A–Z (album)
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| A–Z | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Colin Newman | ||||
| Released | October 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 at Scorpio, London, England | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, gothic rock | |||
| Length | 58:00 (with bonus tracks) | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
| Producer | Mike Thorne | |||
| Colin Newman chronology | ||||
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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.
"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 songs written and composed by Newman, except as 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 |
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
By the critics who reviewed it, A–Z has been very well received. AllMusic wrote, "A-Z truly deserves to be held in the same regard as Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154".[1]
Personnel
- Colin Newman – guitar, vocals, album cover
- Desmond Simmons – bass guitar, guitar
- Mike Thorne – synthesizer, keyboards, production
- Robert Gotobed – drums
- Billy Bragg - 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
