5 comments about No Surprises - both parts.

1. The above reviews are reviews for a different single because this single does not contain the two songs talked about in first two reviews.



2. Taken from the band's album masterpiece "OK Computer", "No Surprises" was one of the most beautiful singles of 1997. A melodic ballad and one of the rare songs you can listen to again, again and again.
   
   The other two songs are non-album tracks; a for B-sides they're both above average. "Meeting in the Aisle" is an instrumental; maybe you can say that this track gives hints to what direction Radiohead was headed after "OK Computer" - ( "Kid A" contained very few regular songs ).
   
   "Lull" is more typical of early Radiohead; a fine song that would have fitted nicely into both "The Bends" or "OK Computer" - great vocals. My favourite non-album track though, is still "How Can You be Sure".



3. The 'No Surprises/Running Away From Demons EP' is a great 6-piece package for any Radiohead fan, encapsulating many of my favourite B-sides from the OK Computer era, including:

   Track 2: Pearly*
   This is an awesome guitar-based song to listen to with catchy, captivating riffs and non-conventional vocals done by the amazing front man of the band, Thom Yorke, who demonstrates a variety of styles.

   Track 3: Melatonin
   This is a rather short (2:05), but interesting song with different instrumentation, as it relies heavily on strings and has no guitars. However, it's still a good, easy-listening song, nonetheless.

   Track 4: Meeting In The Aisle
   Now here's a song that'll catch you off-guard. A funky beat, subtle bassline, heavy synthesizers, an overall transcending sound.. what more can you ask for in an instrumental song?

   Track 5: Bishop's Robe
   Another exceptional, well-crafted B-side tune that could have been released as an A-side track. Easily a favourite among Radiohead fans. It is easy-listening, although throughout the song, you can sense the hate that Thom had for his old school-headmaster back from his days of attending school in Abington - 'Bastard headmaster', 'dressed in Bishop's robes'.

   Track 6: A Reminder
   This song is 'a reminder' that we mustn't forget how incredibly talented Radiohead is, and why we love them so much. It's the slowest track on the disc, but a track that would only take one listen to fall in love with. Thom ends the song quite appropriately too: 'Pick up the phone, play me this song.'




4. Radiohead fans, this is a must!!!
   No Surprises - Easily Radiohead's best song. Simple, haunting tune. absolutely beautiful. This one's a gem.
   Pearly* - Brilliant song, highly underapreciated. Great ending. This a slightly different mix than the version than the ones on Paranoid Android and How am I Driving?
   Melatonin - This track begins with synth and vocals, and later adds a somewhat confusing drumbeat. Definitely the most experimental thing to come out of the OK Computer sessions Too short.
   Meeting in the Aisle - This one's crazy. A straightforward instrumental, there's no telling how they made some of these sounds. Fun to listen to.
   Bishop's Robes - Mellow song about Thom's evil gradeschool headmaster. Really kind of hard to describe
   A Reminder - Wonderful. This one's quiet, but incredibly powerful. Stunning conclusion. The idea of this song is "If I go insane, play me this song." (It really is, I've read a book on it, you know.["From A Great Height" by Jonathan Glazer. It only goes as far as OK Computer, but there's a crapload of information.)



5. While I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase a second copy of No Surprises, Meeting in the Aisle easily justifies the disc. Haunting, groovy, perfect. Don't hesitate.

No comments about 30.

5 comments about The Black Album.

1. There are many reviews that go into great depth and I agree with many...especially some of the comments made by "Cowpunk1". I started listening to The Damned in about 83 or so via tape cassettes from friends. My first purchases of the Damned was in 1985, which consisted of the "Black Album" and "Another Great Album" (best of). At the time I lived in H.B. and was into the hardcore scene but was hopelessly infected by the Damned and their sound, which I became addicted to. Their sound ranges from catchy hooky rhythms to haunting theatrical sounds.
   
   I hate to make this comparison, but the Damned remind me of the Beatles...don't freak out...give me a chance. I am an Elvis (sun records era) man not a Beatles fan, but the Beatles were talented and through out their career experimented and changed styles with great artistic and popular success.
   
   I like the original sound of the Damned as well as Grave Disorder and all the albums in between. They truly showed what talent coupled with real artistic creativity can accomplish...30 years of a wide range of styles and sounds all of which are "bitichin".
   
   They say the "Black Album" is an experimental album delving into the psychedelic...uh ok..probably..It is a great album and I recommend it highly. If I were allowed only 10 albums/cds to listen to for the rest of my life, 3 would be by the Damned (Machine gun etiquette, Black Album, Another great CD by the Damned)
   
   For the person who is not familiar with the Damned, but would like to know what they are comparable to, I have bad news. They have changed so much over the years (in a good way)that I don't know what to compare them to. For a band like The Cult, it is easy to say The Doors, Stepppenwolf, and Led Zepplin all came together in about 1987 and created The Cult Album "Electric", but for the Damned...not so easy.
   
   I hate tags like Goth, Gothic,or Goth Metal; I feel they are new terms and should be attached to acts like Marilyn Manson et al...or even Disturbed and Korn. The Damned has a range far surpassing any one style or genre. The original dark and brooding music "Death Punk" should connected to bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division, Siouxsie, and yes even the Smiths



2. This the Damned's 4th album is an excellent response to the brilliance of MGE. Mixing punk with a profound love of 60's garage pyschedelia and a bit of moody (goth?), the black album contains some of the Damneds most memorable moments. The opener Wait for the blackout is a high energy rocker followed by my favorite Lively arts- a stab at high culture and art's smugness towards punk- carried with a synthisized horn line or a heavily treated horn section. Whatever it is cant detract from it being simply the Damned at peak form. Theres a few punk like tracks like Hit or miss and Drinking about my baby but its the captains vocal led Silly kid games(sort of small faces type song) and Vanians moody Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde- both neo pyschedlic and acoustic guitar driven(for really the first time) with some of those horns again- melody changes and stretching out musically into new areas that show the damned are reaching formerly untapped potential. THe album closes with the very long but effective Curtain call- perhaps a bit bloated but shows the band were trying to keep it interesting. This album is the link towards the next record Strawberries - which was the last great Damned record. The Black album sounds like no other band but the Damned- and for that it deserves a special place among their worthy catalogue.



3. As much as I love Machine Gun Etiquette, for me, this is their best album. History of the World pt. 1 is one of the best songs on the album, alongside the eccentric 13th Floor Vendetta and seventeen minute long masterpiece Curtain Call, but the whole album is fantastic, and it's probably one of The Damned's most varied album, going from punk to pop to goth to psychedelia and back to punk again.
   
   The Black Album is, although it seems useless to categorise it, The Damned's "goth" album. Twisted Nerve and 13th Floor Vendetta are similar Damned Damned Damned's Feel the Pain and Machine Gun Etiquette's Plan 9 Channel 7, but overall The Black Album is very different to all three of it's predecessors.
   
   Curtain Call is the most experimental track of the album - seventeen minutes of brilliance. It seems worlds away from the short, sharp early punk songs, but it's the best song on the album, and will always be one of my favourite Damned songs.
   
   If you want punk, then go for Damned Damned Damned or Machine Gun Etiquette, but for me at least, this is The Damned at their weirdest, and their best.



4. This is real PUNK music that killed off the dinasour bands and gave rock another identity that was to change the way rock was perceived in the future.Another dimension spawned from the great Iggy & The Stooges
   
   This is a killer!!!!



5. Just kidding right? There are no misses here, in my humble opinion this is the second of four albums that the mighty Damned released in a row during their salad days. Each of these albums is crucially essential - Machine Gun Etiquette, Black Album, Strawberries, & the much underrated Phatasmagoria (sans Captain). However, my personal fave (ever so slightly has always been the 'Black' album, although maybe the next time I spin Strawberries that will be my favorite. Actually the 'Black' album was my first Damned record purchased circa 1985 at a Discomat, if you can believe that...so if you are a fan and do not have one of the aforementioned albums, than shame on you!. Getting back to the tunes - I find the album to be truly legendary because it has all the elements a true great rock record should have, a varied set of songs that are all at a minimun very good, BUT it has to have a few (more than two) flat out stone-cold classics, in this case they are 'Blackout, Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde, Silly Kids Games(Captain), History of the World' (still gives me the chills). the other tunes rock with abandon, 'Drinking..., Hit or Miss,Lively Arts, Therapy and you can skip the bloated Curtain Call (if you want). Just a remarkable album - by one of the greatest bands ever. And they are still making qualtiy music in their latest incarnation, 'Grave Disorder' is pretty good, but again get those four mentioned - there are very few aural equivalents.

4 comments about Riff After Riff.

1. Doesn't hold a candle to Earth vs. the Wildhearts. Similar in style and content but there is something missing. Can't put my finger on it. These guys still don't know when to end a song. Sometimes when they span several different styles in a song it's a bit too schizophrenic. And what's up with the second song?



2. There are certain things you can always count on and one of them is that The Wildhearts will continue to produce albums that rock. The songs are catchy, the riffs are memorable, and it's all about having a good time. Hopefully, their opening slot for the current Darkness tour will introduce the band to many new fans. For those of us who have been around from the start we can always rely on them to deliver the goods.



3. When I first heard about this release I was super excited. The Wildhearts are truly one of the greatest hard rock acts of all time, and practically no one in America has even heard of them. This Wildhearts 'album' is their first to be released in America since their debut WAY back in '93. Due to that, they are also finally again touring the US. This 'album' is really a compilation of b-sides from the singles from their last album [although not a comprehensive one, more on that later...]. Most fans I've spoken with seem to agree that throughout their career, Wildhearts b-sides are some of their best songs. Although I by no means dislike their latest album - 'the Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed' - I feel the album lacks in comparison to these incredible b-sides [many criticize the new album for being too 'lite' and 'poppy'; overall the b-sides are a bit harder and more aggressive, although there are exceptions]. To make matters cooler - this contains a track previously only availaable on vinyl - "Return to Zero" (* I had to edit this review to note that sadly, this song sounds AWFUL on the CD, and many fans have noticed - I'm still keeping the 5 star rating tho, as this is not a reflection of the quality of the band or their music, just a bad, BAD job done by Gearhead, which breaks my heart to say). Also, this collection is available [although not on Amazon] on limited edition color vinyl. The only thing that does take away some of the excitement in regards to this release is an import that will be available in a couple weeks - A collection entitled "Coupled With", which includes ALL the b-sides from the last album (except for a track that was only available on vinyl called "Dancin' (Instrumental)", but to be honest this is really no loss). Still, if you want to be introduced to one of the greatest bands of all time for a good price, this is a great place to start.



4. After more than a decade since their last U.S. release (Earth Vs. The Wildhearts, 1993)it is great to see the greatest band in the WORLD have a new (and most deserved) U.S. record deal. This album is absolutely great, and if you are a die-hard Wildhearts fan, chances are you already have all the songs on this album, if you're not you should be after listening to any of these songs. "Looking For The One", "Lake of Piss", "Better Than Cable", and "Bang!" are the true stand out tracks here, and the coolest part is that they, along with every other track (excluding "Stormy" on this record are B-sides. That should tell you the quality of this band. What other band could release an album of B-sides and have it be half as good as this record is? None!!! Every track could and should be an A-side! Not to mention it is great to finally have "Return to Zero" (originally a vinyl only B-side) on CD. There are I feel some glaring omissions including their ripping version of "Cheers" and "You Got To Get Through What You've Got To Go Through To Get What You Want, But You Got To Know What You Want To Get Through What You Got To Go Through", however all in all I feel that the Wildhearts have released another amazing album as a whole. If you like the Darkness (The Wildhearts gave them their first huge break) then you will LOVE The Wildhearts. Check out this album, I promise you won't be dissapointed!!!

4 comments about Sense.

1. Ian Brodie, Liverpudlian melody master and king of the rif, presents his finest work. 'Sense' is less well known than 'Jollification,' but this really has to be his finest album. Many of the best songs here start with the catchiest rifs you'll ever hear. He builds up the sound, layering his instruments with accomplished ease and adds the smoothest vocals in the business. Try 'Sense,' 'Tingle Tangle' and 'Marooned' for starters, but most of this album is five star stuff. It finishes with one of the all-time classic ballads in 'Thinking Up, Looking Down.' Why are you sitting there still reading this, when you could be clicking away and ordering it?!
   
   Some of the best tracks, by the way, are not on Lightning Seeds compilations.



2. I discovered the Lightning Seeds after seeing the "Life of Riley" video. A catchy, upbeat little number, but nowhere near as catchy as the title track. The first two tracks, right out of the gate, off and running. And it doesn't stop, either, but it does occasionally slow down here and there.

   The album as whole pretty much covers the ups and downs of life. "A Small Slice of Heaven" is my personal favorite of the bunch ("Life's a trial, but who did you leave behind when a small slice of heaven's all you could ever hope to find"). "Tingle Tangle," "Blowing Bubbles," and "A Cool Place" are also very good songs. Not that there's a bad song on the album, though - some just take longer to come around.

   "Thinking Up Looking Down," an excellent title and life theme, completes the compilation in style ("You've shed that skin, it's lying there. Where are you now, I hope it's heaven there. They touch you with that magic touch... and you shine"). I love listening to the entire album just to finish it off with this song (I realize that CD players have a track selection button, but like the rug from "The Big Lebowski," it ties it all together, man). It starts strong, finishes strong, and it provides a pleasant ride in between.

   It all makes Sense.




3. This has to be one of the best pop/alternative releases ever made! I was amazed how complex the music is - it is very layered and the lyrics are very intellectual. I was even more amazed when I found out that 'Lightning Seeds' is really just one guy - he mixes all this music himself... it's just incredible! It's a very fun, summer day CD and got very heavy play in my music store as well as my home.



4. Hey all you Blur "Great Escape" fans...if you liked that, you'll love this album, plus anything by this great, fun, bubbly Brit band. They provide us with great lyrics, and they are oh-so-fun to sing along to. I wasn't a big Brit music fan until I heard The Seeds, and now I'm hooked! "The Life of Riley" is my favorite. I listen to this CD in my car on road trips. Give it a chance, you will not be disappointed!

1 comments about An In Some Life Let Gone: An Anthology 1977-2007.

1. Where to begin? Dave Kusworth & Nikki Sudden are the stars that time forgot. Together as The Jacobites, as well as in their solo careers, their combined catalogs have more great songs than you could shake a stick at. This collection highlights Kusworth's greatest "hits," compiling his work with Sudden, The Bounty Hunters, and more recently The Tenderhooks.
   
   As you can see from the cover, he looks like vintage '72-era Keith Richards, and his world-weary love songs have a unique flavor. Whether he's rocking out or pining for that elusive girl, Kusworth is not afraid to always wear his heart on his sleeve. Great Stonesy riffs are all over the place, and you'll hear traces of Ray Davies, Mott, Bolan, and all sorts of '70s UK greats in there somewhere.
   
   Sadly, Nikki Sudden passed away in 2006, leaving Kusworth to continue their tradition as modern-day troubadours. He's recently released "The Brink" and "Tambourine Girl," but this is the best place to start.

5 comments about Give It Love.

1. I rarely review albums because quite frankly there are hardly any solid albums released that deserve my attention and intrigue me enough to do so. I've lived with `Give it Love' for a few months and can whole-heartedly state, we have a winner folks! Jon Darling is a triple threat - guitarist, sweet vocalist and acerbic lyricist (here is the ultimate compliment), reminiscent of the great Elliott Smith. Best tracks are Straight for the Middle, From Me to You, On the Chin, Goodbye to You, Try Not to Think and the most Elliott Smith laden, Jumping In. Even though I've mentioned specific tracks, there really isn't a weak one in the lot, so you may as well buy the whole album. The Grey Race is going on tour with Teddy Thompson on June 5th 2008, hopefully in a town near you, so don't take my word for it and go check them out for yourself. This is undeniably superior music.



2. Rocking and soothing in equal measure, this music offers a lusciousness and scope that belies its Brooklyn bedroom origins. Great lyrics, great melodies, and some of the most amazing harmonic twists and turns I've heard. Quite a feat to make something that is so expansive yet so organic. These guys have created something very inspiring. Highly recommended for people who like things that are good.



3. Great record, Love the melodies and lyrics. Especially Cracks, Try Not To Think and Jumping In. Jon Darling's voice is haunting yet strangely beautiful. This album gets better with each listening. Can't wait to hear them live. Come to Chicago soon!



4. "Give It Love" is a stunning debut from a band that takes musical cues from the Beatles, Elliot Smith, and Radiohead, without mimicking any of them. Almost like a "deeper" Coldplay. Fans of melodic pop that leans towards the melancholy and dark with very rich but subtle orchestrations will be overjoyed. Strongly recommend this underground gem to any potential buyers. I have seen them live twice and they are the real deal.



5. I put this record on while I'm cooking- it instantly relaxes me.. Each well crafted song has it's own mood with lyrics that are thoughtful and express a sort of longing. At times even haunting, slightly reminiscent of Elliot Smith but not as depressing - instead contemplative and truthful. (I am big on lyrics that don't just sound like filler for the music but have some substance.)
   The arrangements have a Beatles-y style, which is always a good thing. They rock, they chug, they chill. The band as a whole is cohesive and very tight, and you get the feeling there are is a lot of great collaborating in the studio. The background vocals give me goose bumps - these guys sound so good together. Grey Race has the heart of band, with the soul of a singer-songwriter.
   
   p.s. There's an awesome video of "the Johnsons" out there too.

5 comments about Six.

1. This was my first Mansun experience. I'm really not good at critiquing music, but I can tell you that this album is like a hypnotic trip back up the rabbit hole. Everything gets clearer and you get sucked into the spiral that is Mansun. You think you might break free and end up back at the base of everything that is pure and safe, but then you're surprised and tripped into a circle of raw emotions and powerful riffs. It's addicting. Once you start listening, you can stop. Each song melds with another, and there is no break. And you won't want a break. It's one long procession of swirling jams that you can't get out of your head for days on end. You'll be strung out on Mansun, and it's a wonderful feeling.



2. I start to write as the Fairies fall into the rabbit hole... or Fall Out... I am still in awe of this twisted tale of musical chicanery and depravity... this is listen 3 straight thru, and still my skin tingles; my saliva thickens, and the body remembers an acid trip in L.A. in the 70's... my amazement at finding this album amid the great wasteland of music out there knows no bounds... If an album should ever be recommended with a guarantee of absolute proportions, it is this... Pure Genius.



3. ...this is a FANTASTIC album, but this US version is not the one to get. The UK edition is the full album the way Mansun intended it, with the right tracklisting, track order, and artwork. As such, I'm not going to review this in depth (I already did that for the UK version...go read it!).



4. What could you say about an album that interrupts your daily routine and sleep paterns? This sounds like a group of musicians who just found a bunch of different sounds to throw into an album and are uncertain about what it is trying to say. There is no effort to hide any seams, as the songs will change without any transition. Just a pause... maybe a whistle (like in the schizophrenic closer, "Being a Girl"). It't ideas and artists like this that make the most interesting albums. It is the perfect blend of experiment and melody. It's the same thing that makes Sonic Youth hard to listen to combined with what makes so many bands from the 80's a guilty pleasure (a meaningless word to me, really). Then we have Paul Draper's completely unique voice. Like an amateur opera singer from hell. And since it's less than $4 used right now, I suggest you buy it.



5. sorry for them couse their're over but still one of my favourite bands. six it's a album that probably you won't like it at first time you hear it but with time you'll be on with it. great songs with complexe guitar sounds ... a must hear. be well

5 comments about The Greatest White Liar.

1. I agree with notatthistime; The Greatest White Liar is a consummate summer album. Why are people trashing its retro sound? If anything, this is the album's strength. It's also not one of those albums in which only a few songs are solid and the rest sounds disconnected. The Greatest White Liar presents a whole story. If you like The Kinks and/or The White Stripes, I'd definately get it.



2. As another reviewer stated, this is throwback rock, pure and simple. If you're looking for originality or experimentation, please look elsewhere. But if vintage '60s rock/blues/pop is your thing, Nic Armstrong is your man. "The Greatest White Liar," from the songs to the performances to the production, could have been released alongside the classic albums it draws inspiration from: Beatles, early Rolling Stones, and Kinks (especially "The Kink Kontroversy" and "Face to Face"). Yet it has a soul all its own and never strays into parody or mere copycatting. Crank this up and keep the British Invasion alive!



3. Nic Armstrong and the theives = The vocal talents of a Van Morrison and jack white love child; Music combining early Beatles, Animals and even a tad of early Captain Beefhart(FUZZbass & harmonica on broken Mouth Blues), all to make a great white boy bluesy Down home in the barn dancin 'round in yr overalls rock album.



4. This is a pretty good cd. I enjoy most of it, but I don't think it is very original. The musicians are talented and everything, but I can't help thinking that I haven't already heard these songs from bands like the Beatles, the Kinks, and other british sometimes-bluesy bands from the 60's. If you like listening to throwback-type music, then give this cd a try, but if you are looking for something new, then look somewhere else.



5. Even with limited lights & sound, these guys opened for Jet who then opened for Oasis. I think the order should have been reversed. They ruled. I downloaded this disc when I got home last night. As a previous reviewer so aptly put: these guys are the real deal. Totally. Support musicians who actually play their instruments, not techno button pushers or pop celebs! BUY IT! IT ROCKS FOR SUMMER!

5 comments about Chairs Missing.

1. 'Chairs Missing',Wire's follow up to 'Pink Flag' their adrenalin rush of a debut album is a challenging yet unsettling listen.Darkness and despondency are abundant throughout the album.Indeed the album title itself is a reference to mental instability and there is no let up in the lyrics or the jagged,spiky music onto which these words are painted.Topics dealt with here include S&M ('Practice Makes Perfect'),homocide('French Film Blurred'),suicide('Another The Letter'),drowning('Men 2nd'),isolation('Marooned'),pain('Sand In My Joints') and darkness('Heartbeat').It's not all doom and gloom though as 'Chairs Missing' spawned two singles,'I Am The Fly' and the irresistable 'Outdoor Miner' a perfect two minute pop song if ever I heard one.Following 'Chairs Missing'Wire released one more album, the experimental '154' before splitting for a number of years due to a lack of songwriting ideas.If you are new to the band the first three Wire albums are all essential listening and demonstrate how a band can change musically in the space of three years.



2. In 1978, being qualified as "the Pink Floyd of the New Wave" might have come across as something of an insult; and by today's artistic strategies of rampant revivalism such a pithy remark may ring true to many a listener. That statement was, in fact, the critique prescribed to Chairs Missing, Wire's second album, as the album decelerated the pogo punk minimalism found on their first album with an increasing use of experimental production. In hindsight, Chairs Missing is the perfect transition between the high-strung velocity of Pink Flag and the staggering gloominess of 154; yet most transition records have a clunkiness about them, like a lanky teenager not quite able to fit into his sunday best. But Chairs Missing is miles above the average transition album.
   
   To many a listener, Chairs Missing stands as the ultimate Wire album, with near perfect pop songs alternating between anthemic punk and eccentric production techniques (i.e. atonal synth drone, staccato guitar chops, overdubbed guitar distortion, etc.). Where Pink Flag kept many of the songs under a minute and half, Chairs Missing is downright baroque in its presentation of 3 minute tunes. The genius of Chairs Missing is how Colin Newman, Robert Gotobed, Bruce Gilbert, and Graham Lewis manage to steer through the diverse songwriting landscape, in how the album's opening track "Practice Makes Perfect" transitions from a delicate prance for jangled guitar into a precise expression of menace, in how "Outdoor Miner" creates the catchiest, Beatlesque chorus you'll never be able to sing back to yourself given the complexity of its rejoining, nonsensical syllables, in how jaggedly clean the guitars of Newman and Gilbert attack each other, in how Lewis' bass is fluid and effortless, in how this run-on sentence seems to have lost its way trying to fathom the complexity of Wire.
   
   If you believe that the length of my reviews directly correlate to how good the record actually is, then I have failed as I would need to write a f-cking a book about how stunning this album is. Yeah, Chairs Missing is incredible; and if you don't have it, you really should.



3. Although Wire wore a punk overcoat, sonically speaking, on their first three albums, there is no doubt that theirs was a creativity that would have surfaced whatever the current vogue, as their relevance today shows. Chairs Missing was their Harvest follow up to the arty 21-track debut, Pink Flag, but boasting a mere 15 tracks, which ranged from just over a minute long, to an epic 5.45 for Mercy. The lyrics, printed prose fashion in the booklet, make an interesting and stimulating read even divorced from the musical settings contained in the grooves. Producer Mike Thorne adds extra coloration and texture with his synths and keyboards and Kate Lukas adds flute to one tune. 
   Chairs Missing included the single I Am The Fly, although as it had been released 7 months earlier than the album and had a B-side from Pink Flag, it may be older than the rest of the album. Outdoor Miner was extracted as a single along with its flipside, Practice Makes Perfect, in January 1979.
   A longer version of Outdoor Miner is included as a bonus track, along with both sides of a non-album single that was released in June 1979. 
   The appearance of Chairs Missing on CD in the UK in 1990 proved influential on indie and Britpop bands such as Elastica and Blur, and still sounds fresh and vital today



4. This is an easy choice for the best album from Wire, an always interesting group. Pink Flag was an excellent beginning, but that album gave us a band that was very raw, impatient, and loud. Wire tones it down here, adds more intricate sounds and song structures, and offers a greater variety of styles. It can be bleak and melancholy('marooned'), light and appealing('outdoor miner'), amusing and silly('I am the fly') and energetic and boisterous('Too Late'). A very thoughtful and impressively laid out album, highly recommended.



5. Having worn-out my copy of Pink Flag, my first listen to Chairs Missing was a tad shocking. With this album, Wire moved beyond the spastic bursts of fractured art-punk and produced a slower, more pondorous, more textured work. There are some synths here and there, and "Heartbeat" is downright subdued. But there's still the old Wire here as "Mercy" and "I Feel Mysterious Today" can atest to. And like any great album, it grows on you. I wouldn't argue against this as a starting point for Wire, and I can imagine it being not as disarming if you haven't heard their first record. But even fans of Pink Flag will be pleased if they give this one time.