My Top 1000 Songs #773: I've Waited Ages

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

The three-LP run from the late 70s incarnation of Wire--who later regrouped and released numerous underrated records over the ensuing decades--holds up as stunning, sturdy, self-contained musical universe. Each album from that '77-'79 triad was stylistically varied and distinct from its predecessor, quickly evolving from furious (yet arty) minimalist punk rock to boundary-pushing industrial experimentation; and then they headed off into the sunset. 

But you could make an argument the solo debut from singer-guitarist Colin Newman, 1981's A-Z, completes the quartet. It's the next logical step in the Wire progression, increasingly arty and experimental, yet still incorporating the punk and pop hooks Newman had peppered throughout the band's records. It's a less consistent work, but there's at least a great half album in there. And, frankly, it's worth it just for the opening track, "I've Waited Ages," an absurdly fun song that earns its spot in the Wire catalog.

The track is built on a single bass note, backed by a wiggy drum loop, something I'm sure a clever DJ could turn into an amazing sample. Beyond that, ok, it gets kinda weird--some scratchy, jagged guitars, oddball lyrics, and all manner of sonic strangeness, culminating in  a crescendo of silly voices that sounds like a party full of the Star Wars Ewoks (or perhaps a post-punk sequel to the Pink Floyd oddity "Several Species of Small Furry Animals..."). Maybe it's just a fuck-around-in-the-studio lark, but damn, that drum & bass sound is incredible.