Wire founding member Colin Newman has always wavered on the cusp of rock star and semi- anonymous cult figure. Precious few punk pioneers share Newman's blessing and curse of dragging such a heavy legacy behind them. Yet Newman's solo material rarely references the work of his legendary former punk ensemble. And like any old codger worth his weight in safety pins, Newman always seems to be blithely courting failure with a penchant for wild experimentation and an uncompromising minimalist ethic. Shades of Colin Newman can be heard in possible disciples such as the Fall's Mark E. Smith and brit- pop queens Elastica. And both owe a considerable debt to Newman's oddball genius, whether they realize it or not.

On A-Z, Newman's debut solo record from 1980, he builds upon the warped rhythmic framework he began toying with prior to Wire's first breakup. Rather than raising the monolithic walls- of- distortion, the core of Newman's songcraft had become slightly de-centered, yet still occasionally adhered to basic pop structures. The outro dronescapes on "Image" conjure up the likeness of that mad scientist Dr. Eno twiddling about behind a vast network of synthesizers and mixing boards; it also could've been ambient/ trance before ambient/ trance was cool. Exemplary of Newman's minimalist slant are the percussive, repeating single- chord guitar figures on "I've Waited Ages." On "But No" and "Troiseme" we get more of the same tense, metallic guitar infrastructures with tinkling pianos and violins rising above the one- and two- chord repetitions.

Newman employed the able drumming of Wire veteran Robert Gotobed and utilized former Wire keyboardist Mike Thorne's synth- based sonic manipulations, tape loops, and elegant acoustic piano to great advantage. But it was Newman's own absurdist wit that really brought it all together; his lyrical excursions were as choppy and fragmented as his rhythmic structures. Take "Order for Order" for example, where Newman sings "Beware its worth/ It stops at nothing/ Madame, Messures/ Read it in book/ A combined attack... him got his tonsils sprayed." Few singer/ songwriters are capable of achieving this kind of unintelligible brilliance.

A-Z stands in considerable contrast to the lite- industrial dance- pop bent of Wire's second incarnation-- and most notably to their album It's Beginning To And Back Again. Rather, think of Wire sideswiping Gang of Four, causing an ensuing collision between Arthur Brown and Joy Division. Amidst that twisted wreckage you may rescue something resembling the 17 songs on A-Z. -Michael Sandlin