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  1. The band seem to like the idea of re recording old demo’s, then releasing that version as the intended finished version.

    From what i can remember, it first started back on the Joshua Tree 20th anniversary with Wave of Sorrow, with the band re recording it with Bono’s 2007 vocals.

    Also The Unforgettable Fire boxset, Disappearing Act, Angels To Tied To The Ground.

    It then continued on the Achtung Baby 20th Anniversary edition, on the tracks Heaven and Hell, She’s Gonna Blow Your House Down…. maybe others on that box set that i cannot remember right now?

    As we all know they are now doing the same with Mercy, re recording it with Bono’s 2024 vocals and with a different title.

    It’s great that we get all of these songs cleaned up, in great sound quality, and i do enjoy listening to them.
    Two songs in particular that i like and think they did a brilliant job on are Disappearing Act and Heaven and Hell.

    However i do think it would be nice to also have the original untouched demo versions from the original recording sessions along with their re interpretation of the song.
    For example I would also love to have had the Heaven and Hell 1990/91 demo with Bono’s original vocal, along with the 2011 version.

    Same with Mercy, i think it’s safe to say we would all have liked the 2004 original, then they could have also included their 2024 version as a bonus.
  2. Typical Bono & Edge though. Trying to perfect everything. Give us the demo rather than the version you think it should have been with twenty years of retrospection.
  3. Originally posted by germcevoy:Typical Bono & Edge though. Trying to perfect everything. Give us the demo rather than the version you think it should have been with twenty years of retrospection.
    But to them it might be like you or I letting the public read our past diaries when we would rather not

    The Edge especially, might not want us to hear any out of tune/mis-played/bum notes/amateurish ideas that he is a bit self-conscious about

    Bono too, may be self-conscious about released material of him scatting (Bongolese) lyrics and ideas that's he's embarrassed of
  4. Originally posted by RealThing2:The band seem to like the idea of re recording old demo’s, then releasing that version as the intended finished version.

    From what i can remember, it first started back on the Joshua Tree 20th anniversary with Wave of Sorrow, with the band re recording it with Bono’s 2007 vocals.

    Also The Unforgettable Fire boxset, Disappearing Act, Angels To Tied To The Ground.

    It then continued on the Achtung Baby 20th Anniversary edition, on the tracks Heaven and Hell, She’s Gonna Blow Your House Down…. maybe others on that box set that i cannot remember right now?

    As we all know they are now doing the same with Mercy, re recording it with Bono’s 2024 vocals and with a different title.

    It’s great that we get all of these songs cleaned up, in great sound quality, and i do enjoy listening to them.
    Two songs in particular that i like and think they did a brilliant job on are Disappearing Act and Heaven and Hell.

    However i do think it would be nice to also have the original untouched demo versions from the original recording sessions along with their re interpretation of the song.
    For example I would also love to have had the Heaven and Hell 1990/91 demo with Bono’s original vocal, along with the 2011 version.

    Same with Mercy, i think it’s safe to say we would all have liked the 2004 original, then they could have also included their 2024 version as a bonus.
    https://www.u2songs.com/news/a_sort_of_homecoming_u2_rework_of_older_demos_for_release

    We dove into them a while back.

    Joshua Tree 2007:
    "Wave of Sorrow"
    "Drunk Chicken / America"

    War 2008:
    "Angels Too Tied to the Ground"

    The Unforgettable Fire 2009:
    "Disappearing Act"

    Achtung Baby 2011:
    "Blow Your House Down"
    "Oh Berlin"
    "Heaven and Hell"
    "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms" (Kindergarden Version)

    Joshua Tree 2017:
    "Red HIll Mining Town"

    How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb 2024:
    "Luckiest Man in the World"
    "Evidence of Life"
    "Treason"

    On "Luckiest Man in the World" Lillywhite has confirmed that it's the original "Mercy" instrumentals, and only some of Bono's vocal may be new.
  5. Originally posted by u2wanderer1:[..]
    On "Luckiest Man in the World" Lillywhite has confirmed that it's the original "Mercy" instrumentals, and only some of Bono's vocal may be new.


    Im looking forward to hearing Luckiest Man in the World, i still believe this will sound great and most fans will be happy once they’ve heard it.

    I think the issue most people have is how these new versions are cataloged.

    A example of what they could have done, is what The Verve did in 2008 when they released their forth album. They included a bonus track called Muhammed Ali. Which was released as a new song.

    However when they reissued their 1995 album ‘A Northern Soul’ in 2016 they also included a disc of demos from the recording sessions in 1994/5 which also included a song titled ‘Muhammed Ali’. Which turned out to be the same song, however it was the original demo from that era. So we had the best of both, the original 1994/5 version and also the new interpretation.

    Maybe it wouldn’t cause such uproar amongst the fan base if these new interpretations were released as stand alone singles, or b-sides as part of a new album, and then when they include demo discs on album reissues, they can leave the demo’s in their original untouched form.
  6. Originally posted by RedSky:[..]
    Bono too, may be self-conscious about released material of him scatting (Bongolese) lyrics and ideas that's he's embarrassed of


    Where was this embarrassment when he sang “Refu-Jesus”?
  8. This whole Mercy thing is weird.

    We have it. We asked for it the past 20 years. It was almost released pretty surely in the version we know. But Bono scrapped it for "not being sure about that"
    "People will hate it, let's delete it, it's shit, let's try this again..." but it was scrapped so late, the lyrics were already in print in the book version.

    Fans: "hey, we found this, we love it, it's great, it's perfect as is - can we have this?"
    Bono: uhm oh no, but here, we redone it, happy now (2010)?
    Fans: "that's nice, but it's not THAT. Just give us a clear recording of what we already know? Because WE LOVE IT!"
    Bono: uh....well not sure, let's give it another try.....*reworks it 20 years later* here, take this, happy now???
    Fans:
  9. Originally posted by sparko:This whole Mercy thing is weird.

    We have it. We asked for it the past 20 years. It was almost released pretty surely in the version we know. But Bono scrapped it for "not being sure about that"
    "People will hate it, let's delete it, it's shit, let's try this again..." but it was scrapped so late, the lyrics were already in print in the book version.

    Fans: "hey, we found this, we love it, it's great, it's perfect as is - can we have this?"
    Bono: uhm oh no, but here, we redone it, happy now (2010)?
    Fans: "that's nice, but it's not THAT. Just give us a clear recording of what we already know? Because WE LOVE IT!"
    Bono: uh....well not sure, let's give it another try.....*reworks it 20 years later* here, take this, happy now???
    Fans:
    Yeah this is essentially how I feel. It’s unfortunate that what SEEMS to be insecurity is put above what would be an obvious win for fans. Obviously it’s their choice at the end of the day, but c’mon. Fans have been asking for it for YEARS and they still had to give us some other version. Why not both?

    It’s a shame they don’t have someone in their circle who can give them a reality check on such things. Same with keeping their show recordings in the vault.
  10. Originally posted by RedSky:[..]
    But to them it might be like you or I letting the public read our past diaries when we would rather not

    The Edge especially, might not want us to hear any out of tune/mis-played/bum notes/amateurish ideas that he is a bit self-conscious about

    Bono too, may be self-conscious about released material of him scatting (Bongolese) lyrics and ideas that's he's embarrassed of
    That's a fair point.. on the Axtung Beibi outtakes there were some fun out of key moments, definitely not stuff they'd intend to release. But then again, when I hear that "rediscovered" songs are being released, having them resung, retooled, etc. just seems.. IDK. I guess being around during the AB Outtakes days and being so excited at hearing it makes me appreciate the rawness of it.
  11. I am sure, they exactly KNOW what we ask for / what's going on online. I don't use Zootopia, but for sure same requests pop up there too, from time to time. They just....ignore it? don't take it serious?

    WE ALREADY HAVE IT! WE KNOW IT. But they just don't care that it sounds bad and could be better.
  12. Originally posted by bonoschild:[..]
    That's a fair point.. on the Axtung Beibi outtakes there were some fun out of key moments, definitely not stuff they'd intend to release. But then again, when I hear that "rediscovered" songs are being released, having them resung, retooled, etc. just seems.. IDK. I guess being around during the AB Outtakes days and being so excited at hearing it makes me appreciate the rawness of it.
    Yeh, it's the re-recording of the vocals or the guitar or production on the original demos that I'm not keen on on