The Evening of the 24th marked the very first time the live album was made available on Compact Disc and cassette formats. Released through Reflex Records, this specific edition was highly sought after by fans as it transitioned the band's raw, atmospheric 1986 performance from Switzerland into the digital era. While it retained the core 10-track live set of the original 1987 vinyl release—including powerful performances of "Slow Pulse Boy" and "Wallpaper Dying"—the 1991 edition notably preserved the original, un-remixed concert production that defined the band's early post-punk era.
A unique highlight of this specific 1991 CD and cassette release was the inclusion of the bonus track "Renegade". Though appended to the end of the album to enhance the tracklist for the CD market, this song was actually recorded at a completely different gig in Austria several months prior to the Switzerland show. Because this edition eventually went out of print in the early 1990s, it became a rare collector's item on marketplaces like Discogs before being entirely superseded by the expanded, fully restructured 2023 official anniversary remaster.
The 1991 CD edition of The Evening of the 24th is a magnificent, unaltered testament to the theatrical, "Romantic" art-goth style AllMusic that defined the band's mid-1980s prime. Serving as the album's digital debut, this release flawlessly translates the brooding, rural claustrophobia of their Virus Meadow era into a stark live setting. Unlike modern reissues that favor polish, the 1991 disc preserves the sharp, unpolished edge of the original soundboard recordings, placing the listener directly inside Lausanne's La Dolce Vita club.
Musically, the performance is anchored by the dual genius of the Jones brothers, delivering an elegant yet intense gothic masterclass. Frontman Simon Huw Jones sings with an unhinged, poetic desperation, delivering lyrics as if his breath is being violently ripped from his body AllMusic. Meanwhile, guitarist Justin Jones creates lush, shimmering tapestries using heavy effects AllMusic; his signature mandolin-like picking style AllMusic sounds uniquely amplified and folklore-driven, cutting through the dense, propulsive rhythms of the bass and drums.
The tracklist behaves like a series of miniature Grand Guignol dramas AllMusic, building immense tension from the opening chords of "A Room Lives in Lucy" AllMusic. Early singles like "Shantell" are injected with a concentrated, aggressive power AllMusic that far surpasses their murky studio counterparts, while live staples like "Wallpaper Dying" and "Slow Pulse Boy" are pushed to the brink of beautiful collapse AllMusic. The atmosphere throughout is dark, dreamy, and utterly captivating, proving exactly why the band was heavily championed by The Cure.
The definitive quirk of this 1991 CD and cassette release is the appended bonus track, "Renegade" Discogs. Though completely disconnected from the Swiss concert—having been recorded months prior at a gig in Austria—its inclusion adds a fascinating layer of dark, heavy coldwave momentum to the album's conclusion Discogs. For purists who prefer the raw, unmixed dynamic of the original 1980s mixing desk over modern, cleaned-up remasters, this out-of-print 1991 edition remains an essential, nostalgic piece of post-punk history.
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1. A Room Lives In Lucy
2. Vincent Craine
3. Wallpaper Dying
4. Shantell
5. Gone... Like The Swallows
6. Twilights Pool
7. Slow Pulse Boy
8. Virus Meadow
9. So This Is Silence
10. There Was A Man Of Double Deed
11. Renegade (1991 CD/Cassette Bonus Track—recorded live in Austria)
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