A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Something completely different, 2007-04-13
Fans of the early punkish Wire don't necessarily like this recording, some accuse it of being too "poppy" or other such infractions. br / br /It is easily far and away my favorite Wire recording, having the wonderful combination of being musically accessible yet completely original while having lyrics that make no pretense of being more than they are. br / br /I love this and have been listening to it on and off since it was released in the 80s. It holds up. I wish they had done a few more records in this vein.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Catchy....with a twist, 2007-01-22
This disc is both accessible and catchy, well, at least for Wire. If you're used to average radio pop this will still be strange to you. But if you're looking for a good introduction to Wire, this is a great first buy. It shows their quirky side off nicely, but in the context of really fun, catchy songs. I like this band a lot, even though they do admittedly hit some doldrums now and then. This disc, however, is strong throughout and is a great introduction to the strange and wonderful world of Wire.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Deceptive light-pop, 2005-04-24
At first notice, Bell Is A Cup is quickly Wire's most light, pop-oriented record. Many would agree that this is the case when talking about such songs like "Kidney Bingos" and "Queen Of Ur...". Most of the songs here are extremely catchy and don't seem to have the nihilistic or melodramatic vibe that their other alubms have. Yet, their lyrics are still pretty schizophrenic "Money spines, paper lung" "Lies fly in-formation". br / br /Funny how the music in Bell is so catchy and even your basic pop addict could get hooked to this cd. Yet the lyrics will change all that, most likely throwing them off just as quick. Despite that notion, Bell still remains Wire's most easy-listening record to date. br / br / br /

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

There's a need to be seen, 2004-10-17
This is classed as Wire's pop album and to some certain extent it is their pop album. But it's an undeniably weird pop album. The lyrics don't make much sense and if you listen closely there is some weird instrumentation. On one of the tracks it sounds like one of the guitars is spinning out of control. But essentially it is a pop album. Yes there are synths here but like on The Ideal Copy they don't predominate the album too much. Again it seems like the only logical step forward that they could do. And it's worth it to listen to and it is an album that can be enjoyed over and over again....but you might agree, you might not. Either way you should try the album

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

I shift the blame to the worm in the bottle, 2003-09-18
I bought this Wire album after hearing the song "Kidney Bingos". I bought it on the same day as "The Ideal Copy" this summer while on a trip to England. Songs that amazed me the most were "Silk Skin Paws", "The Finest Drops", and "Kidney Bingos". I also like the "The Queen Of Ur And The King Of Um" and "Pieta". This is a very wise purchase for me and I'm definately checking out all the other albums. I still don't have "Chairs Missing" "154" or the new one "Send".