The early 80s, when Wire split up for the very first time, must have probably been Bruce Gilbert’s most creative time. At Wire, Gilbert was always considered the oddball – already aged 30 when they were founded, his demeanor bore much more resemblance to that of an academic than a Punk-rocker. Deep down inside, he was hiding a sound-artist that was finally looking for a way out. This way, at the beginning of the decade, he published all kinds of material, Lo-fi-stuff, sound-shreds, unneeded or collaged bits, sound-science and just noise, really. With his Wire-partner Graham Lewis, he juggled various projects (Dome, Cupol, Duet Emmo) and releases en masse. That was the same crazy time in which he did his two albums for Daniel Miller’s Mute Records, This Way (1984) and The Shivering Man (1986), both exceptional works in Gilbert’s producing. Now, This Way To The Shivering Man is a consolidation of the best bits from both Gilbert-records, combined on one double-LP. In particular, The Shivering Man shows the magnificence of his works in its full beauty. While Angel Food initially picks up the threads that were laid to abstract figures by This Way, the confusion becomes more and more untangled from one piece to the other, until Epitaph for Henran Brenlar can actually be classified as a valid Pop-song. On the way there, Bruce Gilbert accompanies sound-art and noise by rhythm, industrial sounds, post-punk-guitars and finally melodies and lyrics. This way, the combination of experiment, arrangement, rhythm and pop-appeal becomes a true musical certificate of that time.
The Flatmates
I Could Be In Heaven
Optic Nerve