Wire - Document & Eyewitness [Electric Ballroom L.P. / Notre Dame Hall L.P.]

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 and 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 centre piece 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 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. LP - Double vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with visual documentation of the Electric Ballroom gig.CD - Double CD with extra tracks (some not heard for nearly 35 years!) and sleeve notes by Wilson Neate.