As punk exploded in 1977 in New York and London, one band released their debut as part of the scene and almost went unnoticed. Almost. British band
Wire released their debut,
Pink Flag, amid the roaring years of
The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, as they were all coming into fruition at the same time. As it came out, many critics didn't know how to categorize
Pink Flag, with many attributing the album as the birth of post-punk, but as it failed to chart on its initial release, history as been far kinder to the record as it has been hailed as one of the best punk records ever released. Each generation of new punk fans have dusted off Pink Flag to learn a lesson -- fuck everyone else but yourself. Through each generation continuing to discover the record,
Pink Flag still waves and has gotten the praise and love it fully deserves -- 40 years later. As Wire prep their new album,
Silver Lead, their audience is ready for new material but still look to their debut as the benchmark to all of the albums they have released since.
