| Pink Flag | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1977 [1] | |||
| Recorded | September–October 1977 | |||
| Studio | Advision, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:37 | |||
| Label | Harvest | |||
| Producer | Mike Thorne | |||
| Wire chronology | ||||
| ||||
Pink Flag is the debut album by the British post-punk band Wire. It was released in November 1977 through Harvest Records. [1] The album was critically acclaimed on release, and has since been highly influential; today it is regarded as a landmark in the development of post-punk music. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [9] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [11] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 8/10 [12] |
| MusicHound Rock | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 10/10 [14] |
| Q | [15] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
| Sounds | [17] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10 [18] |
| Uncut | [19] |
Reviewing in 1978 for The Village Voice , Robert Christgau called Pink Flag a "punk suite", praised its "simultaneous rawness and detachment" and detected a rock-and-roll irony similar to, but "much grimmer and more frightening" than, the Ramones. [20] In a 1978 Trouser Press review, Ira Robbins said that "Wire [push] minimalism to new heights" and that the band "dredges up images of...beat poetry--short fragments of impressions set to music." He further said that the 21 tracks are "not songs...There's no easy structure or meter. Each explores or describes or electrifies or challenges. There's no easy listening." Robbins concluded, "I can't say this is an enjoyable album. Maybe it's just a stupid bit of rubbish. But you won't know unless you find out." [21]
In a retrospective review, Steve Huey of AllMusic opined that Pink Flag was "perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk" and also "recognizable, yet simultaneously quite unlike anything that preceded it. Pink Flag's enduring influence pops up in hardcore, post-punk, alternative rock, and even Britpop, and it still remains a fresh, invigorating listen today: a fascinating, highly inventive rethinking of punk rock and its freedom to make up your own rules." [9] Retrospectively, Trouser Press called the album "a brilliant 21-song suite" in which the band "manipulated classic rock song structure by condensing them into brief, intense explosions of attitude and energy, coming up with a collection of unforgettable tunes". [22] Pitchfork writer Joe Tangari summarized the album as "a fractured snapshot of punk alternately collapsing in on itself and exploding into song-fragment shrapnel." [14]
Although the album has received critical acclaim, [23] it was not a big seller. It was listed at number 412 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012 [24] – jumping up to number 310 in its 2020 edition [25] – and at number 378 in NME's list of the same name in 2013. [26] Music journalist Stuart Maconie described it as "extraordinary" by the standards of the time at which it was produced. [27] Pitchfork ranked Pink Flag number 22 in its list "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s". [28] The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .
R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has cited Pink Flag as an influence. [29] Britpop band Elastica were influenced by Wire; they used a riff similar to that of "Three Girl Rhumba" for their song "Connection". [30] Graham Coxon of Blur cited Pink Flag as an influence on his eighth studio album A+E . [31] Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton has listed Pink Flag as one of his three favorite punk albums of all time. [32]
Credits adapted from the 2018 Special Edition. [33] [nb 1]
All music written by Colin Newman, except where noted. All lyrics written by Graham Lewis, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reuters" | 3:03 | |
| 2. | "Field Day for the Sundays" | 0:28 | |
| 3. | "Three Girl Rhumba" | Newman | 1:23 |
| 4. | "Ex Lion Tamer" | 2:19 | |
| 5. | "Lowdown" | 2:26 | |
| 6. | "Start to Move" | 1:13 | |
| 7. | "Brazil" | 0:41 | |
| 8. | "It's So Obvious" | 0:53 | |
| 9. | "Surgeon's Girl" | Newman | 1:17 |
| 10. | "Pink Flag" | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Commercial" | (instrumental) | Lewis | 0:49 |
| 12. | "Straight Line" | Bruce Gilbert | Gilbert, Newman | 0:44 |
| 13. | "106 Beats That" | 1:12 | ||
| 14. | "Mr. Suit" | Newman | 1:25 | |
| 15. | "Strange" | Gilbert | Gilbert, Newman | 3:58 |
| 16. | "Fragile" | 1:18 | ||
| 17. | "Mannequin" | 2:37 | ||
| 18. | "Different to Me" | Annette Green | 0:43 | |
| 19. | "Champs" | 1:46 | ||
| 20. | "Feeling Called Love" | Newman | 1:22 | |
| 21. | "12 X U" | Gilbert, Lewis | 1:55 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22. | "Dot Dash" (1994 reissue, 1978 single A-side) | 2:25 | |
| 23. | "Options R" (1989 and 1994 reissues, 1978 single B-side) | Lewis, Newman [nb 2] | 1:36 |
* The bonus tracks were removed from the 2006 remastered reissues, because, according to the band, they did not honour the "conceptual clarity of the original statements". [35] The tracks were also left off both editions of Pink Flag's 2018 remaster, but can be found on the 2018 deluxe reissue of Chairs Missing .
The first disc of the Special Edition contains the twenty-one tracks from the original album.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Commercial" (First demo session, May 1977, EMI Studios, London) | 0:51 |
| 2. | "Mr. Suit" (First demo session, May 1977, EMI Studios, London) | 1:32 |
| 3. | "Pink Flag" (First demo session, May 1977, EMI Studios, London) | 2:34 |
| 4. | "Surgeon's Girl" (Second demo session, May 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 1:38 |
| 5. | "Field Day for the Sundays" (Second demo session, May 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 0:32 |
| 6. | "106 Beats That" (Second demo session, May 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 1:15 |
| 7. | "Fragile" (Second demo session, May 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 1:14 |
| 8. | "Reuters" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 2:23 |
| 9. | "Different to Me" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 0:45 |
| 10. | "Ex Lion Tamer" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 2:09 |
| 11. | "Mannequin" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 3:03 |
| 12. | "Champs" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 1:57 |
| 13. | "Start to Move" (Third demo session, August 1977, Riverside Studios, London) | 1:14 |
| 14. | "Three Girl Rhumba" (Alternative mix, September–October 1977, Advision Studios, London) | 1:23 |
| 15. | "Ex Lion Tamer" (Alternative mix, September–October 1977, Advision Studios, London) | 2:05 |
| 16. | "12 X U" (Mono mix, September–October 1977, Advision Studios, London) | 1:47 |
| 17. | "Mannequin" (Mono mix, September–October 1977, Advision Studios, London) | 2:36 |
| 18. | "It's So Obvious" (Alternative mix, September–October 1977, Advision Studios, London) | 0:51 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2018 Special Edition. [33]
Wire
Additional personnel and production
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.
Damaged is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released by SST Records in November 1981.
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The Stooges is the debut studio album by American rock band the Stooges, released on August 5, 1969 by Elektra Records. Considered a landmark proto-punk release, the album peaked at number 106 on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The tracks "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "1969" were released as singles; "1969" was featured on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs" at number 35. In 2020, it was ranked number 488 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
A Bell Is a Cup... Until It Is Struck is the fifth studio album by the British post-punk group Wire.
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. Branching out even further from the minimalist punk rock style of their earlier work, 154 is considered a progression of the sounds displayed on Wire's previous album Chairs Missing, with the group experimenting with slower tempos, fuller song structures and a more prominent use of guitar effects, synthesizers and electronics.
Germfree Adolescents is the 1978 debut album of English punk rock band X-Ray Spex. It contained the UK hit singles "The Day the World Turned Dayglo", "Identity" and "Germ Free Adolescents" which reached No. 18 in November 1978. Upon release, the critics noted it was not all new material: five songs on the twelve tracks had already been released on A-sides and B-sides of singles.
Chairs Missing is the second studio album by the English rock band Wire. It was released on 8 September 1978 through Harvest Records. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart.
It's Beginning To And Back Again, also known by its acronym IBTABA, is the sixth studio album by the British post-punk group Wire, released in May 1989 by Mute Records.
Grotesque (After the Gramme) is the third studio album by English band the Fall. Released on 17 November 1980, it was the band's first studio album on Rough Trade.
The Modern Lovers is the debut studio album by American rock band the Modern Lovers. It was released by Beserkley Records in August 1976, though the original tracks had been recorded in 1971 and 1972. Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale.
The First Letter is the ninth studio album and the last album released by Wire before their second extended hiatus. It was released in October 1991 by Mute Records. It was one of only three releases credited to "Wir", the others being the "So and Slow It Grows" single, and a limited edition two-song EP entitled Vien. The band changed their name to "Wir" after drummer Robert Gotobed's departure; he quit the band because the musical direction increasingly relied on drum machines and loops. Other than an Erasure remix in 1995, the band would not reform until 1999, and not release any new material until 2002's Read & Burn 01 and Read & Burn 02 EPs and 2003's subsequent Send album. The First Letter produced the single "So and Slow It Grows."
Eternally Yours is the second album by Australian punk rock band the Saints, released in 1978. Produced by band members Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper, the album saw the band pursue a bigger, more R&B-driven sound, augmented by a horn section. The album also saw the introduction of bass guitarist Algy Ward, who replaced the band's previous bass player, Kym Bradshaw in mid-1977.
Fire of Love is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records.
Document and Eyewitness is the first live album by the post-punk band Wire, released in July 1981 by Rough Trade Records. It marked the end of the first period of Wire's activity (1977–1980) and the end of their association with EMI. Recorded in February 1980 at the Electric Ballroom in London – at the final gig of Wire's first period – the original release came with a 45 rpm 12" EP that featured recordings from a July 1979 show at the Notre Dame Hall in London, along with one track from a March 1979 gig at Le Pavillon in Montreux, Switzerland.
Send is the tenth studio album by the English rock group Wire, released in May 2003 through their own Pinkflag label. It was their first recording as a four-piece since Manscape (1990) and the first full-length release by any incarnation of the group since 1991. The album contains seven songs previously released in 2002 on the EPs Read & Burn 01 and Read & Burn 02, and four songs exclusive to this release.
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A–Z is the debut studio album by Colin Newman, lead singer of post-punk band Wire. It was released in October 1980, through record label Beggars Banquet. "A-Z was planned as the fourth Wire album, but EMI [Wire's label] cancelled studio time in the wake of failed negotiations with the band."
Red Barked Tree is the twelfth studio album by the English post-punk band Wire--digitally released on 20 December 2010, and as a CD on 10 January 2011 on the Pinkflag label. Featuring eleven tracks covering a diverse range of musical styles, the record was well received by critics, who found the record "representing the essence of their best work" and covering "virtually all aspects of Wire's varied history to create a stylistic best-of new material".
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Abrasive and disjointed, these 21 tracks exude a fury impossible to ignore and one enhanced by their very brevity.
The artily unintelligible lyrics and dense production marked Wire out as a sort of New Wave Roxy Music" (p. 170)
{{cite book}}: External link in |quote=The most original album of punk's first wave....The resulting sound was far colder and more brutal than anything else around at the time.
{{cite book}}: External link in |quote=This first-generation U.K. punk band made sparse tunes that erupted in combustible snippets on its 21-track debut album. America never got it, but Pink Flag – as revolutionary discs tend to do – influenced some important bands, including Sonic Youth and the Minutemen. It also might be one of the most-covered punk LPs ever: Minor Threat did "12XU", R.E.M. did "Strange", the New Bomb Turks did "Mr. Suit", Spoon did "Lowdown", the Lemonheads did "Fragile", and on and on.
The Patti Smith record Horses came out shortly after that. And then Marquee Moon , by Television, came out. And I bought the first Wire album. Those were the big influences.
