Crazy about Wire

[Greg Earle <earle@MAHENDO.JPL.NASA.GOV>]

>> (1) `Ahead' is one of the greatest singles ever made.  Period.  When
>>      it was released it made a complete joke of everything that came
>>      out of the radio around it.

> No, it was a joke to release it when incredible songs like "Madman's
> Honey" languish in the "Gone and Certainly Forgotten" file.

Luckily for them, they know the difference between a great *song* and
a great *single*, which you apparently do not.  You'd probably rather
they have released `The Other Window' in 1979 instead of `Map Ref. 41
N 93 W', which is practically the most perfect Pop single ever.

If you think a lounge lizard song like `Madman's Honey' is
"incredible" compared to `Ahead', or `Feed Me', or `Over Theirs',
well... call me when you get some taste ...

>> (2) The video for `Ahead' also makes a laughing stock of almost
>>      every single music video I've seen in the last two years.  It's
>>      that good.

> You -are- nuts!  The video for "Ahead" is a confused melange of
> senseless imagery (not unlike Wire's music, mind you, which I
> obviously love) and I find it both boring and hard to watch.

No, YOU are nuts.  All MTV is a non-confused melange of imagery, but
it's still senseless.  Just 'cuz you can't make sense of the imagery
doesn't mean someone else can't; plus, that's not the point - it's
their use of video, the technology, that stands out - there isn't
another video that even remotely resembles `Ahead' - and that's
originality and creativity right there.  Contrast this with the video
for `Kidney Bingoes', which is far more conventional (as is the song).

>> Now, I would *agree* that there's `not much hope' for A Bell Is A Cup
>> Until It's Struck (although I did hear at least 2 strong cuts live),

> ABiaCUiiS (abacus?)  is an incredibly strong album. Best they ever
> did. "The King of Ur and the Queen of Um", "The Finest Drops", "Silk
> Skin Paws", etc are top-notch!

Geez, first you dug your own grave now you've pulled the coffin door
shut :-) `The Finest Drops' was easily the most boring song live, and
one of the most mundane Wire songs ever.  A song in search of
airplay...

>> If you listen *very* carefully to Gilbert & Lewis in concert,
>> you'll still hear that same `Keep It Simple, Stupid' philosophy
>> that isn't a million miles away from `Chairs Missing'.

> Oh no!  Another "music can't be good if it's accesible" debate!!!
> Look, I find "154" to be just as accessible as "ABiaCUiiS" and, far
> from stupidly simple, just as COMPLEX.  Are you sure you're talking
> about the same Wire?

I never said `music can't be good if it's accessible', you did.
Besides, as even you point out, `accessible' is in the eye of the
beholder.  However, there's no way that `154' is as accessible as `A
Bell is a Cup ...'  I dare you take a tape of both down to the local
mall, and set up a blindfold Pepsi Challenge booth with both of them,
and see which is considered more `accessible' ...

You don't understand what I mean by `Keep It Simple, Stupid'.  I don't
mean that the music is `simple and stupid', I mean that the essence of
the interplay between Gilbert's guitar and Lewis' bass is very basic
and direct, which is very easy to discern from something like `Chairs
Missing' because they are so much in the forefront of the mix (and
therefor the character) of each song.  Nowadays the dominating effects
are Newman's songs, his vocal style, and even his rhythm playing to a
degree.  Gilbert & Lewis are buried more nowadays.  Because of this,
the overall character of the songs is dominated by Newman, which is
why they don't excite me like their older material.  That said, if one
can isolate Gilbert & Lewis in the mix (and more so live, where it's
easier), you'll find that what they're playing isn't a million miles
away from a lot of the structures on `Chairs Missing' - whence came my
comment.  They add a tension to the stew because even though it's very
basic, something is Not Quite Normal if you listen closely.  The main
difference is that nowadays Lewis has developed into an extraordinary
bass player, whereas Gilbert still sounds like good ol' Gilbert.

Our appreciations for them are fundamentally different.  You like
Newman's work, and songs like `Madman's Honey' and `The Finest Drops';
therefore you lean towards their more `normal' accessible pop
structures.  I like Lewis & Gilbert's works, and lean towards their
more harsh and/or experimental side.  Never the twain shall meet, it
appears ...

	- Greg