First three Wire albums to be remastered

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"Classic Wire albums to be reissued
Three classic albums set to be remastered

Wire are set to release remastered versions of three of their classic albums including 'Pink Flag'.

'Chairs Missing', '154' and 'Pink Flag' will be reissued on March 6.

'Pink Flag' was originally released in December 1977 and influenced a range of bands including Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party."

wireless, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:30 (twenty years ago)

I speak as a wire fan when I say

don't care.


Are they adding lots (key word, lots) of unreleased / extra tracks?

If so, I may care.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

my tape of chairs missing just broke, so....im game

bb (bbrz), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:37 (twenty years ago)

I speak as a Wire fan when I say...

I do care.


Depends if there are any extras on the discs, etc.

ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:39 (twenty years ago)

We are of a mind, clearly.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:40 (twenty years ago)

got em today weirdly.

no extras on the skinny promo versions

.. but they do have a big fat sound.

never heard the albums previously so cant compare to the orig cd versions - sorry.

mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:42 (twenty years ago)

i think the UK EMI versions were already remastered - is that right? they def have some bonus material, but just a couple of tracks per.

don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:44 (twenty years ago)

whos puttin 'em out?...i should ask for promos...i've often started a wee piece about those records..with re-issues i have a reason.

bb (bbrz), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:48 (twenty years ago)

I remember the old CDs sounding a bit thin actually.

Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:48 (twenty years ago)

cd remasters are just another way for the music industry to get people to re-buy shit until the next "superior" format comes out, which will be a pair of digital ears that will listen to music for you so you don't have to (wax sold separately).

HAKKEBOFFER (eman), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:56 (twenty years ago)

zing!

don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:59 (twenty years ago)

"Remaster" = "Compress and maximise the shit out of everything until it's all pinned to the rail"

tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:00 (twenty years ago)

i believe no extras on these - whereas on the orig EMI versions there are indeed extra tracks
these are coming out via the relaunched Harvest/EMI methinks.

xpost : the band have been involved with the remastering process accoring to the PR ..

mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Ah, I may be more amicable to the process then if the band are involved.

I'm just feeling cranky today.

tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

There are no extra tracks on the CD's this time around at Colin Newman's request, he wanted to re-release the albums in their 'purest' format so no single tracks or extra material.
Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering did the reissue job again at the bands request, which is pretty smart as DB has, arguably, a more sympathetic ear than the Abbey Rd engineers that EMI would have used by default.

Seek the older Japanese import CD's for all the extra tracks you would be missing or cheaper still get 'Behind The Curtain' and 'Turns & Strokes' which covers most of them.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:12 (twenty years ago)

Well, in a way, I agree with removing stuff like "Options R" which sticks out like a sore one on the end of "Chairs"

But it would be better to add them on an extra CD, even if seperate from the reissues.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

This was destined to happen since I picked up two of these three less than a month ago.

mike h. (mike h.), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

I agree Mark, the 4 track solo ep at the end of 154 gets on my wick at times.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:17 (twenty years ago)

"behind the curtain" is outta print, right? i really need that.

hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:17 (twenty years ago)

xpost Me too. Now that should be a nice 3" cd inside the packet.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:18 (twenty years ago)

xpost, I guess, you could send mails to PostEverything and hassle Colin about it.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:19 (twenty years ago)

"Options R" was on Pink Flag, not Chairs Missing, and IMHO it worked quite well there along with "Dot Dash". Fuck this no bonus track shit. I'm so glad I have these already.

sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:20 (twenty years ago)

The bonus tracks swapped Cds a number of times, but you are probably right.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:21 (twenty years ago)

How will these stack up to the Can remasters?

Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:24 (twenty years ago)

Man, while were talking Wire, has anyone heard the remix they did (as WIR) of Erasure's Finger's & Thumbs years ago? Sort of a live in the studio reworking with the most beautiful glacial guitars, totally brilliant, I should do a YSI when I get home, it's about 8 mins long.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:24 (twenty years ago)

Yes you should do that. We would thank you. We would also thank you about a Certain Cure Project. Not that we're impatient. *tears down walls, screams in agony*

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

Be prepared to live the dream Ned!

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:28 (twenty years ago)

hstencil, check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/kbd-punk-wire-after-midnight-live-demos_W0QQitemZ4812086150QQcategoryZ2262QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(This has expired, but it has more details than the 'current' ones.)

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:39 (twenty years ago)

i like my restless/retro editions fine

kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:44 (twenty years ago)

has anyone heard the remix they did (as WIR) of Erasure's Finger's & Thumbs years ago? Sort of a live in the studio reworking with the most beautiful glacial guitars, totally brilliant, I should do a YSI when I get home, it's about 8 mins long.

YES, PLEASE DO THIS. i have heard of it and would be overjoyed to experience it.

grimly fiendish (grimlord), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:48 (twenty years ago)

Be prepared to live the dream Ned!

:-D

As for the subject at hand, like Kyle I have a couple of Restless editions for Pink Flag and 154 but I've never actually owned a full copy of Chairs Missing.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

"dot dash" is my jam.
it'll be a shame if it goes out of print.

bobby.lasers (bobby.lasers), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

I suppose we're all waiting for mzui to get home...

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:56 (twenty years ago)

yep.

i think i have all the behind the curtains tracks on an old zip disc. ill see if i can free them from that stupid format...i recall the quality being utter crap though (which would explain why theyre on a zip disc somewhere).

bb (bbrz), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:14 (twenty years ago)

I have that Erasure remix as well, and it's pretty great.

Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:14 (twenty years ago)

Not to mention the GREAT ep Wir did called "Vien," that's very similiar to the Erasure remix if I recall correctly.

Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:16 (twenty years ago)

I bought all three EMI re-issues sometime last year w/ bonus tracks, and they sound juuuust fineSTOP TAKING MY MONEY, RECORD INDUSTRY THIS IS WHY I DONT FEEL BAD DOWNLOADIN'

poortheatre (poortheatre), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:36 (twenty years ago)

Is that post-EMI/post-154/pre-reunion single that Wire recorded for Rough Trade (around 1980/1 maybe?) available on CD anywhere?

James, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:41 (twenty years ago)

Would that be Our Swimmer/Midnight Banof Cafe? That's on Document & Eyewitness.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:46 (twenty years ago)

That's the one. Is D&E any good? I know it's a live album, but I've never heard it.

James, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:53 (twenty years ago)

I for one welcome our new remastering overlords.

Redd Harvest (Ken L), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:56 (twenty years ago)

xpost D&E is a difficult album, mostly improvised or featuring works in progress. It's also not helped by the fact that the original recording is distorted on one channel, the story of the gig is kinda interesting but none of the crowd/band tension translates to the CD, pity.
The extra tracks on the CD, taken from a live gig supporting Roxy Music are much better and of course it has the Our Swimmer tunes.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Here it is:

Erasure/WIR - Fingers In Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day) - Renamed 'Fingers In Crumbs'

9'30" MP3 190k

http://s63.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2E43DFDT1PWG13OUU6S19FREH4

Really interested to hear what you think of this track.

mzui (mzui), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Our Swimmer/Midnight Banhof Cafe is totally one of my fave singles ever. Untill I found the 7" I only had Our Swimmer on Cross Currents, a european Line compilation of Rough Trade stuff. I wanted to license Our Swimmer for a CD I'm working on, sent an email to Wire's manager, Paul Smith (of doublevision/blast first) but got no response. Anyone know another way to get in touch?

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:25 (twenty years ago)

i enjoyed document and eyewitness, but lord knows if ill get it back to the grad studenti lent it to.

bb (bbrz), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:32 (twenty years ago)

Behind The Curtain, Document & Eyewitness, and Turns And Strokes are must-haves for people who want early Wire oddities, in order of importance, first being most important.

On Returning (1977-1979) is good to have as well, if you want the piano version of "Outdoor Miner" and the And Here It Is... Again live version of "12XU"... thankfully, that's an easy used find these days.

Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, On Returning also has "Dot Dash"!

Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

The Peel Sessions is also important too.. I'd put that after Behind The Curtain in the former list. "Culture Vultures" appears nowhere else (in studio format anyway) and is a great Pink Flag era song.

Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:35 (twenty years ago)

This seems pointless. I have the current EMI issues, and the sound fine. Several recent EMI remasters I've bought (VdGG, Groundhogs) have DRM added to the data on the disc, which means that they won't play in my CD player. have to (get this) rip them to my computer using EAC if I want to listen to the music on the CDs I bought. A cynic might think about the possibility that adding DRM might be a motivating factor in yet another round of reissues. Fuck that, I won't be buying, there's 0 wrong with what I've got.

Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:43 (twenty years ago)

I don't remember liking Doc & Eye much when I owned it years ago, but because I wasn't really as much of a Wire fan then, I've often wondered if I should try it again. The Our Swimmer/M.B.C. tracks are ace for sure.

I don't really feel the need to have these reissues, but to each his (or her) own.

Tomato Voyeur (Bimble...), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:45 (twenty years ago)

Rhymes with pinkflag

imago, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:39 (eight years ago)

and yes, I did :-/

StanM, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:40 (eight years ago)

'40 Versions' indeed!

imago, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:42 (eight years ago)

that looks... very similar to the Japanese version of Pink Flag I have with 17 bonus tracks, I'll have to take a closer look later.

sleeve, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:43 (eight years ago)

Seems like they could've put some of the Behind the Curtain songs that didn't make it to the albums, instead of only including demos of songs that are on the album. or the Live at the Roxy version of 12XU they put on On Returning.

Colonel Poo, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:47 (eight years ago)

All of "Behind The Curtain" except the first six live tracks are spread out on these special editions.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 19 March 2018 17:58 (eight years ago)

ah I only looked at Pink Flag, which would've been the place to put the live tracks. Not that they are very good, apart from Just Don't Care which I quite like.

Colonel Poo, Monday, 19 March 2018 18:02 (eight years ago)

maybe they've earned the payday idk

― imago, Monday, March 19, 2018 12:34 PM (forty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah ya fucking think so? p much everyone who has ever downloaded or streamed music can miss me with the concern trolling about "selling out" don't buy it if you don't want it

The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 19 March 2018 18:19 (eight years ago)

Pretty clear you're paying for the liner notes and cool packaging, which is cool with me.

Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 March 2018 18:20 (eight years ago)

They've been skint for most of their career, it took Elastica ripping them off before they started making any money - which is what prompted Colin Newman to start revising the writing credits.

ah I only looked at Pink Flag, which would've been the place to put the live tracks. Not that they are very good, apart from Just Don't Care which I quite like.

Too True is classic, so hilarious.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 19 March 2018 18:27 (eight years ago)

I'm sort of glad that 7" box is only getting released in the UK so I don't have to worry abt tempting myself to buy it.

chr1sb3singer, Monday, 19 March 2018 18:47 (eight years ago)

I thought their first big payday was when REM covered "Strange"?

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 19 March 2018 18:48 (eight years ago)

The Elastica track was used in a TV commercial, I'm assuming that must have made them more money because that's when Colin Newman got annoyed about having to share royalties with the rest of the band. Having said that "Strange" had lyrics by Bruce Gilbert and "Three Girl Rhumba" was all Newman.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 19 March 2018 18:51 (eight years ago)

In fact, I think Bruce Gilbert wrote the music for "Strange" too, so Colin was no doubt less concerned about distribution of royalties back then.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Monday, 19 March 2018 18:55 (eight years ago)

And seeing as I finally shelled out for the pf box set about three months ago... AAAARGGGHHH!

Mark G, Monday, 19 March 2018 18:56 (eight years ago)

Just twigged that Chairs Missing and 154 are three cd sets

Mark G, Monday, 19 March 2018 21:01 (eight years ago)

I wonder if they will do a tour featuring songs from these records. There was an interview with them on WFMU when they were in Brooklyn last year and Colin intimated that something special will be happening in June. He could have just been referring to these re-issues though.

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 20 March 2018 11:10 (eight years ago)

The last sentence in the email I got this morning was all "wire are having a very quiet 2018, if you can count re-issueing all their seventies albums being quiet"

So, no.

Mark G, Tuesday, 20 March 2018 11:15 (eight years ago)

Thx for the clarification. Bummed but not surprised.

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 20 March 2018 11:28 (eight years ago)

"rare"

Colonel Poo, Thursday, 22 March 2018 15:30 (eight years ago)

God, yes, who hasn't heard that before?

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Thursday, 22 March 2018 15:55 (eight years ago)

Its new to Rolling Stone

chr1sb3singer, Thursday, 22 March 2018 16:33 (eight years ago)

haha

sleeve, Thursday, 22 March 2018 16:34 (eight years ago)

it's just the one with the piano solo in it, huh

erry red flag (f. hazel), Thursday, 22 March 2018 17:16 (eight years ago)

ok ok, it's only medium rare I guess

StanM, Thursday, 22 March 2018 18:15 (eight years ago)

Well done.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Thursday, 22 March 2018 18:16 (eight years ago)

But also Well Done.

dan selzer, Thursday, 22 March 2018 18:26 (eight years ago)

Capitalization, that's where I went wrong.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Thursday, 22 March 2018 18:28 (eight years ago)

Any further exposure for the lads is ok in my book.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 22 March 2018 20:18 (eight years ago)

my kid loves wire.

scott seward, Thursday, 22 March 2018 20:23 (eight years ago)

out today: Bruce Gilbert's new album Ex Nihilo : http://editionsmego.com/release/EMEGO-250

StanM, Friday, 23 March 2018 07:29 (eight years ago)

And the hits just keep coming from Bruce :)

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Friday, 23 March 2018 08:34 (eight years ago)

Great album, that.

Ned Raggett, Friday, 23 March 2018 12:43 (eight years ago)

Hmmm, just went back to the Pink Flag site to get a few more details and it appears that is no longer any mention of these being re-issued in vinyl format http://pinkflag.com/specialeditions/ or maybe I'm just not looking in the right place?

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 17:43 (eight years ago)

the three links I posted still seem to have vinyl options?

StanM, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 18:14 (eight years ago)

Are the CD sets only available through Pink Flag? Haven’t seen them listed elsewhere.

by the light of the burning Citroën, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 18:16 (eight years ago)

Just found them on Amazon US for $35 a pop, ouch. I preordered them for £19.75 on Amazon.co.uk, though the price has gone up since then. Hope something cheaper comes along, as I’d like to own all of these.

spastic heritage, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:00 (eight years ago)

Spin has the set for sixty-one quid

Mark G, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:59 (eight years ago)

Tom, where’s more info (thread?) about the alleged Colin claims? Gilbert is my fave member, singer, etc but I think the understanding for Pink Flag is Colin wrote most of the music and Graham most of the lyrics. some of Colin’s PF music is rehashed pop history, e.g. Strange is Sister Ray, Feeling Called Love is Wild Thing, etc. sonically, Bruce is all over this - it’s his guitar sound (as important as the tunes) but Colin is the McCartney to Graham’s Geezer Butler (awkward parallel/fit I know, bit strangely apt).

Paul, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 22:58 (eight years ago)

He changed credits for various songs last time the albums were released - I don't mean on "Pink Flag", because he did write those tunes, for the most part, but on the next two albums. I've got the Wilson Neate book, "Read & Burn" in front of me and, flipping it open, I note that Newman claims "Red Barked Tree" was the first time Graham Lewis had contributed two songs to a Wire album and, quote, have them both be pretty good - though he doesn't really consider them authentically Wire songs, in comparison to his own songs. That's what the rest of Wire are/were up against.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 23:20 (eight years ago)

So Graham didn't really "write" the songs he sings on 154? They generally sound so different from Colin's songs that I always thought that was the case. I read Read & Burn but I can't remember.

dan selzer, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 00:48 (eight years ago)

My CD reissues from the '90s have songwriting credits.

morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 00:51 (eight years ago)

I had those CD reissues for Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 from the 90s once upon a time. Seeing the price tag for these new reissues makes me realize I am indeed a very stupid man for thinking that —and I believe this was something I actually said out loud just before trading them in— the albums were "good, but overrated."

Why in the world would I get rid of music that I thought was genuinely good?

Well, I'm an idiot.
https://youtu.be/sEJafYSTyU4?t=5s

he doesn't need to be racist about it though. (Austin), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 03:18 (eight years ago)

^thought that was gonna be a link to "I Should Have Known Better"

JRN, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 03:50 (eight years ago)

So Graham didn't really "write" the songs he sings on 154? They generally sound so different from Colin's songs that I always thought that was the case. I read Read & Burn but I can't remember.

He did write them. But Colin didn't like "Single KO" and "A Touching Display" - he didn't bother playing on the latter, such were his feelings for it. He said he rescued "I Should Have Known Better" by rearranging it - so he liked that one. If you're an admirer of Colin Newman, don't read this book.

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 09:05 (eight years ago)

My CD reissues from the '90s have songwriting credits.

Chairs Missing and 154 have always had credits but they were changed sometime in the mid 2000s - adding Newman and subtracting Gilbert here and there, I think?

Buff Jeckley (Tom D.), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 09:08 (eight years ago)

three weeks pass...

'Ey up folks it's a bit of a reunion...

Wire and the group of individuals who worked on creating the Speci al Editions have teamed up with Rough Trade East to create a launch event. This will take place at the Brick Lane store in London on 19 May 2018 (the day after the Special Editions are released).

Billed as ‘on stage in conversation’, the event will feature Graham Duff (writer), Jon Savage (writer), Jon Wozencroft (designer), Graham Lewis, Robert Grey and Colin Newman (of Wire), and Bruce Gilbert (formerly of Wire). Doors are at 5:30, and the event starts at 6:30.

What you need to know…

A. This is a chat – not a gig!

B. We have pushed Rough Trade to make this an open event. They previously wanted to issue tickets only to those who had pre-ordered from their store. Obviously, that would be deeply unfair to people who have pre-ordered from our own mail order. However, if you plan to attend and have not pre-ordered, there will be plenty to buy (at the same price as on our store).

C. If you don’t know Rough Trade East, it’s a big shop – but still a shop. Capacity is around 150 so our advice is to get there early!

D. You are welcome to bring your copies in for signing.

For more information, go HERE

Mark G, Monday, 30 April 2018 10:21 (eight years ago)

.. HERE being http://www.roughtrade.com/gb/events/rough-trade-east-wire

Mark G, Monday, 30 April 2018 10:23 (eight years ago)

three weeks pass...

So? Anyone go?

StanM, Tuesday, 22 May 2018 17:47 (seven years ago)


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