Category: Versions, versions

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Propaganda – ‘Complete Machinery’ Cassingle (ZTT, CTIS12, 1985)

A particularly fine example of ZTT and their multi-format splendour that helped to foist Propaganda into the consciousness of the world with the polished perfection of ‘p:Machinery’, styled here as ‘COMPLETE MACHINERY – A CASSETTE COMPILATION OF PROPAGANDA’S THIRD SINGLE’. It was one variety of the first outing for ‘p:Machinery’ as a single in August 1985, which came with standard 7″ and 12″ formats plus this lovely cassingle/singlette. (It would soon be joined, in the UK at least, by clear vinyl versions and a βeta mix 12″ not long after – and then, just before the year’s end, a second life in ‘Reactivated’ remixed 12″ and 7″ form… but that’s another story…) A QUARTER HOUR OF ‘P: MACHINERY’ PLUS ‘FROZEN FACES’, the inlay card for this card spells out nice and clear in capital letters. COMPLETE MACHINERY IS NOW NUMBER 107 IN AN INCIDENTAL SERIES. BETTER STILL IT IS A PART OF NUMBER TWELVE IN THE ACTION SERIES, it adds further.

Propaganda 'Complete Machinery' cassingle, front case design
^ Propaganda ‘Complete Machinery’ singlette, front case design
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He Said ‘Take Care’ UK LP (Mute, STUMM57, 1988)

The second long player from ‘He Said’, the solo nom de plume of Graham Lewis, one quarter of Wire, deep into the digital synth territory of the late ’80s. This runs along the same timeframe as Wire’s ‘A Bell Is A Cup (Until It Is Struck)’, an example of the Wire canon that has tended to divide fans with its clean-lined and exaggerated production hallmarks of the time. If that Wire LP has you reaching for your revolver in reaction to the polished, layered, synth-scaffolded sonics, then be warned – this album takes such approaches not only to the edge but well over, with quite the sizable running jump beforehand for good measure.

He Said 'Take Care' LP front cover
^ He Said ‘Take Care’ LP front cover

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Wire ‘Buzz Buzz Buzz (Live Live Live)’ limited edition 12″ single (Mute, L12 MUTE 87, 1989)

‘Eardrum Buzz’ was one of Wire’s two single releases of 1989 (along with ‘In Vivo’) that seemingly had their mind focussed on the ‘think pop’ message that Mute label owner, Daniel Miller, had apparently made the message of the previous year’s Berlin recording sessions (for what would be ‘A Bell Is A Cup (Until It Is Struck)’). ‘Eardrum Buzz’ certainly was a catchy ear-worm of a tune, to be sure, and such were the hopes of this making in-roads to the charts of the day that its release (in the UK at least) saw Mute records issue a regular 7″ single, a limited edition clear vinyl 7″ single (withdrawn hastily, apparently), regular 12″ single, 3″ CD single (with a different selection of additional tracks) and limited edition second 12″ single with exclusive live tracks – oh, and one of Wire’s most witty and entertaining promo videos, with a left-field star-studded cast in ear-waggling cameos. Despite the multi-format effort, it didn’t break the upper reaches of the charts – a shame as it was without any doubt one of Wire’s ‘pop’ numbers (well, the kind of ‘perfect pop’ that the NME’s writers used to bang on about) they had periodically been feted for since early days and the video gained plenty of airtime on the likes of MTV (and even an elusive interview with the band on BBC 2’s ‘Snub TV’).

Wire 'Buzz Buzz Buzz (Live Live Live) limited edition 12 inch single front cover design
^ Wire ‘Buzz Buzz Buzz (Live Live Live) limited edition 12 inch single front cover design

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Colin Newman ‘We Means We Starts’ UK 7 inch single (4AD, AD209, 1982)

A stray single that put a full stop on the initial period of Colin Newman’s solo releases, ‘We Means We Starts’ followed shortly after his third album, ‘Not To’ in early 1982, but was not included on the album. Though sonically it shared a lot of the same DNA as the long player, it seems to have been put together by a different grouping. ‘Not To’ had included a good number of songs that Wire had first performed live but never recorded or released, so it inevitably had a great deal of comparisons to Wire from the off. In particular, the more overtly ‘pop’ side was always bandied about as if this were the sole preserve of Colin Newman – despite his previous solo album, ‘Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish’ straying into the kind of outer fringes sonic areas that erstwhile colleagues Gilbert and Lewis had been mapping as their own. Having said that, there’s no doubt that this ‘poppier’ side was in the sights with this album’s sound.

Colin Newman 'We Means We Starts' UK 7 inch single front cover Continue reading “Colin Newman ‘We Means We Starts’ UK 7 inch single (4AD, AD209, 1982)”