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Formats and Editions
1. Introduction
2. Another the Letter
3. 15th, The
4. Practice Makes Perfect
5. Two People in a Room
6. I Feel Mysterious Today
7. Being Sucked in Again
8. Once Is Enough
9. Blessed State
10. Question of Degree, A
11. Single Ko
12. Mercy
13. 40 Versions
14. Former Airline
15. Touching Display, A
16. French Film Blurred
17. Men 2nd
18. Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W
19. Heartbeat
20. Pink Flag
Reviews:
This is vintage Wire. Filmed by several cameras in brilliant Technicolor and incredible audio, at the peak of their late '70s powers, the band performs a set that's split evenly between material pegged for the then-upcoming watershed 154 and selections from then-current Chairs Missing. The thrill of an entire 19-song Wire concert is only slightly dulled by the truly tepid little crowd at the St. Valentine's Day 1979 taping, for West German WDR TV show Rockpalast in studio L-the Germans look totally bored, like pensioners waiting for bingo. But the band is tenacious. Singer Colin Newman looks almost demonic behind his smart striped tie and white collared shirt, eyes glaring and flat nose flaring, his visage deathly serious in a way he isn't these days. And drummer Robert Gotobed and lead guitarist B.C. Gilbert had full heads of hair. As on the previous Behind the Curtain and Peel Sessions archive collections, On the Box: 1979 presents a full-on comparison of the 154 material played in a terse, spare form, before the band and producer Mike Thorne gave it such a radical studio makeover. It's a revelation to hear this great material in a scratchier, less refined context-especially on "Single KO," "40 Versions" (with full drums) and two sung by all-business bassist Graham Lewis, "Blessed State" and concert showstopper, "A Touching Display." "Two People in a Room" is particularly caffeinated.
