The Golden Wire

The Golden Wire is the third solo album by the English musician Andy Summers, released in 1989. Summers promoted the album with a North American tour. "A Piece of Time" was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" category.

Production
The album was produced by Summers and David Hentschel. Summers remained more interested in jazz and instrumental music than in rock music. Paul McCandless played saxophone or oboe on some of the tracks. Jimmy Haslip played bass. Najma Akhtar sang on "Piya Tose", the only track on the album with vocals.

Critical reception
The New York Times wrote that "the music embraces an array of styles from jazz-rock in the mystical mode of the Mahavishnu Orchestra to pastoral reveries that have a floating new-age ambiance." The Orlando Sentinel stated that the album "delves deeper into New Age and world-music sounds." Trouser Press praised the "much-needed rhythmic muscle and textural variety." The Philadelphia Inquirer considered it Summers's "most thematic and tuneful guitar record."

The Edmonton Journal called the album "a high density blend of dreamy effects and rhythmic forces that draw comparison with the two records Summers recorded with Robert Fripp in the early 80's." The Chicago Tribune stated that the Summers "drifts from brief encounters with the echo unit that gave the Police their trademark sound to samplings of rhythms from around the globe." The Times deemed The Golden Wire "all pleasantly aimless and rather academic."

AllMusic wrote that "the textures here have more in common with his work as guitarist for the Police, though his playing is better highlighted in this solo context."