Description
Wipers Tour 84 features tracks from the first three Wipers albums. Recorded live on tour in February – March 1984. Originally released on cassette by Greg Sage and on vinyl by Enigma Records in 1985.
– First Time Reissued On Vinyl
– Included 3 Wipers songs unavailable anywhere else
– Pressed at RTI for Maximum Fidelity
– Cover artwork features the iconic Wipers logo
Our take: You might have missed it because it came out this past Friday, the day before Record Store Day, but Jackpot just reissued the Wipers Tour 84 album. These recordings originally came out as a very limited cassette on Greg Sages Trap Records, then were released as an LP on Enigma Records in 1985 (that version just features the Wipers logo on the cover, so sometimes this album is also referred to as self-titled). While Restless / Enigma released the Wipers next few albums, they had released none of the bands previous three records, which most fans regard as the most essential Wipers records. Since Restless / Enigma was a bigger label, for a long time I saw copies of this record in used bins way more often than the Wipers actual first three albums. I wonder how many people picked up Tour 84 as their first Wipers record, particularly after Kurt Cobain repped the band? I think this album is great, but it shows a different side of the band than the first three albums (which, thanks to various reissues and streaming, are now easily available). Those three albums have a sense of precision that isnt as present here. The early recordings arent super polished, but they feel very locked in and precisely performed. By contrast, these live recordings find the band in a looser, more visceral mode. I love the albums, but I love this side of the band too. I think Ive read that Greg Sage is a big Jimi Hendrix fan, and you hear that on these live versions. The fidelity is great (it says Greg Sage mixed them, so they must be multi-track recordings), and even better there are three songs that werent on any of the Wipers studio albums. Theyre pretty cool and worth hearing, though, Moon Rider bears more than a passing resemblance to Romeo. This no-frills reissue doesnt even have an insert, but its on pretty pink vinyl and it sounds great. Youll want the first three Wipers albums before you pick this up, but if youve digested those, Tour 84 is an essential piece of the Wipers puzzle.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.