There are myriad details that illustrate why Wire's 1977 debut is bulletproof--or at least wildly compelling. There's the count of tracks--21 to be exact--the snare-cracked pulsing roll of "Reuters," which sports one of punk's greatest first lines: "Our own correspondent is sorry to tell of an uneasy time, that all is not well." There's the six songs that last under a minute (and at least that many more that last under a minute and a half), all of them urgently poised on Colin Newman's deadpan urgency--a laconic riposte to the shouting that in '77 was already central to punk. There's album closer "12XU," which Minor Threat would make anthemic in their short hardcore-forging career. Pink Flag was made after Wire had played a mere 15 gigs, honing their sound in the atelier of the Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, etc. without sounding a smidge like anyone else. Importantly, it's the band itself that got rights to remaster this flawless gem, in a cool gatefold digipak with a fascinating liner essay. That's something you don't see many punks do. --Andrew Bartlett
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