Improvisation
five unforgetable improvisations
5) WIRE: CHAIRS MISSING- 1978.
EMI Records
I once saw an interview where Wire described their early incarnation as being an 'art school band'. They apparently assembled for a one off show and before you know it they released three classic albums,split,recorded some interesting solo projects,recorded another handful of excellent releases and spawned a new wave of Brit-Pop imitators such as the beastly Elastica and Menswear.
Chairs Missing was a radical departure from Pink Flags get up and go.With only a measly 15 tracks as opposed to Pink Flags 21,Wire set about subverting the classic pop song structure by imploding the song at the point of verbosity or wasteful repetition. Disposable pop music. So disposable infact that at their height,on each tour,they would steadfastly refuse to play old favourites in favour of new material. Just at the point where they crowned their glory with the difficult but absorbing 154,they imploded themselves,fracturing for five years or so before re-uniting with a new, more programmed Wire.
Chairs Missing introduced a softer side to the Wire,a new psychedelic interior to go with abrasiveness of Bruce Gilberts staccato sheath guitar .As usual,the lyrics dealt characteristically with ' problems of bad reception resulting in blurred perception.' ( French Film-Blurred) Personal politics. This was work by writers who know the significance of metaphor and the impact it can have on perceptive listeners. There are many beautiful lines, ' an unwilling sailor adrift from arctic waters.' ' Does the pain remain when the head is turned and the body walks away,you used to know.' ' He lies on his side, is he trying to hide, in fact it's the earth which he's known since birth.'
The album netted two singles,' Outdoor Miner ' and ' I Am The Fly ' which remain vital and fresh 18 years later. Wire were a band that prospered in part due to the clarity of it's four members and the skills they each brought to the group. When Drummer, Robert Gotobed left in 1990, the band recorded under the name WIR,releasing an album,The First Letter (recently remixed by the Hafler trio), dropping the E from their name as if one of it's components had been lost in transit.
Graeme Lewis, Bruce Gilbert and Colin Newman remain active particpants in a world of music that they did much to shape.
