| The Circle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 32:49 | |||
| Label | Restless | |||
| Producer | Greg Sage | |||
| Wipers chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Circle is a studio album by the American band Wipers, released on Restless in 1988. [1] The album was recorded at frontman Greg Sage's studio, 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [2] |
| The Great Alternative & Indie Discography | 6/10 [3] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [4] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10 [5] |
Trouser Press wrote that "The Circle‘s scorching opener, 'I Want a Way', and its tumultuous title track are red herrings for Wipers' business as usual." [6] The Boston Globe determined that Greg Sage is "less the master of that massive tension/release valve, and more the prisoner of straight-out, churning, semi-preachy post-punk." [7]
The Rough Guide to Rock wrote that "jazzy distorted riffing hadn't sounded this invigorating since Hendrix or Robert Fripp had their heyday." [8]
All songs written by Greg Sage.
Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely influential by numerous critics and musicians. They are also considered to be the first Pacific Northwest punk band.
Greg Sage is an American songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, regarded as an important influence on many punk rock and post-punk artists. Sage is best known as the principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist of the influential Portland, Oregon-based band Wipers.
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) is the tenth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in October 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. The album emerged from production difficulties surrounding Bat Chain Puller, an album Captain Beefheart recorded for DiscReet and Virgin Records in 1976. DiscReet co-founders Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa feuded over the production of the album, because Cohen funded the production with Zappa's royalty checks. Captain Beefheart recorded a new album titled Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) after Zappa withheld the master tapes of the original Bat Chain Puller album.
Is This Real? is the debut studio album by the Portland, Oregon-based punk rock band Wipers, originally released on vinyl in January 1980 by Park Avenue Records.
Youth of America is the second studio album by American punk rock band Wipers. It was released in 1981 by record label Park Avenue.
Over the Edge is the third studio album by American punk rock band Wipers, released in 1983.
Good is the first album by the Boston-based alternative rock trio Morphine. It was released in 1992 on the Accurate/Distortion label. It was reissued by Rykodisc in 1993 after the band signed with the label.
Land of the Lost is the fourth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released by Restless in 1986. The album was recorded at frontman Greg Sage's studio, 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon. "Let Me Know" appears on the soundtrack to the 1986 film River's Edge.
Gone Fishin' is the second studio album by San Francisco-based punk rock band Flipper, released in 1984 by Subterranean Records. The album's artwork featured a depiction of Flipper's tour van as a ready-to-cut-out-and-assemble centerpiece, with similar cutouts of the four band members on the back cover. At the time of the album's release, Subterranean offered extra empty covers of the album by mail order for $2 for those Flipper fans that wanted to have a cover to cut up and assemble. The album was reissued by Water Records on December 9, 2008, for the first time on CD, with liner notes provided by Buzz Osborne of the Melvins.
Straight Ahead is the debut solo album of Wipers frontman Greg Sage. It was released in 1985. Half the album consists of just Sage accompanied by his acoustic guitar.
Devil Hopping is the fourth studio album from British indie band Inspiral Carpets, released on 7 March 1994 via Mute Records. The single version of "I Want You" features vocals by Mark E. Smith of the Fall. Mute dropped the band after the release of Devil Hopping.
Fromohio is the third album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1989. The album maintained the acoustic and folky sound of If'n. It's called that because it's from Ohio.
Follow Blind is the fifth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1987 by Restless Records. It was recorded at 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon.
Silver Sail is the seventh studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1993. After disbanding Wipers in 1989 and releasing a 1991 solo album, Sacrifice , Sage decided to release a new album under the Wipers name.
Earwig is the second album by the Blake Babies, released in 1989.
American Grafishy is the third studio album by the San Francisco-based punk rock band Flipper. It was released in 1992 by Def American; label president Rick Rubin had once been in a Flipper tribute band. The album title is a pun on the coming-of-age film American Graffiti. The band promoted the album with a North American tour.
The Herd is the eighth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1996 by the label Tim/Kerr. The album was written, produced and recorded by Sage at his own Zeno Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
Power in One is the final studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1999 by Zeno Records. The album was written, produced and recorded at Greg Sage's Zeno Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
Lived to Tell is an album by the American alternative rock band Eleventh Dream Day, released in 1991. Like the band's other two Atlantic Records albums, Lived to Tell was a commercial disappointment. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
R.I.P. is a compilation album by the American musician Richard Hell, released in 1984. It was originally released in cassette format, and was rereleased in 1990 with different artwork. The compilation includes songs by the Hell-fronted bands the Heartbreakers and the Voidoids, as well as songs credited to Hell. It contains demo, live, and studio recordings. R.I.P. was a "farewell" album, as Hell wanted to leave music in order to do more writing.
