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  3. Originally posted by ELIZIUM:I am wondering if that really is true as I have heard the whole sequence of those Achtung Baby sessions and think there are some gems there they would not want to let escape.

    Works in progress for sure.

    But to give the world all that material as a way of promoting what we all know to be a classic in their history... Who knows?. Jury really is out on that one. It may have been clever marketing to gain interest in the band after that Rattle and Hum period.

    On a different note, there are many who believe that the whole U2 at Live Aid event was staged and a promotional platform too. I don't think this to be the case as the emotion of that day was overwhelming, plus, as U2 fans, we know Bono had a propensity to dive into audiences and climb things.

    With all that said, the demos served to pave the way for what followed which stands as a great testament to the U2 canon.
    I listened to those sessions incessantly from first receiving them in early 1991 and for a good few years afterwards, especially on my daily commutes, so would regularly listen to a couple of hours worth a day, and I still play them a few times a year to this day, they've always fascinated me.

    It was rather fun listening back then especially though, way before AB had come out, and having a bit of an idea of the direction the new album might go. But as it turned out, it wasn't even close to how AB did finally turn out, as it evolved massively since those sessions, and I believe at least some of the material may actually have originated in Dublin before they headed to Berlin to work on it.

    The sessions managed to showcase U2's wide-ranging musical talents with tracks even some of the heaviest of heavy metal bands would be envious of, and with full on 'airplay fever' pop tunes through to jingly-jangly rock that some of the finest shoegazing indie bands of the era would forego their shoegazing for in order to have written... through to gorgeous jazz and blues infused melodies.

    And whilst Bono described them back at the time as 'Gobbledegook' (he's perhaps referring more to some of his Bongolese found on those recordings and the unfinished state of the songs), there's no denying the origins and DNA to many U2 classics of the 1990's can be found amongst those songs, and whilst they're work in progress, it's a pretty solid collection of songs and musical ideas.

    It's funny reading Carter Alan saying that its *the* 'inside rumor' that the band leaked these themselves, bearing in mind who he is and his close connections - maybe there is some truth to what he says. I'd often had a sneaking suspicion myself for awhile that the band could have deliberately put these out there. My memory from back at the time from things I'd heard and read was that they were a bunch of DAT tapes stolen from a crew members hotel room in Berlin whilst they were all at Hansa.

    In a way, it would sort of make complete sense that they may have been leaked deliberately, especially in retrospect how we've learned post AB of how full of self-doubt U2 were as to their future direction, and how they were struggling in the studio - going back to how wide-ranging the content is from these demos - maybe it was indeed a clever way of gauging some feedback from fans and the press perhaps.

    However, the one thing that is a bit at odds with me on that, and leads me to think that they probably weren't leaked, is that the FBI investigated the theft of the DAT tapes and the commercial manufacture of bootlegs of them, namely 'The New U2 - Rehearsals & Demos' vinyl LP sets initially - which were in circulation around Spring 1991, which I had one version of, as well as a 90 minute cassette (containing the same material which I acquired from a guy in Wales prior to those vinyl sets being in circulation).

    The Salome 3CD set came out a little later, probably after the FBI investigation had concluded. I have a recollection of receiving mine in the post from a guy in Glasgow who I used to get U2 stuff from at the time, shortly after AB - maybe early 1992. And the single CD sets with other titles materialised around the same time, and the 7CD set came more recently (though I don't think that has had a commercial manufacture as such).

    I'm also pretty sure PM was absolutely furious about the commercial bootlegs of them at the time - hence the FBI investigation into them. So all that is a little strange if they had indeed deliberately leaked them. But hey, who knows?!

    I wish we had a bunch of demos to this extent quite early on in the recording process for every album.
  4. Caledonia!
    Do you have Sick Puppy (Mysterious Ways demo) in your collection?
    Because it is my favourite song of the "lost" AB.
  5. As far as I know, the demos were recorded in STS In Dublin rather than Hansa and the 'Berlin Tapes' is a bit of a misnomer. The deliberate leak theory holds some water, but there were also 4 discs of drum only tracks so I'm not fully convinced. As with all leaks though, who knows anything for sure.
  6. Originally posted by Anam:As far as I know, the demos were recorded in STS In Dublin rather than Hansa and the 'Berlin Tapes' is a bit of a misnomer. The deliberate leak theory holds some water, but there were also 4 discs of drum only tracks so I'm not fully convinced. As with all leaks though, who knows anything for sure.
    Yes this is what I've also believed to be the case also, though I'm not sure if it's ever been confirmed anywhere other than the official release of 'Where DId It All Go Wrong?' which I think states it was from Dog Town circa summer 1990 or thereabouts - where I'd also imagine much of this material, if not all of it, originates from, some of it perhaps even earlier.

    And yeah that 7 disc set has 3 additional discs full of drum tracks (definitely for the more hardcore fans out there, though I've listened right through at least twice lol, they're not completely uninteresting though) and an additional disc mostly full of Salome mixing / guitar overdubs from Edge and Bono which again are not entirely uninteresting (much of that material, but not all, was on the original Salome 3CD set). I believe the 7CD set never got a commercial pressing, and only came into circulation about a decade ago, long after the original pressings of The New U2 and the Salome 3CD set in 1991/2.

    I kinda really like the idea that they may have leaked the tapes themselves and stranger things have happened, but my gut instinct based on my memories of how this was reported in the music press in early 1991 tells me its unlikely they were leaked deliberately. I remember buying the issue of NME it was reported in which stated the FBI were investigating the matter (which I've always found a little strange - not sure why the FBI - a US agency would be involved in theft of material from Berlin, Germany of an Irish bands material - possibly Island got them involved or something I guess). And I think the BPI were also involved if memory serves correct and were going after record dealers selling 'The New U2' vinyls at record fairs and seizing their stock - not sure if any of the dealers who got caught got into further trouble beyond that, I never heard anything. It was reported at the time that Paul McGuinness and Edge were quite angry and upset about the whole thing. But when Bono was questioned about it he just largely shrugged it all off by calling the material 'Gobbledegook' which I've always found funny. In a way, I remember feeling a little bad for listening to them at the time, but I think most U2 fans wouldn't have been able to help themselves, and the genie was out of the bottle so to speak anyway.
  7. Originally posted by Jawis:Caledonia!
    Do you have Sick Puppy (Mysterious Ways demo) in your collection?
    Because it is my favourite song of the "lost" AB.
    Sadly not, other than what we can hear on From The Sky Down. We can only hope we get to hear some more from those later sessions in Berlin at some point down the line. Have a feeling though that anything like that will probably permanently remain in the vault or remain there at least until U2 are long gone.

  8. Just unearthed some of my old cassette collection. I know there are even more in these boxes I have. US versions and various album/singles from different countries.
    I know I have the U2 Talkie and 1987 Cassette Sampler too. It just serves to keep on digging through and sorting out.
  9. wow
  10. I know there are more versions and band related cassettes here somewhere. It was fun to find most of these in a box this morning. Finally designating a place for it all after a few house moves.
  11. Originally posted by ELIZIUM:[image]
    Just unearthed some of my old cassette collection. I know there are even more in these boxes I have. US versions and various album/singles from different countries.
    I know I have the U2 Talkie and 1987 Cassette Sampler too. It just serves to keep on digging through and sorting out.
    Impressive.
  12. Been collecting them ever since Pride was released. In fact that was the first thing I bought of that release before getting the vinyls.