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Document And Eyewitness




  Type Live Album
  Artist Wire
  Cover Wire-DocumentAndEyeWitnessjpg
  Released July 1981
  Recorded Electric Ballroom, February 1980, Notre Dame Hall, July 1979
  Genre Punk Rock , Art Punk
  Length 78:00"
  Label Rough Trade / Mute
  Producer Wire
  Last Album '' 154 '' <br/>(1979)
  This Album '''''Document & Eyewitness'''''<br/>(1981)
  Next Album '' The Ideal Copy ''<br/>(1987)


''Document and Eyewitness'' marked the end of the first period of Wire's activity and the end of their association with EMI . The Notre Dame Hall show records Wire after the tour to support 154 , tired of playing the same old songs and continually moving forward. Of the seven songs, three were never recorded by Wire and the rest were captured as B-sides and other ephemeral recordings.

The Electric Ballroom show documents a band revelling in their (artistic) freedom, creating a surreal and challenging show that not only included almost all new material, but also a Dada ist cabaret including a moving 6'x12' sheet behind which the band performed, assorted headdresses and props, and an MC, Mick Collins, who tried to keep control of proceedings. The show was performed before a restive punk crowd who were little appeased by a 15 second version of '' 12XU '' and which overreacted with a thrown bottle during the unnamed instrumental.

The recording was made on an eight track tape recorder that was set up incorrectly, resulting in a distorted two track mix.

The live version of 'Heartbeat' was recorded in Montreux in March 1979 when Wire supported Roxy Music , and it is likely that the final two tracks may have been intended for single release had communications with EMI remained functional.


TRACK LISTING


(1-7 were recorded at Notre Dame Hall, London, 8 at Montreux, 9-20 at the Electric Ballroom, London, 21-22 at Magritte Studio)

#'Go Ahead'
#'Ally in Exile'
#'Relationship'
#'Underwater Experiences'
#'Witness to the Fact'
#'2 People in a Room'
#'Our Swimmer'
#'Heartbeat'
#'5/10' ''M.C.'s request spot''
#'12XU (FRAGMENT)'
#'Underwater Experiences'
#'Everythings Going To Be Nice' ''Woman enters pulling 2 tethered men and an inflatable jet''
#'Piano Tuner (Keep Strumming Those Guitars)' ''Vocalist attacks gas stove''
#'We Meet Under Tables' ''Vocalist wears black knee length veil''
#'Zegk Hoqp' ''12 percussionists with newspaper head dresses''
#'Eastern Standard' ''M.C. attempts geographical explanation'
#'Instrumental' ''(thrown bottle)''
#'Eels Sang Lino' ''Vocalist accompanied and lit by illuminated goose''
#'Revealing Trade Secrets'
#'And Then...' ''Vocalist eats 2 loaves and then blank scrolls are unrolled''
#'Our Swimmer'
#'Midnight Bahnhof Cafe'