Wire - Mannequin

Wire is an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), and Robert Gotobed (drums). They were originally associated with the punk rock scene and were later central to the development of post-punk.

Inspired by the burgeoning UK punk scene, Wire is often cited as one of the more important rock groups of the 1970s and 1980s. Their influence has outshone their comparatively modest record sales. In the 1980s and 1990s, The Urinals, Manic Street Preachers, The Minutemen, R.E.M., and The Cure expressed a fondness for the group. R.E.M. covered "Strange" on their Document album, and "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" emulates Wire's song "Feeling Called Love".

Wire is arguably a definitive art punk or post-punk ensemble, mostly due to their richly detailed and atmospheric sound, often obscure lyrical themes and, to a lesser extent, their Situationist political stance.

The group exhibited a steady development from an early raucous punk style (1977's Pink Flag) to a more complex, structured sound involving increased use of guitar effects and synthesizers (1978's Chairs Missing and 1979's 154).

The band gained a reputation for experimenting with song arrangements throughout its career. Between 1981-85 and 1991 -1998, Wire ceased recording and performing in favor of solo and non-Wire collaborative projects.

In January 2011 the band released their twelfth studio album, Red Barked Tree which was well received by critics, who found the record representing the "essence of their best work",covering "virtually all aspects of Wire’s varied history"

"Mannequin" is included in their first album "Pink Flag" that was released in 1977 and is considered to be one the most original debut albums to come out of the first wave of British punk. Although the album was released to critical acclaim, it was not a big seller.The songs are a collection of unforgettable tunes full of attitude and energy.

Today the album is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all-time and is listed at number 410 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.