Pink Flag is one of the classic albums. Wire expanded the boundaries of rock music. REM, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, The Cure and Blur have cited Wire as a major influence. The art school foursome has the talent to change and evolve. Of course they’ve also played at ZXZW. Lucky us.

In the brilliant 33 1/3 series which covers classic albums there’s a new one on Pink Flag. The book is written by Wilson Neate. It  features in-depth analysis and history of the album’s origins and creation, with input from pretty much all the band members. There’s also a smattering of very rare images, a foreword by Robin Rimbaud, and reflections from luminaries including Graham Coxon, Steve Albini, Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, and Robert Pollard.