The Ideal Copy by Wire

The Ideal Copy, Wire's fourth studio album, came out on Mute in April 1987, their first full-length since the London art-punks shut down in 1980 and regrouped in 1985 (the Snakedrill EP had tested the waters the year before). The lineup: Colin Newman and Graham Lewis on vocals, guitar and bass, Bruce Gilbert on guitar and Robert Gotobed on drums, with Gareth Jones producing.

Anyone expecting the scrappy sprint of the early days got something colder and stranger. The guitars are smeared with effects, synthesizers hum underneath, and the songs bend their structures out of shape the way Wire always liked to, now with a sleek electronic sheen. "Ahead" is the hook that snagged listeners. It was a modest seller, peaking at 87 in the UK albums chart, but it proved the band had no interest in repeating themselves.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.