U2 Achtung Baby Massive Box Set Coming

[Pandemonium]

A few thoughts on this release.......

There's 5 versions of this set coming on Oct 31st.

http://achtungbaby.u2.com/?utm_source=P ... .&AID=1613

or

http://tinyurl.com/3sr64ju

The Uber set is a whopping $500+ US and the Super deluxe is about $150 US.

My two biggest disappointments about the press release on the contents of the set is no new complete ZooTV show. The Sydney show from late 1993 has already been released on dvd a couple years ago. A '92 (indoor) show should have been a mandatory inclusion as by the time the last leg rolled along, the setlist and production had changed quite a bit from '92.

Plus, it's a cheap, cynical move tossing in the Sydney show again. BTW, will that be just the single dvd version, not the 2 disc version? I guess one can hope they fixed the horribly remixed 5.1 audio track where Bono's vox are taken dry straight off the mixing desk and completely overwhelm the rest of the band unlike the old vhs and laserdisc audio tracks. As an aside, I understand why they are sticking with a dvd release on that show - it wasn't filmed in HD and wouldn't look any better up-scaled for HD/Blu-ray.

I am kind of pissed they are using the Zooropa album as basically bait for fans to by the 2 most expensive versions of this set. If they (likely) are planning on releasing that album on cd at a later date, say so, so people don't waste a lot of money just to get that album. That's a totally chickenshit move. I am also a bit surprised basically the entire "Stay" 6 song cd single was ignored - someone fucked up or more likely, at least in the Sinatra duet song, it was a licensing cost issue.

And yeah, I can do without all the printed junk to jack the price up to an even more ridiculous number - just give me the music.

That said, there's a lot in the 6 cd set to like. I disagree with many who've stated that AB is in some dire need of remastering. From an audio standpoint, the original cd still holds up sonically. IMO, Zooropa is the one of the two that will (hopefully) benefit from a modern remastering job. All of the previous U2 remasters have been a good improvement over their original issued discs, so I'm not concerned they'll fuck this up on that front.

I am guessing the "From The Sky Down" documentary will be very similar to the Bruce Springsteen doc from his recent "Darkness on the Edge of Town" in which the band will play a number of Achtung Baby (and maybe Zooropa) songs in the studio which will be broken up by chat about the genesis of the album and songs, kind of like a "Storytellers" episode. As this was undoubtedly filmed in HD, I would expect a stand-alone Blu-ray version at some point in 2012.

Tentative tracklist:

CD1 - Achtung Baby

01. Zoo Station
02. Even Better Than The Real Thing
03. One
04. Until The End Of The World
05. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06. So Cruel
07. The Fly
08. Mysterious Ways
09. Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat
12. Love Is Blindness

CD2 - Zooropa

01. Zooropa
02. Babyface
03. Numb (The Edge)
04. Lemon
05. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
06. Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car
07. Some Days Are Better Than Others
08. The First Time
09. Dirty Day (Bono and The Edge)
10. The Wanderer

CD3 - Uber Remixes

01. Night and Day (Steel string remix)
02. Real Thing (Perfecto Mix)
03. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix)
04. Lemon (Perfecto Mix)
05. Can’t help falling in love (Triple peaks Remix)
06. Lady with the spinning head (extended Dance remix)
07. Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix)
08. Mysterious Ways (Ultimatum Mix)
09. The Lounge fly mix
10. Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Remix)
11. One (Apollo 440) – Mix Master [S-109]

CD4 - Unter Remixes

01. Mysterious Ways (Tabla Motown Remix)
02. Mysterious Ways (Appollo 440 Magic Hour Remix)
03. Can’t help Falling in Love (Mystery Train Dub)
04. One (Apollo 440) – Ambient Master [S-109]
05. Lemon (Momo’s Reprise)
06. Salome (Zooromancer Remix)
07. Real Thing (Trance Mix)
08. Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)
09. Mysterious Ways (Solar Plexus Magic hour Remix)
10. Numb (The Soul Assassins Mix)
11. Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix)

CD5 - B-sides and Bonus Tracks

01. Lady with the spinning head (UV1)
02. Blow Your House – Analogue Mix Bono Edit 190711
03. Salome
04. Even Better Than the Real Thing (Single)
05. Satelite of love
06. Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix)
07. Heaven And Hell – In Truth Mix 211711
08. Oh Berlin – Analogue Mix 1 190711 (needs an edit)
09. Near the Island (instr) Night train from Rostock.
10. Down All The Days (Vsn 1) [CD#4/07] (needs edits)
11. Paint it black
12. Fortunate Son
13. Alex Descends into Hell for a bottle of Milk/Korova
14. Where did it all go wrong
15. Everybody loves a winner edit between take 2+3
16. Real Thing (Fish out of water mix)

CD6 - “Baby” Actung Baby (preliminary mixes of songs)

01. “Baby” Zoo Station
02. “Baby” Even Better Than The Real Thing
03. “Baby” One
04. “Baby” Until The End Of The World
05. “Baby” Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06. “Baby” So Cruel
07. “Baby” The Fly
08. “Baby” Mysterious Ways
09. “Baby” Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. “Baby” Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. “Baby” Acrobat
12. “Baby” Love Is Blindness

DVDs (4)

01. From The Sky Down – a documentary
02. Videos
03. Bonus Material
04. ZooTV Live From Sydney – the concert

[Tyler Durden]

I'll be going with the "Super deluxe" edition for $150 US. I don't need all of that other crap.

What I don't understand is that in the press release, it does NOT explicitly state that the albums have been remastered.

I'm really looking forward to the "From the Sky Down" doc and the book that is included.

Also, what is this "Bonus Material" DVD? Will is just be the second disc from the Sydney DVD set? I certainly hope not! Hopefully they include "Achtung Baby: The Videos, The Cameos And Interference" VHS and "Numb" VHS as part of the "Videos" DVD.

They should have included the Indoor Broadcast from Washington, D.C.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV2T6JgdmI4[/youtube]

I wish they had included more rare songs (if there are any from that era that are decent enough for public consumption); not sure I need any more mixes of say, "Mysterious Ways". As you stated above, it's a real shame that they didn't include "I've Got You Under My Skin".

[Pandemonium]

What I don't understand is that in the press release, it does NOT explicitly state that the albums have been remastered.

Yeah, that's been brought up on several U2 forums, but I would be shocked if they simply threw out the same old release(s) in the box set after going through all the effort remastering the first 5 studio albums the last couple years.

I wish they had included more rare songs (if there are any from that era that are decent enough for public consumption); not sure I need any more mixes of say, "Mysterious Ways". As you stated above, it's a real shame that they didn't include "I've Got You Under My Skin".

Yeah, I'm not a fan of 95% of the tons of remixes U2's put out for their 90's songs. I'd much rather have more unreleased demos, alternate takes and unheard songs. There's some supposedly great stuff from the Zooropa sessions that didn't make the album that later found their way onto the "Pop" album in drastically different form.

[Tyler Durden]

What I don't understand is that in the press release, it does NOT explicitly state that the albums have been remastered.

Yeah, that's been brought up on several U2 forums, but I would be shocked if they simply threw out the same old release(s) in the box set after going through all the effort remastering the first 5 studio albums the last couple years.

Me too. I'm thinking AB and Zooropa are remastered and it just isn't stated, for whatever reason.

I wish they had included more rare songs (if there are any from that era that are decent enough for public consumption); not sure I need any more mixes of say, "Mysterious Ways". As you stated above, it's a real shame that they didn't include "I've Got You Under My Skin".

Yeah, I'm not a fan of 95% of the tons of remixes U2's put out for their 90's songs. I'd much rather have more unreleased demos, alternate takes and unheard songs. There's some supposedly great stuff from the Zooropa sessions that didn't make the album that later found their way onto the "Pop" album in drastically different form.

In that case, we can only hope they appear in a remastered set for "Pop".

[Larry B.]

I'd like to have those glasses...

And I want that little wool thingy Edge wore during the ZooTV shows, with some Zooropic symbols around it. I've wanted that for about 10 years.

BTW... has any of you realized about the many coincidences between All That You Can't Leave Behind and 9-11? I remember feeling something similar to the "Paul is Dead" thingy when I started connecting some shit. Real weird stuff.

[Pandemonium]

I'd like to have those glasses...

And I want that little wool thingy Edge wore during the ZooTV shows, with some Zooropic symbols around it. I've wanted that for about 10 years.

BTW... has any of you realized about the many coincidences between All That You Can't Leave Behind and 9-11? I remember feeling something similar to the "Paul is Dead" thingy when I started connecting some shit. Real weird stuff.

You could get that Edge cappy at Vertigo tour shows in '05. I picked one up for my son and I think he wore it twice.

As far as coincidences between ATYCLB and 9/11, I don't directly see it. Other than much of the album focusing on dying and the loss of loved ones. And Bono kind of exploited that bit during the tour when celebrities like Joey Ramone died and of course, his father before finally directly after 9/11 when the band played the US and ran that scroll of 9/11 victims during "One."

[Tyler Durden]

I'd like to have those glasses...

And I want that little wool thingy Edge wore during the ZooTV shows, with some Zooropic symbols around it. I've wanted that for about 10 years.

BTW... has any of you realized about the many coincidences between All That You Can't Leave Behind and 9-11? I remember feeling something similar to the "Paul is Dead" thingy when I started connecting some shit. Real weird stuff.

You could get that Edge cappy at Vertigo tour shows in '05. I picked one up for my son and I think he wore it twice.

As far as coincidences between ATYCLB and 9/11, I don't directly see it. Other than much of the album focusing on dying and the loss of loved ones. And Bono kind of exploited that bit during the tour when celebrities like Joey Ramone died and of course, his father before finally directly after 9/11 when the band played the US and ran that scroll of 9/11 victims during "One."

Yeah, the 9/11 victim "roster" didn't sit well with me.

It was interesting that ATYCLB had a song called "New York" on the album, as well as the air travel theme in the album artwork and "Beautiful Day" video.

[Larry B.]

Yup, that's what I was talking about...

- Release date: October 30, 2000 (nothing special, only to note that it was released before 9/11)
- Beautiful Day: the whole airport/airplane thingy, "the sky falls at your feet" as in "humongous towers collapse".
- The artwork thingy where you can see contents of briefcases.
- "New York" (terrible song, BTW).
- "Peace on Earth"

Of course, I'm not saying there are hidden messages or anything... just pointing out some stuff I thought was weird.

[Tyler Durden]

Yup, that's what I was talking about...

- Release date: October 30, 2000 (nothing special, only to note that it was released before 9/11)
- Beautiful Day: the whole airport/airplane thingy, "the sky falls at your feet" as in "humongous towers collapse".
- The artwork thingy where you can see contents of briefcases.
- "New York" (terrible song, BTW).
- "Peace on Earth"

Of course, I'm not saying there are hidden messages or anything... just pointing out some stuff I thought was weird.

I like "New York". For me, the worst song on the album is "Elevation"; and ranks among their worst songs in general.

[Larry B.]

For me, the worst song on the album is "Elevation"; and ranks among their worst songs in general.

[Pandemonium]

For me, the worst song on the album is "Elevation"; and ranks among their worst songs in general.

Same here. In fact, any U2 song that features The Edge using that wah-wah octave-step foot peddle effect (Even Better Than The Real Thing, Hold me Kiss Me etc etc, Elevation) for some reason blows, imo.

[Artemis]

I'm posting this U2 news here because I don't want to start another thread.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/art ... le2151685/

So, the U2 documentary From the Sky Down will be opening the Toronto International Film Festival. To me it seems odd to open with a rock doc, but this article explains why TIFF + U2 go together like jam and toast. The director is the guy who did an Inconvenient truth and It Might get Loud.

TIFF and U2: a perfect fit
RICK GROEN
From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Next Thursday evening, when the lights dim at Roy Thomson Hall, the gala audience will sit back to watch something never before seen in the opening-night history of the Toronto International Film Festival: a documentary. But nothing unsettling that might rattle their jewellery, not one of those downbeat treatises starring man’s folly. Nope, this isn’t just any documentary – it’s a rock doc. And it doesn’t feature just any band – From the Sky Down spotlights, in the expansive phrase of TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey, “the biggest rock band in the world right now.” In short, U2.

Well, the questions are obvious. Why break tradition to kick things off with a doc? And why this particular doc? Addressing the first, Bailey offers tradition itself as a motive: “There’s always been a strong documentary component to the festival and this is a country with a rich history in documentaries.” True enough, although, with stellar names like Beryl Fox and Donald Brittain and the National Film Board fading with every passing decade, that “rich history” is cited too often as a smug generality. So allow me to be specific for a second.

This year, Nick Broomfield brings his doc Sarah Palin – You Betcha! to the festival. But that film wouldn’t have been possible, nor would much of Broomfield’s oeuvre, nor would Michael Moore’s reputation-making Roger & Me, without the original template of a witty documentary done at the NFB back in 1974 by Michael Rubbo – his Waiting for Fidel invented the stalkumentary. It’s pleasant to remember that our rich history penetrates right to the present.

Of course, a taste for filmed “reality” is in vogue these days, or at least, at the pop level, a taste for that soft “reality TV” version typically accompanied by singing and dancing and celebs of varying stripes. Which brings us, then, to the second question: Why this U2 doc? Certainly, the band is no stranger to the camera – the lads have been paraded on the big screen before, in the likes of U2: Rattle and Hum and U2 3D. Even Davis Guggenheim, the director of From the Sky Down, had an earlier flirtation, showcasing The Edge in his study of rock guitarists, It Might Get Loud.

Naturally, by way of explanation, Bailey puts an artsy spin on things, citing Guggenheim for his Oscar-winning success in An Inconvenient Truth, and for “his way of dealing with well-known prominent people and getting behind their personas.” To that end, the film sees the band members revisiting that period in ’91 when, amid the confines of a Berlin studio, they struggled to renew themselves creatively, and eventually emerged with Achtung Baby. For all these reasons, then, Bailey concludes of the opening-night selection: “We thought it was the best fit for us.”

Actually, the fit is far better than he might have realized. Since U2 and TIFF have both become “prominent” in their own way, let’s follow Guggenheim’s lead and do a little digging “behind the personas.” Hey, it turns out the two have a whole lot in common, beginning with this curious bit of trivia: They share the same birthday. Each was born in September, 1976, flirting with different names before settling on their current handle. Both started out small, grew bigger, then got huge – U2 into today’s colossus status; TIFF into a globally significant festival that, while still lacking the prestige of the venerable Cannes, beats the hell out of the old gal in sheer numbers – 336 films in this fall’s accounting.

To house their size, both have built their own accommodations – the band, a vast stage for the vaster stadiums it now plays; and the festival, its shiny new Lightbox. That’s not to suggest quantity has entirely eclipsed quality. Each definitely possesses a serious artistic side. Few would deny that the U2 catalogue contains some enduring rock anthems. Similarly, pick at random 10 movies from the TIFF program, compare them to 10 chosen from the usual multiplex fare on any given Friday, and the relative aesthetic merit will be patently obvious. In Toronto, every September, cinema enjoys a brief resurrection.

What’s more, in developing their artistry, the rockers and the programmers alike have reached out to embrace international influences while still clinging to their roots – U2 takes pride in being an Irish band; TIFF takes pains to fly, and preserve, the flag of Cancon. For both, their relationship with Americana seems, like most cases of mutual dependency, to be a love-hate affair. They need the Yanks and, happy surprise, the Yanks have come to need them. Big money is involved.

Speaking of lucre, there’s no doubt that U2 and TIFF share very shrewd commercial instincts. They know how to amass cash for themselves, and have invited criticism for their zeal – the band, by sheltering its gains in tax havens; the fest, by boasting more corporate sponsors than the boards on a dozen hockey rinks. Yet they’re equally adroit at raising money for the causes they espouse – for Bono and U2, social and political causes; for the festival, the cause of cinema, advanced year-long in that Lightbox, which is an invaluable (and underappreciated) repository of art flicks and auteur retrospectives.

Now, in this age, like any other, commerce and celebrity are close cousins with linked powers, a fact acutely understood by the band no less than by the festival. Bono is a wizard at using his celebrity, often in collaboration with the media, to publicize his social concerns. For example, he’s assumed a “guest editor” role at several newspapers (including this one) to enhance public awareness of African famine and debt relief. There, the deal is clear-cut: He gets to promote his social message, the newspaper gets his presence, both parties are satisfied.

With Hollywood’s eager help, TIFF deploys its celebrities in the same skillful way, trotting them out on red carpets and in interview rooms for the collaborating media. Again, a clear-cut deal: George Clooney gets to promote his movie, the press gets his presence, both parties are satisfied.

As depicted in Guggenheim’s film, U2 has laboured over the years, sometimes openly and disputatiously, to chart new creative ground. TIFF, well, not so much. Its ascent has been a smooth upward arc, with the inevitable sacrifice of intimacy to the well-oiled machine. The struggle here is not so much creative as political – to maintain its democratic reputation as a “people’s festival” in an increasingly corporate atmosphere. Squabbling, if it happens, is internal and never public.

So on to Thursday night, when the festival will open by hitching its wagon to a rock star or four. That’s a local first, but hardly a novelty. Directors, and some very good ones, have been wagon-hitching since pretty much the dawn of rock ’n’ roll – D.A. Pennebaker in Don’t Look Back, Michael Wadleigh in Woodstock, Martin Scorsese in The Last Waltz, Jonathan Demme in Stop Making Sense.

The festival has every good reason to follow suit. From the Sky Down may be a great film, it may suck, but artistry takes a back seat on this gala occasion. What matters is that the boys of U2 are up on TIFF’s screen, and perhaps in TIFF’s audience, too. What matters is the fit – and it’s damn near perfect.

[Tyler Durden]

Thanks Artemis. Read that in the paper this morning. The film will be included in the box set (which is out November 1st). Can't wait!

[Artemis]

Bono is is here for the opening of the documenary.

As well, you guys can tweet questions this afternoon:

Announced this morning: U2 are giving their fans a chance to ask them questions via Twitter. Fans can tweet their questions using the hashtag: #THESKYDOWN before 12 noon EST on September 9th. The discussion will be streamed live online at tiff.net/festival and U2.com starting at 1:30 pm. bit.ly/pUhML3

[Tyler Durden]

Bono is is here for the opening of the documenary.

As well, you guys can tweet questions this afternoon:

Announced this morning: U2 are giving their fans a chance to ask them questions via Twitter. Fans can tweet their questions using the hashtag: #THESKYDOWN before 12 noon EST on September 9th. The discussion will be streamed live online at tiff.net/festival and U2.com starting at 1:30 pm. bit.ly/pUhML3

I'm going to TIFF on Saturday to see the gala premiere of Pearl Jam Twenty. Cameron Crowe and Pearl Jam will be there. It is also expected that U2 will be in attendance.

[Artemis]

Bono is is here for the opening of the documenary.

As well, you guys can tweet questions this afternoon:

Announced this morning: U2 are giving their fans a chance to ask them questions via Twitter. Fans can tweet their questions using the hashtag: #THESKYDOWN before 12 noon EST on September 9th. The discussion will be streamed live online at tiff.net/festival and U2.com starting at 1:30 pm. bit.ly/pUhML3

I'm going to TIFF on Saturday to see the gala premiere of Pearl Jam Twenty. Cameron Crowe and Pearl Jam will be there. It is also expected that U2 will be in attendance.

(our cool smilie is missing. that's why i'm using this one.)

i'm going to try to see a few movies. next week i have a few days off.

[Tyler Durden]

This is awesome.

[Larry B.]

I was one of the first human beings to experience it live!

goddamn i want that mp3

[NYRexall]

- "New York" (terrible song, BTW).

Compared to what, the other songs on the album? You're one of my favourite posters on this forum, but clearly you have lost your mind.

New York was one of the BEST songs on an album that had literally no good songs on it whatsoever. There are only two things that blow worse than ATYCLB and that's the two albums U2 have released since. None of their albums after Pop have had any kind of distinction or musical ambition that was the band's stock-in-trade from 1987-1997. "Stuck In a Moment", "Wild Honey", "Elevation" and "In a Little While" are so bad and contrived, they could be gold standards for a U2 "Most Embarrassing Songs" compilation. They would perfect this dismal lack-of-quality on that godawful Atomic Bomb record they subsequently released.

That being said, I've found the concept of an Achtung Baby "Uber-deluxe" box set to be par for the course when taking into consideration U2's "Egos gone wild" mentality. Perhaps their record label deems it fit to take revenge on the band's fanbase after only about 10% of them bought "No Line on the Horizon"

Seriously, only a disturbed U2 zealot would need a pair of Bono's "Fly" sunglasses and six CDs/4 DVDs of material based around one album. It's a decent album no doubt, but not their best and certainly not worth a $500 asking price.

[Tyler Durden]

It's a decent album

[NYRexall]

I'm serious! It's not as good as critics and fans hype it to be. The band was in a state of strife when they made it, and it shows by the album's quality.

Don't get me wrong, some of U2's best stuff is on that album. And it did help massively renovate their image and sound to a whole new level.

But it's not as great as the Joshua Tree, or as groundbreaking as Pop.

[Tyler Durden]

But it's not as great as the Joshua Tree, or as groundbreaking as Pop.

That's a good one!

[NYRexall]

Whatever, mang. It's just my opinion, anyway.

But you're still wrong, of course.

[Pandemonium]

OK, here's my take on Achtung Baby....

Yeah, it was made during a period when there was a lot of negative shit going on in the band. Edge's marriage was falling apart, there was resentment brewing over who was contributing and who wasn't and the band as a whole had hit the wall creatively the first year they were trying to write songs for the album. The fact is, at some point they had a breakthrough - the writing and recording of "One" is often cited as the turning point. That they could not only completely reinvent their "sound" but come up with at least their second best album of their career at such a point was pretty significant.

I remember getting the promo single in mid-October '91 for "The Fly" about a week before the song was officially released to radio through a radio station friend and was absolutely blown away by the song. About the only song they'd recorded previously that gave any indication of this sort of direction was "God Part II" off the Rattle and Hum album a couple years before. I will admit when the album came out, it did take a few listens to get into it but a friend of mine who wasn't a big U2 fan said it was the best thing they'd ever done (at the time).

When the tour started in early '92 playing arenas, I managed to get a VIP pass for a pair of tickets to the Phoenix, AZ show a day before the concert and wound up flying to the show and back the same night which was a trip. The show itself was pretty remarkable. They played like 8 songs in a row off the new album before playing some of their classic material and it was the first production I'd seen using a second mini or "B" stage in the center of the arena for the acoustic set in the middle of the show. The performance was a bit shaky at times and it was bizarre seeing some fans after the show pissed and even a few literally crying that U2 had "sold out" or wasn't a "Christian" band anymore (some U2 fans are pretty fucked in the head, imo). I was so impressed, I wound up buying a very expensive ticket from a scalper to see one of the LA Sports Arena shows the next week when they played locally (much better show, btw).

I will say that especially after I heard the bootleg "Salome" demos after the album had been released , it was clear the band almost desperately pirated the few songs they initially had at the start to come up with The Fly, Ultraviolet, Zoo Station and Lady With The Spinning Head (a b-side) which are all basically snaked from the same demo'd song. Looking back, it's obvious that U2 saw their traditional sound becoming stale and burned out with other bands like Big Country, etc strip mining that genre to death. The relative flop of the Rattle and Hum album and movie reinforced that and they clearly took inspiration /swiped from newer bands like The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays who were becoming big at the end of the 80's with the so-called UK Manchester scene.

All said, that a band like U2 despite their limitations could come up with a legitimate classic album twice in their career was no small feat.

I'm bored and drinking, btw.

[sinep]

you should write a book. no joke.

"U2, according to some guy on the internet from orange county"