''Not To'' is the third studio album by

Colin Newman Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire (band), Wire. Early life Newman was born in Salisbury ...

, lead singer of

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band

Wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...

. It was released in 1982, through record labels

Beggars Banquet ''Beggars Banquet'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album pro ...

and

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

. Like Newman's first solo record '' A-Z'', much of the material on ''Not To'' was reworked from songs intended for Wire's never-completed fourth album, and the other members of Wire, particularly

Graham Lewis Graham Lewis (born Edward Graham Lewis, 22 February 1953) is an English musician. He is best known as a bassist, songwriter, and vocalist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, of which he has been a core member since founding in 1976. Biography ...

, are co-credited on several of the songs. Record label

reissued both ''Not To'' and Newman's second solo album, ''

Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish ''Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish'' is the second studio album by Colin Newman, lead singer of post-punk band Wire. It was released in 1981, through record labels Beggars Banquet and 4AD. The album is entirely instrumental, with each so ...

'', as a single disc in 1988.

Critical reception

The album received positive reviews.

Jim Derogatis James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of ''Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', '' Spin'', ''Guitar World'', ''Matter'' and '' Modern Drummer'' ...

and Wilson Neate, writing in ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'', called Newman's solo work "the most rewarding" of any Wire member's projects outside the main band. Discussing ''A-Z'' and ''Not To'', they wrote, "Both albums are inventive and full of hooks, and they continue the cinematic style of ''

Chairs Missing ''Chairs Missing'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Wire. It was released on 8September 1978 through Harvest Records. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart. The single "Outdoor Miner" was a minor hit, peaking ...

'' and ''

154 Year 154 ( CLIV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Lateranus (or, less frequently, year 907 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 154 for this ...

''. Richard Cook of the British music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' thought the album was a return to form after Newman's first two solo albums, ''A-Z'' and ''Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish'', calling it "icicle-cool pop" and a "reversion to melodic strength, trikingout a course for singsong appeal without apology," further declaring that ''Not To'', in comparison to what he called the "aimless greyness" of other Wire members' solo works, showed that Newman was "the principal creative force behind Wire."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

gave it 3 out of 5 stars but no written review.

Track listing

Personnel

* Robert Gotobed – drums, percussion * Colin Newman – vocals, guitars, piano, tabla, vibes, percussion * Simon Gillham – bass, vocals * Desmond Simmons – guitars, piano, recorder, vocals *

Bruce Gilbert Bruce Clifford Gilbert (born 18 May 1946) is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art punk band Wire,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 180-182 he branched ...

– "guest greatest hits guitar" on "Indians!" * Colin Newman – producer * Steve Parker – engineering

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Not To 1982 albums Post-punk albums by English artists Colin Newman albums Beggars Banquet Records albums