| "Outdoor Miner" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Wire | ||||
| from the album Chairs Missing | ||||
| B-side | "Practice Makes Perfect" | |||
| Released | 12 January 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | Harvest | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Mike Thorne | |||
| Wire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Outdoor Miner" is a song written by Colin Newman and Graham Lewis, and performed by the English post-punk band Wire. It was released in January 1979 as the band's fourth single (reaching number 51 in the UK singles chart) [3] and appeared on their second album, Chairs Missing .
The song originally appeared on their 1978 album Chairs Missing . The song is based on Graham Lewis's fascination with the Serpentine leaf miner insect [4] and details the life cycle of the insect. [5] EMI recognised that the song could potentially be a hit single, but were concerned that it was too short, [6] measuring only 1 minute 45 seconds. Unusually the label asked the band to make a longer version for the single. The band added an additional verse and chorus, and a piano solo played by producer Mike Thorne, [6] pushing the length to 2 minutes 51 seconds. EMI were confident that the song could become a hit and commercial breakthrough for the band. [6]
The single soon entered the charts reaching number 51 and the BBC approached EMI and asked them to appear on the long running music show Top of the Pops if the single continued to rise. [6] At the time Top of the Pops was one of the few opportunities for acts to promote their work on national television, with over 15 million viewers. However the British Market Research Bureau who compiled the UK Singles Chart claimed that there was an attempt to rig the chart by EMI personnel buying multiple copies of the single in chart return shops. [6] Although EMI strenuously denied any attempts at rigging the chart, that week's sales were not included. [6] Despite selling twice as many copies as the previous week, [6] these sales weren't included and subsequently the single dropped down the chart [6] and Wire's chance to appear on Top of The Pops disappeared along with their chance to reach a wider audience. Wire's place was instead taken by Donny and Marie Osmond who were in London for a concert. [6]
Reviewing the single for the NME, Charles Shaar Murray wrote "This record is white and shows the dirt. Its surface is injured but rarely hurt. Guitars twang, keyboards ching, a voice intones. It is 3.55, your reviewer groans. It sounds soft and squishy, I can't hear the words. Time passes, how absurd. This group are overrated your correspondent demurs ... sod it I'm bored." [7]
"Outdoor Miner" has been covered by several artists. Notable versions include Lush [8] in 1992, Flying Saucer Attack [8] in 1994, The Lightning Seeds and Luna in 1996. [9] In a unique move, a tribute album to the song was released in 2004 on the 25th anniversary of the song, A Houseguest's Wish: Translations of Wire's "Outdoor Miner" features 19 different interpretations of the song. [10] As well as the Lush and Flying Saucer Attack covers, it features covers by Sharron Kraus, Boy Division and Adam Franklin amongst others. [10]
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Bruce Gilbert (guitar), George Gill and Robert Grey. They were originally associated with the punk rock scene, appearing on The Roxy London WC2 album, and were instrumental to the development of post-punk, while their debut album Pink Flag was influential for hardcore punk.
Lush were an English rock band formed in London in 1987. The original line-up consisted of Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Steve Rippon and Chris Acland (drums). Phil King replaced Rippon in 1991. They were one of the first bands to have been described with the "shoegazing" label. Following the death of Acland, the group disbanded in 1996.
The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band as a Merseybeat-type group in Manchester, although some of the band members came from towns further north, in east Lancashire. Nash left the group in 1968 to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, though he has reunited with the Hollies on occasion.
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Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in November 1977 by Harvest Records. The album gained Wire a cult following within independent and post-punk music upon its initial release, later growing to be highly influential on many other musicians.
154 is the third album by the English post-punk band Wire, released in 1979 on EMI imprint Harvest Records in the UK and Europe and Warner Bros. Records in America.
Flying Saucer Attack is an English space rock band formed in Bristol in 1992, led by songwriter David Pearce. Rachel Brook of Movietone was a member during the band's early incarnation; other musicians contributing to the group's recordings and live performances included Rocker, Matt Elliott and Sam Jones.
Chairs Missing is the second studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released on 8 September 1978 by Harvest Records. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart.
Amazulu were a British reggae/ska/pop band from the 1980s comprising five women and one man. They achieved success in the UK charts with four top-20 hits, the biggest being "Too Good to Be Forgotten" in 1986.
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CCS, sometimes written as C.C.S., was a British musical group, led by blues guitarist Alexis Korner. The name was derived as an abbreviation of Collective Consciousness Society.
Scarlet Party was a rock band formed in Essex, England, in the early 1980s. The founding members were singer/songwriter brothers Graham and Steven Dye along with drummer Sean Heaphy.
Evolution is the first of two albums released in 1967 by British pop rock band the Hollies. It is their sixth UK album and peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart.
Spooky is the debut studio album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 27 January 1992 by 4AD. The album, produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, followed the band's mini album, Scar (1989), several extended play releases, and the compilation album Gala (1990). Spooky reached the UK Top 10 and topped the national indie charts. The album produced three singles: "Nothing Natural", "For Love" and "Superblast!".
The Flying Circus were an Australian pop and country rock band with founding mainstays, Doug Rowe on lead guitar and vocals and Colin Walker on drums. They had three top 30 pop hits, "Hayride", "La La" and "Run Run Run", in Australia from 1968 to 1971. These were not typical of their live work nor later recordings. They re-located to Canada from 1971 to 1974 where they achieved chart success with "Old Enough " and "Maple Lady". Doug Rowe died in July 2015.
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Lost in Love is the fifth studio album by British/Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in March 1980. Their previous four albums never received much attention outside Australia, but Lost in Love was a success on international charts. In the US, it peaked at No. 22 with three singles reaching the top 5. The album was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in 1991.
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Silver/Lead is the sixteenth studio album by British post-punk band Wire. It was released on 31 March 2017.
