Chairs missing

"This new raft of reissues collecting remastered versions of Wire's first three LPs come in two flavours - as a run of single-disc editions that faithfully replicate the design scheme of the original release, and in expanded editions that add a host of extras. 1977's Pink Flag is expanded to two CDs, while 1978's Chairs Missing and 1979's 154 grow to three discs apiece. Each is accompanied by an 80-page hardback book the size of a 7in single, which is filled with interviews and sleevenotes from Jon Savage and Graham Duff and excellent, mostly newly uncovered photos from official band photographer Annette Green".

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"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 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".

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"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".

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"The album as a whole is less purposefully fragmented than its predecessor, the songs more conventionally structured even as they veer in unexpected directions. The stunning centerpiece is "Mercy", which provides the basic blueprint for an absolute ton of tension/release post-rock".