Secret History of Rock. The Most Influential Bands You've Never Heard

by Roni Sarig

  Wire was formed in 1976 when Bruce Gilbert, then a 30-year-old studio technician working at Watford Art School, met 22-year-old student Colin Newman. Though neither had any real musical experience, Gilbert had some knowledge of avant-garde recording techniques and Newman counted himself a fan of Brian Eno (who occasionally guest-lectured at Watford). They came together with bassist Graham Lewis and drummer Robert Gotobed in a band called Overload, and when they kicked out the original singer for being too much of a rocker, they became Wire.

  Out of necessity (because they could barely play their instruments) rather than any minimalist philosophy, Wire’s sound was initially spare and simple. Like many later post-punk bands, the members of Wire came from an art tradition; they were inspired by punk but not tied to it. By 1977, they felt no need to repeat what straight punk had already accomplished, and were focused on doing new things in the punk context. “The simple idea was we didn’t want to be like any other group,” Newman says. “We were the next step, absolutely. The Clash were a rock band, the Sex Pistols and the Damned were comedy groups, and they were all already dinosaurs as far as we were concerned.”

  Carrie Broumstein, Sleater-Kinney:

  Wire utilize space really well in their music, and we try to leave space in songs to create a dynamic where songs can breath a little bit. A full bar chord will take up a whole range of sounds, but sometimes we’re into just playing a couple notes or making it terse and simpler.

  Wire’s debut record, Pink Flag, appeared in November of ‘77. Released on Pink Floyd’s Harvest record label in a clear break from punk’s anti-prog rock stance, the 21-song first album was a classic on arrival: Wire had stripped classic pop and rock songs down to their essence and rebuilt them with everything they’d learned from punk. Songs like Strange (later covered by R.E.M. on their Document album) and Three Girl Rhumba (whose riff is appropriated on Elastica’s single “Connection”) were odd and low-fi, yet unreservedly catchy, in a style Guided by Voices would later use. Every element of Pink Flag, from its music to its artwork (a stark image more reminiscent of Eno records that the messy collages of punk records), marked it as something different.

  Robert Pollard, Guided by Voices:

  Wire is my favorite band. They just had the whole package; the album covers were great, the song titles were great, they gave you 18 to 20 songs on an album. When we put out an album we put like 19 or 20 songs on it, and I think Wire influenced me to do that. Bands get publishing deals for 12 songs on an album, so I respect any band that puts over 12 songs on a record; they don’t get paid for it.

  The following year, Wire made a major leap with Pink Flag’s follow-up, Chairs Missing. Producer Mike Thorne (who also worked on the debut) introduced the band to studio techniques, which made an immediate impact. The record moved further away from punk and even closer to art rock by adding synths, manipulated sounds, and sequencers. They had also developed significantly as players, and felt comfortable being more experimental. It was in many respects their creative high point, brimming over with possibilities and exuberant in its explorations. “Everybody felt fantastic, it was a really joyous record to make,” Newman remembers. “We were very aware that we were making a big step. We knew we had to jettison any sign of being a punk group at that point.”

  Though it may not have seemed possible, with 1979’s 154 (named for the number of gigs they had played), Wire pushed their original sound even farther away and introduced an entire new world of moods and textures into the band’s sonic palette. The original release even included a bonus EP of experimental noise drones (later added to 154’s CD version), showing the influence of newer bands (that they had themselves influenced) such as Cabaret Voltaire. Like the first two records, 154 was critically adored – it was even said John Lennon was a big fan – though commercially the band remained firmly underground.

  Robin Rimbaud, Scanner:

  Listening back to some demo tapes of mine from 1984/5 recently, I suddenly became aware of how influential 154 was upon my work and how it made me re-evaluate the structures of “guitar music,” if such a genre ever existed, [from the liner notes to Whore: Various Artists Play Wire]

  Meanwhile, the intensity with which the band worked and the great speed at which it developed was taking its toll. Individual members were advancing creatively, but not in the same direction. While Newman (and Gotobed) remained committed to experimentation within a pop format, Gilbert and Lewis became more immersed in noise. Wire seemed to be evolving into a collection of individual artists pursuing various avenues at the same time.

  A European tour in early 1980 supporting Roxy Music (which had evolved from its Brian Eno days into a schmaltzy new romantic group) gave them an eerie look at what had happened to one art band that had accepted the slow pull toward commercial compromise. Wire wanted none of that; in fact, inspired by the rise of the indie music scene in the late ‘70s, the band wanted to move even further away from the mainstream music business, to explore the possibilities of music and video, to develop new bands, and to release solo records under one umbrella company. With their label, EMI, unreceptive to these pursuits, the members of Wire felt restrained creatively. The only other option was to fall back on already proven ideas, and instead, the members of Wire decided to call it quits. As Wire entered their first period of inactivity, they had left an already remarkable legacy. Their first three albums would pave the way for many of the most important bands of the next two decades.

  King Coffey, Butthole Surfers:

  The question was, what do you do beyond punk rock? And Wire was a case example. They put out their great punk rock album, Pink Flag, but by the time you get to Chairs Missing, they’re playing with all kinds of ideas, it’s a real mixed bag. Then by 154 you have something very far removed from the concept of 4/4 two-minute punk songs. We admired them because they didn’t keep making the same record over again. And it was such an explosion of creativity, after 154 what else could they do but break up? They were probably the ultimate post-punk band.

  A final Wire single in 1980, Our Swimmer, pointed toward the industrial dance directions Wire would pursue when they re-formed in 1986. Prior to this, Wire members pursued solo and collaborative projects: Newman (accompanied by Gotobed) released four albums of Eno-esque pop, while Gilbert and Lewis recorded industrial and dance music under many names, including Dome, Duet Emmo, Cupol, 3R4, P’O, He Said, and simply as Gilbert and Lewis. The two also joined in multimedia collaborations with visual artist Russell Mills and choreographer Michael Clark.

  When Wire re-formed in 1986, it was as a progressive synth pop band. Unwilling to fall back on earlier material, they toured the U.S. with a Wire tribute band that opened with the group’s older songs. Though hints of the original Wire resurfaced, it was essentially an entirely new group, more commercially successful but also less distinctive. Over six albums, Wire pursued rhythmic pop in a “monophonic monorhythmic repetition” style, close to New Order’s sound, which they gave the onomatopoeic name “dugga dugga.”

  Page Hamilton, Helmet:

  Their philosophy, their vibe influenced me immeasurably, the music was so creative and artful, yet so direct. They would talk about things in very abstract ways; having a conversation with Bruce Gilbert is like going on a magic carpet ride. They see music not as a technical pursuit in any way, they implement color and texture like paint brushes or something.

  By 1991’s The First Letter, drummer Gotobed felt the band’s electronic dance sound made a live drummer unnecessary and quit. In deference to the departure of one quarter of Wire, the band released their last album as Wir. Though a second reunion is not out of the question, Wire members have remained busy with solo work. Newman and his wife Malka Spigel formed the electronic label Swim, Lewis has pursued his H.A.L.O. and He Said projects, and Gilbert has created a new musical life as techno DJ Beekeeper. In May of 1996, Wire re-formed for one night in celebration of Bruce Gilbert’s 50th birthday.

  DISCOGRAPHY

  Pink Fl
ag (Harvest, 1977, Restless Retro, 1989); the classic post-punk debut, unifying punk energy with progressive experimentation.

  Chairs Missing (Harvest, 1978, Restless Retro, 1989); the landmark second record, capturing the band at the peak of their creativity.

  154 (Warner Bros., 1979, Restless Retro, 1989); the final record of Wire’s first incarnation, bringing the band’s explorations to its furthest point.

  Document and Eyewitness (Rough Trade, 1981, Mute, 1991); a live album from their notable “Dadaist cabaret” show, it also includes the final single.

  And Here if Is... Again... Wire (Sneaky Pete, 1984); a compilation of early material.

  Wire Play Pop (Pink, 1986); another compilation of early material.

  Snakedrill EP (Mute, 1986); the first studio work since 154, a four-song return with a new sound.

  The Ideal Copy (Mute, 1987); the first full-length since returning, the record features one of the group’s minor hits, Ahead.

  A Bell Is a Cup Until it is Struck (Mute, 1988); a successful later-era studio album.

  It’s Beginning to and back Again (Mute, 1989); an interesting idea – taking live recordings and reworking them digitally – with mixed results.

  The Peel Sessions Album (Strange Fruit / Dutch East India, 1987; 1991); an expanded version of the Peel Sessions EP released in 1987.

  On Returning (1977-1979) (Restless Retro, 1989); compilation of early material.

  Manscape (Mute, 1990); a studio album, essential only for collectors.

  The Drill EP (Mute, 1991); consisting of nine remixed versions of the song Drill from Snakedrill.

  (Wir) The First Letter (Mute/Elektra, 1991); the reunified group’s final recording, without drummer Robert Gotobed.

  1985-1990: The A List (Mute/Elektra, 1993); a best of compilation, voted on by fans.

  Behind the Curtain: Early Versions 1977 & 78 (EMI, 1995); a compilation of early songs.

  Turns and Strokes (WMO); a collection of unreleased live tracks and demos from the early years.

  Coatings (WMO, 1997); a collection of unreleased tracks and alternate mixes from the later years.

  TRIBUTE: Whore (WMO, 1996); various artists do their favorite Wire songs, featuring members of Sonic Youth, Ministry, Lush, the Minutemen, and the all-Wire cover band, Ex-Lion Tamers.

  BUZZCOCKS

  King Coffey, the Butthole Surfers:

  The Buzzcocks were better than overrated acts like the Beatles, and Singles Going Steady is one of the best pop albums ever. It was catchy, and best of alt, it was punk! The Buttholes, at heart, are an experimental punk band that write pop songs (if covered in layers of absurdity). Bands like the Buzzcocks proved that you could write catchy songs and still be punk about it. Bands like Green Day were probably inspired by the Buzzcocks, but the Buzzcocks were there 20 years earlier and did it right the first time.

  While the first wave of English punk rockers purported to completely wipe away the accepted musical conventions of the past, some musical traditions proved too enduring to stay away long. By incorporating classic pop song structure and melody into punk, bands like the Buzzcocks made clear just how much their music was part of a British pop continuum that stretched back at least as far as the Beatles and Kinks, and almost certainly even further.

  Though they formed a short time after the classic English punk bands – the Sex Pistols, Clash, Damned – the Buzzcocks’ embrace of pop and distance from punk polemics make them distinctly post-punk. And 15 years later, when bands like Green Day introduced punk to the American pop charts, their hard-driving but melodic sound and relatively low anger-and-angst quotient, could be traced directly back to the Buzzcocks.

  Page Hamilton, Helmet:

  The Buzzcocks are just pure unadulterated punk rock, writing pop songs that completely cut the bullshit. Hearing that was so fresh for me, having grown up in the ‘70s overblown, pompous horseshit era of music.

  Manchester University schoolmates Howard Trafford and Peter McNeish were so thrilled after seeing the Sex Pistols perform in London they not only organized a concert to bring the Sex Pistols up to their home town, 150 miles north, but also decided to start a band of their own. Renaming themselves Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, and assuming the roles of vocalist and guitarist, the two recruited drummer John Maher and bassist Steve Diggle to round out their new band, the Buzzcocks.

  Bob Mould, Sugar / Hüsker Dü:

  In that first wave of punk bands there was the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the more spitting, safety-pin type bands. The Buzzcocks were very different. They had a much better knack for classic pop songwriting, but all the energy of a punk band. That left a pretty good impression on me. I liked punk rock but a lot of it seemed a little too simplistic, whereas the Buzzcocks’ song-writing is more sophisticated.

  Removed from London, the center of British punk sounds and styles, the Buzzcocks were less influenced by fashion trends and free to develop their own personality. Instead of expressing political and socioeconomic frustrations, the Buzzcocks turned to more traditional subjects for their songs: love, sex, teen alienation. Still, Maher’s high-energy precision drumming and the slashing guitars of Shelley and Diggle asserted the Buzzcocks’ punk heritage.

  Within months of forming, the Buzzcocks had developed a reputation in both Manchester and London as one of the best bands to emerge from the punk scene. By December of 1976 the group had formed its own label – appropriately called New Hormones for the sexual tension in many of the band’s songs – and released an EP, Spiral Scratch. Recognized as the first notable indie punk record in the U.K., the record was to be the original lineup’s only enduring document. One month after its release, singer Devoto quit the group to return to school (though he would soon form the adventurous post-punk group Magazine).

  In his absence, the creative control that Devoto and Shelley had shared fell almost entirely on Shelley. Shelley became the group’s main singer and songwriter. Steve Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and bassist Steve Garvey joined (after a brief stint by Garth Smith), securing a lineup that remained intact until the end.

  In true British pop tradition, the Buzzcocks made a name for themselves on the basis of great singles. The band signed a contract with United Artists in late 1977 and released their first and perhaps most memorable single, a hilarious Shelley/Devoto holdover dedicated to compulsive masturbation called Orgasm Addict. Despite being too dirty for radio airplay, the song caused a huge stir through more underground channels and began a chain of memorable 45s that included What Do I Get?, Everbody’s Happy Nowadays, and Ever Fallen in Love? (later covered by the Fine Young Cannibals).

  Dave Dederer, Presidents of the United States of America:

  I remember in 10th-grade, going into this music store and putting on the turntable the U.S. single version of Why Can’t I Touch It? and Everybody’s Happy Nowadays. It just completely blew my mind, the energy and intensity of it. It opened up a whole new world of music for me.

  A debut album called Another Music in a Different Kitchen – which in true punk fashion originally came in a bag labeled “Product” – came at the start of 1978, and a second LP called Love Bites was released by the end of that year. While the first record reinforced the perfectly crafted pop-punk style of the early singles, the second showed the group maturing quickly. Written by both Shelley and Diggle, the songs were longer and incorporated influences beyond straight pop and punk, including psychedelia. Outside the band, Shelley was already experimenting with electronic sounds, using tape loops and drum machines in his early solo work.

  By 1979 it became clear the burst of energy that marked the Buzzcocks’ early singles had faded. A Different Kind of Tension, a third album released late in the year, was not very well received. An American tour in 1980 failed to revive interest in the Buzzcocks, either from fans or the band itself, and before the end of the year the group had called it quits. In less than four years, they had inspired new generations of punk, particularly in the American hardcore tradition tha
t stretches from Hüsker Dü to Superchunk and Nirvana. The band also created a legacy of great punk song-writing that impacts rock music today, perhaps more than ever.

  Mac McCaughan, Superchunk:

  I listened to the Buzzcocks so much. They were the perfect combination of what I wanted to hear, being catchy and poppy but really loud and fast. The first album and Singles Going Steady have all the catchiest songs and no fat, but Love Bites is probably my favorite; it had all that but was also a bit weirder. We got from them the combination of being loud and fast but really catchy at the same time.

  With the Buzzcocks’ demise, Shelley launched straightaway into a solo career that explored more synth-oriented pop, such as his hit “Homosapien.” Devoto, too, pursued a solo career once Magazine had run its course, while Diggle and Maher collaborated in a new band, Flag of Convenience. A 1989 Buzzcocks’ box set called Product revived interest in the band and led to a reunion tour that featured the band’s classic lineup of Shelley, Diggle, Garvey, and Maher.

  Though Garvey and Maher soon departed, Shelley and Diggle continued and recorded new material. Following a four-song EP in 1991, the Buzzcocks released Trade Test Transmissions in ‘93. Tame by current standards and lacking the spark that made the band special a decade earlier, the record nevertheless proved they were able to compete with the younger groups that had taken a cue from their marriage of mannered pop and punk riffing. A second postreunion album, 1996’s All Set, was less successful and the future of the Buzzcocks remains uncertain.