Probably not before the tour with springsteen-esque long sets I reckon.

No, but he re-released the original version at the same time. I actually prefer the re-recording to the original.

But saying that something is 'clearly' the *reason* the band made a decision about the song (not just that the song is different to the others about Richey) is the definition of thinking you know what the band is thinking - that's not a controversial point, it's just basic English usage. That's not inviting discussion, it's shutting it down.

You monster! Close Watch was perfected on its second recording I tell you!

I'm sure it was mentioned in one of the interviews - James was talking about how he knew there was one more song for the album, he just had to get it out of Nick and then get the music done for it quickly. It may have been James rather than Nick who suggested that it reflects Nick's mother's illness and his feelings about it, but I'm sure one of them did.

Richey isn't the narrator of William's Last Words.

Nah, the Helen Of Troy version of that is definitive. When he played it at the Barbican show earlier this year with full orchestra and brass it was magical (and Helen Of Troy itself was one of the best songs of the evening - such an under-rated album).

True, but some of the prose line up with his disappearance in a 'reading tea leaves' kind of way. Nicky's choice of editing did feel like trying to decipher a message from Richey regardless of it existing or not. That best friends line still makes me cringe nearly ten years later. Still though, probably the best produced songs the band have put to record.

The "clearly" in this context is provocative. And it worked, as your reaction has proven.

You're determined to prove that the word 'clearly' doesn't mean what it actually means, aren't you?

Clearly. (Joke!)

Anyhow, back to the reissue(!) I'm actually most looking forward to the demos for this one. I can imagine a good lot of acoustic demos.

I hope the tsunami demo is some real doom metal shit!

We shall see. Has the Wire ever kept any promises? Someone should start a thread listing them. It would be empty.

I wouldn't be surprised if the death metal version of Tsunami is just the tempo they play it at live, like Motorcycle Emptiness is compared to the album version

That was my reading too.
No idea why journalists don't feel the need to ask questions and engage with the answers such as 'Well, why do you wanna relegate Nobody Loved You Nick? Please say and save a lot of Forever Forum Wild Theorising concerning Family Feuds Fallouts and I've run out of F -ing F's now...:)

When did all this trend for marking every album's anniversary come from anyways?