Reviews (page 5 of 9)
Hard to remember any one particular track after listening due to how compact they are, but it wasn't an unpleasant listen by any means. I definitely heard influences on rock/punk bands that would follow in the coming years. Punchy, aggressive Brit punk.
Short and quite sharp. Interesting guitar sound but not all the songs stick for me.
i enjoyed squeezing so many songs into half an hour - really fun to get a bit of each one and then move on. i liked the sound - it’s minimalist in a way that lets it still sound fresh today. 3.25.
22 fast-paced rockers. Listened to this driving to a work event a little stressed. It had all the nerve and drive to feel good. They packed a punch in 35 minutes and for 77 this one was ahead of its time.
First time I've heard this or any material from this band. I find with post-punk that it has to be a very good album to engage me, and unfortunately this wasn't quite there. I lost interest fairly quickly and occupied got a bit pub rocky.
Not a huge British Punk guy, but there's a couple good ones here. Lowdown, Pink Flag, and 1 2 X U got me bobbing my head a little even. Still a lot that didn't quite get there for me though.
Me parece que es un buen album de punk, el problema es que no es mi género predilecto. Siento que el album mantiene un mismo tono y nivel de canciones durante todo el album, Mannequin me pareció un gran tema
Pretty good but nothing fancy
I don’t get what’s different from regular punk, but it’s a good riff
I mean, this is okay, but I really am not a punk person.
Musically, this is kind of a forward thinking group. It's a bit punk, it's a bit new wave. Vocally and lyrically, I can't tell what's going on. The vocals are unintelligible throughout the album. I'm pretty sure it's punk, bordering on post-punk, but without knowing what the lyrics are it's hard to say. And it lacks the kind of fun sarcastic energy of actual punk, which is where I think it bleeds into the new wave sound of the soon to be 80's. I can understand why this album is on this list, but I think it sort of flubs the execution overall.
It's classic punk
ALBUM #100! And it was... fine
Look I'm happy for all you punks that heard something in this but I just genuinely don't understand the point of 15 songs that don't last longer than a minute
*1977. English punk. *I dig the music, especially at only 35 minutes. But not a fan of the lead singer - completely unintelligible and just not the right voice quality/type for punk. RATING - 6/10
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.
70s punk rock almost a 4
O, no i to jest moja muzyka. Surowa, prosta, mocna i niegrzeczna.
Came out of the gates pretty hot, then settle sinto decent punk. Sounds Australian.
V good
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.
I like
More palatable classic punk, still doesn't super speak to me.
Very interesting
I liked this more than I expected
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.
great album cover
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
70s punk ain’t usually my bag but this was alright y’know
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
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.
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).
Oh wow! More 70s British punk/post punk/hardcore
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.
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
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
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!)
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
Accessible punk, very listenable. That said, the album restarted and I didn't even realize it so... that isn't great?
Good
Ha! I kind of enjoyed the this. This is a band I would see live because it would be such a good time.
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
Decent early punk. Probably somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.
Not a bad album, but not one i'll revisit anytime soon, not really my cup of tea even considering how influencial it was
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.
Not bad
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.
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
Solid
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.
It was alright, just alright I dig it.
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
Short, sharp, punchy post-punk record. An influential record and it’s not hard to hear why. 3.5/5
Hadn’t heard of these guys, another solid addition to the late 70s punk lineup on this list. 3.6
The album reminded me of Ramone’s album without the hooks.
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!
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
Too raw for me, but some great bones here. (As shown by R.E.M.'s amazing cover of Strange.)
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?
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!"
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.
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
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
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.
nudne trch
Moze być
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... 🤓
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.
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
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.
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
I didn't totally love this, but I fully understand why it's on this list.
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.
Alright. Pretty classic 70s. Nothing particularly bad but nothing amazing or innovative. Enjoyed it.
Classic punk
A good debut album with that 3 chord punk sound but with the hint of sonic sound lushiness.
36 minutes and 21 tracks, oh boy, I'm about to get electrocuted. Oh, not really. 3/5
tracks are quite short, like really REALLY short, for my preferences but not bad. fav track is mannequin.
Cockney? ✅ 500 songs in 20 minutes? ✅ Certified punk. ✅
Really punky punk.
It’s alright nothing in particular
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.
Punk it's cool. Wire is the pioneer of the punk movement.
Fragile
Muy divertido, no conocía a la banda
More foundational British punk. How original. - TS
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.
3/5
3/6
Spodobała mi się jedna piosenka, po czym okazało się, że płyta się skończyła i to już inny album innego zespołu. Ileż przeciętnych albumów muszę jeszcze przesłuchać na tej liście rzekomo najlepszych albumów? Doceniam rytmiczność kawałków i… tyle. 6/10
3/5
It's okay
Good album, Ex Lion Tamer & Mannequin are standout tracks.
Praticamente o que o punk já faz Não gosto que nessa lista tem poucos álbuns que eu realmente deveria ouvir antes de morrer, quase são bem mais do mesmo Poucas foram as descobertas realmente fodas que eu tive Música de filme adolescente estadunidense meio anos 80 (não é algo necessariamente ruim, me sinto nessa época e parece que estou em um filme) Se pá até por isso as músicas são bem curtas Como enjoa rápido, as músicas serem curtas torna ouvir um álbum um processo mais prazeroso é criativo sim vai Meio viajão esse pensamento, mas dá pra se identificar por conta da simplicidade vocal e instrumental, que se enquadra naquela mesma vibe adolescente BRAZIL MENTIONED??? e porque o nome de uma música de menos de 1 min se chama Brazil é um questionamento interessante viajão de forma bem curiosa esse álbum curto, adolescente, barulhento, meio sem sentido e não se importa de ser assim - intencional self titled foda mta informação nessas musicas curtas, dps de um tempo não é um ponto que agrada tanto 3.5/5 / 7/10 seria a nota perfeita, 3 por não ter sido marcante mas não memorável o suficiente para estar no 4 / 8
3/5
Not bad. Certainly ahead of its time in 1977.
When I got to the end of this album, I was surprised to realise it was released in 1977. It really has that 90s maybe early 2000s grunge sound to it. I've never heard of the band before but it's definitely punk/grunge, wouldn't be surprised if they inspired a lot of that genre later in the 90s. Anyway, not really into grunge but it was an alright listen.
You can hear a lot of what britpop was influenced by but for some reason I can’t get into it
A bit of a mixed bag! Some songs I really enjoyed, others were shit. Hard to rate overall so will just bang it in the middle 3 ⭐️
I didn't hate it. That says alot for a punk band.
I liked the fact that they sounded like a perfect sonic transition between Punk and Post-Punk, like a mix of Sex Pistols and Joy Division (with all due respect to the differences). Other than that, there's not much to see here. 3 stars.
Ett band jag inte hört förut, gillade albumet. Kul med brittisk punk från 70-talet. Flera låtar gillade jag lite extra: Mannequin, Pink Flag och Surgeon's Girl.
Now this is punk I can get behind
Preferred the second half, felt a bit more droney and experimental. Thought the brevity of the tracks was occasionally frustrating but generally not bad.
This feels like a very toned-down version of Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen. That's also on this list, funny enough. instead of 40-ish songs in 70-ish minutes, this is 20 in 30. I feel like the album as a whole is much more influential than good. I can hear where a lot of Post-Punk bands come from in this album, along with the general shortness that defines bands like the Circle Jerks. I feel like it's a lot more "blink and you miss it" than that Minutemen album. The really similar sound between every song and the same general song structure outside of a few songs draws my attention to when every song ends moreso than what's actually in the music itself. The really different-sounding songs like the title track or Strange stick out to me in a better way, though.
Actually starts pretty good, with some punk songs that are listenable. But there a ton of songs, trying out one different punk approach after another. Most of it is a simple idea or rift. I can see why this is placed as a transition from early punk. Later bands maybe picked one idea in the whole album and ran with it. But in the end still middling punk. Just don’t like the genre enough to come back to it.
It’s a mix of disquieting and charming to hear lyrics about the evil magnetism of TV from back in the day. Oh buddy just you wait. Quick, catchy, no-bullshit punk rock. Rapid and fired-up.
Bit too repetitive sometimes, but I like the vibe
I've never heard of Wire, was all set for it to be 'meh', but I actually enjoyed it.
I've definitely heard worse punk rock, so that's something.
Reuters - 4/5 Field Day for the Sundays - 3/5 Three Girl Rhumba - 3.5/5 Ex Lion Tamer - 4/5 Lowdown - 3.5/5 Start to Move - 3/5 Brazil - 3.5/5 It's So Obvious - 3/5 Surgeon's Girl - 3.5/5 Pink Flag - 4/5 The Commercial - 3.5/5 Straight Line - 3.5/5 106 Beats That - 3.5/5 Mr. Suit - 3.5/5 Strange - 4/5 Fragile - 3.5/5 Mannequin - 4/5 Different to Me - 3/5 Champs - 3.5/5 Feeling Called Love - 3/5 1 2 X U - 3/5 You can definitely hear the shift going on from punk to post-punk here. I can't understand anything the guy is saying but the instrumentals are driving. Definitely more of a 3.5/5 but I'm rounding down because punk really isn't my thing, Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Reuters, Ex Lion Tamer, Mannequin, Strange
Liked some bits of it, it's influential given the way Guided by Voices and Elastica used bits of their songs to make some of their own. But at some point the singer became some kind of white noise to me.
Fast loud and short but oh so good. Can hear this having so much influence on in a lot of bands that followed Less well known than the more Punchy Pistols
Some of the guitar sounds on this are great. Heaps of energy and some interesting songs. This definitely isn’t just mindless punk screaming.
Fun, fast passed, but a bit forgetable.
Album No. 0152 on my list. This was good stuff. I had never heard of the band Wire before, so “Pink Flag” was completely new territory for me. And I enjoyed it listening to it. “Pink Flag” is a decent punk/post-punk album with a very characteristic sound and cool, short (sometimes very short) songs. While no song really stuck out for me, the whole album presented many of punk’s best qualities: the aggressiveness, the boldness, the precision. Good stuff, really! I’ll add “Reuters”, “Ex Lion Tamer”, and “Mannequin” to my playlist. Could have added other songs as well, but I should note that many of the songs here feel like sketches, exploring new musical ideas. That’s not a bad thing, but they also don’t necessarily feel like full-scale songs. So, there is a lot of potential on this album, and certainly some good stuff. Anyway, I’ll leave it at that: 3/5 stars!
Alright Dimery, I'll allow it. 3.5, would listen again.
Sonically, I liked this but not enough to go back to try and decipher the lyrics.
please get me out of the 70s! I write this before I’ve listened to a single note but this is how I feel. But it could be great! Ok I really enjoyed the sound of this and you can’t say that it overstayed its welcome. Songs were punchy and catchy, lovely fuzzy quality. Ex Lion Tamer was great! Edit again: I was still ready for it to end because I guess it didn’t feel like it progressed too much, but still some great punk (?) songs in there
Decent.
Good Especially for that year. Ahead of much more famous stuff in the dame genre Good
Early punk. I like it. 3.5/5.
Ex Lion Tamer // Mannequin //
Muy muy punkpadour... No me llama mucho. Temas cortos rápidos y con poco sentido. Está bien, para punk, pero no es tanto lo mío.
Fun album, and how can you not love "Ex Lion Tamer"?
Don't know this group at all, loved it
Acceptable rock 'n roll. Nothing at all memorable.
Nothing gripping.
I hear a lot of grunge to come in this - impressive in 1977. Definitely can see how they were influential. Songs are ok.
Oh baby we love and respect a short song. Thank you This was fun! I would have eaten this up as a wean. I'd probably like it more if I listened to it on headphones instead of speakers but that's a choice that I made 3.5/5 Songs added to playlist: - Ex Lion Tamer - Mannequin
A lot of the songs sounded the same to me. 3.5
This early punk stuff is not really my favorite genre, and I didn't love this. I was humming along for the first third of the album, but then it kinda dried out and I didn't really enjoy it very much, it just became kinda like rhythmic noise. I understand that it was probably pretty revolutionary stuff for 1977, so I respect and acknowledge that. Three stars.
There are a lot of short, similar songs here that aren't very memorable, but the instrumental and overall sound are okay. There's nothing special about this album, just one of the average ones. Rate 5/10
Sounded like he was choking on his own vomit
I really like some of the more unconventional punk songs on this. 3.5 stars
The tracks come at you rapid fire and seem to alternate between seething and wondering. Knowing very little about Punk as a genre, I'd say the overall listen feels experimental, riffing off of a recognizable foundation. Favorite song: Mannequin.
I liked the instruments but not the singing...
Fico, ora so da dove viene la musica dei blink-182 e dei Green Day
Blimey, they don't fuck about. Enjoyed that a lot for punk
Eh, this isn’t terrible but I don’t think it does anything to warrant being considered an album that one would NEED to listen to. 3/5
Lots of good riffs here. The production is nice and full sounding, I like the thick guitar tone and there's a nice solid backbone from the rhythm section. It's just pleasant to listen to somehow. I don't love all the songs but there are 21 in 35 minutes, so if something isn't working, just wait 90 seconds... I think Strange is my favorite, a really sludgy, heavy riff with spooky backing, but Mannequin is as light and fresh as Strange is dark. Lots of variety in tempo. Tight songwriting. This exceeded expectations. Other highlights: Reuters, Ex Lion Tamer, Start to Move, 106 Beats That, Fragile, Champs &&& 12 X U.
Interesting
Giving this 3 stars, but I do want to come back to this when I have more brain energy, because there was a lot here that I liked, but it also feels more like a tasting menu?
No private session used for Spotify. Didn't know what I was getting into. With its straightforward simple rock and the singer's over the top British punk voice and fuzzy guitar, this feels like it could be from some movie made in the 90's, but takes place in Camden in the 70's but the movie didn't have the budget to get rights to the Sex Pistols and The Clash so they hired some group of talented musicians and told them to write some songs that sounded like British punk songs from the 70's. It's a roundabout way of saying the music seems to exemplify that genre. I had no idea "Strange" wasn't a REM original.
no songs
Les Ramones en moins bien
Good energy and not so "post punk" that it's not punk at all. In fact, it's mostly just punk, which is a good thing for me. Probably a high three, and something I might go back to. Songs are all super short.
Decent, but mostly forgettable
Mochte ich, aber noch nicht durchgehend. Gebe ich mir nochmal.
Álbum punk divertido. CVJ Night elf.
Mass experimentation, shortened by incomprehensible vocals. And not in a good way.
A very solid punk crossover album- the more melodic songs are the highlights. "Mannequin" is of course the big track here, just impressively influential. The whole thing never made me feel anything more than respect for how ahead-of-its-time it was
okay
More punk music. The most notable thing for me is that the song Three Girl Rhumba seems like it was more than inspiration for Elastica's Connection.
One of the better punk sounding albums I’ve received.
I wanted to like this more but there is just so much filler in here. It has a bive sound but so much extra short tracks that amount to nothing
I appreciate the seminal nature of this band, pioneering post-punk when punk itself was still young. I like it and would have been into it if I was a teen at the time (and was exposed to such a cool scene, a big caveat,) but these days I don’t feel like listening to this so much. So, 3 it is.
New to me, and I enjoyed it. Can hear the punk influence. Reminds me a bit of Television. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again
For an album that’s only 35 minutes long, it seems to drag on. I liked it for the first fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, but then was ready to be done with it.
Short little album, always a treat. I absolutely could see this as being seminal for a lot of bands I enjoy.
21 songs in 35 minutes—blink and you’ll miss half the album. It’s punk boiled down to quick jabs and odd angles, like someone speed-running music theory. Not every track sticks, but the audacity does. A decent listen, even if it feels like the band was paid by the song, not the hour.
A punk/post-punk touchstone, Pink Flag captures Wire as a blur of serrated riffs, deadpan wit, and art-school minimalism—35 years ahead of the early-’00s indie wave it helped inspire. If The Clash stripped away their reggae detours and pop instincts and leaned into raw nerve, you’d land close to this record’s skeletal charm: most tracks duck out before the three-minute mark, leaving behind nothing but hooks, attitude, and smoke trails. “Three Girl Rhumba” rides a distinctive, instantly memorable riff, while “Lowdown” walks in with a cool, head-nodding strut. Instrumental oddity “The Commercial” feels like The Ramones and mid-’60s Who fused in a test tube, and the jangly pop kiss of “Fragile” arrives like it wandered in from a different album entirely. “Mannequin,” with its bouncy bass and harmonized vocals, reveals the band’s buried melodic instincts. Elsewhere, “Strange” stomps harder and grimier than R.E.M.’s later cover, and “Feeling Called Love” channels Velvet Underground sleaze with murmured vocals and droning tension. It’s not as cohesive or emotionally gripping as the best punk albums of its era, and the barrage of micro-songs can feel like sketches rather than statements. Still, Pink Flag remains a raw, clever, and deeply influential blueprint—one whose echoes are still rattling through rock history.
Very different from the Wire I listened to in the eighties. Punk but with hints of the indie band to come.
Wire var faktiskt lite av en kunskapslucka inom den här musikfåran som jag rotat runt i så mycket, har aldrig lyssnat och kände mest till dom som en referens. Jag gillade det mycket, stundtals briljant men ibland lite för odynamiskt. En stark trea!
ÖS! Aldrig hört förut, men gillar skarpt! Föredömlig längd på både låtar och album!
Rivigt men blir lite tråkigt trots den korta längden. Bra omslag.
lite för torrt och stramt för min smak. lite bjäring som jag förstått att man säger. ändå har det något!
While contemporary British acts in the so called "first wave of punk" explored, and exploited, themes like anger and rebellion through raw energy The Wire paved their on way forward with the highly influential debut album Pink Flag. Not in a completely different direction but towards what may be seen as a wider horizon. And they were soon to be followed by many indie rockers and art school dropouts marching on these paved streets bearing their own pink flags. And soon the greatest rocker born would make this road his own. The man we today know as Bert 3000. Released in 1977 Pink Flag is fueled by the power of the punk explosion but focuses it's energy in a more artsy direction. What might at a first listen sound like a harsh collection of simple punk rock soon unveils itself to be much more. Beneath the simple rock group setting lies a tenderness in themes and melodies most significant in songs like the heartwarming Fragile or the welcoming diss track Mannequin. Pink Flag didn't have the commercial success of some of their contemporaries but it's influence on what came after is unmatched. Most obvious in some of the greatest bands of the 21th century like Cat Princess and Alpha Pet.
Nearly all of my knowledge of Wire comes from reading about them rather than listening to them - when I learned about this band/album and their importance, the internet did not yet exist to make it easy (and free) to listen to it. Wikipedia classifies them as "post-punk" but 21 songs in 35 minutes sounds pretty punk to me, particularly from 1977. Apple Music classifies it as "Rock," which of course most of what we call punk basically was, musically at least. It's interesting to me that we are retroactively calling this "post-punk" when it was released about a month after Never Mind the Bollocks. Nomenclature aside, I like this more than I expected to in my old age. I read on the Wikipedia page that "Three Girl Rhumba" influenced Elastica's "Connection" and wondered if I would be able to pick it out, which is kind of hilarious now listening to it. This is very close to 4 stars for me.
Some interesting sounds here but didnt get me too excited. Work a listen but probably wont re-visit.
It's not bad, Britt rock, reminds me of bands like The Clash, but the album is mainly composed of songs that last under two minutes and it's difficult to engage with any of them. It's sounds fine, but just that. 2,75/5.
man, it's taken me a long time to get around to Wire. stylistically punk but missing a lot of the edge and fire and aggression. not bad at all, though. i can see the links between this and indie rock. not a personal favorite but a fine listen and one that i probably should've gotten around to years ago but eh. c'est la vie. deserves to be one of the 1001? yes, and i'm a little surprised it's just the one. i've seen Chairs Missing and 154 get a lot of acclaim elsewhere
Short tracks and many pass by with little fuss but overall some nice punk ideas
Muito bom! Punk ingles dos anos 70, achei bem moderno, ate mais que the clash! Gostei!!! Vou ouvir mais 3,5
Fast.
Fun but not life changing
Probably was great and revolutionary at the time but now its good but left me wanting.
I enjoyed the music, but most of the songs were so short that they left me wanting more. Pink Flag, one of the few "full-length" songs on here, had time to rage and really rock out. Most of them didn't have much room to breathe, but it was still a fun listen!
3/5
I enjoyed it!
Tight drums, cool bass and guitar riffs...but the lyrics are almost unintelligible. Maybe British Punk isn't my scene? Mannequin and Three Girl Rumba were my favourites musically.
I liked it after the second listen, punky and raw, quite brash sound. Can tell it's influenced the Arctic monkeys.
Pretty good punk music. I hear early Talking Heads to Sex Pistols in this.
Much like the other Wire album we did, the music here is pretty good, but I really don’t get on with the vocals. I didn’t realise that REMs version of Strange was a cover, but that negatively impacted this record but it made me wish is was listening to Document instead.
Started off really strong, then just ended...ok. The post-punk brits get old pretty quick.
I liked the sound. Kind of like a smoother version of The Ramones.
Short quite abrupt numbers...punk vibe
Listening Setting: In my office at school. Overcast, low 50s. Quiet work day. I've listened to this album previously, and it didn't connect with me then. I can feel a bit more of the energy this time around, though I do feel it suffers from being a "proto-" hardcore album. Those that came after it expanded upon the core sound in a way that makes this one feel redundant. I'd imagine this would be a fantastic summer road trip album to just jam to. The tinkling guitars almost suggest a jangle pop slant, but it never really loses that punk edge. 3/5
Solid debut that covers multiple subgenres of punk. At best worth more than 3/5, but there are quite a few songs that don't stand out from the rest of stuff made in this era
Kind of cool, but it feels like there are 10 albums on this list that sound pretty similar. Not bad, but probably won’t revisit. 3.5/5
I listened to this while driving on GA-400 (IYKYK) and it was the perfect soundtrack to navigating Atlanta traffic. However, the vocals are pretty weak sauce despite the awesome instrumentals.
S'alright. Bit samey and a shotgun of ideas, but it does work at times. I think the vocals really bring it down overall for me though.
Pretty good - lots of short sharp tracks - enjoyed
it was ok I suppose, nothing great. Im not a fan of the pseudo london punk accent. It only worked for the Clash. Didnt turn it off but wished it had finished a couple of times
This was alright. Suitable for driving to. It was probably better at the time, because I couldn't get the idea that I was listening to a random band in a pub out of my head. Nothing felt special about it.
Decent post punk, but formative.
3,3/5
Punk, london(?) 1977. Familiar, but unknown band. Positive surprise.
I did not enjoy the vocals after a handful of songs but I did like the music and I could imagine enjoying a couple of songs here and there.
I enjoyed the overall rawness of this album. That is all.
Nothing bad about it, even enjoyed some songs but nothing memorable here.
Didn't grab me on first listen but found some tracks I really liked on repeat. Namely the longer, slower songs. 3.5.
Didn’t know what to expect but enjoyed it nonetheless
Ironic and quirky punk rock. And hugely influential on future music. “Lowdown” is a standout.
Fav: Ex Lion Tamer Least Fav: Mr Suit 500th album reviewed! And not a bad one to reach this milestone
great to hear another punk album
Post punk
I had never heard of this band before but upon listening came to the conclusion that this is very much of the time it came out.. classic late 70’s and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Not a bad album but I am so tired of brit-rock and this doesn't set itself apart that much, couple of good songs like Pink Flag itself though
New one to me, the music style was enjoyable to listen to, but no stand outs making me want to dig in more.
3.5!
This punk album is like a malfunctioning factory running on adrenaline—its jagged guitars, clipped vocals, and relentless rhythms clatter with raw urgency, echoing the alienation of modern life.
I can see how influential this has been. The blatant rip off by Elastica leaps out. The production does this no favours though. Some wee gems in there but not enough to make me want to add it to my library
𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘨 is a fascinating debut that captures Wire at their most stripped-down and experimental. Across 21 songs in just over half an hour, the band dismantles punk rock into jagged fragments — bursts of melody, rhythm, and attitude that often end just as they start. The musical ideas are strong and forward-thinking, but the constant abrupt endings can be frustrating, as if Wire were allergic to resolution. It’s an album more about possibilities than polish — a clever, influential blueprint for post-punk, even if it sometimes feels incomplete.
Good album
It's a classic, what can you say? I might not like it as much as other people, but I gotta admit it rocks.
Great energy - not my thing, but I can appreciate
The singer's voice got pretty annoying after a while. I'd probably like this more if I heard it live.
Hey, I've heard this one before. I first gave Pink Flag a listen when I used to browse /mu/ for music recommendations. I don't remember much about it save for the rape interlude on Reuters, which is epic. Every song should have one, really. I've never been much of a punker, though the genre has had some success with me in the past. Maybe this album will be better now that I'm older and wiser. Hey, this isn't half-bad. I dig this rough, raw punk sound and the distinctively British vocals are pretty fun, too. Despite being decent from start to end I, sadly, don't feel too strongly for this album. Punk albums have a nasty habit of featuring hundreds of inconsequentially short songs, of which this album is completely dead to rights. It doesn't ruin the album (those interludes are admittedly competent), though I find it immensely difficult to be invested in them. Much of this music is pretty repetitious, too. The aforementioned "Reuters" is a good tune and a solid opener. I've always been a fan of the malignant, anxious atmosphere of the song (those muddy, growling guitars have a surprising level of kick to them). The vocals are pretty good, too. "Three Girl Rhumba" has a pretty great lead guitar riff - very memorable. The title track has a gratifying, rough sound. "Strange" is also a decent tune. Love me some more of those growling guitars. Book time. "...the most original album of punk's first wave". Didn't chart well, but had an immediate influence on punk. Yeah, this seems like a solid pick. I cosign this inclusion.
top3: - mannequin - field day for the sundays - three girl rhumba
This is another solid punk record, and by default any derivative of punk is usually going to start out as at least a 4-star listen for me. Pink Flag has all the right ingredients: raw energy, short blasts of attitude, and that stripped-down style that makes punk what it is. The issue here is that nothing really stood out as a favorite track. The songs blur together, and while that works for building a consistent mood, it also means I never found that one moment I wanted to hit repeat on.
It was okay.
A fine album that’s just not much of a standout for me. Maybe just wasn’t the right listen this Saturday for me.
Like the overall energy, especially from Surgeon's Girl onward.
What is the sound of punks having fun? This might be the best of the vigorous, angry, 90 minute song albums that will pop up on this list and I have no idea why. It taps into something primal in my lizard brain and gets me headbanging. It's a lot to handle but rewarding to enjoy.
albumcover gfallt mer irgendwie no guet, erinneret mi chli anen magritte (eifach mit es paar brise surrealismus weniger) abgseh vo dem: sicher gueti musig aber han mi hüt chli zwenig punkig gfühlt drum schwing ich hüt die pinki fahne und schrei 3 mal ahoy (frög mi nöd, hed bevori's usformuliert han irgendwie meh sinn gmacht)
Иногда послушать можно, но не часто. 6 из 10.
Very Punk. I enjoyed listening through this on a brainy level, but my ears weren't actually that into it, kinda like slam poetry.
Another punk album, you say? What percent of this list is punk bands? The revolutionary aspect of this album is that they give up on songs when they run out of lyrics or get tired of a riff. What mavericks.
Great punk but too inconsistent for 4*
Fun for a bit!
Mid
Really enjoyed the tone of the guitars and general feel of the album. I am a sucker for British punk though. Strong vibe throughout, 35 min is a good length and I'm impressed they managed to fit 35 tracks in that time. Strong 3!
7/10
Need some extra listens but loved the first few
Punk music for people who don't like punk music. Unfortunately, I do like punk music, so I'm not the target demographic for this. As a result, I think this is still decent if too self-aware that it's "breaking the genre," but it is reallyyyy overhyped thanks to the fact that those who are a part of the target demographic tend to be music critics, chronically online music board users, and general scenesters who speak over you whenever you try to say anything. "Fragile" is amazing, though.
This sounds like a lot of other post punk things released in the 80's. I'm guessing it was influential. Not bad to be honest. Quite enjoyable.
Art-punk is a weird genre. It's not experimental enough to be called post-punk or anything, and doesn't switch up the punk formula all that much. But there's something off about it, like a longer song here and there, or some odd instrumentation. But it's still very go-ahead punk. Just a weird middle-line.
This didn't grab me at all.
This has some fire instrumentals but I think the vocals lower it a level for me.
Seems like one of these guitar riffs provided a sample for... Elastica maybe? I can hear a prelude to Minor Threat in these songs. Got about halfway through the album but I get the idea.
There are some records here that feel like they’re not even that influential to a lot of musicians, but that are just critic-praised for generations. I did enjoy this one, but it feels like that.
Really solid instrumentation throughout - Reuters has some great stuff, the opening to Ex Lion Tamer is great - but the singing is just not very good, is it? This is the closest I've got to finding a punk album that I consider to be half decent but nope, still nowt above a 3.
Two loud/Chaotic and Raw albums in a row! This album sounded like a more diverse/interesting version of Punk to me. 21 songs in 35 mins! Gotta love punk!
This was a pretty fun, fast and energetic album! I'd listen to it again
7/10
Felt a bit punk
That's not my taste in music - But ok (some)
The instrumental is awesome, the vocals suck
This was okay, but I found myself drifting in and out of focus and the music just sort of faded into the background for most of the record.
21 songs, 35 minutes! Okay, I guess this is punk - let’s go… Okay, but nothing too impactful. Kinda feels like a watered down buzzcocks. Songs short, sharp and kinda mid. Yeh, not too much else to write tbh, think that pretty much sums it all up!
Favorite Track: Mannequin
The chaos energy of punk tampered into a tight rhythm section that you can see influencing a lot of post punk and new wave later.
Real punk and also musical. Never heard of them before but ready to hear more.
Prefer the more developed songs.
All of the songs sounded the same to me, but I didn't hate it. An average album for me
Bit punked out now. Still ok though
This grew on me. Quick punk album. I especially like the back half of the album, where the songs are so short you just get a taste before moving on the next one.
kojarze ze cos wczesniej od nich slyszalem, ale chyba pierwszy raz puszczam albumik w calosci, ktory akurat jest pierwszym w dyskografii tego wyspiarskiego punkowego banda, jest to punkowanie juz w stylu arty czy post punkowym, bo krazek z 77, na 35 minutach zmiescilo sie 21 trakow, co wpisuje sie dobrze w stylistyke szybkich i chwytnych trakow artowych, ktore jak dla mnie sa najwiekszymi hajlajtami krazka, mowie o trakach takich jak commercial 106 beats that czy 12 X U, ktore nie przekraczaja dlugoscia 2 minut, to wlasnie w tej czeci albumiku siedzi jego urok, ktorego brakuje jak dla mnie na tytulowym pink flagu czy openingowym reuters, ale tak czy inaczej dobrze sie bawilem podczas odsluchu i pewnie sprawdze reszte dyskografii jak bedzie okazja, a jest czego bo 17 samych studyjnych krazkow nabili, w prawie stalym skladzie, bo zmienia sie tylko gitarowy
3/5 niet slecht
3.8
Cool sound, a little too old school British for my taste.
Simple. Really fun to hear more origins of punk beyond the Ramones.
Some good songs on here, but a lot of short, half finished ones. Some of the shorter ones could have been developed more. Still a good time, though.
didn't realize the punk influence this had until I read into it so it gets a bonus star for that but I'm not the biggest punk fan so still only 3 womp womp
Väldigt klassisk punk. Rätt najs. Men inte så stor variation på låtarna.
Some really good stuff, some average stuff.
So strange
Hilarious, ridiculous punk. Not my cup of tea. Not upset I listened to it once though. - 21 songs, 35 minutes. 1 2/3 minutes per song. This will be interesting
I appreciate the influence of this album on other bands more than I like the music itself! (though I do like some of the music, especially 'Ex Lion Tamer').
There are parts of this I liked. Mannequin is rightfully a good single. 21 songs for 35 minutes was not what I expected.
Interesting album. I really liked more of it than I thought I would, but it really is a 50/50 split on the songs for me. If they were actually developed songs I thought they were great; punky and short I didn't like at all. Could've been a really solid alternative rock EP with all the filler songs removed. Top tracks: Three Girl Rhumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Mannequin
Nice
Average British punk Rock, had some nice motifs but not my favorite genre