Wire 1970s re-releases (April–June 2018) 

Wire's 1970s catalogue is being re-released on pinkflag in a comprehensive set of formats. This will enable a new generation to experience Wire’s three hugely acclaimed 1970s albums, and previously unavailable gems will get to see the light of day.

The release programme encompasses all three of Wire’s classic 1970s albums – Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 – every single and B-side, and a treasure trove of demos and unreleased tracks.

The order of release will be:

Nine Sevens (recorded 1977-1980)
Release date: 21 April, 2018 – Record Store Day exclusive

Pink Flag / Chairs Missing / 154 special editions
Release date: 18 May, 2018 

Pink Flag / Chairs Missing/ 154 vinyl and standard CD editions
Release date: June 22, 2018

For more information, read on....

Nine Sevens

Housed in a sturdy box with a beautiful cover concept by Bruce Gilbert, Nine Sevens is a unique set of nine 7-inch records that were recorded between 1977 and 1980. This strictly limited edition is a Record Store Day exclusive.

The box-set includes the six ground-breaking Wire singles that were originally released on the Harvest label, one released on Rough Trade, and one single recorded in 1980 that was never released on 7-inch. The set adds the rare EP given away with the first pressings of 154. Everything is freshly remastered from the original archive analogue sources, and comes packaged in the original picture sleeve designs.

The singles (but not the 154 EP) will be individually released digitally at monthly intervals, starting wih Outdoor Miner on 20 March, but will not be compiled on a singles or implied 'greatest hits' album.

Due to Record Store Day rules, we may only offer this item for mail order one month after Record Store Day – and only if we have stock left. We will make a further announcement about this.

The full contents list for Nine Sevens is as follows:

Mannequin (Pfs1) – Mannequin / Feeling Called Love / 12XU 
I Am The Fly (Pfs2) – I Am The Fly / Ex Lion Tamer
Dot Dash (Pfs3) – Dot Dash / Options R
Outdoor Miner (Pfs4) – Outdoor Miner / Practice Makes Perfect
A Question Of Degree (Pfs5) – A Question Of Degree / Former Airline 
Map Ref. 41°N 93°W (Pfs6) – Map Ref. 41°N 93°W / Go Ahead
Our Swimmer (Pfs7) – Our Swimmer / Midnight Bahnhof Café
154 EP (Pfs8) – Song 1/ Get Down pts 1&2 / Let’s Panic Later / Small Electric Piece 
2nd Length (Pfs9) – 2nd Length (Our Swimmer) / Catapult 30

Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 special editions

Wire’s first three albums 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.

These seminal albums are now getting the definitive re-release treatment, in a format owners of the Silver/Lead and Change Becomes Us special editions will already be familiar with. 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 album. These texts include recording details, lyrics, and brand-new interviews with Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Grey and Bruce Gilbert.

The original album is presented on its own CD, and is accompanied by additional 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 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 anywhere before.

For full tracklistings, visit the Special Editions section of the pinkflag.com website.

These special editions are something every Wire fan will want to own. You can pre-order them in the pinkflag store. We have also located a small quantity of super-rare enamel Pink Flag badges – the first 50 orders we get for all all three special editions will automatically receive a badge for free!

The special editions will be launched with a question and answer/signing session at Rough Trade East, London on Saturday 19 May. More infomation to follow.

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. These Special Editions will be avaible from record stores however.

Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 – vinyl and standard CD editions

It has been 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, obviously). The digipack CDs have identical tracklistings to their vinyl counterparts. These versions should be considered Wire’s classic 1970s albums, pure and undiluted. Pre-order them in the pinkflag store.

Classic Wire album T-shirts

Any T-shirt that you have seen, or maybe even own, bearing full colour photographic reproductions of Wire's first three album covers will be a bootleg and of inferior quality, because the only process available for printing photos on to cloth (dye sublimation) is only possible on to man-made fibres. This means the shirt is flimsy and plasticky in quality. This is why we have refrained from making T-shirts like this up until now.

However, a new process holds hope we can print full-colour photographic images on to cotton T-shirts of any colour! (See above for a picture of a test shirt!) This process is very new so we can't give a precise time when these new style T-shirts will be available. We are definitely talking weeks not months though, and will let you all know as soon as we can.

We also recently put the few T-shirts left from the Silver/Lead tour last year up on the pinkflag store. They are very limited in number now, but a few white XLs remain, along with some of the 2015 shirt.

Wire in 2018 – and beyond

After a busy year in 2017, which took the band across Europe and North America in support of Silver/Lead, and more DRILL: FESTIVALS (LA/Leeds/Berlin) than we have done in any other year, 2018 is a quiet year for Wire – if you can call re-releasing our entire 1970s catalogue quiet!

However, keep an eye on pinkflag.com for possible one-off shows and short tours in less-visited places. Beyond that, we are aiming towards a new Wire album in early 2020, which we will begin recording later this year.