Twelve Inch Singles: 1981–1984

Twelve Inch Singles: 1981–1984 gathers the early non-album singles Ministry put out through Wax Trax! Records, the Chicago label that first backed the band. Released on 16 January 1987, it pulls those scattered 12-inch releases together on one record, with a sound rooted in new wave and synth-pop and edging towards post-industrial territory.

It's a useful snapshot of Ministry before the band became known for something far heavier. Their debut album With Sympathy arrived in 1983, and Twitch followed in 1986, so this collection fills in the story around those records. Cleopatra Records reissued it in 2014 with a second CD of early tracks, which gives newcomers an even fuller look at where the band began.