Wire – PF456 Deluxe

Beautiful release from vinyl quality to artwork/packaging, a must have if you are "wired"....

Got a great deal on a mint. Perfect in every way.

This release - though a lovely package -was MASSIVELY overpriced on release for RSD June 2021 and, as expected, some of us bit the bullet to purchase it on the day at the full price (or near enough) bordering £60 only to then inevitably find it going some £20 cheaper on many online sites a couple of weeks later...in direct competition with some of the shameless flippers who were still asking upwards of nearly £80 for the same thing......in fact the cheapest offer was recently in August when Rough Trade online had it slashed to £30 - which is virtually half what some of us paid for the damned thing originally!! An absolute sickener.

I can't fault the item, but I just wish RSD wasn't such a fleece-fest given that this release was probably pressed in higher quantities than they would have had us believe (why else does this explain so many going so cheap afterwards?). I reckon it would have retailed far less expensive if it was released at any other time instead of for RSD. Who else despises this whole RSD lark?

*** Footnote: And of course it was then later issued on CD as the Redux edition (as per the original vinyl).

Nice release. I just wish they would use a paper sleeve for the vinyl - getting the discs out of the cardboard "pages" is a bit awkward and the discs will suffer over time. And because the opening is at the top, dust just falls in!

Quiet vinyl, quality book and packaging. Highly recommended! Between this and the Nine Sevens box, I'm starting to feel a little spoiled. I could certainly go for some remastered and expanded versions of some of their middle period albums, especially 'The Ideal Copy' and 'A Bell is a Cup'.

Awesome release. Funny, cynical, irreverent liner notes in true Wire fashion.

For how strongly reiterated the digital 'in the box' recording/mixing process was for this material, the vinyl cuts sound amazing. Huge punch, snappy dynamics.

Discs are dead quiet..however there are some concerning surface scuffs on a couple of sides in some factory error, or perhaps the discs sliding against the paper sleeves. Especially the 7". Also some errant debris that had to be carefully brushed off before playing. Discs would be graded VG+ before it was ever opened from factory.

Curious to know how many of these were pressed for RSD '21. I'm having trouble finding that number anywhere online. Thanks!

Absolute flawless pressing. Dead quit with great dynamics. Well written things to read. Don't hesitate to pick this one up if you're a Wire fan, in spite of the rather ridiculous price tag.

Happy for this release. However, it would have been so easy to include Read & Burn 03. Sure, it was released 5 years later, but still shares spirit (and name!) of the Read & Burn series. Missed opportunity imo.