Wire / Chairs Missing
Artist Wire
Album Title: Chairs Missing
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative & Punk: Old School Punk
Format Vinyl 180 gm
Released 08/00/1978
Reissue Date 00/00/2006
Label 4 Men With Beards
Catalog No 4M 509
Bar Code No 6 46315 15091 9
Packaging LP Sleeve
Tracks
A1. Practice Makes Perfect (4:06)
A2. French Film Blurred (2:34)
A3. Another the Letter (1:08)
A4. Men 2nd (1:42)
A5. Marooned (2:21)
A6. Sand in My Joints (1:50)
A7. Being Sucked in Again (3:12)
A8. Heartbeat (3:15)
B1. Mercy (5:45)
B2. Outdoor Miner (1:44)
B3. I am the Fly (3:07)
B4. I Feel Mysterious Today (1:56)
B5. From the Nursery (2:57)
B6. Used to (2:17)
B7. Too Late (4:12)
Date Acquired 02/02/2021
Personal Rating
Acquired from Electric Fetus - Minneapolis
Purchase Price 17.99

Web Links

All Music Guide Entry:
Discogs Entry:
Wikipedia Entry:

Notes

Notes:
Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering
Vinyl Mastering By George Horn at Fantasy Studios
180 gram vinyl, sticker on cover.

Credits:
Arranged By – Bruce Gilbert (tracks: A1 to A8, B1, B3 to B7), Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Gotobed (tracks: A1 to A8, B1, B3 to B7)
Engineer – Paul Hardiman
Engineer [Assistant] – Ken Thomas
Lacquer Cut By – George Horn
Mastered By – Denis Blackham
Producer, Keyboards, Synthesizer – Mike Thorne

Companies, Etc.:
Manufactured By – 4 Men With Beards
Marketed By – 4 Men With Beards
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EMI Records Ltd.
Licensed To – Pinkflag

Reviews
All Music Guide Review by Steve Huey:

Chairs Missing marks a partial retreat from Pink Flag's austere, bare-bones minimalism, although it still takes concentrated listening to dig out some of the melodies. Producer Mike Thorne's synth adds a Brian Eno-esque layer of atmospherics, and Wire itself seems more concerned with the sonic textures it can coax from its instruments; the tempos are slower, the arrangements employ more detail and sound effects, and the band allows itself to stretch out on a few songs. The results are a bit variable -- "Mercy," in particular, meanders for too long -- but compelling much more often than not. The album's clear high point is the statement of purpose "I Am the Fly," which employs an emphasis-shifting melody and guitar sounds that actually evoke the sound of the title insect. But that's not all by any means -- "Outdoor Miner" and "Used To" have a gentle lilt, while "Sand in My Joints" is a brief anthem worthy of Pink Flag, and the four-minute "Practice Makes Perfect" is the best result of the album's incorporation of odd electronic flavors. In general, the lyrics are darker than those on Pink Flag, even morbid at times; images of cold, drowning, pain, and suicide haunt the record, and the title itself is a reference to mental instability. The arty darkness of Chairs Missing, combined with the often icy-sounding synth/guitar arrangements, helps make the record a crucial landmark in the evolution of punk into post-punk and goth, as well as a testament to Wire's rapid development and inventiveness. [The original 1989 CD issue by Restless Retro features three bonus tracks: the fine non-LP single "A Question of Degree" and the B-sides "Go Ahead" and "Former Airline."]
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