Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Son of Pink Flag?, September 7, 2002
Those who know Wire mostly from the artsy, breezy pop of their "Eardrum Buzz" period will find this CD to be a bit of a jolt, and those whose knowledge of the most adventurous group to come out of the late '70s milieu goes back that far will find *Read & Burn 1" to be a real trip down memory lane--of sorts. Yes, *Read & Burn 1* recovers the punk energy of *Pink Flag* 25 years after the fact--with ten times the precision, so these don't sound to me like *Pink Flag* b-sides or outtakes. But this CD does thrash and burn for all 17 of its minutes. There are six tracks (two of them under two minutes). "I Don't Understand" slows the pace a bit. Otherwise it's breakneck speed throughout. For those who by some chance don't know, Wire is Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), E. Graham Lewis (bass, vocals on 6) and Robert Gotobed (drums). The vocals are fairly far back in the mix. The flourishes of keyboards and other instruments we sometimes got from previous incarnations of Wire are nowhere to be found. You'll either like this or you won't. *Read & Burn 1* won't be for everybody! But then again, those of us who have been following the careers of this group and its members in their various incarnations, solo projects, collaborations, etc., for over 20 years now know that these four people are capable of going into the studio, doing whatever they please and coming out with something interesting. This time they made a punk rock CD--a "son of Pink Flag" as it were. The next go around--or maybe the next incarnation of Wire after another hiatus--it might be something entirely different. Recommended to anyone who likes punk, anyone with a taste for the adventurous, and of course anyone who absolutely must have every CD Wire has done or is associated with the group in any way. Not recommended to those who want a Wire content to be locked into a box, be it art-pop, punk or anything else.
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wire is still conducting electricity, October 4, 2002
I've always thought that Wire has a timeless sound, and this record shows they are still at it in force. It seems to mix elements from a lot of their earlier work, overall it's a stripped down fast paced affair. I don't agree with the assertions that it's "Pink Flag II". However, it does have that classic Wire sound. What can I say, a new Wire album. What else can you say about a band that began as original punks, and quickly mutated into art rock. Around 1979, when the rest of the world was just beginning to figure out what punk was, they were already moving far beyond those narrow constructs. And they continue to evolve with Read & Burn 1. I can't put my finger on it, but the tone of this record is very appropriate as a soundtrack for this point in history. Best of all, it's delivered with that sneer all Wire fans will immediately recognize. Now go out and buy this record, and pick up a copy of Pink Flag while you're at it. Or just buy them all, they're all great.
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome CD -- Wire's 3rd incarnation begins!, July 15, 2002
People credit the Beatles with being the most creative, most transformative band out there, but for me and and a small group of others who have been lucky enough to bump into them, that band is definitely Wire! These four musicians have been to every corner of the sonic universe, and this time they've surfaced with six very catchy and raw combinations of technology and traditional punk energy. Seriously, if you consider music an art form and you want to go on a truly amazing journey, buy Wire's Pink Flag, 154, Chairs Missing, The Ideal Copy, The First Letter, Read & Burn, Colin Newman's A-Z, Graham Lewis' HALO, Bruce Gilbert's Shivering Man, and one of the Dome CDs -- you won't regret it!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ Wire
~ Wire
~ Wire
~ Gang of Four
~ The Cars
by Wire 
