Pink Flag

I’ve bern meaning to listen to this for the longest time, and I am very disappointed in myself for not listening to this before. They’re like The Ramones, but more energetic and more talented.

I am liking the lead track...it sounds ahead of its time, it would have been more at home next to releases from the Pixies and Sonic Youth. A little more standard punk on Field Day for the Sundays. Three Girl Rhumba has the beat to something I can't place. I was not expecting to like this as much as I am. Lowdown might be my walkup music. 21 songs for 36 minutes might be a little short even for me. I like the garage rock better than the punk. The first half of the album is better than the second...it leans more into straight punk as the album goes on.

It's really just a bunch of British nonsense. The songwriting is pretty vanilla and uncreative. Almost every track isn't even a minute long, so there's nothing to latch onto. All the short songs sounds the exact same too, making 2/3rds of the album pretty insufferable. The melodies are the most repetitive and boring things I've ever heard, I honestly wouldn't even really call it that. There are some decent ideas here, but they're just too crowded with all the bullshit. Seeing that this is their debut, they probably went on to become better at writing. But really, for the time, this is one of the most awful albums I've ever heard.

Pretty much perfect arty post punk. Shot guys.

Yeah. Was alright that. There's clearly some influence been left behind in other works. Enjoyable half an hour.

Not bad punk album but not for me 4.5 out of 10

i swear if i got this album as my first album on the list I MIGHT of not of done the list. it's not complete nonsense (there's a good song about 70% into it) but like... don't we have enough pop punk new wave to go around on the list already...

I'm really glad that this album is as short as it is, because honestly, it's not great. It's like if the Ramones were nonsensical and not fun. Anything good on this album is completely overshadowed by the rest. Yeah, nah.

70s punk rock almost a 4

Albums like Pink Flag are exactly why I started the 1001 project. I’d never heard of Wire or this record before, and I really enjoyed it. That said, 21 songs in 35 minutes is a lot to take in during a single sitting. I definitely plan to revisit this one, and other Wire releases, again.

One of my favorite albums, period. 5 "almost an eternal listening bliss" stars.

It was kinda OK

Great, seminal post punk album. You can hear the precursor to so many great bands to come.

Noisy, sludgy and at the same time spiky grungy punk? Didn’t enjoy this.

I LOVED THIS ONE. The insane grunge rock guitar and the British rock vocals with the shortness of the songs its so fun to listen to and I really enjoyed the whole thing. WE NEED MORE ALBUMS LIKE PINK FLAG!!! NOT EVERY SONG HAS TO BE 5+ MINUTES LONG. 12XU!!!!!!!

One o' my all-time faves. Tidy, punchy, bouncy. No fat, no flab. Just great fuckin' songs that influenced assloads of people. Assloads.

On the verge of a 5 star record, just straight garage punk rock. Short and to the point, minimalist and raw 35 minutes of high energy rockers.

O, no i to jest moja muzyka. Surowa, prosta, mocna i niegrzeczna.

What a surprise this album was. I'm ashamed to say I'd never come across it before. I had The Clash debut album yesterday, and while not as well known this might be as good if not better. 21 shorts, sharp ferocious tracks that don't ever let you go. Fuck it, I'm giving it 5*

Somehow had never heard this album before. What a revelation, like a post punk version of Guided by Voices. Snarling vocals, razor sharp guitar riffs, free associated lyrics and an overall vibe of "Were going to do it our own fucking way." This album is right in my wheelhouse.

A phenomenal effort. Boils punk down to its essence to create something new. Such a variety of great music inspired by this, from the Minutemen and REM to the best of britpop. Never gets old for me

Came out of the gates pretty hot, then settle sinto decent punk. Sounds Australian.

I have never heard a "punk" album so boring or lacking in energy. Feels like it lags half a beat behind where it should be. Like every note is having to unstick itself from a pool of molasses.

V good

Great debut and the next two albums are even better once they discover effects pedals

Good listen, Mannequin was the stand out

Started great and got a bit samey

This is a 3.5. A solid British punk album that while I can see it was instrumental isn’t as revolutionary as somerhing like Televisions Marquee Moon Laughing at some of the comments on here from Americans who can’t understand the accent.

Great punk album.

I like

Pink Flag is a really fantastic album that I just don't have a very long relationship with. This is probably the most successful combination of the attitude and relative precision of post punk, with the aggression of punk. These songs are smart and tense, and generate energy with both sour chords, and punk catharsis. I don't know these songs that well, but I can tell that there is some real depth here. I might leave it at this for now. But I can *easily* see myself coming back to this. And I may have to reassess it later.

Surprised to find two very familiar tunes in this album courtesy of REM and Elastica. Two tunes that I didn't know were covers/samples from another band. They were very welcome and showed me the influence coming from this album. The multiple short bite sized treats contained in here were excellent, so much so that I needed a repeat listen to make sure that it was a superb album, and it was true. Well done to Wire. It'll now be on my rotation list and likely I'll need to try more of their offering.

More palatable classic punk, still doesn't super speak to me.

Very interesting

I liked this more than I expected

Fun punk music!

Pink Flag is mostly made up of short, relatively simple punk-adjacent songs that start, make their point, and finish. When these songs have good hooks, they're excellent. The guitar tones are crunchy and delicious. But the album also has a few longer numbers that drag the album down.. The first of them, "Reuters," starts the album off well, building suspense and leading into a sequence of very different songs that all work in their own way. But later on, songs like the title track and "Strange" don't do enough with their riffs or structure to justify slowing the pace down, and the variety of the album slows. There are enough short little gems, like the highlight "Mannequin," that I dream what an album of them would sound like (probably like Alien Lanes). The actual Pink Flag ends up being an entertaining album but not one that ever really wows me.

This was loud and fast and pretty good fun. I was totally ignorant about Wire but really enjoyed it. 21 songs in 36 minutes - no song hangs around too long.

The progenitor of the short punk song. A post-punk landmark from the year punk broke. A bunch of art school kids who didn’t really know how to play their instruments. A new idea every minute. Intelligent without being pretentious. Rebellious and actually revolutionary. Advanced the sound, not the image. Foreshadows every offshoot of punk imaginable: post-punk, new wave, hardcore, even the alternative rock of the ‘80s (look no further than R.E.M.‘s cover of “Strange”). True all-timer.

Well - there were a couple of okay songs on it. But a 35 minute record felt like a 3 day marathon. Not as bad as some of the punk stuff you have in this list, but thanks ... no thanks.

the debut of wire, an english post-punk group that's dabbled a bit into punk, art, and noise rock efforts. this debut has a lot of tracks, over 21 tracks and it's only a little more than half an hour long. these guys had a much different sound compared to other punk groups at the time, going for a barebones, almost minimalist level of production. this album embraces the bareness; they worked with what they had and if there was an idea, it was played straight and played once. while the album wasn't too successful when it debuted, nowadays people adore both this record and the guys themselves, citing the group as an early example of mold-breaking post-punk. these guys really make punk rock music sound effortless to play and write. a group of lads getting together, one of them does a countdown and immediately everyone locks in and plays. above all else i appreciate that... sometimes you turn on a record and you just know that these guys know exactly what they're trying to do. they know exactly how to translate their ideas into audio form. i also really like how clean and clear it sounds, i feel like a lot of early alt-newwave-post-whatever stuff sounds all musty and poorly mixed. but this is quite the opposite! it's a worthy enough contender on this list i'll say.

Great upbeat nature of the songs. Very Rolling Stones-esc and British rock.

great album cover

Three Girl Rhumba Ex Lion Tamer Strange Mannequin 1 2 X U

Not the hugest fan and I don’t think I knew of this group beforehand.

Personally, this really felt like 'just an album' to me. There are many better Punk albums on this list, but there are also definitely worse albums. All in all, I think this one is fairly middle of the road, so the corresponding rating seems to be correct. 3/5

4/10 Didn't care for

Because I am a pretentious intellectual, I <sniff> prefer Chairs Missing, which is not on the list because we need (spins wheel) a third Dexys album. But if it were possible to get a tattoo of how a record sounds, this is the one. VU-level band-inspiring power.

What’s not to like, fast hard angry and a little melancholic and hollowed out. Happy to hear one of the most influential from the post-punk genre. Definitely an album I would have on rotation during a mental health crisis (not a bad criteria, in fact, a good measure of quality and depth).

70s punk ain’t usually my bag but this was alright y’know

An inspirational band that inspired aload of shite

Heard Wire quoted as inspurations for a load of artists. And Comedians. Was decent. Good example of Punk. Heard Three Girl Rhumba before, heard Elastica's sorta version First 3 songs v. Good. Does get bit tedious after 10 songs worth

Not for me

Nice, clean, rockin'. Great energy and surprisingly good variety for a punk album. Hell yeah. 4.5 stars.

A 3 star album. Everything is just ok.

standard punk album - with a deviation into the post-punk era. i could see how this could be influential so many years ago, but this didn't do much for me.

Yep, sounds like post-punk to me. Solid debut album, just nothing that was all that memorable.

I liked it. Short and fast punk rock.

Not really my cup of tea 2.5/5

Just not a good sound imo. Nothing against the band I don’t think anyone can make the genre sound good.

I thought the Pink Flag was floating lol 🫪 How do they make 2 min songs sound so long? Maybe it's just punk's repetitive chord and chorus structure. Thanks to some recent post-punk albums I can sort of hear that genre here in the 3+ minute songs like "Strange". The rest though does sound similar to the Ramones debut though (3.5).

Nice. To me it sounds like standard punk fare, but it is fast, punchy and invigorating. So I enjoyed more than average even though I don't specifically remember songs.

Oh wow! More 70s British punk/post punk/hardcore

I love Wire, and so the fuck should you

Hyped this one up too much in my own head. It's good but I want to like it more than I actually do after two listens back to back.

Not for me

**An ok album

good !

Really enjoyed this. Never heard it before but it will certainly be getting lots more listens

Essential pink punk power.

nichts für mich

pretty good punk album, just wish some of the songs were longer

If I wanted to get yelled at, I’d work retail.

Strong punk energy gets the blood flowing. Punchy rapid drums and deep crackling… combustible guitar tone. Vocals have assertive English-ness and production is raw and simple. Tracks 12 and 13 feel off-kilter but it comes back with slower, more confident, striding tracks. Track 17 (mannequin) is downright boppy, I really like it. The album has a lot of variety. Even if it’s not the most listenable, I could imagine being obsessed with it if I owned it when it was new.

Fun, fast, and refreshing. Some of the most consistently solid late 70's punk ever made.

I think, as someone who’s not a big punk head, there’s an understandable reticence when you see “21 songs, 35 minute runtime” on an album, but I also think this is so much a better example of the spirit of “cut down all the excess, pull rock music back to its last exposed nerves and just play it” British punk than some of the other big albums I’m aware of and so I can’t help but fuck with it. It’s punchy, it’s fast, very little overstays its welcome before moving to the next idea, and somewhere in all that, it gets your spirit. It could probably live to have more hooks, but I respect not doing them for everything, it’s bolder that way.

🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 (rounded up because I have a feeling my feelings will also round up) I didn’t realize how excited I’d be to see Pink Flag on this list. “Ex-Lion Tamer,” “1 2 X U,” and, like, twice as much “Three Girl Rhumba” are perhaps perfect punk songs, all five stars for me. When I think of why, I think it’s the ability to strain punk’s screamy bitterness through uptight sensibilities, but I’m not sure that totally captures it. Secretly, maybe, I have a love-hate relationship with uptightness in art—I think I’m always onboard for it, but then I listen to an album like Pink Flag all the way through, and I think the choppiness starts to feel like an auditory washboard after twenty-one 1-3 minute songs ricocheting around. I don’t know, I think maybe when the uptightness elevates the emotions, like in the three aforementioned songs, that’s the secret sauce—otherwise, a lot of these start to sound a bit samey to me, though not nearly as badly as many other albums on this list. That’s not to say there isn’t an emotional energy to this—contrary to many reviews (another case where people have no taste in vocals), this guy’s always had one of my favorite crunchy voices, almost crunchier than the guitars. That’s also not to say I didn’t find any more I was into—“Strange,” “106 Beats,” “Pink Flag,” and “Lowdown” really did pique my interest, though none hit like the other three, and that’s relatively few out of twenty-one little ditties. Somehow, then, this one’s getting the same score as Sex Pistols, even though I think ultimately think this one is better… maybe? Better creatively, at least, and even energetically, but I don’t know, the spirit of bollocks rages stronger in the Sex Pistols, and that’s what Wire sometimes seems to struggle with. Maybe Never Mind the Bollocks was more fun to listen to, but Pink Flag’s best songs easily exceed “Anarchy in the UK” or “EMI.” 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

Wow this was energetic, perhaps a little too much for my menstruating body and mind. I didn't hate it though, and thought a lot of it was creative. I really liked that the tracks were short, that kept everything moving right along.

Pretty solid, I can see why it was included

Sounds like 40 other albums on this list

Good album. Was my first listen

This particular album didn't grab me, but there was something in it that I was curious about. I'll move on to the album after this one to hear how they developed.

2.0

punk peak

Every time I hear this one I think it is cool this was made in 1977. Seems much newer than that. Good stuff. Quick tracks

Fun stripped down punk. These boys get in and out in true punk fashion, wasting no time getting to the punchline and moving on. 21 songs in 35 minutes. Enough said.

It was OK, had my foot tapping, but still about 40 years too late.

Good and simple punk. Every song does blend into the same 4 power chord syncopation and sound but at least it isn't completely intelligble. Short enough to be fun

Really enjoyable snappy punk album

Listens: 3 I had heard of Wire, but this is not what I thought Wire was. My only point of reference was their later song "The 15th", a song I knew from its Fischerspooner and Kill Hannah covers (thanks Alan!), and whose original version on Wire's third album 154 (1979) is a sweeping, restrained, almost proto-shoegaze track. So I was not expecting them to be the progenitors of post-punk (and noise rock?) that they are. It's crazy that this came out in 1977—almost fifty years ago, and yet sounding nearly modern to my ears. Their punk roots are clearest in the vocals, the short outbursts, the chords; but the sound, the timbre, the angular guitar and abrasive bass tones themselves, form the main components of so much music that I love today. Not all the songs hit for me personally, and I wouldn't say I love any of them, but it's still a good (and fascinating) listen. (I will say, I'm enjoying their later album 154 a lot more so far!)

Can’t believe I hadn’t heard these guys. That was great!

Honestly, an exceptional proto punk album. They are still working on their punk voice at this point, but the instrumentation, micro songs, and attitude are all there. There are some really crunchy riffs in this, and while most of the micro songs only really exhibit a single idea, some of the longer (>2mins) songs develop some nice structures, and again: the riffs. I hear elements of 90s alt, 80s punk like Black Flag or JFA to come. It’s good stuff for how primitive it is in the genre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very English rock album, good but nothing that really grabbed me/fired me up

Surprised at how much I liked this. Never heard of the band and I’m not a huge fan of the genre, but something about the stripped down sound and not annoying vocals worked for me.

One of those albums I've been meaning to listen to for a long time but haven't. And damn I should've done it earlier because it's cool. Also I completely forgot that Elastica essentially stole the riff from Three Girl Rumba for Connection. Truly an influential album lol 3/5

You can definitely see the punk influence here, but you can also see a band breaking away from punk and creating something new. It's interesting that I recognized that other bands basically copied at least two songs.  In other words, a connection was made! Liked Songs Added: Three Girl Rhumba Lowdown Strange 12 X U

Accessible punk, very listenable. That said, the album restarted and I didn't even realize it so... that isn't great?

Damn, punk that has great instrument playing! I've slept on this record for way too long. 5/5

I prefer Justine Frischmann's voice, but this is good stuff. Good when it's punk, good when it's a bit ahead of its time (Mannequin). The start of Different To Me sounds very like Rest Assured by The Lemonheads. This is a good thing.

You need a high degree of both clarity of vision and commitment to concept to do short songs well, and not just sound like a snippet, sample, or segment of the same. This is pure efficiency, fully formed original sounding songs, delivered rapid fire, but each is entirely complete.

Sounded more Oi than anything else, not impressed

Puck without the humor make it dull.

Of course it is punk music but it really gave me the feeling of being AT a punk show. I can see myself screaming these lyrics amongst the sweaty masses crammed into a venue. Jostling and jumping and throwing elbows. Punk music really accesses a part of myself that I like to visit. I love an angry lyric, bonus points for the more posh eyebrows it raises. The general refrain of "isn't this all so fucked?" resonates with me. Not an album that plugs all the way into my soul but solid. Top tracks: Reuters, Surgeon's girl, Mr. Suit, Strange, 1 2 X U

Good

This was fine but sounded the same throughout. 2/5.

Ha! I kind of enjoyed the this. This is a band I would see live because it would be such a good time.

Absolutely no idea how this record evaded me up until this point. The "fans also like" section on their spotify is comprised of like half my top artists. Television, The Slits, Sonic Youth, Stooges, Gang of Four?? Really it just goes to show how awful spotify's recommendation algorithm is if anything, there is no way this album should not have been on some mix spotify shoved at me. This album is an obvious precursor to hardcore. It has those obvious touches of brit punk from the 70's, especially in the vocals, but the song structure is something I feel like I don't see in any other band's music again until 80's hardcore with bands like Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, and Circle Jerks. I saw there were 21 songs on this album and felt a sense of dread wash over me, but then I saw the album is 35 minutes long and knew I was going to love it. And I was right, this is a new favorite. Highlights: I mean it's only 35 minutes, just listen to the whole thing, but if I had to choose: Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange Also, a band where every single album is basically a totally different genre? Exactly my shit. I'm sure I'll be listening to their entire discography in the coming days. I will also absolutely be looking into what the bassist used to achieve the tone on this record, and may have to hunt down some gear.

This one was strange to me right off the bat. The number of songs compared to the runtime threw me off guard completely... 21 songs with a 35-minute runtime made me really curious about how the album was going to work, and what the creative decision behind this was. I think, as a whole, I wasn't a huge fan of this album, but that isn't saying I thought it was bad. Nothing really interested me much, that's all. I did enjoy the shorter tracks to break up the album, but when there are only around 4 tracks long enough to be counted as a full song, the rest of the album just kind of seems like a load of unfinished ideas rather than anything solid. I'm sure that the shorter tracks were intentional from the start when planning this album, but to me, it doesn't come across as polished. Stand-outs: Mannequin Brazil Fragile

Not a band or album I'd heard before, but this has become a favourite of mine and makes doing this 1001 Albums challenge worthwhile. Punk has a way of making me feel young again like no other genre does, and this album captures that energy perfectly. What sets it apart is that it manages to deconstruct and reconstruct punk during punk's initial explosion, not in hindsight with years of perspective, but in real time, while it was still happening. The result is a really tight and uniquely structured album. All the tenets of punk are there: the speed, brevity, and minimalism, but they're repackaged and refined into something sharper and more deliberate than most of their contemporaries. Where other punk bands relied on raw aggression, Wire have a much more concise and considered approach. Their playing is tight and they know how to use dynamics - They know when to hold back and when to go for it. It was interesting to hear "12XU" in its original form, a track I'd heard other hardcore bands cover over the years. Hearing the source material puts those covers into context and shows just how far ahead of the curve Wire were. There is so much of the future of punk embedded here - hardcore, post-punk, even shades of indie - and it was all done during punk's first wave. 5/5

I'm a stereotypical girl, and I like pink things

if you don't love the brevity or the gigantic rhythm guitar you're broken inside. just broken inside. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)

Absolutely rips, obviously. You see that, right? You see that

Decent early punk. Probably somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.

5/5 rly cool stuff punk post punk

Yeah, yeah, another punk album that sounds surprisingly modern for the time of the release. Good remaster too. But it's nothing that stood out to me. At times, I was even annoyed.

Not a bad album, but not one i'll revisit anytime soon, not really my cup of tea even considering how influencial it was

Nothing the blew me away. I'm not the biggest punk fan, every song sounds the same to me.

You can hear a million bands cry out from being born by this.

There's some great stuff on here, and it was clearly influential, but I also feel like many of these are so short they leave no impression on me.

This was a good listen. Punkish but way more polished than I would have expected. Like they could play their instruments. Guessing bands like REM among others were influenced by them. It’s fine.

Mr. Suit stood out. This is the type of album I want to find on this list. Post-punk that is quick with fun riffs. 4.5/5

Not bad

The grittiness of this album makes it so striking. You can clearly see its influence on later bands such as The Descendants, The Dead Kennedys, and Bikini Kill. When listening to this album , you’ll hear a raw choppiness that comes from the shortness of some of the songs. Wire is able to capture ideals in under sixty seconds that could be dissected for ages. Reuter starts the album off with an honest look into the problems of pre-Margret Thatcher PM term, and the echoing of rape at the end of the song gives it a really poignant ending. Ex-Lion Tamer critiquing almost mindless zombies watching TV is really interesting ; this idea that machines that we enjoy becoming a part of us is such an interesting discussion and it reminds me of one of my favorite movies “ Videodrome”. Brazil such a short song but I think it really captures war, and I love how much is Said in such limited amount of time. Surgeons Girl habit of going into shouting at each other which turns into gibberish for the audience is honestly just really cool to listen to , and you can see so many bands afterwards who adopted the same practice. Pink Flag I’m going to be honest I didn’t understand what it was specifically critiquing until I made an effort to look it up. Apparently it’s about the Soviet Reign which I think with that context it make the echoing questioning of “ How many dead or alive” so interesting. Mr. Suit takes a direct revolt to an oppressive force and address the limitations that the upper class intends to take on the band. I think why a lot of people tend to admire this song is the honesty it reveals ; there is this oppressive magnifying class extended on each of us. Strange details a problem that people refuse to see, which I’m willing to guess relates politics but I think how I imagine the song might not be the intended meaning. I imagine it more along the vein of a middle class kid being institutionalized for a mental issue yet I understand if it has more political implications of maybe a society not examining their social issues; either way it’s a great song and it reminded me a lot of the Talking Heads. The ending of Strange is really wonderful, though, regardless of intended meaning. Fragile and Mannequin both have elements that I would consider more poppy ( I have limited experience in discerning different albums) and are an interesting detour form the usual sound of the album. Champs I also felt was a criticism of war or maybe just macho masculinity; however, it’s possible I imposed that because my understanding that this is a punk album. I think it’s interesting though to see the “taste of champions…. The need to die “ is a cool concept of the emptiness of success in the eyes of the general public. 1 2 X U is a censored version of “ 1 2 Fuck U “ and the whole song is about gay sex in a bathroom; needless to say, it’s great. Today I learned that cottage ? Can be used as slang for gay sex in a toilet, which aren’t we alll gay sex in a bathroom. Overall, this albums influence on music is easy to see and it was wonderful to listen to it. My favs Ex-Lion Tamer Mr. Suit Strange Fragile 1 2 X U

According to my summary page I quite like punk music. Not if this album is anything to go by. Lots of short songs and musical ideas. No idea what the lyrics are at all. Perhaps that is the aim but then the music is not good enough to carry that for me. Nearly gave it 2/5 but was feeling generous today. Rather listen to this than the R&B pap that I was fed yesterday.

Mám radšej melodickejsie veci v tomto štýle...

I can hear a lot of bands that came later in this album. Its influence is all over post-punk and alternative rock, and it's easy to see why so many artists point back to it. It's one of the better post-punk albums I've heard on this list. While it's not completely my preferred style of music, I appreciate that it knows exactly what it is. The songs are short, direct, and never overstay their welcome. That is probably the album's greatest strength. Even when a song doesn't fully connect, another one is just around the corner. It's a smart, influential record that I enjoyed more than I expected.

a little repetitive, but the highs stand out quite a bit. reminded me of ramones self titled kinda.

Punk was probably a lot cooler before punk was a thing

ik was verbaasd dag ik dit nog niet kende, erg leuk

welp, i think this my last album that ive already heard. while i think i like their next two albums more i still love love love this one. mannequin and 12xu are two of my all time favorite songs EVER.

Ugh

meh....

Damn it its good. Punk without complete descending into chaos

I got into Wire a few years ago. There's a couple of excellent songs on this album. Ex Lion Tamer is a particular stand out. The rest of the album is good, but lacks something that would make it truly great.

Absolute classic. "A chance encounter you want to avoid." From punk to post-punk tunes, these are all great. I think some folks consider this post-punk, and may be the seminal post punk album. To me, this is a must listen. Great lyrics, singing, musicianship. 5.

They emerged from the punk scene and apparently their music is difficult to categorize. Really? Sounds like punk to me and after 47 albums and 50 or so years later, I've heard about them for the first time this morning. I wonder why? I'll give Pink Flag a red flag warning - steer clear everyone!

2nd half of the album is more punk flavoured; love it! 12 X U came across this gem when I started my punk journey decades ago. That song along gets a 5, the rest of the album certainly the first half was largely forgettable? I'll try a 2nd listen with rested ears. Good thing, too. Ex Lion Tamer is punk, and Lowdown has a great groove to carry through. As a collection of pieces that make up a concept album of theatre bits or scenes it's a 3 or 4 but as an album to listen to good music it's a 2 or 3. Given the post-punk albums on the list maybe this genre just isn't for me.

Not the vibe

At least the songs were short

I really dug it! Super solid punk from start to finish.

Unexpectedly deep and artistic. Trying to think of a reason NOT to give this a five and I can’t. Cool, influential, and has the perfect amount of high-energy apathetic disdain that you look for in a punk band.

Not for me. 1/5

Solid

classic

Uh. . . Fuck Yes!

Pink Flag! This is one of those essential albums that I'VE NEVER BOTHERED TO GET A COPY OF for some reason that I can't pinpoint at the moment, so anyway here we are. I love grindy, noisy, melodic punk like this. I guess I was waiting for a day when this album would be exactly like the exact kind of music that I like? And that's today! Time to finally buy a copy of this album! 5/5

Much of Pink Flag's first two thirds, except for longer songs, sounds like secondary material, some demo recordongs which would be better combined into more finished works or, perhaps, the group cold make it a 2-3-track album with long 10-minute songs. But they took this approach, and honestly it somewhat ruined the listening experience. The beginning is dominated by the guitarist, while the vocals sound underwhelming. Ex Lion Tamer, title song, Strange, along with Feeling Called Love, are the better tracks. Most of them are the longest ones, and Wire do put up some experimental or unconventional elements there wich at times really work. Later on, the songs feel more balanced and overall well done, however this feeling of incompleteness with much of material leaves Pink Flag with three stars.

#165/1001 🇬🇧 I was 3 months old when this was released and i have a theory that the best albums are the ones that came out the year you were born and the year you turned 17. This very enjoyable, quick fire tracks with an angular sound. Undoubtedly influential on a great many bands who came afterwards. Best Tracks: Three Girl Rhumba, Mannequin, Ex Lion Tamer.

Die britische Band Wire nahm ihr Debütalbum im Herbst 1977 in den Advision Studios in London auf und veröffentlichte es im November desselben Jahres über das EMI-Tochterlabel Harvest – ungewöhnlich für eine Platte, die formal so radikal mit dem Punk brach. Anders als die meisten ihrer Zeitgenossen kamen drei der vier Musiker aus einem kunstakademischen Umfeld, was sich unmittelbar in der Herangehensweise niederschlägt: Wo der zeitgenössische Punk auf Wucht und Tempo setzte, reduzierten Wire ihre 21 Songs auf das absolute Minimum, brachen Strukturen ab, kaum dass sie sich etabliert hatten, und verzichteten konsequent auf jede Wiederholung, die nicht zwingend nötig war. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das sich der Kategorisierung beharrlich entzieht. Stücke wie "Field Day for the Sundays" sind nach 28 Sekunden vorbei, während andere wie "Strange" oder "Mr. Suit" genug Raum bekommen, um eine eigentümlich kühle, fast klinische Atmosphäre aufzubauen. Besonders bemerkenswert ist, wie organisch sich roher Punk-Antrieb mit einer fast architektonischen Disziplin verbindet – "Three Girl Rhumba" und "Ex Lion Tamer" zeigen das in ihrer lakonischen Prägnanz, "12XU" liefert dagegen den unmittelbaren Energieausbruch, der später unzählige Hardcore-Bands prägen sollte. Was Pink Flag von vergleichbaren Platten seiner Zeit abhebt, ist die Weigerung, sich auf eine einzige Idee von Punk festlegen zu lassen. Die Band experimentiert mit Leerraum, abrupten Songenden und einer beinahe minimalistischen Klarheit, die das Album eher in die Nähe von Konzeptkunst als von Drei-Akkord-Rebellion rückt. Gerade diese Sperrigkeit, die sich nicht sofort erschließt, macht die Platte auch fast fünfzig Jahre später noch interessant – sie verlangt aktives Hinhören statt bloßes Mitwippen. Ein Debütalbum, das seine Vorbilder hinter sich lässt, kaum dass es sie zitiert hat.

Fuck yeah Wire

This shit made me feel cool while I was taking a sunny walk down the street so idk what’s better than that fr.

It was alright, just alright I dig it.

I did not like this one at all

9/10

Det var en vildt fed oplevelse. Kendet dem kun af navn, og har nok hørt roots før et sted. Det er en kombi af Slipknot, Clawfinger, og noget realt surhed som bare fungerede! - Det sidste track er overflødig for mig.

Tyk skramlet guitar. Catchy melodier.

My expectations were low, but this was better than I expected. A lot of punk from this era blends together for me, but this stands out slightly.

The average track on this album clocks in under 1:42, so it flies by even with 21 songs. It's kind of a fun gimmick, but I think it wears out its welcome before even this album's short runtime comes to an end. It's good energy, but I'm not huge on this album. Favorite track: probably "Mannequin," once again one of the longest songs on the album!

Not much of a fan of punk music but by the last track, I was actually enjoying it.

6/10

A collection of mostly mid minute long songs Fave track: Mannequin

Short, sharp, punchy post-punk record. An influential record and it’s not hard to hear why. 3.5/5

21 minutes, 35 songs, hundreds of bands inspired

Hadn’t heard of these guys, another solid addition to the late 70s punk lineup on this list. 3.6

4.6 I'd put this right up there with Marquee Moon by Television

I like wire ..good band...good songs

The album reminded me of Ramone’s album without the hooks.

"Weebubalows stanidtain, weoub anamuboadisnass meebupasol lalilnaw beemlaws ois. Au menninseeguh awuh, hoi." The wiki tells me this is a (YET ANOTHER GODDAMNED) British rock band, but I have no idea what language they're yelling. It sure isn't English. Sounds like the aural equivalent of boiled cabbage.

Punk raiz setentista.. não é muito minha vibe mas é bem legal de ouvir pra passar o tempo. Me senti um jovem Supla all yeah baby!

GOAT punk album

I don't get it. Why does it have all these random genres when it's just Oh Look Yet More Early Punk

This is a lot like the Circle Jerks album that I ended up liking a ton, but with way less personality. Nothing here is bad, but it's just all there, and that's it. It exists. I liked Mannequin the most, but there was nothing else here that really inspired or interested me.

Noise af

Fucking excellent album

Often, in this exercise, reviews are colored by the previous album. The guitar sound this record great, though. Almost deserves the 4 just for that

I could have sworn I wrote a review for this already. I compared Wire to Big Star in terms of how evident their impact on subsequent bands was. I also probably stated that I really liked this album, which I did.

I am a casual fan of Wire and this album I really like. It's kind of crazy that they don't consider themselves punk since it sounds like they invented post-punk and hardcore at the same time. Plenty of my favorite bands owe a piece of their music to Wire. Good album.

Too raw for me, but some great bones here. (As shown by R.E.M.'s amazing cover of Strange.)

4/5 - This has the blueprints for lots of music to come. I should listen to this more.

Absolutely wild. I got Ex Lion Tamer on a mix tape about 35 years ago and never knew who the band was until today. This kicks ass. Reuters is a great opening track. I listened thru a half dozen times or more and it just kept getting better. I'm putting this in the top 25 of new to me albums from the generator. Dig it.

a wild punk album that leaves you no time to process, presenting a huge number of different ideas while maintaining an almost hyperactive energy level with truly technical performances that are nonetheless capable of conveying a primal feeling four stars, almost five

yasssssss

Exhilarating, spiky, punk/post-punk. Short, punchy tunes. Listened on a drive and enjoyed it a lot.

Album 88 Top 3 favorites off the album: 1 2 X U, Field Day for Sundays, Surgeon's Girl I was surprised to see a 35 minute runtime with 21 tracks. That's a minute and some change per song. That's not too long. It clued me into Wire being a punk band, as the only other band who had a similar ratio of album runtime:number of tracks was also punk. I was feeling a little pessimistic after the opening track. I thought it was going to be noise for 35 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. My biggest issue with this format is that all the songs are so short that they all become one even when they have distinct differences in sound, and I don't usually want to go back and see which ones I really liked. They go by too fast for me to really make a decision in the moment, way too fast for me to make a ranking in my head. Also, after a quick skim of the album to decide on my favorites, this one in particular had a lot that sounded the same. It was a fine listen. Not a lot of big thoughts on it. Won't come back to regularly, but won't write off entirely.

Typical 70’s punk , not great, like track 15 though

2.52

Lost a little bit of steam in the back half but this was a fun listen and one that’s genuinely hard to believe came out in 1977. Also all those 30 second songs were amazing to me. Did Wire invent TikTok clips?

Just really incredible punk rock with a hugely prescient sense of what's to come.

Good music ruined by a godawful vocalist

This might be a rare case where I lean upwards on an album because of how early on it was. This feels like it could be the precursor and inspiration for every punk album that followed. And like so many of them, I have no idea what he's saying. But I enjoyed. I particularly liked the punk yell "Un deax trois go!"

Absolutely loved the guitar work! Some of these songs were just great. Were there lyrics though? Quick and to the point.

I finished this album and honestly did not even realize I was listening to it. That's not really a bad thing; it evoked pleasant background emotions.... 3.49.

No worries about this album being too long. But nothing really stands out, either. It's funny how quaint some early punk sounds after 50 years.

hmmmm a punk album! Okay. I bet this is gonna be great! I need punk in my life today This album kicked ass! 5 stars!

This one left an absolutely huge first impression on me. High 4 stars on first listen, and I anticipate it to grow from there. 4/5

Alright punk. Mostly clear lyrics, which is a quality I find gets lost quickly with punk. Can definitely recognize influence they would've had

This is probably better than an positive two, but due to the overflow of britpop and punk in this challenge I can't give more than that

First off, Tidal fed me the 2006 remaster and hooo boy, what an abysmal mastering job. I guess I have a philosolphical bone to pick with the engineering on this 2006 reissue. I expect a remaster to update the aesthetic to fit the listening sensibilities/expectations of the time. Here, a 1977 production gets a renovation 30 years later, and the result sounds like a coat of primer over graffiti paired with new-old-stock shag carpet that sat in my chain-smoking uncle's garage. The point is, the intent was to refresh this, but it comes off as a poor attempt to polish a crusty turd. I hear poor stereo balance, off-centre bass, awkward panning, weak dynamic range, and thin transients. Some of these aspects remain characteristic of 70s production, and some clearly indicate misdirection during the remastering process. With that said, the music itself sounds like a school bus full of sugar-high fourth-graders chanting nonsense on an unwanted field trip. It begets suffering. I look forward to reading the deluded rationale our "critics" offer up in the book. I can barely imagine a listening experience of lesser value. 1/5, onto the trash heap it goes.

Gave me the clash vibes. Bad to work to but fun to listen to

I remember this album cover from my dad's rolling stone 500 greatest albums magzine and the cover is badass. The album is fine!

Cool. Not my style, but cool for what it is - old school punk stuff

Wire are way ahead of their time

There were a couple of standout tracks in this record. It was also short and sweet. Favourite Track(s): Pink Flag, 106 Beats That Least Favourite Track(s): Lowdown, Surgeon's Girl, Fragile

This is an unremarkable album with some nice ideas and, every so often, even a genuinely good song. Unfortunately, it also feels hectic, unorganized, and in desperate need of polish or trimming. I would have much preferred if the artists had focused on expanding the parts that actually worked instead of throwing every idea at the wall to see what sticks. Out of the bunch, "Strange" and "Fragile" work better than the rest.

In my eyes, this is failed punk.

Wow, great discovery! I enjoyed this record more than I expected. Even though I am not a big punk fan, I actually enjoyed the melodies and energy of most of the songs. Favorite tracks: Lowdown, Reuters

No me gustó, no se entendía la letra y todos los instrumentos peleaban por ser los protagonistas que al final nada destaca…

Hailed as a classic but never grew on me

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from an album and band I've never heard of, and I guess I was neither impressed nor disappointed. More punk-oriented than I'd prefer--garage-quality production, too-short track lengths to get things moving, etc.--but as a punk-ish album I definitely preferred it to others, especially since I could usually understand (and sometimes enjoy) what they had to say and play. And funny to hear small bits that were recycled later, often more effectively; the best example is "Three girl rhumba", which Elastica did to perfection on "Connected" two decades later; I feel like other tracks like "106 beats that" and "Strange" have similar promise, although I didn't see any covers mentioned. Perhaps not a backwater per se, but this definitely feels like an experiment that didn't get many followers, although I can also see why Husker Du's Greg Norton considered this one of his favorite punk albums.

listened twice and nothing stood out for me. Seemed generic.

Cool album. Mix of post-punk and classic punk. Great sound for an album from the 70s. "12 x U" was the favorite this time.

nudne trch

Moze być

Incredible. Quite possibly the best album of the first wave of the post punk era. Dark and menacing, but also upbeat and danceable? Great bass lines and sharp, angular guitars. Snotty vocals. Great. 4.8 (I’m bumping it up to 5 because it’s one of my all-time favorites)

A very typical punk album. I like it but I don't flock to it.

This is really impressive for 1977, you can see the influence and it's a cool album to experience as a historical piece. I wish I liked it a bit more. It's good, but with 21 songs and only a 34 minute run time it struggles to get any of those songs to stick.

probably wont come back to this much. maybe discovering i'm not a huge punk fan. that being said, it's crunchy sludgy and fun! pretty astounding that it came out in '77.

I hate to be that nerd that goes "oh, but the production 🤓" to some punk music, but the guitars are very loud in the mix and sound like they were recorded on tin cans. Apparently the lyrics are very dry, snarky, and political beat poetry type stuff but I wouldn't know because I think the only lyrics I could make out were the la-la-la's on Mannequin. The album does have a lot of interesting ideas, the songs are really tight, I do kind of enjoy it, and it sounds like it would go hard live, but oh the production... 🤓

5: 4: Crime of the Century, Pink Flag, Arrival, 3: Darkness on the Edge of Town, Court and Spark 2: Ramones 1: Rain Dogs

I LOVE this sound. It has that later grunge twinge I love from the 90s but a loud rawness of 70s rocknroll, plus unapologetic vocals. Makes me want to embrace teenage rebellion and go graffiti some stuff or like… pierce my eyebrow.

A set of short, direct, punchy punk tracks. I really enjoy the guitar tones on this record. However, many of the songs aren't super memorable in my opinion. The short song lengths don't really add up to much a lot of the time. I definitely see the appeal, it's just not for me.

Great punk album! Really liked this!

So close to a 10/10 but the lyrics are meh and the vocals are bad but luckily they are hidden underneath a lot of the production and instrumentation. 8/10

Highly annoying album. I'm growing pretty weary of British post-punk stuff. It's alright in small doses, and thankfully all the songs on Pink Flag were short, that's one positive. Every time I thought there was a song that I liked, the band would do something to make it annoying. The vocals were jarring, repetitive organ chords, repetitive lyrics, etc. etc. I actually really liked the guitar tone on most of the tracks, it just couldn't carry the rest of the band. I guess the OK tracks were "Pink Flag" "106 Beats That" "Strange" but I don't really want to listen to any of them over again. 2/5. At least it was quick.

i like this plenty, but i'm not sure if i'll ever go out of my way to listen to it again. T3- sounds like every indie sleeze song from 2010.

I enjoyed this, favorited a couple. Will likely revisit. It was a nice surprise. Rounding up since I see this as a solid 7/10. 3.5/5

This was a great nostalgia bomb. And way more deserving of being included than lots of other post-punk bands (I’m looking at you The Fall). A very enjoyable listen with songs short and to the point. Love the gritty guitar sound which helps put them in the same conversation with similar bands like Television, The Stooges, Velvet Underground. And for a great listen, check out the cover of their song “Strange” on REM’s ‘87 Document album.

Very middle of the road for me. Some decent riffs and moments. But what has me rounding down is it seems like they had a bunch of ideas for songs, or starts to songs. But then gave up after 40 seconds. I get that’s kind of a thing to do in this genre but feels like they could have spent a lil more time developing those. 2.5

Thought this was pretty good. Had a decent garage gritty sound. Had no clue Elastica lifted the riff on Three Girl Rhumba for their song, Connection. Neat stuff. 2.755

Medio pesado para mí gusto

Wassup punk? I liked this album, some songs are repetetive though

This feels like rapid fire visits to all of your friends on the same day. A very dense 38 minutes. But an enjoyable ride nonetheless.

Klikkuð plata. Eitt fyrsta post punkið sem hélt þróuninni áfram. Solid út í gegn.

Geggjuð plata og ótrúlegt að hún sé frá 1977. Wire hafði mikil áhrif á þá tónlist sem á eftir kom, langt umfram þá athygli sem þeir fengu á sínum tíma.

Bruv punk. Muziek is best goed, maar het had net zo goed een blaffende hond kunnen zijn

Solid album. Did not do much for me.

The pure embodiment of the word "punk". Fast, brash, loud, angry. Very British. To the point I didn't understand a single word he sung. Biggest downside is repetition, however. With each track being so short and there being so many of them, it's hard to pick out favourites. Just as you're getting used to one track, it ends and you're thrust into another that sounds slightly different. 3/5

In the Pantheon. I've listened to Ex Lion Tamer so many times. The part where it goes "next week we'll solve your problems..." and the music gets warm is my favorite. Why do I love this so much but I hate Alex Turner's singing voice? I just finished listening to The Last Shadow Puppets album, so it's fresh in my mind.

Some cool sounds. Some nice development of punk elements that I thought came a bit later. The vocal style in parts feels like much later indie punk too me. Some cool songs on there for sure. It didn't totally hold together as a piece and stand out as much as I'd like.

I didn't totally love this, but I fully understand why it's on this list.

too teenage post punk for my taste, overall songs have the same energy

This was popular in 1977, huh? I liked the Sex Pistols more. This got kind of old. Not my music.

Every song just kinda sounds the same. It's not my kind of music definitely. I do like when they counted off in french at the beginning of surgeons girl.

A series of punk miniatures. Concentrated, "conceptual" (post)punk album where the strenght is in the whole listening experience. I always liked the cover.

Weird stuff

Very old school Punk. I can hear where other bands drew influence from this. The cacophony is fun, but the album feels discordant. Probably a low 3 for me, but fun to listen none-the-less.

This was tough. I listened to it twice. Probably ahead of its time.

banging

Good stuff: punk with melody

Alright. Pretty classic 70s. Nothing particularly bad but nothing amazing or innovative. Enjoyed it.

This is punk stripped down to its conceptual core but somehow expanded at the same time. The songs are often over before they fully settle in, which creates this restless, almost anti-satisfaction energy that feels deliberate. It plays like a deconstruction of rock structure rather than just an execution of it. From a more experimental and avant-leaning perspective, it hits incredibly hard because it rejects excess while still feeling bold and forward-thinking. Every fragment matters.

Not a huge fan of punk music, it's pretty same-y. I'm not sure about the punk scene as of 1977 but this felt more modern to me.

Not my cup of tea

Classic punk

Not impressed

Best punk album from that that time

A good debut album with that 3 chord punk sound but with the hint of sonic sound lushiness.

I like my punk to have a bit more bite and edge.

Like the ramones but none of the catchy hooks

36 minutes and 21 tracks, oh boy, I'm about to get electrocuted. Oh, not really. 3/5

Was listening to it couple of days ago and don't remember it already :/. Nothing special :(. 1.8

I had listened to Pink Flag in the past, but it didn't impress me back then. What a fool I was. It's kind of wild that Wire is already part of post-punk in '76. It's wilder still how influential this album is ("Strange" was covered by R.E.M. and "1 2 X U" was covered by Minor Threat). I had no idea. Despite the 'post-punk' label, Wire has a lot of punk energy. The driving rhythms, the unpolished and shouted vocals, and the simple songwriting are all welcome. I also adore the heavy distortion throughout! This is a record I definitely think I'll keep coming back to.

So neutral about this one. No favs but I didn’t hate it.

tracks are quite short, like really REALLY short, for my preferences but not bad. fav track is mannequin.

21 songs, 35 minutes!

7/10… punk / art punk / *1977

Cockney? ✅ 500 songs in 20 minutes? ✅ Certified punk. ✅

Really punky punk.

1001 really puts the Spotify algorithm to shame. An apparently influential early punk band I’ve never heard of is exactly the kind of thing it should be recommending to me.

I bet there are 50 records on this list of 1001 that you can draw a straight thru-line directly from this record. Certainly influenced by what was happening in New York more than what was happening in London or Manchester in 1977. What the blues and early rock was for the Beatles and the Stones, this record was for the Amercian punk movement of Black Flag, Sonic Youth and Minutemen. Landmark album with a half-dozen certified bangers on it.

It’s alright nothing in particular

inoffensive and boring

Is this punk? Is this newave? I really had a difficult time categorizing this one. I didn't like it, but also didn't not like it.

2/5

Punk it's cool. Wire is the pioneer of the punk movement.

Je suis pas très fan de post-punk. Peut-être qu'un jour, j'aurai le déclic, mais dans l'ensemble, j'ai presque toujours l'impression d'entendre du punk vidé de sa substance pour en faire une version plus molle et plus pompeuse qui ne me parle pas du tout. Je sais que c'est une vision erronée du genre et que c'est simplement pas mon truc, mais c'est mon ressenti. Donc en voyant popper ce matin du Wire comme écoute du jour, j'étais un peu sceptique. Première chose : cet album est sorti en 1977. 1977 ! Le punk, c'était encore tout récent. Quoi que je puisse penser du genre, Pink Flag était un OVNI pour son époque. Parce qu'à la fois, c'était clairement du punk, mais en même temps, c'était déjà autre chose, d'un peu moins brut, ça parait déjà dans une direction totalement différente des standards du genre. C'était un groupe avec une vision totalement avant-gardiste et c'est difficile de ne pas leur tirer mon chapeau juste pour ça. Ensuite, musicalement, après une écoute, je dois dire que c'est quand même très intéressant. D'un côté c'est encore très punk, surtout dans les morceaux les plus agressifs, d'un autre côté, tu as déjà une approche totalement différente et des petites expérimentations qui font tout le sel de cet album. Entendre Pink Flag à l'époque, ça devait être une sacrée expérience ! Bref, même si c'est pas mon genre et que j'accroche pas plus que ça, je dois bien dire que ça vaut quand même au moins un 4/5.

absolute banger. i now wanna pick up my bass again

Didn't *dislike* it at any point. But wasn't able to engage either 6/10 Fav Track: Pink Flag Saved a Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? ------ ❌ Will Listen Again? --- ❌

Mannequin

#49 on the randomizer for me, but #1 in my heart.

Fragile

Classical brit punk album, a sprint rather than a marathon with a continuous and fluid mild anger discharge

I was pretty impressed with this. Not every song was spectacular, but they didn’t need to be. As a huge REM fan, it was super fun to hear the original version of Strange! Also, this album had some great guitar tone.

This is exactly why I started this project: to discover something new that I really like.

This is the weakest of the "punk" albums I've heard so far. I liked that all the songs were so short but this one didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

2.25 - I really wish I liked these punk albums more. There were a few good moments, but more that I didn't care for.

Solid length but way too many songs to think about each one individually. Everything sounded the same

don't even remember this album at all. 2/5

Same formula as the one minutemen album but with stronger songs and almost a decade earlier. Lovely

поднимаю белый флаг - сдаюсь!

Muy divertido, no conocía a la banda

More foundational British punk. How original. - TS

This is a lot of fun

Can I get a translator? I’m not sure I picked up a single lyric on this album. Cool vibes tho

Fine little album. Not really my style but interesting

I don't recall this album being essential in the punk circles that I hung out in during the 80. , For us it was more about The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Joy Division, Black Flag, and thrash (when we all progressed into BMX free styling and skating) like Suicidal Tendencies, Anthrax, and early Metallica, but I don't deny that it probably was influential when it came out in 1977. It was long after this period that I graduated to listening to(end enjoying) jazz and electronica that showed off more sophisticated progressions and more interesting musical risks. Vocal performance is weaker than your typical punk album, particularly of the time. Instrumental performances are okay, at least for punk anyway, but even with short duration (2 minute-ish) songs, it becomes a bit tedious after 15 minutes or so. Given its hype, I was hoping for even more of an art rock influence to justify the proto post punk celebration of this album. I personally don't think they would have sounded like a nice pairing with circa 1978-1980 Talking Heads at all. To be it is largely just a standard old boring punk album. I acknowledge that it is possible that I might have enjoyed this more when I was a naive pre-teen or teen than I do as the middle aged person that I am now. Wanted to enjoy it more than I did, but probably won't feel compelled to play it again.

Some of the artists that I had previously never even heard of, and now I’m a big fan of, thanks to this project: The Pharcyde, Joanna Newsom, Tortoise, Minutemen, Jane Weaver… and now, Wire. I loved every second of this album. It kept me on my toes from start to finish. At times it sounds like The Ramones or The Clash, at others like an alt rock band from the 90s or even early 2000s. When I listen, I hear less 70s punk band and more of the vibe of the Pixies, the sticky dissonant guitar tones of Graham Coxon in Blur, the atmospheric distorted textures of Sonic Youth and the ironic detachment of Pavement. I mean, I obviously hear Elastica too. To say that “Three Girl Rhumba” inspired “Connection” is an understatement. The last song “12XU” reminds me of something Sex Bob-omb might have come out with. What makes my head hurt is that this is an album from 1977. Not just because of how far ahead of its time that it sounds, but also that it’s framed (rightly) as “post-punk”. I mean, 1977 is when The Sex Pistols released “Never Mind the Bollocks", while The Clash, The Damned and The Ramones also released key records. It was a breakthrough year for punk, when it fully emerged into the mainstream. So, while punk was breaking through, Wire were already creating something that went beyond it. How much can you pack into an album? “Pink Flag” is only 35 minutes long, but has a massive 21 song track listing. How much can you pack into a song? “Field Day for the Sundays” is just 28 seconds long, but is a brilliant, fully fleshed-out tune. For how much they compressed into this album, it never feels rushed. Songs stick around as long as they need to, and not a second longer. The two longest songs happen to be my favourite. “Reuters” is a slow-burner, building layers of heavily distorted guitars on top of each other to create some amazing textures and sounds. “Strange” is not only my favourite song on the album, it’s one of my new favourite songs in general. I fully expect it to appear in my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year for how much I’ve played it on repeat already. The fuzz-toned, clipped guitar tone is INCREDIBLE. It’s such a simple tune in structure and melody, but oozes coolness. It gets seriously, well… strange towards the end with those eerie ambient noises taking over. Again, how is this song from 1977 and not the mid 2010s?? That’s what I love about this project. Sure, I have to endure a Kid Rock, a few Pet Shop Boys and entirely too much Morrissey every now and then, but when an album like Pink Flag comes along, and introduces me to a band like Wire… it’s totally worth it. 4.5 stars.

Ei iskenyt. 1,75/5.

A landmark post-punk album that basically defines the phrase "more than the sum of its parts". Such a good time, regardless of how short it is. I think the percussion is the highlight here, it's so lively and punchy, really gets you in a groove quickly. The whole album has this incredible, infectious swagger to it, I just can't resist it. It's a record I keep coming back to. Favourite track: Pink Flag

3/5