A–Z (album)

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
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	B+^[2]
Head Heritage	favourable^[3]

By the critics who reviewed it, 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]

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 written by Newman, except where noted.

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I've Waited Ages"		5:05
2.	"& Jury"	Newman, Desmond Simmons	2:47
3.	"Alone"	Graham Lewis, Newman	3:57
4.	"Order for Order"		2:44
5.	"Image"		4:18
6.	"Life on Deck"		3:12

Side B
No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
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 2 Kellman, Andy. "A–Z – Colin Newman: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Colin Newman". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
↑ Parkes, Jason (5 June 2007). "Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Colin Newman – A–Z". Head Heritage. Retrieved 19 August 2016.

External links

A-Z at Discogs (list of releases)

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