Chairs Missing is the second studio album by the English rock band Wire. It was released on 8September 1978 through Harvest Records.[1] The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart.[2]
Although it features some of the minimalist punk rock of the band's debut Pink Flag, Chairs Missing contains more developed song structure (taking some cues from 1970s prog-rock, psychedelia, and art rock), keyboard and synthesizer elements brought in by producer Mike Thorne, and a broader palette of emotional and intellectual subject matter. The title is said to be a British slang term for a mildly disturbed person, as in "that guy has a few chairs missing in his front room".[3] The single "Outdoor Miner" was a minor hit, peaking at number 51 in the UK singles chart.[4]
In a 1979 Trouser Press review, Jim Green said, "Wire are disconcerting, laconic yet eloquent in fragmented visions, jarring even at their most accessible. They disdain cliche, pushing out the limits of rock; the easy way is too boring." He continued, "Their stripped-down rhythms take on the quality of being familiar yet somehow alien, just as their bleak lyrics lift the everyday from its context and illuminate its ironies." Green concluded that "[y]ou have to listen for yourself."[15] The Sandwell Evening Mail wrote that "the songs are sparse, sometimes rather frightening, but often superbly constructed."[16]
In its retrospective review, Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote: "The arty darkness of Chairs Missing, combined with the often icy-sounding synth/guitar arrangements, helps make the record a crucial landmark in the evolution of punk into post-punk and goth, as well as a testament to Wire's rapid development and inventiveness."[5]BBC Music called the album a "glorious avant-pop coup" and (referring to the 2006 edition of the album) "the most satisfying of the three reissues [the others being Pink Flag and 154]."[17] In 2004, Pitchfork listed Chairs Missing as 33rd best album of the 1970s.[18] In 2013, NME listed the album as the 394th greatest album of all time.[19]
Legacy
In 2004 the US record label Words-on-Music released A Houseguest's Wish, a CD tribute album to the band consisting solely of 19 different versions of the Chairs Missing track "Outdoor Miner".[citation needed]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the 2018 Special Edition.
All music written by Colin Newman, except where noted. All lyrics written by Graham Lewis, except where noted.
"Outdoor Miner (Long Version)" (1994 reissue, single A-side)
2:54
18.
"Former Airline" (1989 and 1994 reissues, single B-side)
Gilbert
Gilbert
3:20
19.
"A Question of Degree" (1989 and 1994 reissues, single A-side)
3:09
*The bonus tracks on the 1989 and 1994 reissues were removed from the 2006 remastered reissue because they, according to the band, didn't honour the "conceptual clarity of the original statements".[21]
^Burbeck, Rodney, ed. (16 November 1978). "News"(PDF). Music Week. London: Morgan-Grampian. p. 2. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 September 2024.
^The songwriting credits for Chairs Missing have been modified on all reissues since 2006.[20] "Men 2nd" was originally credited to Graham Lewis alone.
^"Used To" was originally credited to Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis alone.
^"Too Late" was originally credited to Bruce Gilbert alone.
^"Options R" was originally credited to Graham Lewis alone.
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