence on other genres of music, but I don't listen to a lot of it because it's often just too harsh for me. (Related to the same part of my DNA that likes spicy food on the medium, not hot, scale? I have no idea.) Some songs are little screechy for me, but overall, I like this album. I had not heard of the band or heard any of their music, but, wow, I can absolutely hear how their sound influenced a lot bands to follow. For example, I read in the Wikipedia entry (the one on the band itself, not this album) that The Feelies, one of my favorite bands (man, I just love 'The Good Earth' and still listen to it), regularly cover one of their songs in live shows. I hear the similarities. So cool. So, Yes, I like this album and some of the tracks really stuck out for me, like "Reuters," "Ex Lion Tamer," and "Mannequin." "Fragile" might be my favorite. And the brief track, "The Commercial," is really fun.
Three Girl Rhumba (2006 Remastered Version), comienza igual que la canción de Elastica.
Not bad. But it's a bit too frenetic with all the songs that are 1min or less (21 songs in 35min). Hard to get into anything or appreciate where their skills lie. Ex Lion Tamer and Reuters had a good sound. Mannequin was alright (seems to be their most notable song). Sounds like Elastica ripped off the main riff from Three Girl Rhumba for their song Connection (I like that riff). Champs and 12 x U had some good energy. Pink Flag sounded about a decade ahead of its time with its rough edge, yet needs more work. So again, not bad, but uneven.
I have heard of these folks, but I have not really liked the albums I have heard. This was a step up from the albums I have heard, fortunately. This punk album was okay, but every song was under 2 minutes with no bridge or chorus. The songs seemed very underdeveloped. Don't get me wrong, songs don't have to be long to be good. But these just seemed like germs of ideas, as if they had a riff but nothing else. The Clash had riffs. And they turned them into songs. There were verses and bridges and all the things a song needs to have, and some of them were pretty short, too. These just seem like... half-baked ideas.
All over the place. From certified bangers™, to weird 30-second gibberish that can hardly be classified as music. Really not sure about this one - I thought I would enjoy it more than I did.
p381, 1977. 3 stars Proto punk, surprisingly OK, not as raw as The Clash or Sex Pistols but suitably angry. Decent songs and playing. As with a lot of punk, you have to be in the right mood for it, and if you are then this is above average.
2/8/2022 Today's Album: "Pink Flag" by Wire - This album is 35 minutes of 21 fairly short songs, with many running just over a minute. This UK band plays punchy punk-garage rock that goes well with the format of the album, since the tunes they are playing are usually quite abrasive, making their short runtime a warm welcome. In the longer songs, the band takes a step back to work on stronger melodies, but they still come across as a chugging, angry, and punky melodies that do tend to grate on my ears after a while. The lyrics get drowned out in the mix fairly often and anytime the band actually tried for a subtler approach, it is often cut short in favor of more yelling and chugging guitars and drums. I think it's a good album if you like punk influence and want to listen to some upbeat and quick tunes, but it really isn't something I'd like to come back to. The style is obviously fairly new at the time of release (1977) so there is a lot of innovation to appreciate, but in this day in age if you have ever heard a punk band, you've heard this one and it just feels played out when they aren't doing something different with it. With that being said, the music is well performed and never feels amateurish or sloppy despite how messy the genre usually is. Score: 5.5 Some good moments but overall not my thing Highlights: Reuters, Lowdown, The Commercial, Fragile, Mannequin, Feeling Called Love,
Spiky guitars, spiky vocals, spiky drums. Music so angular you could cut yourself on it. Best Tracks: Three Girl Rhumba; Ex Lion Tamer; Mannequin
Very fast, very energetic, very mediocre rock. I get that it inspired a lot of other groups, but the album itself just felt bland to me.
Seminal lo-fi punk album. Has some genius moments but over 21 mostly 2 minutes songs it just feels too disjointed for me to really enjoy.
Kon dit best hebben, niet alle nrs waren even leuk, maar al met al heb ik best vermaakt met dit plaatje.
Lekker energiek, wel typisch zo'n band die ik vaker heb beluisterd maar die me niet echt weet te raken.
Ok so this is just some late 70s punk nonsense like everything else from the time in this book. Sounds exactly like you'd expect - jangly, English, boring. 2/5.
I wasn't impressed with this one. Even though the songs were very short it still felt incredibly long. I couldn't really get invested in any songs and it was hard to make out the lyrics. Overall I'm glad that punk learned from this album and improved on it.
Short, jerky, angular songs delivered by a man who sounds like he’s hiccuping whilst having a fit. Three Girl Rhumba is interesting as the template for an Elastica song, but overall I’m afraid this is not my cup of tea.
Just another rock album, nothing outstanding or incredibly unusual. Back ground album.
Este álbum tiene una onda Punk, tipo "Sex Pistols", con alguuuuunos ligeros toques de Oasis, como por ejemplo en "Reuters". Esos riffs y la vocalización se parecen mucho a Shakermaker, o más bien, al revés, ya que este álbum salió más de 10 años antes. Veo que la influencia de este grupo - y de este disco - es reconocida en muchos artistas posteriores, y realmente suena como si el disco fuera mucho más reciente (no como algo de los 70's), pero no me terminó de convencer.
Raw energy, fast tempos, culturally and politically rooted lyrics, this is truly classic English punk rock. While I did like the album as a fan of punk rock, in objective fairness, I don’t think it is one of the greatest albums of all time, as it does not live up to the bigger bands like Sex Pistols whose punk rock would be higher rated.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Not a big fan of punk but could hear the influence an album like this has had on a lot of the music that I still listen to.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Not a big fan of punk but could hear the influence an album like this has had on a lot of the music that I still listen to.
Distinctive sound, terrible name. Green Day long before Green Day. With an average track of just over 100 seconds I can imagine a really tight fast set back in the day. No long intros here, just short, sharp, shock. The sound of the 70’s.
Vocals are a little hard to listen to, mumble-y and annoying sometimes, but I enjoy the instrumentals. The vibe is kinda cool but for the most part I think they're just generic
Not my thing. Kinda neat hearing "Three Girl Rhumba" and how clear it was plagiarized by Elastica on "Connection". I remember learning about that but had forgotten who was the original artist. When that song came on I thought it was playing the Elastica song.
Ugh a 2.5 I guess. Some of the music was really good and ahead of it's time. Some was just screamy and mumbly and annoying. Nothing memorable lyrically. At least the songs were short but that doesn't speak well too the quality of the album.
This 3 chord British punk is just not my jam. I guess it has a historical place, but I just don’t really love it
Pretty raw Brit Punk/Indie that sounds all the same so by the fourth song I was getting bored. Would it kill them to throw a bit of variety in there?
Grungy/crusty early brit punk, pretty unremarkable. Lots of short songs with similar tempos.
Mai sentito questi Wire prima. Non ho molto da dire, non si distinguono particolarmente dai loro compari punkettoni contemporanei. Sarebbero potuti essere tranquillamente i Clash. Stavo per dire che apprezzo certe cose di chitarra che suonano un po' punk moderno ma poi ho realizzato che è semplicemente che il punk moderno non è che si sia particolarmente innovato (Punk is dead!!). Direi come i Clash dò 2 perché comunque il punk deve essere questo e alla fine me lo so sentito anche se sono stati 37 minuti un po' lunghi.
Mi stavano piacendo. Ma alla fine pure essendo un album breve con canzoni anche di 40 secondi, l'ho trovato un po' troppo fine a se stesso. Pur riconoscendo che hanno un suono punk che mi piace, forse quello migliore che ho ascoltato finora, alla fine non mi hanno convinto. Peccato! 2
This is one of those albums where the context matters: an angular, low-fi punk album from 1977 that was a little ahead of its time. Fun listen.
It’s a punk rock album that shows signs or early hard rock. None of the songs really seem that special. It was a quick album that went by and flowed well. Just nothing there that seemed worth coming back to. 3.6/10
know that people have a high feelings for wire but I just don't get this late 70s punk at all.
Yeah it was decent, nothing that I necessarily disliked but nothing that stood out to me as great. Just felt like kind of generic old-school punk rock.
s'alright eh? Prime UK punk era, which usually means at least good, but just didn't grab us. I dunno.
I had this album when it first came out. I didn't listen to it much then, and I can see why.
Sounds like generic punk to me. Including the annoying voice. No standout tracks. After seeing that the album got highest price from almost all critics I'm pretty sure I won't like any punk album ever.
Not for me, this one. Not awful, but doesn't say a lot to me. I feel like this one must be something that inspired people rather than being brilliant in its own right? Does definitely sound later than 1977, more so the instrumental than the vocals (which are very punky and of their time). About the same number of tracks as Elton yesterday, but half the length in time - only two of the tracks are over 3 minutes long. There are a couple I enjoy in there - Ex-Lion Tamer being my favourite - but I can't see myself listening to this ever again. 2/5.
Best Song: Tough to find a standout in this list of noisy snippets. Worst Song: Three Girl Rhumba. It legitimately sounds like his mouth is numbed for this song. Overall: Really not that much to pick out here. Doesn't have the tempo or emotion of good punk or rock, instead just kinds of sits in this middle space of mediocre noisiness, as if being abrasive were its own virtue.
Not my thing- lots of short forgettable songs and thought the vocals were whiny and garbled. Surgeon's girl was bloody annoying in particular. There was plenty of energy at least and Strange was cool, had some Talking Heads vibes.
Getting a bit tired of these old punk 'golds' tbqh. I know there's a legacy thing, but they're all sounding quite stale these days.
Very early, British punk rock. Unfortunately I fail to appreciate the art in it, it sounds bad, the singing reminds me more of drunk people yelling at the pub......
Punkzera pao com ovo. Provavelmente foi influencia pra cents bandas na epoca e adolescentes rebeldes mas hoje eh soh meh.
Punk music always gives me the urge to roll my eyes. During the first song I thought "this isn't too bad", but by song 8 I was completely annoyed and stopped listening.
This isn't something I'd care to listen to normally. Kinda punk rock. Really not feeling this album at all. It's boring. I cannot wait for this to be over. Oh my god there are 21 songs. At least they're short. THANK GOD IT'S OVER.
Every song sounded like a watered-down version of The Clash or X. I found myself wondering why I wasn't just listening to one of the other "real" bands.
Uk old school punk