Pink flag

"Pink Flag was a fractured snapshot of punk alternately collapsing in on itself and exploding into song-fragment shrapnel. The record's minimalist approach means the band spends only as much time as needed on each song".

"Perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk, Wire's Pink Flag plays ... song after song careens past in a glorious, stripped-down rush ... Pink Flag's enduring influence pops up in hardcore, post-punk, alternative rock, and even Britpop, and it still remains a fresh, invigorating listen today: a fascinating, highly inventive rethinking of punk rock and its freedom to make up your own rules".

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"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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"Perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk, Wire's Pink Flag plays like The Ramones Go to Art School -- song after song careens past in a glorious, stripped-down rush. However, unlike the Ramones, Wire ultimately made their mark through unpredictability ... Pink Flag's enduring influence pops up in hardcore, post-punk, alternative rock, and even Brit-pop, and it still remains a fresh, invigorating listen today: a fascinating, highly inventive rethinking of punk rock and its freedom to make up your own rules".

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