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WIRE share unheard demo of “”The 15th””
WIRE will reissue their hugely influential first three albums, ‘Pink Flag’ (1977), ‘Chairs Missing’ (1978) and ‘154’ (1979) as special edition CD books on May 18 and standard edition CDs and LPs on July 6th.
The Special Editions will be launched with a question & answer/signing session at Rough Trade East, London this Saturday 19th May at 6:30pm.
Today the band have shared a second previously unreleased demo from these treasure-trove special editions; an unreleased version of the track “The 15th” from ‘154’.
‘Pink Flag’ (1977), ‘Chairs Missing’ (1978) and ‘154’ (1979) need no introduction. They are the three classic albums on which Wire’s reputation is based. Moreover, they are the recordings that minted the post-punk form. This was adopted by other bands, but Wire were there first and are cited as a major influence by acts including Henry Rollins & Black Flag, R.E.M., Hüsker Dü, Minutemen, Minor Threat and many more.
These albums have been out of production for some time but will be made available again this Spring via the band’s own pinkflag record label. The release formats will be as special edition CD books with a mountain of exclusive unreleased material and rarities on May 18th. The Special Editions will be launched with a question & answer/signing session at Rough Trade East in London on Saturday, May 19th (info here). They will be followed by standard edition LP and CD formats on July 6th. Additional details on each release are listed below.
‘Pink Flag’ / ‘Chairs Missing’ / ‘154’ special edition CD books
Release date: 18 May 2018 on Pink Flag
These are the definitive re-releases. Each album is presented as an 80-page hardback book – the size of a 7-inch, but obviously much thicker. After a special introduction by Jon Savage, Graham Duff provides insight into each track. These texts include recording details, brand-new interviews with band members, and lyrics.
The original album is presented on its own CD, accompanied by discs that feature relevant extra tracks: singles; B-sides; demos; and many previously unreleased songs. Pink Flag is a two-CD set; Chairs Missing and 154 have three CDs each. All audio has been painstakingly remastered (or, in some cases, mastered for the first time).
This stunning set of presentations also includes a range of images from the archive of Annette Green. Wire’s official photographer during this period, Green also shot the covers for Pink Flag and Chairs Missing. Promotional and informal imagery – in colour and black and white – is featured throughout the books. Most of the photographs have not been seen for 40 years – and many have never been published any- where before.
These special editions are something every Wire fan will want to own.
Track listings for the special edition releases can be found at http://pinkflag.com/specialeditions/.
Please note: although the three original albums remain available through digital stores and streaming services, the extra tracks from the special editions will not be released digitally.
‘Pink Flag’ / ‘Chairs Missing’ / ‘154’ standard edition 12” vinyl & CD
Release date: June 22nd 2018 on Pink Flag
It has been a number of years since these albums were readily available. The aim with these new vinyl and CD releases is to approximate the original statements as closely as possible, but with remastered audio.
The vinyl releases have the same covers and inners as the originals (minus the Harvest logo). The digi-pack CDs have identical tracklistings to their vinyl counterparts. These versions should be considered Wire’s classic 1970s albums, pure and undiluted.