CD/DVD-A
US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NBH2BC4/?tag=imwan-20
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NBH2BC4/?tag=imwan-21

CD/Blu-ray Audio
US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NBH2BA6/?tag=imwan-20
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NBH2BA6/?tag=imwan-21

VIA Facebook:

[facebook]https://www.facebook.com/StevenWilsonHQ/photos/a.121603464526591.14146.114657261887878/806643442689253/?type=1[/facebook]

VIA Super Deluxe Edition:
The long-awaited reissue of XTC‘s 1979 album Drums And Wires has been announced, and like the Nonsuch deluxe release from 2013, the two-disc sets (CD+Blu-ray and CD+DVD-A) will offer a massive amount of extra audio and visual material, including new 5.1 surround and stereo mixes.

Exact details of the track listing haven’t yet been confirmed, but the CD will feature a new Steven Wilson stereo mix plus six additional singles and non-album tracks. The (region free, NTSC) blu-ray audio will contain the original mix and new stereo mix in 24bit/96khz LPCM along with the hi-res 5.1 mix (again, by Steven Wilson).

The blu-ray will also come with instrumental stereo mixes, five demo sessions and ‘numerous’ other stereo and 5.1 tracks (including Chain of Command and Limelight) as well as the promo films for the singles Making Plans for Nigel and Life Begins At The Hop.

*Update: Steven Wilson got in touch with SDE to confirm that the blu-ray features a total of 117 tracks (!), which breaks down as follows:

New stereo mix = 12 tracks
Original stereo mix = 12 tracks
Instrumental mixes = 12 tracks
5.1 mix = 12 tracks
Bonus tracks new stereo mixes = 11 tracks
Bonus tracks 5.1 = 11 tracks
Demo session 1 = 6 tracks
Demo session 2 = 4 tracks
Demo session 3 = 4 tracks
Demo session 4 = 4 tracks
Rehearsal tape = 20 tracks
DJM re-recordings = 3 tracks
Various original alternate mixes = 4 tracks
Promo videos = 2 track
All the new Steven Wilson mixes have been created with the input of founder band member Andy Partridge and the full approval of the band. Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory all contribute sleeve notes to the booklet.

The CD+DVD-A version will be similar to the CD+Blu-ray although not quite as generous since the format doesn’t offer the same capacity as the blu-ray audio. The instrumental mixes are missing from the DVD which also only comes with seven (rather than ‘numerous’) bonus tracks, all of which are stereo-only.

Drums and Wires is released on Andy Patridge’s APE label on 27 October 2014. The official online store is BurningShed.com where you will get postcards signed by Andy with all pre-orders.

• Pre-order Drums and Wires via Burning Shed
CD

1) Making Plans For Nigel
2) Helicopter
3) Day In Day Out
4) When You’re Near Me I Have Difficulty
5) Ten Feet Tall
6) Roads Girdle the Globe
7) Real By Reel
8) Millions
9) That Is The Way
10) Outside World
11) Scissor Man
12) Complicated Game

+ bonus tracks (full details to be confirmed as soon as possible)

Blu-Ray (Region 0, NTSC):

Presented in 24bit/96khz LPCM Audio

Album mixed in 5.1 Surround
- Steven Wilson stereo mix and original album mix in High Resolution stereo.

Blu-Ray exclusive material includes:

Numerous additional stereo and 5.1 tracks, new stereo album instrumental mixes, 5 demo sessions and promo films for the singles Making Plans for Nigel and Life Begins At The Hop.

Went ahead and preordered the blu from Burning Shed, the 1st time I've actually ordered directly from them. Pre-orders come with some postcards signed by Andy, if that's any extra incentive for anyone.

What are the bonus features?

I'm probably in for this even though 5.1 is not my world.

Drums & Wires, English Settlement, and Black Sea are my three favorite XTC albums by a wide margin. My favorite among the three varies monthly but recently it's been Drums & Wires. I'll investigate this although I'm not a bluray/dvda person. Wish there was just a simple 2 cd release with lots of bonus tracks etc.

The DVDA version is cheaper, so if anyone is interested in just the new stereo mix, that version is the way to go.

TThe CD features the new stereo album mix and 6 bonus tracks – Chain of Command, Limelight, Life Begins at the Hop, Homo Safari, Ten Feet Tall (electric version), and Wait ‘Til Your Boat Goes Down.

The bonus tracks should be SW remixes too (except "Life")

Thanks for the information about bonus tracks!

I have the original cd pressing from the 90's and some of those bonus tracks are familiar to me--although some are not. I think the 90's one has three bonus tracks placed between what was side one and side two.

11 bonus tracks remixed into stereo and 5.1:

1. Life Begins at the Hop*
2. Homo Safari
(A+B side to Life Begins at the Hop single, UK release April 1979)
3. Chain of Command
4. Limelight
(A+B side to free single included with initial pressing of Drums and Wires, UK release August 1979)
5. Bushman President
6. Pulsing Pulsing
(B-sides to Making Plans for Nigel single, UK release Sep 1979)
7. Wait Til Your Boat Goes Down
8. Ten Feet Tall – electric version
(A+B side to Wait Til Your Boat Goes Down single, UK release March 1980)
9. Officer Blue
(Drums and Wires out-take – B-side to Respectable Street single, UK release March 1981)
10. Over Rusty Water
(Drums and Wires out-take – B-side to No Thugs in Our House single, UK release May 1982)
11. Sleepyheads
(Drums and Wires out-take, first released on Coat of Many Cupboards box set, UK release 2002)
* (Life Begins at the Hop is the original stereo master due to multitrack tapes being unavailable, the 5.1 version is a Penteo upmix)

Once again something for us Blu-ray and DVDA fans. Do people still play stereo mixes?
Well the good news is most stereo people can skip these and save $$$.

Bump: Added Amazon pre-order links to the first post.

Has anybody purchased this? I'm considering this as I love the album (have it on vinyl and the original cd) but I also don't own a Blueray player and I'm not exactly sure how much of the material is accessible if you don't have one.

If you have purchased it, what do you think of it? What does it sound like? What does it look like?