Wire have shared a previously unheard demo of ‘French Film Blurred’ which will feature on their upcoming reissue of 1978 album Chairs Missing.
The demo, coming in at just over a minute, gives us an insight into an early version of the track which later found its way onto the group’s 1978 album at double the length of the demo take.
Colin Newman explains further: "There were 26 demo recordings made towards Chairs Missing – an album with 15 tracks. Some like ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ and ‘I Am The Fly’ are obviously recognisable, if a little raw, early versions of their album counterparts. Some, like ‘Culture Vultures’ and ‘It’s The Motive’ were passed over for what we considered stronger or more innovative material. And some like ‘French Film Blurred’ existed in one version, recorded with a set of demos in December 1977 and then got re-written by April 1978 when the next set of demos was recorded. I liked the text so I gave it a new, more thoughtful, slightly off kilter, tune.
"There was a palpable sense of progress. It was as if the new material, as it increased in volume and ambition, was literally pushing anything that sounded backwards looking (and by April 1978 that meant anything that sounded like it belonged on Pink Flag) out the door. Thus the story of version one of ‘French Film Blurred’ carries a strong element of the story of Wire. Progress is all. There’s nothing wrong with the tune. It’s a perfectly acceptable piece of music that does sound like a development from the material on Pink Flag and is in its own way quite charming but is then utterly eclipsed, in terms of style and sophistication, by the version that eventually turned up on Chairs Missing."
Special edition CD reissues of three Wire albums – Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 – are set to be reissued on May 18, with each album presented an 80-page hardback book featuring recording details, brand new interviews with band members and lyrics. The original album will be presented on its own CD, accompanied by discs that feature singles, B-sides, demos and many previously unreleased songs. All the tracks featured on the reissues have also been remastered and the releases will come accompanied by photographs from the albums’ respective eras. More details can be found here.
Standard edition vinyl and CD reissues of all three albums, without the extra tracks featured on the special edition releases, will follow on June 22 via the band’s own Pink Flag label. The vinyl releases have the same covers and inners as the originals. The band will launch the reissues with a Q&A and signing session at London’s Rough Trade East on May 19. Check here for more details here.
Homepage photo courtesy of Annette Green
