Tip! WRWTFWW Records celebrate the 40-year anniversary of cult band Grauzone with the release of their definitive and comprehensive Limited 40 Years Anniversary Box Set. The release is packed with their complete discography, as well as a never-released-before live recording, an 80-page fanzine with an extensive biography written by Swiss music historian Lurker Grand, unseen archival material, and artist contributions, and a poster replica of an original concert flyer from 1980. Conceived, conceptualized and supervised by original band member Stephan Eicher, the box set includes the following exclusive content: Grauzone's self-titled album from 1981 reissued as a 180 gram, double-LP with nine additional tracks, amounting to the band's complete studio discography. Included are the classics "Eisbär", "FILM 2", "Raum", "Moskau", "Träume Mit Mir", "Der Weg Zu Zweit", and "Wütendes Glas (Maxi Version)", as well as the deep and unconventional album cuts that make Grauzone so unique. The double-LP is housed in a heavy gatefold sleeve, with liner notes by Lurker Grand, an insert with the original album's lyrics, and a special Xeroxed artwork imagined by Stephan Eicher. The box also includes Grauzone's Live LP, a recording of their April 12th 1980 concert at Gaskessel in their hometown of Bern, Switzerland, with a sleeve artwork by Stephan Eicher.
Also includes is an 80-page fanzine containing the history of Grauzone written by Lurker Grand, never-seen images of the band and their collaborators and incredible snapshots of the late '70s/early '80s underground scene in Switzerland, as well as artist contributions by Christian Marclay, Genesis P-Orridge, Sylvie Fleury, John Armleder, Maurizio Cattelan, Gregor Hildebrandt and more, cementing Grauzone's art band with a punk attitude" ethos. Included as well is a 60x90 cm poster replica of Grauzone's Spex (Bern) concert flyer from October 25 1980. Absolutely all the elements included in this box set collection were photocopied by hand with a vintage Xerox machine before being printed, as wished by Stephan Eicher (who took care of photocopy duties for a good chunk of the material).
A bold artistic choice, a nod to the DIY ways of the era this release represents, and drawing a parallel between the acts of reissuing and photocopying. Lid-off box.