The Ideal Copy
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| The Ideal Copy | ||
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| Studio album by Wire | ||
| Released | April 1987 | |
| Recorded | 1986 | |
| Genre | Post-punk/Electronic | |
| Length | 63:18 | |
| Label | Mute Records | |
| Producer(s) | Gareth Jones | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wire chronology | ||
| Snakedrill (1986) |
The Ideal Copy (1987) |
A Bell Is A Cup...Until It Is Struck (1988) |
The Ideal Copy is a 1987 album by the English punk/electronic group Wire. It was the first full-length recording following the band's hiatus of 1980-1985. (The band had recorded and released the Snakedrill EP in 1986 after reuniting). Mute Records released the album.
Wire had used electronic instruments on the albums Chairs Missing and 154, but following their hiatus, Wire embraced electronic instruments such as sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines more openly. This prompted music critics to compare The Ideal Copy to groups such as New Order (Davis). One critic, Kirk Fillmore, further compared the electric bass's sound on the single "Ahead" to that of New Order's Peter Hook, though bassist Graham Lewis had played in such a style on previous Wire albums. Indeed, journalist Richard Grabel pointed out that "New Order and any number of other synths-and-guitars bands took cues from late-70s Wire," suggesting that "things [had] come full circle."
Contents |
[edit] The Album Title
The phrase "the ideal copy" is repeated throughout the song "Ambitious." Graham Lewis, in a Creem Magazine interview, stated "the ideal copy" ultimately refers to DNA, "but Bruce [Gilbert] had a dream about it and decided we had to take that out of the song" (Grabel).
[edit] Track listing
All titles written by Wire (Lewis/Newman/Gilbert/Gotobed).
- "The Point of Collapse" – 3:18
- "Ahead" – 4:53
- "Madman's Honey" – 4:23
- "Feed Me" – 5:50
- "Ambitious" – 4:00
- "Cheeking Tongues" – 2:02
- "Still Shows" – 4:00
- "Over Theirs" – 5:18
In addition to the eight album tracks, the compact disc and cassette configurations appended the Snakedrill EP in its entirety, along with three concert recordings:
- "A Serious of Snakes" – 4:53
- "Drill" – 5:05
- "Advantage in Height" – 3:05
- "Up to the Sun" – 2:50
- "Ambulance Chasers (Live)" – 3:02
- "Feed Me (Live)" – 4:27
- "Vivid Riot of Red (Live)" – 2:28
[edit] Personnel
- Colin Newman - Voice, Guitar, Various
- Lewis - Voice, Bass, Various
- B. C. Gilbert - Guitar
- Robert Gotobed - Drums, Various
