Wire - 154: Classic or Dud?

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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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

(CLASSIC)

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:00 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:03 (nineteen years ago) link

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

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:04 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

save the two good songs

― miccio (miccio), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:15 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

god bless grumpy bastards in bands

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Unless they sing grumpy doggerel.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

Why is that a lame argument

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh yr deaf sorry

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:08 (nineteen years ago) link

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

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:09 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:41 (nineteen years ago) link

I was serious, kinda!

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:43 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (nineteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:34 (eighteen years ago) 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 grout), Monday, 4 July 2005 13:36 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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 (eighteen years ago) link

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

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

five months pass...

SO RAD

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

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 (seventeen years ago) link

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 (seventeen years ago) link

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 (seventeen years ago) link

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

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

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

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

ten months pass...

best album evah

are the PF/CM/154 remasters worth getting?

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

Still interminable.

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

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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

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

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (fifteen years ago) link

Dome next then Louis?

― MaresNest, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 13:02 (fifteen years ago) link

Also upthread: enthusiastic British poster of my own current age gushing untempered praise, seen here before inevitable transformation into laconic cynical antiamerican who makes improper jokes about gun control

Dome? Is that Wire's 4th album?

― restraint and blindness (Just got offed), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 13:05 (fifteen years ago) link

Dome was a Graham Lewis side project.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 13:10 (fifteen years ago) link

Lewis and Gilbert's side project and generally well worth your attention.

― MaresNest, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 13:11 (fifteen years ago) link

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