Wire - Peel Session 1978

The complete session recorded by Wire on 18 January 1978 for the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 and broadcast on the 31st of that month.
Tracklist:
1. Practice Makes Perfect (0:07)
2. I Am The Fly (3:45)
3. Culture Vultures (7:35)
4. 106 Beats That (9:32)

[@kingkandy]

Wire *still* sound ahead of their time. Amazing band.

[@sexobscura]

they're in the ointment

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

I agree with you, they are such a strange band, always ahead of their time, always cult heroes, they deserve more then Sex Pistols, nobody talks about them,but they still make great records. And they never repeat themselves

[@anfrankogezamartincic1161]

@@sexobscura what a silly word,great part of the song

[@ProjectRevoltNow]

2022 reporting in. Wire are still ahead of the times. New music mostly sucks still.

[@hopebgood]

@@sexobscura buzzzzzzzz

[@woody5831]

Only saw these once a joint headline with the Cure in Aylesbury in 1979 "i am the fly" total classic

[@honourethefire5794]

great band great session Peel was a must listen to shame this hasn't got him talking on it I only saw them live once in 1979 age 14 a joint headline gig with the Cure

[@20yearwritersblock]

A quite extraordinary band

[@ianevans2570]

A band that never failed to enthral and disappoint, usually within the regulation 40 minutes of an album. This session, for me, was a little peek into what would become their finest two thirds of an hour - the marvellous Chairs Missing.

[@hopebgood]

Don't forget to half damn with praise the wonderful Pink Flag.

[@davebeck4288]

Love Wire with Pink Flag being the punk album of the 1976-77 punk scene. I was lucky to live in Manhattan and have CBGB, & Max's to see a all the early bands cut their teeth at these and other bars. Also had the best record shop (Bleaker Bobs) to get my supply of the early punk singles band LP's. Everyday was a Saturday! I saw wire when they played CBGB in 1977. Great band great music and the best first three albums by any band at the time.

[@TotalFreedomTTT-pk9st]

You might be able to answer as to why there is no live footage of Wire - it seems they were an artsy punkish group that should have had allot of video stuff coming from like an art school world - I can't find anything on You Tube

[@davebeck4288]

I haven't found any early Wire live but you can find some live songs after their first 3 LP's. It's a drag not having probably the best early punk band with no concert film, having seen them live in the late 70's I can attest for their performance quality. One of the best punk shows I ever seen. At least you can listen to live at the Roxy, CBGB and Rockplast to enjoy their best period 1976-1978.

[@TotalFreedomTTT-pk9st]

@@davebeck4288 Thanks so much for the speedy reply - I am 60 so I was just a bit too young for that early super period - I did get out by 82' to Cleveland Punk stuff - and also in like 97 ? saw the remnants of the Dead Boys just down the street at the Grog Shop and it was still great - but yeah - Wire - just the Pink Flag songs live on film - was not one thinking ? geezo - they had cameras - well - maybe stuff will surface

[@hellowhirled]

Wire did 4 Peel sessions and the first 3 all contained material from their next project. Brilliant.

[@pressureworks]

Ben Spizuco was this their first session?

[@iloveNathalie1]

@@pressureworks Yes.

[@pressureworks]

David Morgan thank you !

[@davebeck4288]

I was dying to see Wire play songs from Pink Flag when I saw them in 1977 at CBGB. They had a back up band called "Ex Lion Tamer" perform the Pink Flag LP in order of song sequence. Wire came out and played much of "Chairs Missing" which was a delight. Kick ass band of the punk movement!

[@hellowhirled]

update: Wire did 5 sessions. The 5th one was in 2002 for the Read & Burn EPs.

[@GayCaballero]

Saw them a few weeks back in Norwich, they are still a cracking band and not just playing 40 year old stuff on a nostalgia kick either.

[@goodycaoalso3910]

You lucky you :)

[@ferroxglideh5621]

They are still waiting for us....

[@vanessavalentimdacruz284]

Forever and ever genius

[@stephenjackson6762]

brilliant..... a little forgotten gem... top band and the line up...

[@michaelplatter3281]

WIRE are Colin Newman - Robert Gotobed - Graham Lewis - B. C. Gilbert

[@devinkhoury4490]

this picture is amazing

[@LarzGustafsson]

Art punk. Brilliant.

[@Deemeree]

This is the guy who bullied/chastised a commenter on a Bikini Kill video. Dipshit!

[@misterbonzoid5623]

I've just discovered this. It's heaven. I've loved Wire since I saw them in Canterbury with Elvis Costello and The Attractions in 1978 but missed this until now!.

[@radleybadenhorst7789]

Bought wire on returning at a pawn shop, still got it 30 years later

[@davebeck4288]

On Returning CD is a great Wire compilation of their first three albums. On omission was not including "Map Reference....". Now expand and get the complete Pink Flag LP it may well be the best punk LP to be released out of England!

[@crieff1sand2s]

Wire always ahead of the game.... 👍

[@thirdofaman]

Thank you for uploading.

[@Contrariwise37]

legendary

[@michaelplatter3281]

AWESOME BAND

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

imo great stuff my favorite band imo

[@chep-dj3dz]

*legendary.* great band

[@nic-ci_66-77]

1978 was really an amazing year for these sessions. Ok, we could say the same for a lot of the years after.. However, it seems clear to me that the bands called by JP in those twelve months redefined what rock would be up to the present day.

[@drstevie]

Brilliant.

[@stephanecanoen688]

excellent

[@craigbeasley1]

There's this person always there!

[@hansmoser989]

they were at the live dot club with all pink stuff and so on at 2008 and as i wanna dance some bastards tellin me that the punk time is over. You won´t believe it, they´re sitting in the chairs corner and only wanna have a clear view. we call this gentrification, i am still the fly, h.m.

[@barbarabihn2140]

Cool

[@bigjoecarvajal5716]

wire xtc margazine.. holy trinity

[@Brewzerr]

Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154 -- my holy trinity.

[@jamesian-allen8725]

agreed...bauhaus, joy division, the fall are another. and then the stranglers, ultravox, buzzcocks...and the damned/pistols/clash kinda started it ( in the uk )...and of course gotta have the love for iggy/mc5/velvets - dolls/ramones/television...many holy trinity's have crossed our paths. (*_*)

[@elmeromero3072]

Buenisímo

[@mr.cifuentes1779]

ElMeromero

[@TotalFreedomTTT-pk9st]

I can't find any live stuff of Wire from this early period - it seems they were coming from an Art School world where there should be lots of video but I don't see any on You Tube

[@Exisles]

Laughter, waiting, 12XU

[@mtcjoseph]

Culture Vultures!

[@pressureworks]

9 people giving thumbs down, wasted lives, wasting space, oxygen, food, water, bandwidth, etc.

[@Gittermaster0]

and still in competation

[@hughiepearce]

back in the day I sent my bands (PORK SIRENS...type that name in...we got a few decent tracks on KZbin) tape into JP and of course nothing happened...then out of the blue about 2/3 years later I had a call from a woman at the BBC asking me if I'd sent a tape in?...I thought wow we're going to get invited in...but no she just wanted to know if we wanted the Tape back because John was having a clear out...oh well in another life perhaps!😅

[@chrisalford3364]

145 . that was an album. I can't fiend it

[@user-lv4fh4fo1y]

I hope that is a typo....154.....

[@GayCaballero]

That's why he can't find it, lol.

[@mr.cifuentes1779]

GayCaballero lmao

[@michaelplatter3281]

It's not 145. The Album ist called 154 an is the third album from Wire, released in 1979

[@wetglasswool390]

ah 145. What an album! It's good but i think their debut album Red Flag is better

[@evilsnox6830]

this guitar tone is even rougher than pink flags

[@johnnyguitar7921]

like lovely mleodic chainsaws.

[@bobgreen623]

One of the things I love about Pink Flag is the number of different rough tones from the guitar.

[@hughbetcha436]

I think the Knack nicked the riff of My Sharona from I am the Fly!

[@pressureworks]

Anyone have these recordings with Peely's Comments ?

[@sexobscura]

*you think* *I'm confused*

[@pressureworks]

As Tommy Vance always said: Quality Rock Music.

[@pressureworks]

@@hopebgood sorry you feel that way. He was a great, enthusiastic presentor.

[@ichausecktowncityich545]

houps...not bad

[@68joolz]

i am the fly NOT OF THIS WORLD 90,s brit pop move over let the originaters shiiinnnne,joolz i am the punk in the ointment...

[@mr.cifuentes1779]

68joolz favorite wire song EVER

[@craigbeasley1]

If 'Dada' could talk in late days beyond ridicule. They do it a justice!

[@misterteaification]

Vocals are a bit low in the mix.

[@mlwsf]

Well, Wire always did like their vocals a bit under mixed however the nature of the Peel sessions was that most of the stuff was recorded to 4-track and mixed in a single day to be broadcast later. This is pretty impressive in a Land and time before digital recording and archiving.