Distribution
Revolver Music
Number of Discs
1
Country/Region of Manufacture
USA
Additional information
Wire: Colin Newman (vocals, guitars); B.C. Gilbert (guitar); Graham Lewis (bass, vocals); Robert Gotobed (drums). Additional personnel: Kate Lukas (flute); Mike Thorne (keyboards, synthesizers). A euphemism for insanity, Chairs Missing is an apt summation of Wire's disturbing music. A product of London's punk scene, the quartet nonetheless owed a debt to the art-school experimentation of the mid-60s, a contrast that gave their craft originality. Oblique pop songs, including 'Outdoor Miner' and 'I Am The Fly', exemplify Wire's development from the abrasive minimalism of earlier releases, while their widening musical perspectives are reflected in the edgy 'Practice Makes Perfect'. Producer Mike Thorne adds keyboards and synthesizer to the group's guitar-based attack as Chairs Missing established Wire as one of the most innovative bands of their era.
Reviews
Q (5/02 SE, p.144) - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums". Q (9/94, p.131) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...a more eerie gothic turn, Colin Newman's vocal still essentially a mocking tool, producer Mike Thorne's synths creeping in, mist-like, lending the guitars breathing space..." Uncut (p.106) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] carefully adorned, consciously perfect, neo-classical pop-rock album with echoes of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd..." Magnet (p.91) - "CHAIRS MISSING is the ultimate post-punk album, realized before most of Wire's original audience hashed out the difference between punk and new wave."
