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A–Z (album)

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For the series of songs by Ash, later released as compilations, see A–Z Series.
A–Z
Studio album by
Colin Newman
ReleasedOctober 1980
Recorded1980
StudioScorpio, London, England
GenrePost-punk
LanguageEnglish
LabelBeggars Banquet
ProducerMike Thorne
Colin Newman chronology
A–Z
(1980) 		Commercial Suicide
(1986)

A–Z is the debut studio album by Colin Newman, lead singer for post-punk band Wire. It was released in October 1980, through record label Beggars Banquet.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]
Pitchfork8.2/10[3]
Uncut9/10[4]
Smash Hits(7/10)[5]

A–Z has been well received. In its retrospective review, AllMusic wrote "A-Z truly deserves to be held in the same regard as Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154".[1] Jason Parkes of Head Heritage wrote that it was "probably the best album [released] between the first and second phases of Wire".[6]

Legacy

"Alone" and "Not Me" were covered by This Mortal Coil on the albums Filigree & Shadow and It'll End in Tears, respectively. "S-S-S-Star Eyes" was covered by P-Model and released as a supplementary cassette to an issue of the band's fan club newsletter. "Alone" was used in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Newman, except where noted

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I've Waited Ages" 5:05
2."& Jury"Newman, Desmond Simmons2:47
3."Alone"Graham Lewis, Newman3:57
4."Order for Order" 2:44
5."Image" 4:18
6."Life on Deck" 3:12
Side B
No.TitleLength
7."Troisieme"4:09
8."S-S-S-Star Eyes"2:09
9."Seconds to Last"7:07
10."Inventory"2:11
11."But No"3:06
12."B"2:58
Additional tracks on CD release (1988)
No.TitleLength
13."The Classic Remains"3:52
14."Alone on Piano"1:56
15."This Picture"3:31
16."Not Me"2:39
17."Don't Bring Reminders"2:22

Personnel

  • Colin Newman – guitar, vocals, album cover
  • Desmond Simmons – bass guitar, guitar
  • Mike Thorne – synthesizer, keyboards, production
  • Robert Gotobed – drums
  • Charles Bullen – Clarinet on "Troisieme"

Technical

  • A. Newman – album cover
  • Harvey Goldberg – engineering
  • Dennis Weinreich – engineering
  • Steve Parker – engineering
  • Malti Kidia – sleeve layout and typography
  • Jack Skinner – cutting

References

  1. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "A–Z – Colin Newman". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Colin Newman: A–Z". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  3. ^ Sandlin, Michael. "Colin Newman: A–Z". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. ^ Dale, Jon (December 2016). "Colin Newman: A–Z / Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish / Not To". Uncut (235): 49.
  5. ^ Taylor, Steve (October 30, 1980). "Albums". archive.org. Vol. 2, no. 22. Smash Hits. p. 33.
  6. ^ Parkes, Jason (5 June 2007). "Colin Newman – A–Z". Head Heritage. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
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