Wire
Document And Eye Witness
Pink Flag re-issue the legendary 4th Wire album. Released originally on Rough Trade in 1980, the album was primarily recorded live at a 1979 show. Long unavailable on any format the re-issue features additional unreleased material on a double CD & double vinyl. For those unfamiliar with Document and Eyewitness, it really doesn't do it justice to describe it simply as a collection of live recordings from three turn-of-the-80s Wire gigs. What makes it more than that is the unorthodox nature of the main performance and the way it was presented on record. The centrepiece of the original vinyl release was a recording of the final gig of Wire's 70s phase. Wire's set was composed of largely new (and often under-rehearsed) work, accompanied by a series of artistic actions and interventions. The evening was memorable for the unusually hostile reaction from sections of the audience, which has perhaps elevated it beyond a simple passing moment. If the crowd was expecting a standard gig, the level of outrage, expressed in vociferous abuse suggested that the band's intentions were lost on those in attendance, who were instead confounded by the apparent artistic pretensions on display. The approach was to couple selected live tracks with a spoken commentary on the proceedings by long-term Wire fans Adrian Garston and Russell Mills. Hence the title, Document and Eyewitness. For the album, the Electric Ballroom material was supplemented with recordings from a July 1979 show at the Notre Dame Hall (a straightforward band performance), along with one track from a 1979 gig in Montreux. PF21 CD: Packaged in a square Amaray case with a booklet. Disc 1 has the original album in full. Disc 2 adds two singles (+ B-sides) from the period, plus some rehearsal room recordings unheard for nearly 35 years! Disc 2 tracks 01-02 from "Our Swimmer" (1981) single, tracks 03-04 from an unreleased 1981 single, track 05 is a personal recording from Jan. 1979 in Cadaqués, Spain. Tracks 06-14: Wire rehearsal recordings from 1979 and 1980.
Tracklist
Disc: 1
1. 5/10
2. 12XU (Fragment)
3. Underwater Experiences
4. Everything's Going to Be Nice
5. Piano Tuner (Keep Strumming Those Guitars)
6. We Meet Under Tables
7. ZEGK HOQP
8. Eastern Standard
9. Instrumental (Thrown Bottle)
10. Eels Sang Lino
11. Revealing Trade Secrets
12. And Then... Coda
13. Go Ahead
14. Ally in Exile
15. Relationship
16. Underwater Experiences
17. Witness to the Fact
18. 2 People in a Room
19. Our Swimmer
20. HeartbeatDisc: 2
1. Our Swimmer
2. Midnight Bahnhof Cafe
3. Second Length (Our Swimmer)
4. Catapult 30
5. Ally in Exile
6. Go Ahead
7. Remove for Improvement
8. Over My Head
9. Safe
10. Relationship
11. Underwater Experiences
12. Eels Sang Lino
13. Cancel Your Order
14. Part of Our History (emerges)
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