Customer Reviews

154

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was blessed to grow up in Oz during this period of great musical evolution. The Saints and Radio Birdman charged the senses in the mid-70's to aspire you to listen to 'great music'. Both bands first three albums fit into this category of 'great'. Not one bad song amongst a plethora of power and energy. Such joy!
Very few bands of any era can boast of such. WIRE is one. An amazing array and combination of sounds and words that evolve over the first three albums that can only be classified as 'GREAT'. Of all three albums, which I bought when they were first released, '154' is in my top 5 albums of all time. Knowing and loving the transition through all three WIRE albums, '154' came as the biggest surprise on first listening. It is a wonderous collaboration between four talented musicians who pushed all the boundaries to produce something so unique that it demanded unlimited listenings to try and work out all the nuances that made this so audio-addictive. The moods, the themes, the riffs, the sound effects, the singing.....the every part of it is wonderous and rare. Open your heart and your mind, play it at all different volumes and times, only then will you realise that it deserves a place in your collection.

Not without reason is this recording referred
to as 'Post-punk Floyd.'
And as such, headphones plus a well-tempered
E.Q. will reveal many clever audioscapes.

WARNING:

This is not Moby; if you want cutesy synth
pop, get a Casio.

Responses welcome.

I can't recommend this disk more urgently.

This has to be the first truly great Wire cd, certainly the best
one in their first incarnation. 154 is filled with all the nihilistic, murky, schizophrenic variety that made it their finest achievement. 154 takes a few steps further from Chairs Missing and makes no apologies for where it takes the listener.In a nutshell, 154 takes one to a dreamy, crazy place with many questions and no answers. A place of musical paranoia and lyrical madness. Right from the start, 154 lures the listener into a wonderous, surrealistic soundscape. Even if there are a few cuts that hark back to Pink Flag (On Returning, Two People In a Room) and Chairs(Mutual Friend), the rest is the next step in Wire's intriguing evolution. Maybe some would place "The 15th" and Single KO" as also Chairs-influenced, but I would say that those two are murkier, and less accessible than "Outdoor Miner".

With that said, the rest ventures into unprecedented instru-mentation and novel melodies. Frontman, Colin Newman, shines on "Indirect Inquiries" and "Forty Versions" as well as on "The 15th", my favorite by the way. The meshing of schizophrenic lyrics with twisted guitar licks, bass, and flexible drumming, speaks volumes. Right hand, Graham Lewis, steps forth and takes center on some cuts (Touching Display, Other Window). The album opener, "I Should've Known Better", begins with Lewis singing and not Newman, another indicator that things were really changing.

154 is rather hard to categorize, like the band itself, aside from declaring it post-punk. Basically, it is a surreal blend of Pink Floyd, The Clash, and The Cure. It is an integral piece in the post-punk catalogue. And amazingly, not surprisingly, the cd is still influential and referenced to this day.

I've been a big fan of Wire ever since I heard their first album, PINK FLAG. Beginning (more or less) as a group of visual artists wanting to expand into music, embracing the (at the time adventurous) punk sensibility and approach to their new medium, Wire (Colin Newman, Bruce Gilbert, Graham Lewis and Robert Gotobed) have -- as true artists -- never been afraid to allow their art to develop. From album to album, the listener can easily hear the progression made by this group. As they became more and more competent on their chosen instruments, taking them (and all of their aspects and possibilities) into their hands as tools, much like an artist might work with different brushes or methods of applying paint, they have always been true to their own vision, never sacrificing it for the sake of commericial appeal.

That being said, there are examples on almost every recording they've made of songs that 'could have been' hits. The most notable example on 154 is 'Map ref. 41N 93W' -- combining a truly 'catchy', hummable melody with intelligent (but not obscure) lyrics, in a 'radio-friendly' length, I think this song is one of the best singles ever released by a 'non-commercial' band. The wordplay in this song -- as in so many of their works -- is stunning.

Most of the songs on 154 are short -- with the exception of 'A touching display', there's nothing here over 4'30". Each one is a mini-masterpiece, displaying many different styles of sound sculpting. The band plays most of the instruments themselves (coaxing some amazing sounds from the standard guitar/bass/drums format), with some synth added by Mike Thorne (their producer), and occasional contributions on voice, flute, viola and cor anglais from four other guests. None of the 'outside' instrumental additions compromise the 'group' effort of the band, however -- this is Wire's creation, from start to finish.

The band's lyrics are always intelligent and literate -- as in the above-mentioned 'Map ref.', stimulating wordplay abounds, and images and emotions are brilliantly conveyed.

I was listening to this cd in my car yesterday with my (nearly) 16 year-old daughter, whose tastes are of course more contemporarily oriented -- she was impressed with it. I think it's something that will continue to stand the test of time -- art is, after all, timeless. I would easily rank this among my 'top ten favorite rock albums of all time'.

...that shows off their stunning creative depth. I was first slightly put off by the gothicism & dramaticism of some of the tracks, but soon learned to appreciate the album as a whole. 'two people in a room', 'the 15th', 'a mutual friend', 'once is enough', 'map ref.', '40 versions' and 'song 1' are as good as any songs Wire have ever recorded, and this includes 'Pink Flag'. The two reviewers below were either too impatient to really give this record a listen, or just didn't understand the direction the band was going in. 154 is one of the most influential rock records of the late 70s. Bands like Sonic Youth --listen to 'Two People in a Room'-- and REM --up to and including 'Fables of the Reconstruction'-- would have missed some key ideas had this album never been recorded. The darker music on this album, along with what 'The Damned' were doing at about the same time also inspired the entire '80s goth-rock scene (not my taste, but palatable in it's inception on 154), as well as bands like the Cure and Depeche Mode (whom I cared none too much for). This is a very strong album, and I have more respect for bands that evolve and challenge their listeners, than for those that grind out the same thing every time they record, unless they're selling out, of which Wire can certainly not be accused.

Some of the prior reviews here seem to disparage "154" in favor of the prior "Chairs Missing" or "Pink Flag". However, I think it needs to be pointed out that the Wire that cut those albums was quite a different band by the time they reached the sessions for this release. Lewis and Gilbert were leaning in the direction of their future sonic experiments as Dome, and Colin Newman was beginning to work both with experimenting with the form of songs as well as the studio. Robert Gotobed had already begun working with Fad Gadget. But instead of this creating a record of musical dissolution, Wire chose to focus on social dissolution instead, and while the results aren't as punctuative as those on the previous releases, they eventually do hit home with some sympathetic listening. And once they do, "154" is revealed as a very powerful work, certainly a godfather release to future works such as Radiohead's "OK Computer", with which it shares some subjective turf. Cut in 1979, it's not a '1979 album' by any means, and is often possessed with a musical and lyrical sophistication that takes it out of its time. At once brooding, dark and introspective, then suddenly bright and optimistic, even ecstatic on "Map Ref....", this album isn't something that has the assaultive immediacy of "Pink Flag", no, but it shows that Wire was heading...especially individually...into some very complex territory. It's just a shame that the follow-up to this, the live/edited "Document and Eyewitness", was such a conceptual and musical trainwreck...this would've been such a better note to end matters on for the period of Wire's temporary breakup.

So often, in our category-happy society, we tend to lump aspects of an era into broad, non-specific groups. When discussing the music of the 1970s, many shoehorn it all into, "disco," "rock," and "soul." The fact is that the end of the 1970s was arguably the most important time in 20th century popular music. The punk revolution had pressed the boundaries of music and broken the big-label cabal, ushering in the age of independent labels. Technology was rapidly advancing, providing musicians with new studio tools and even new instruments. It was a turning point.

Wire used punk as a jumping-off point and explored their musical derring-do with abandon, culminating in the brilliant and often misunderstood 154. There is so much ground covered here that no description can do it justice. One must listen to and experience the album to fully appreciate it. Suffice it to say that 154 is experimental, yet accessible. It is firmly grounded in Wire's roots, but boldly original. It is not quite avant garde, but flirts with such, pulling back just when it seems to be going too far from the main.

This album ranks with Unknown Pleasures and Armed Forces as the most influential and original albums of the penultimate year of the decade so often characterized as the age of bell bottoms and roller disco. The 1970s deserve better than that. 154 is proof.

Can never figure out the Wire fans who consistently list this last out of the first three albums. Pink Flag has it's moments but most of it's attempts at "punk rock" or whatever are cringe-worthy and embarrassing but understandable on a first release. Chairs Missing ups the ante and finds them branching out and finding their sound more. 154 solidifies their unique vision and around 1979 only PIL and Joy Division share a similar uniqueness of sound that defy pigeon-holing in the post-punk realm and explores whole new possibilities of style and sound. Thus, it makes sense that they broke up after this masterpiece (how could they top it?) and haven't even come close since reforming. I first got this album at age 16 in 80' and it's production values and sound still sound classic today and have stood the test of time- Radiohead, who I do enjoy only wish they could come up with something this original-but in their defense it was already done. I've listened to thousands of albums in a quarter century and 154 remains easily embedded in my all time Top Ten. Indeed, they were the post-punks beating Pink Floyd at their own game.

Very rarely does art and music merge into a cohesive whole that satisfies the sole but this release astounded me back in 1979 & made me realize that there could be more to punk than just attitude. With this release Wire showed themselves to be a completely different animal to the rest of the Punk pack and a force to be reckoned with. The powerful deeply resonant sounds emanating from my stereo accompanied by deeply poetic lyricism really has no comparison in the post punk days in which this was released. Each song painting its own story with true poetry driven punk stylings and highly personal lyrics. But perhaps even more than that is the music. Music so original you wonder where the band drew their influences from as I've never really heard anything like it. Songs that are brilliantly constructed, pulsing with intense sonic rumblings that resonate with a power and authority you won't often hear this side of the Doors. The songs lyrics are clear and sharp, pushing the message or story of each song. Accompanied with sharply realized Punk/Post-Punk (even Pop) sensibilities. Some of the songs are slow and subtle with a tearful sadness and a delicate touch, such as 'The 15th' & 'I should have known better', whilst others bristle with the violence and angst of post-punk Wire, such as 'Once is enough' & 'Two People in a Room'. Then there are clearly brilliant musical epics such as 'Map Reference' an astoundingly well thought out college/punk classic and which contain some of the weirdest lyrics that I've ever found myself memorizing with ease such is the catchiness and interestingness (eek no, it's not a word) of the song. I have played the vinyl of this album to absolute death and the CD is a must have of anyone with an interest in what was going on in Britain in the years of Punk & Post-Punk. Wire were always a highly literate and heavy thoughtful band I found and this is truly their opus. It's matured beautifully with age and you really wouldn't guess that this thing is now 27 years old. A band truly deserving of the praise too freely given to a very few of the British punk bands such as 'Sex Pistols' & the 'Clash' good as they were. A deep and moving record of a band finding their feet and their soul and diving in the deep end. Not afraid to experiment, in fact reveling in the challenge to produce new and exciting, frightening and beautiful music with a soul and daring that I haven't seen since. Need I say it? Buy.

Of the classic trio of early Wire releases, "154" seems to be the most divisive.

It's not the abbreviated punk telegram of "Pink Flag" even at it's most adrenalized, and it takes the sound of "Chairs Missing" into an even more insular and expanded realm. That Wire were willing to challenge themselves by writing outside of the punk genre that they gestated in speaks volumes about them.

The influence "154" had on its peers and the entire "post-punk" movement really can't be calculated. It's a moodier record sonically, and is prophetic of some of their later work instrumentally. Definitely worth having to appreciate their rapid transformation and revolutionary approach to a style that was already (in the late 1970s) becoming very dogmatic.