Document and Eyewitness
Encyclopedia
Document and Eyewitness is a live album by the post-punk
band Wire
. It 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, Wire's manager Mick Collins, who tried to keep control of proceedings. The show was performed before a restive punk crowd who were little appeased by a version of 12XU (edited down to a 15 second fragment for this release) and reacted 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
.
The original vinyl release was a double with the Electric Ballroom tracks on sides one and two and the Notre Dame Hall and Montreux tracks on sides three and four. The compact disc reissue switched the running order, beginning with Notre Dame and Montreux and following with the Electric Ballroom tracks. 'Our Swimmer' and 'Midnight Bahnhof Cafe' were originally released on Rough Trade as a 7" single (RT79) and are bonus tracks on Mute's CD reissue.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
. It marked the end of the first period of Wire's activity and the end of their association with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The Notre Dame Hall show records Wire after the tour to support 154
154 (album)
154 is the third album from the band Wire, released in 1979 on EMI imprint Harvest Records in the UK and Europe and Warner Bros. Records in America. It was first issued on CD in 1987 by EMI Japan and later reissued by Restless Records in 1989...
, 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
Electric Ballroom
The Electric Ballroom is a performance venue and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London . The Electric Ballroom has been in operation for over seventy years, during which time it has been used in many different ways.The two storey building has two dance floors and...
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
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
ist cabaret including a moving 6'x12' sheet behind which the band performed, assorted headdresses and props, and an MC, Wire's manager Mick Collins, who tried to keep control of proceedings. The show was performed before a restive punk crowd who were little appeased by a version of 12XU (edited down to a 15 second fragment for this release) and reacted 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
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
.
The original vinyl release was a double with the Electric Ballroom tracks on sides one and two and the Notre Dame Hall and Montreux tracks on sides three and four. The compact disc reissue switched the running order, beginning with Notre Dame and Montreux and following with the Electric Ballroom tracks. 'Our Swimmer' and 'Midnight Bahnhof Cafe' were originally released on Rough Trade as a 7" single (RT79) and are bonus tracks on Mute's CD reissue.
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'