Wire / Behind The Curtain: Early Versions 1977 & 78
Artist Wire
Album Title: Behind The Curtain: Early Versions 1977 & 78
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative & Punk: Old School Punk
Format CD
Released 05/00/1995
Label EMI Records Ltd.
Catalog No 7243 8 32403 2 6
Bar Code No 7 2438 32403 2 6
Packaging Jewelcase
Tracks
1. Mary Is A Dyke (1:08)
2. Too True (1:05)
3. Just Don't Care (1:22)
4. TV (1:26)
5. New York City (1:12)
6. After Midnight (1:30)
7. Pink Flag (2:35)
8. Love Ain't Polite (1:07)
9. Oh No Not So (1:37)
10. It's The Motive (1:24)
11. Practice Makes Perfect (3:49)
12. Sand In My Joints (1:51)
13. Stablemate (2:17)
14. I Feel Mysterious Today (1:41)
15. Underwater Experiences (3:15)
16. Dot Dash (2:20)
17. Options R (1:51)
18. From The Nursery (2:53)
19. Finistaire (2:17)
20. No Romans (1:12)
21. Another The Letter (1:07)
22. 40 Versions (3:19)
23. Blessed State (3:14)
24. A Touching Display (5:19)
25. Once Is Enough (2:39)
26. Stepping Off Too Quick (1:24)
27. Indirect Inquiries (3:20)
28. Map Ref 41 N 93 W (3:50)
29. A Question Of Degree (2:58)
30. Two People In A Room (2:04)
31. Former Airline (1:12)
Date Acquired 10/10/1998
Personal Rating
Acquired from Roadrunner Records
Purchase Price 16.00

Web Links

All Music Guide Entry:
Discogs Entry:

Notes

foobar2000 1.2.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2014-01-27 04:43:25

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Analyzed: Wire / Behind the Curtain: Early Versions 1977 & 78
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
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DR11       0.00 dB   -13.46 dB      1:08 01/31-Mary Is a Dyke
DR11      -0.01 dB  -12.07 dB      1:06 02/31-Too True
DR11       0.00 dB   -12.97 dB      1:23 03/31-Just Don't Care
DR11      -0.32 dB   -13.01 dB      1:27 04/31-TV
DR11      -0.50 dB   -13.63 dB      1:13 05/31-New York City
DR11      -0.11 dB   -13.22 dB      1:30 06/31-After Midnight
DR11      -0.33 dB   -13.28 dB      2:36 07/31-Pink Flag
DR11      -0.85 dB   -13.54 dB      1:08 08/31-Love Ain't Polite
DR9        -0.07 dB   -11.56 dB      1:37 09/31-Oh No Not So
DR10      -0.40 dB   -12.29 dB      1:24 10/31-It's the Motive
DR11      -0.32 dB   -14.70 dB      3:50 11/31-Practice Makes Perfect
DR10      -0.03 dB   -12.70 dB      1:52 12/31-Sand in My Joints
DR12      -0.31 dB   -14.15 dB      2:18 13/31-Stablemate
DR11      -1.10 dB   -17.35 dB      1:41 14/31-I Feel Mysterious Today
DR12      -2.14 dB   -19.60 dB      3:16 15/31-Underwater Experiences
DR10      -0.86 dB   -12.18 dB      2:21 16/31-Dot Dash
DR10        0.00 dB   -11.86 dB      1:52 17/31-Options R
DR10      -0.01 dB   -12.88 dB      2:53 18/31-From the Nursery
DR10      -0.24 dB   -13.70 dB      2:17 19/31-Finistaire
DR10        0.00 dB   -12.14 dB      1:12 20/31-No Romans
DR10      -0.23 dB   -12.47 dB      1:07 21/31-Another the Letter
DR11      -0.98 dB   -14.02 dB      3:19 22/31-40 Versions
DR12      -0.45 dB   -14.22 dB      3:14 23/31-Blessed State
DR11      -0.25 dB   -14.18 dB      5:19 24/31-A Touching Display
DR12        0.00 dB   -14.06 dB      2:39 25/31-Once Is Enough
DR10      -0.06 dB   -13.32 dB      1:24 26/31-Stepping Off Too Quick
DR11        0.00 dB   -13.76 dB      3:20 27/31-Indirect Inquiries
DR11      -0.24 dB   -12.58 dB      3:51 28/31-Map Ref 41° N 93° W
DR11      -0.73 dB   -13.71 dB      2:58 29/31-A Question of Degree
DR11      -0.12 dB   -13.03 dB      2:04 30/31-Two People in a Room
DR11        0.00 dB   -12.37 dB      1:13 31/31-Former Airline
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Number of tracks:  31
Official DR value: DR11

Samplerate:        44100 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           956 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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Reviews
All Music Guide Review:

Review by Andy Kellman
Behind the Curtain is a rare beast in two senses -- it's difficult to locate a copy, and it's one of the few archival purgings that extends past cash cow status. The disc begins with several selections from Wire's infamous first show at London's Roxy in April of 1977, a set that was part of a punk festival documented by EMI for the Roxy London WC2 compilation. Humorous, spastic songs like "Mary Is a Dyke," "TV," and "Too True" (try not to double over in laughter during the "chorus" of the latter) are exhausted in little more than a minute; even J.J. Cale's "After Midnight" is whittled down to 90 seconds. For a band making their first stage appearance, they were far from honed, but they were cognizant of their limitations and strengths. After that, the embryos take over, including several songs that never graced an official release until this one. Most of them are of the short and spiky variety. Those not fond of Mike Thorne's production touches might find some of these raw, less-affected versions more palatable, and devout fans will find fascination in realizing the changes made to several of these songs before they rolled off the assembly line. "Another the Letter" is free of the goofy synth whirls heard on Chairs Missing; "Map Ref" is dispassionate and far from the unparalleled bliss it would eventually hit; "Former Airline" is one-third the length of its final version, not a howling drone but another minute-long stinger. Despite the formative nature of these songs, the execution and sound quality still makes for a better listen than most of the officially released material by Wire's peers. If the magic punk-to-post-punk trilogy of Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 had never happened, this disc would be remain reason enough to regard the people who made them as giants, geniuses, and legends.
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