Wire - Read & Burn 03 [RSD 2026]

Released at the end of the initial period of Wire's 3rd Act — after Aend and before the band's post-Bruce Gilbert re-invention — Read & Burn 03 never quite got the attention it deserved. The opening track "23 Years Too Late," with its tour narrative text and motorik rhythm, stands as one of the band's finest achievements of any era. The original EP, 3rd in the Read & Burn series and the one not compiled onto the Send album, was the last non-historic release by the original Wire lineup of Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Bruce Gilbert & Robert Grey and has never been properly released on vinyl. The 2026 version brings the original 4 tracks and adds 3 more. "23 Years Too Late" actually started life as a highly transformed cover of the '70s Wire single "Dot Dash," performed under the name Dip Flash as part of Iain Sinclair's London Orbital at the Barbican on 25th October 2022. "Desert Diving" started life as a version of the Chairs Missing track "Heartbeat" as performed live at The Garage, London during Wire's series of concerts there in May 2000.

Tracklist

1. 23 Years Too Late
2. Our Time
3. No Warning Given
4. Desert Diving
5. Our Time (Original Mix)
6. Desert Diving (Alt Mix)
7. Dip Flash