And all America succumbed to Wiremania. Crazy times.
Hello,
The post-session interview is telling - Suzanne Somers doesn't get Wire doesn't do perky.
All parties involved were preparing to talk to their managers afterwards about what they hell they were thinking.
Re: So- how didn't I know the new Wire was out?
Posted: 26 Jan 2021, 10:58am
by Dr. Medulla
Just read the chapter on Wire in Graham Duff's Foreground Music. I forced myself not to skip ahead, to read things in order. But it's glorious. Not just because I'm a Wire fan and get where he's coming from, but because it's probably his strongest expression in the book about being a fan of any artist. It's just joyful without the shitty asshole behaviour of fandom.
Re: So- how didn't I know the new Wire was out?
Posted: 26 Jan 2021, 3:38pm
by Dr. Medulla
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
I'm weirdly not that turned off by the production on the first two for some reason. I'm not sure why but it works for me.
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
I'm weirdly not that turned off by the production on the first two for some reason. I'm not sure why but it works for me.
It's my go-to example of lousy 80s production that has aged abysmally. I think it still works for BAD, but it just suffocated Wire.
Bold Wire assertion: Wir's The First Letter (plus the Vien ep) is the best of their Mute records. I've come to regard the cold production as one of its assets.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
I'm weirdly not that turned off by the production on the first two for some reason. I'm not sure why but it works for me.
It's my go-to example of lousy 80s production that has aged abysmally. I think it still works for BAD, but it just suffocated Wire.
PiL tends to be my touchpoint for that kind of thing.
It's better than Manscape and I like that Groovy Graham is all over it, but nothing beats those first two for me.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
I'm weirdly not that turned off by the production on the first two for some reason. I'm not sure why but it works for me.
It's my go-to example of lousy 80s production that has aged abysmally. I think it still works for BAD, but it just suffocated Wire.
PiL tends to be my touchpoint for that kind of thing.
Ugh, Happy? and 9 are terrible sounding. I think Lydon ran out of necessary piss and vinegar after Album, but maybe I'd feel better about those next records if they didn't sound like Stock Aitken Waterman.
The production seriously hurts the other Mute records—they succeed despite the sterility. But it meshes with Wir.
I'm weirdly not that turned off by the production on the first two for some reason. I'm not sure why but it works for me.
It's my go-to example of lousy 80s production that has aged abysmally. I think it still works for BAD, but it just suffocated Wire.
PiL tends to be my touchpoint for that kind of thing.
Ugh, Happy? and 9 are terrible sounding. I think Lydon ran out of necessary piss and vinegar after Album, but maybe I'd feel better about those next records if they didn't sound like Stock Aitken Waterman.
Did he have a falling-out with Laswell? I know he wanted to bring in his own musicians, but the album sounds good enough that using the same producer could have been fruitful if there wasn't a schism already.
Did he have a falling-out with Laswell? I know he wanted to bring in his own musicians, but the album sounds good enough that using the same producer could have been fruitful if there wasn't a schism already.
I checked his second memoir. This is the only relevant passage:
With hindsight, we were beginning to fall into the treadmill of album-tour-album-tour. We initially started recording 9 in New York, with Bill Laswell. It wasn’t at the record company’s instigation, although they’d doubtless have loved an Album Part Two at that point. This was very much Bill volunteering his services. After a couple of days in the studio he said the band couldn’t play and he hated all our songs. He said he’d written songs and I should sack everyone and use his people, and come out with a U2-type product. I told him to fuck off and we packed our bags and left. I was fully committed to the band.
The more I think about this, the more my memory grows about poor old Bill and what he had to endure with me. In his head, I was the lead singer he always knew I could be, but I wouldn’t do it because I’ve got my own way. I’ve got my own learning curve. There is a point where I can take influence but I can’t take teaching. It goes back to school really. Don’t tell me what to do, tell me how to do it. That’s how it works with me.
Did he have a falling-out with Laswell? I know he wanted to bring in his own musicians, but the album sounds good enough that using the same producer could have been fruitful if there wasn't a schism already.
I checked his second memoir. This is the only relevant passage:
With hindsight, we were beginning to fall into the treadmill of album-tour-album-tour. We initially started recording 9 in New York, with Bill Laswell. It wasn’t at the record company’s instigation, although they’d doubtless have loved an Album Part Two at that point. This was very much Bill volunteering his services. After a couple of days in the studio he said the band couldn’t play and he hated all our songs. He said he’d written songs and I should sack everyone and use his people, and come out with a U2-type product. I told him to fuck off and we packed our bags and left. I was fully committed to the band.
The more I think about this, the more my memory grows about poor old Bill and what he had to endure with me. In his head, I was the lead singer he always knew I could be, but I wouldn’t do it because I’ve got my own way. I’ve got my own learning curve. There is a point where I can take influence but I can’t take teaching. It goes back to school really. Don’t tell me what to do, tell me how to do it. That’s how it works with me.
Laswell sounds like a bad producer, but the album could have been arguably better if he'd kept the band and songs, while implementing a different sound approach.
Did he have a falling-out with Laswell? I know he wanted to bring in his own musicians, but the album sounds good enough that using the same producer could have been fruitful if there wasn't a schism already.
I checked his second memoir. This is the only relevant passage:
With hindsight, we were beginning to fall into the treadmill of album-tour-album-tour. We initially started recording 9 in New York, with Bill Laswell. It wasn’t at the record company’s instigation, although they’d doubtless have loved an Album Part Two at that point. This was very much Bill volunteering his services. After a couple of days in the studio he said the band couldn’t play and he hated all our songs. He said he’d written songs and I should sack everyone and use his people, and come out with a U2-type product. I told him to fuck off and we packed our bags and left. I was fully committed to the band.
The more I think about this, the more my memory grows about poor old Bill and what he had to endure with me. In his head, I was the lead singer he always knew I could be, but I wouldn’t do it because I’ve got my own way. I’ve got my own learning curve. There is a point where I can take influence but I can’t take teaching. It goes back to school really. Don’t tell me what to do, tell me how to do it. That’s how it works with me.
Laswell sounds like a bad producer, but the album could have been arguably better if he'd kept the band and songs, while implementing a different sound approach.
Assuming Lydon's version of events is reasonably accurate. The theme of that memoir was how tolerant and curious and loyal and forgiving he is, despite all the people in the world who have taken advantage of him.
Did he have a falling-out with Laswell? I know he wanted to bring in his own musicians, but the album sounds good enough that using the same producer could have been fruitful if there wasn't a schism already.
I checked his second memoir. This is the only relevant passage:
With hindsight, we were beginning to fall into the treadmill of album-tour-album-tour. We initially started recording 9 in New York, with Bill Laswell. It wasn’t at the record company’s instigation, although they’d doubtless have loved an Album Part Two at that point. This was very much Bill volunteering his services. After a couple of days in the studio he said the band couldn’t play and he hated all our songs. He said he’d written songs and I should sack everyone and use his people, and come out with a U2-type product. I told him to fuck off and we packed our bags and left. I was fully committed to the band.
The more I think about this, the more my memory grows about poor old Bill and what he had to endure with me. In his head, I was the lead singer he always knew I could be, but I wouldn’t do it because I’ve got my own way. I’ve got my own learning curve. There is a point where I can take influence but I can’t take teaching. It goes back to school really. Don’t tell me what to do, tell me how to do it. That’s how it works with me.
Laswell sounds like a bad producer, but the album could have been arguably better if he'd kept the band and songs, while implementing a different sound approach.
Assuming Lydon's version of events is reasonably accurate. The theme of that memoir was how tolerant and curious and loyal and forgiving he is, despite all the people in the world who have taken advantage of him.
Yeah, he's a real victim. I liked his first autobio better, if only because he doesn't say "wowzers" once a paragraph.
Funnily enough, today turns out to be the 35th anniversary of Album.
I liked his first autobio better, if only because he doesn't say "wowzers" once a paragraph.