The First Letter

Not to be confused with A.
The First Letter
Studio album by Wir
Released October 1991
Recorded Swanyard Recording Studios, 1991
Genre Electronic, art punk
Length 54:50
Language English
Label Mute
Producer Wir and Paul Kendall
Wire studio album chronology

The Drill
(1991)		 The First Letter
(1991)		 Send
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau A−[2]

The First Letter is the ninth studio album and the last album released by Wire before their second extended hiatus. It was one of only three releases credited to "Wir", the others being the "So And Slow It Grows" single, and a limited edition two song EP entitledVien. The band changed their name to "Wir" [3] after drummer Robert Gotobed's departure, who quit the band because the musical direction increasingly relied on drum machines and loops. Other than an Erasure remix, the band would not reform until 1999, and not release any new material until 2002's Read and Burn 01 and Read and Burn 02 EPs and 2003's subsequent Send. The album produced the single "So and Slow It Grows." All songs were composed by Bruce Gilbert, Colin Newman, and Graham Lewis, except "Naked, Whooping and Such-Like (Extended on and On)", with words by Lewis, and reading by Claude Bessey.

Track listing

  1. "Take It (For Greedy)" – 3:13
  2. "So and Slow It Grows" – 5:13
  3. "A Bargain at 3 and 20 Yeah!" – 2:55
  4. "Footsi — Footsi" – 4:55
  5. "Ticking Mouth" – 6:31
  6. "It Continues" – 4:33
  7. "Looking at Me (Stop!) Stop!" – 4:12
  8. "Naked, Whooping and Such-Like (Extended on and On)" – 7:05
  9. "Tailor Made" – 3:48
  10. "No Cows on the Ice" – 4:16
  11. "A Big Glue Canal" – 4:09
  12. "So and Slow It Grows" (Single Mix) – 4:00

Personnel

Wir
Additional personnel

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  3. ↑ "Wir Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06.