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Solo projects: Newman 80's re-releases

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    They will be launched on Tuesday 16th Aug (2016) but wanted to give a heads up here first.

    I'm going to be re-releasing my 1st 3 solo albums A-Z, provisionally entitled the singing fish & Not To (LP & CD only) on October 28th 2016 on a newly created swim ~ sub label sentient sonics. Everything is (obviously) remastered with the vinyl being "as is" and the CDs each coming as a double with the 2nd disc containing b-sides, demos & supporting material - the vast majority of which has never been released. Read more about it on the sentient sonics website.

    This is definitely NOT any kind pre-cursor to returning to a solo career and Desmond's untimely passing meant that attempting to do any of this material live is not really on the cards. Plus I'm super busy with other stuff, I don't think it's any secret that Wire will mark it's 40th anniversary (1 April 2017) with a new album plus Malka & I have finished a 2nd Immersion 10" Living On An Island for release later this year alongside an CD compilation of both 10"s entitled, we think amusingly, Analogue Creatures Living On An Island.
  2.  
    Marvellous news! Will these second discs involve material that would have appeared on the shelved WMO cd, Vox Pop?
  3.  
    Yes, and much more. I should however make clear that "Vox Pop" (the title track of which is included on the 2nd CD of provisionally entitled the singing fish) was always WMO's project never mine. For me context is always important and this is the right context for the additional content available on the 2nd CDs. I never liked the way the initial Beggars/4AD released CD versions of those records was put together (the phrase "dog's dinner" springs to mind) but I have nothing but praise for the way Beggars have allowed me to do these re-releases and I have strived to make this the most interesting & exhaustive "catalogue" of my work during the period 1980-1982 (at least the CDs anyway)
  4.  
    Fantastic. Seriously looking forward to this autumn.
  5.  
    Wow, these re-releases look awesome. Have already pre-ordered. Would love to see Commercial Suicide added to the roster.
    Harold
    San Jose, CA
  6.  
    This is great news! Not only am I excited to hear the unreleased material I think it is great just to have these albums back in print as all three are fantastic.

    Interesting that a Not To-era demo of "At Rest" exists. That is one of my favorite Newman solo tracks.
  7.  
    Beggars have history of allowing artists to release their vinyl back catalogue (or at least license it to someone else to release) I kinda persuaded them to let me do the CDs, they retain the digital, but obviously not to most of the 2nd CD material. It's taken a few years for me to get round to finding time to actually put these out as it's really important to me to not get in the way of any Wire schedules while at the same time at least giving these a shot. I'd like to see how these ones go before thinking about a 2nd set. I would hope that making a decent fist of the early 80's releases might persuade Crammed to let me re-do the mid 80's ones but Beggars and Crammed are very different labels and to be honest Beggars can afford to do this....
  8.  
    Woo hoo!
    The bonus material on these CDs includes ALL the tracks that would have appeared on Vox Pop and am thrilled they are finally seeing the light of day as Charles and I were keen to make this happen back in the day. Having said that what Colin is delivering makes our puny effort an irrelevancy and Colin was right to to stick to his guns. Its taken nearly 20 years but its well worth the wait.
    Wonderful news Colin and perfect timing on my birthday hahaha. I wish you well!
  9.  
    Great to hear that a second set will be considered if these work out. I still hold Commercial Suicide and It Seems in pretty high regard as well. I actually think those two have aged better production-wise than the 80's Wire material.
  10.  
    Absolutely brilliant. Many thanks for putting in this extra effort Colin - we appreciate it. 'Not To' is transcendentally sublime.
  11.  
    BTW - I didn't write the press release - Graham Duff did so any opinions expressed are definitely his not mine!
  12.  
    Very good news. Quick couple of questions if I may; what's the thinking behind sequencing This Picture on the PETSF CD2? Wouldn't it more naturally have sat with A-Z? And how come no performance credits for that one (unless I missed them).

    Roll out the 'B' video!
  13.  
    Well, in many ways "This Picture" was the first properly recorded "Fish". I needed a b side for the "Inventory" single and just went in to Scorpio with Steve parker and played everything myself. I don't remember the exact sequence of events but I don't think "This Picture" was recorded long before i went in to do "provisionally entitled the singing fish". I probably saw it as a dry run on the method.
  14.  
    Interesting. It sounds very much cut from the A-Z cloth stylistically and sonically.

    On a related theme (and whilst stressing that over the years - and actually, reasonably quickly - I grew into it) I recall being bitterly disappointed with the Fish album. Not necessarily in and of itself - more as a consequence of the extent to which I'd been bowled over by A-Z, which was - bar seeing the B video on OGWT - my first conscious contact with anything Wire related. My unease commenced upon seeing the track titles, and grew with the realisation that this was a largely instrumental work. I'd so badly wanted A-Z(II).

    And as a slight step further aside, I phoned a mate of mine at the weekend and he had '& Jury' on in the background.
  15.  
    Hmm , the trials & tribulations of a Wire fan :)

    Thing is, and this applies equally to Wire & all it's members, nobody has ever had the aim to try to replicate something considered "successful". There are artists who are financially successful at what they do because their vision is one which lives in the same world as the expectation of them. In a way they are very lucky, often people fail miserably trying to replicate what they have done very well previously because it's not what they really want to do.

    At least with Wire, and it's members you get an honest statement about what is "current" in our consciousness.

    I may have had a more successful solo career if I'd tried to do A-Z part 2. I suspect I would have failed however good the music because ultimately I'm not sure i've ever wanted to have a "solo career" that eclipsed Wire.....

    I don't feel particularly close to any of those 3 albums (although i do like some of the demos) although "provisionally entitled the singing fish" probably shades it in terms of beinng the better because it sounds the least dated.
  16.  
    Apologies if there are any fans on here who already know this story but I'll ask it anyway - Colin - how did "Not Me" come to be covered on the first This Mortal Coil album if it hadn't been released?
  17.  
    Oh I got over it pretty quickly :-) I was in my mid teens, discovering all manner of things musically, as one will at that age.

    There's obviously a very different relationship to the work for creator and 'consumer' (how I hate that word, seems very insectoid to me) but I still feel very close to A-Z. It evokes many memories and is still, for me, a good listen (although I'd often bypass Seconds To Last) and not particularly dated.

    I was going to make some additional comment about what was 36 years old at the time A-Z was released, and had a quick look online at what was around in 1944 and was pleased to see, at number 28 in one best-of-year chart, 'Star Eyes' by Jimmy Dorsey & HIs Orchestra.

    Are there plans to include lyrics in the new packages (beyond what was included for A-Z anyway)?
  18.  
    Hi Lee,

    Not sure it's public knowledge...

    The "Riverside Demos" were the set of recordings that got me the Beggars deal. Both Martin (Mills) & Ivo (Watts Russel) would have been familiar with them. Beggars really wanted "Not Me" to be the single for A-Z. It was the song I liked the least, I think we should have done it mean & dirge-y, but it kind of ended up sounding quite light and like a lot of other people IMO (which improbably why Beggars liked it!) I just didn't want to record a version for A-Z in the end. Modern English were kind of fans (they famously supported Wire in Colchester in 78 or something like that when they were called The Sods "we're the sods and we're shit" was how they introduced themselves :) so it made sense in some ways for them to be the artists covering it. I remember Ivo telling me about it after it had been done. Not even sure I have a copy of the album!
  19.  
    Ian: no plans for lyrics, as I understand it. Wireviews long ago had a crack at some of the tracks, although there are a lot of inaccuracies in there: http://www.wireviews.com/lyrics/

    (A pint to anyone who can fix the entirety of No Doubt.)
  20.  
    Thanks Craig, just had a bit of a look. Funny how people hear often different things when the lyrics aren't provided.

    My oft trotted out misheard lyric anecdote - but not entirely off-topic - was my brother (not a fan) ridiculing I've Waited Ages for the line "I'll deliberately die a virgin"

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