Wire - 154: Classic or Dud?

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I got the free 7" some time later. Actually, you aren't missing much.

Send: Check the lp version, all the tracks are 'redux' i.e. edited down to their basic essences, and all the missing tracks off the "Read and Burn" are included. I should get this, one of these days.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Send: Check the lp version, all the tracks are 'redux' i.e. edited down to their basic essences

really? that sounds intriguing. does anyone have this? is it worth it?

i got the CD version because it came with the live disc, which is wonderful: "mr marx's table" only really works live, and the vocal on 99.9 is mind-blowing.

― grimly fiendish, Thursday, 23 September 2004 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"Send: Check the lp version, all the tracks are 'redux' i.e. edited down to their basic essences"

I have this, and I remember the idea being more exciting than the actual reality. I recall there was some sloppy editing.

I haven't played it in awhile though, perhaps I should dig it out.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 23 September 2004 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

'"mr marx's table" only really works live'

i'd have to disagree there...

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 23 September 2004 18:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Thats funny how theres 2 other people on this thread who got 154 when they were 15. I found a cut out bin full of treasures from mute records. The very best treasure I got out of there was "Brief History" by Gang of 4. I didn't like 154 when I first heard it though. It took 6-7 years to warm up to it. Now it's one of my favorite ever.

― Queen Electric Nipple Scorcher (Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZ), Thursday, 23 September 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

I got 154 on vinyl for a quarter when in 91.

It blew my mind straight off. I had only really heard A Bell Is A Cup and Ideal Copy prior to this, and I wasn't prepared for the sheer brilliance.

A Mutual Friend is one of my all-time favorite songs.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Friday, 11 March 2005 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Dud. "The 15th," "On Returning," "Map Ref" and not much else. Too much Graham Lewis. When you're 15 and/or a goth freak you might think it's the greatest album in the world.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 11 March 2005 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

CLASSIC, YE WHINY POPIST SEEKERS OF TEH HOOK BE CAST AWAY INTO TEH PITS OF HELL

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

(CLASSIC)

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm 34 (and, sure, a goth freak) and it's still great. Yay glowering doom!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

It's very good, but I like "Chairs Missing" best.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

...for no other reason than I think "Chairs Missing" has nicer tunes.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

CLASSIC, YE WHINY POPIST SEEKERS OF TEH HOOK BE CAST AWAY INTO TEH PITS OF HELL

that's what listening to 154 feels like for us, yes

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

save the two good songs

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Graham Lewis is a gloomy gus. In the new Wire DVD he tells the audience to keep the noise down; then when someone requests "I Am The Fly" after "I Should Have Known Better," he mumbles in his best John Houseman voice: "We don't PLAY requests."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

god bless grumpy bastards in bands

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Unless they sing grumpy doggerel.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Funny, I thought I typed this in last month... (Still haven't got the REDUX yet, suffice to say)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 14 March 2005 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i love when Alfred Soto shows up on threads and he's all like "hey guys, I just heard this canonical album two days ago! i don't like it so much!" seriously Alfred, how sad is your listening history? Like, you are sort of young and haven't heard a lot of music, yeah? at least, I get that impression from yr posts. no offense or anything, you are probably a totally nice guy and whatnot. but damn do you ever fulfill all of my stereotypes of a poor listener. have you ever played an instrument ever? why are you having so much trouble with your ears?

I mean, Miccio, it's not even worth responding to. We all know he's a joke. What's weird is that I like SOME of our posts Alfred, but then you post craziness like this. don't get it.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Monday, 14 March 2005 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Not too keen on their debut, but "154" I like. These days I feel like getting a bit too much of an overdose of the entire postpunk thing, but I don't blame Wire for that. Nice album.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 14 March 2005 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

i switch between preferring this and Chairs Missing. these days I listen to 154 more. i voted it #1 in the 70s poll! i was never a 15 year old goth though, so maybe i'm making up for 'lost' time.

― pete b. (pete b.), Monday, 14 March 2005 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Having lived with said canonical album for about 8 years, Stormy, I know whereof I speak. Dilettantes don't happen to own "154."

As for not playing an instrument, geez, can an argument be any lamer? You don't know if I play an instrument; and if I didn't, how would that make "154" a more rewarding experience?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 March 2005 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I heard Michael Bolton's "Said I Love You and I Lied" on the bus to work this morning. It sounded exactly like "I Should Have Known Better."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Why is that a lame argument

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yr deaf sorry

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I feel mean! I should've read yr second post.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

A deaf person criticising records may actually be ILM's greatest achievement

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Allowing muso musicians to comment might be ILM's second greatest achievement.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I was serious, kinda!

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

154 = Pretty Brilliant to say the least.

Also, word from the Wire camp is that Bruce Gilbert has left the group, leaving Wire mark 3 in jeopardy. Colin's Githead album will be out this year though...

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 14 March 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

Classic. I can't seem to get into anything else by Wire, though. I suppose it's because they never made anything darker in sound.

― Ian Riese-Moraine has been xeroxed into a conduit! (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

Oddly enough, we heard this on a road trip this weekend. The two Wire fans in the car yelled, "TURN THIS SHIT DOWN!"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

'tis true that some people who claim to be Wire fans don't like this album

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Funny, I thought I typed that in 6 months ago. (I do have the REDUX now, suffice to say I've played it once. Boy am I backed up with stuff thesedays. I blame that 1981 box)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:36 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

I wish I could explain what it feels like to suddenly, clearly see the full value of an album you first tried very hard to get into about 17-18 years ago and just couldn't see it. And I tried in 2001-2 as well, and just couldn't see it. And now it's all very clear. And I can't put that into words, what that feels like.

― Tomato Voyeur (Bimble...), Saturday, 14 January 2006 12:19 (twenty years ago)

it's the exact same thing i had with "always now" by section 25, bimble. i know precisely what you mean.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 14 January 2006 12:32 (twenty years ago)

What ever happened to Stormy? I loved his remarks upthread.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 14 January 2006 14:08 (twenty years ago)

five months pass...

SO RAD

― Machibuse '80 (ex machina), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

Send: Check the lp version, all the tracks are 'redux' i.e. edited down to their basic essences, and all the missing tracks off the "Read and Burn" are included. I should get this, one of these days.
-- mark grout (mark.grou...) (webmail), September 23rd, 2004 1:46 PM. (link)
Funny, I thought I typed this in last month... (Still haven't got the REDUX yet, suffice to say)
-- mark grout (mark.grou...) (webmail), March 14th, 2005 9:32 AM. (link)

Funny, I thought I typed that in 6 months ago. (I do have the REDUX now, suffice to say I've played it once. Boy am I backed up with stuff thesedays. I blame that 1981 box)
-- mark grout (mark.grou...) (webmail), July 4th, 2005 2:36 PM. (link)

Happy birthday, that message.

I have played it a fair bit now, and it's excellent stuff. More than the actual 'normal' CD funnily enough.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:34 (nineteen years ago)

So dud, although I heard "The 15th" this weekend and remembered it was my favorite Wire Mach I song.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 10 July 2006 15:35 (nineteen years ago)

classic - the Sgt. Pepper's of punk(/postpunk)

lyrically/vocally I see it as something to work through, beyond (kill this buddha, the road leads on)
love "Blessed State" though - an all time fave:
"loved in the flesh, but butchered in the mind"

sonically awesome - production masterpiece + terrific hooks and sounds.
much Cocteau Twins seems a worthy continuation of parts of 154 -
e.g. intro to "A Touching Display"

one review at the time (Rolling Stone?) read: Wire, Get Out Of Marienbad (!!!)

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

presumably a writer who found the earlier albums less(?!) abstract?

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

eh - not a dud, but totally worse than PF and CM

― SQUARECOATS (plsmith), Monday, 10 July 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

ten months pass...

best album evah

are the PF/CM/154 remasters worth getting?

― jabba hands, Friday, 1 June 2007 03:00 (nineteen years ago)

Still interminable.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 1 June 2007 03:02 (nineteen years ago)

I'd take Pink Flag over Young & The Hopeless now, but it's close. I'd take Good Morning Revival over 154 by a mile though.

― da croupier, Friday, 1 June 2007 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

I think I will call 154 the Sgt. Pepper's of punk(/postpunk), though. The Sgt. Pepper's of punk(/postpunk) SCREWED & CHOPPED.

― da croupier, Friday, 1 June 2007 05:28 (nineteen years ago)

Or maybe The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway of punk(/postpunk)

― da croupier, Friday, 1 June 2007 05:32 (nineteen years ago)

Still interminable.

-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, June 1, 2007 3:02 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

kind of redundant

― s1ocki, Friday, 1 June 2007 05:41 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

I'm coming towards the end of my first ever listen to this record. Feeling pretty chuffed tbh.

― restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 12:54 (seventeen years ago)

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