This past week saw u2.com place all of the singles on the website for subscribers access. These tracks can only be heard in full if you are a u2.com member. And while I applaud the addition of tracks to the website to be listened to by members as an added bonus, I decided to take a closer look to see how these tracks actually matched up with what U2 has released as singles over the years.

First of all, the tracks themselves! What has u2.com unleashed upon the internet? With a bit of digging it was possible to look at the files and discover what has been made available. Under this selection of the page were audio files from all of the major singles from Three (1979) up to the most recent, I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (2009). 17% of these tracks are at a quality of 192kbps or less. 52% of these tracks are at a very high quality of compression, at 256 or 320kbps. The remaining 31% are a high bit rate variable encode. The quality of these tracks is impressive, and they sound good to the ear, at least those ripped from CD.

I will warn that some of the early singles sound like they were recorded from a vinyl source, and not cleaned up very well. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock for instance has vinyl pops very evident at the start, and sounds very murky throughout. If ever there was a case for going to the easier to find compilation versions, this would be it.

I did discover that many of these tracks are not what they claim to be. They are pushed as the single version, however, in many cases the tracks themselves are ripped from albums, or compilations, and not the original singles themselves. 37% of the tracks in this collection are from albums, compilations (Melon, U218, Best of 1990-2000 etc) and are not necessarily the same as what was available on the singles themselves. I think my most amusing discovery was that 23.5% of these tracks were purchased from Amazon.com and indeed the Amazon.com Song IDs were still embedded within the song. They sound great, and the quality of the file is excellent, but why is u2.com buying tracks from the Amazon.com store and putting them up? Do they not have access to the material themselves?

Some of my major issues with the set as presented here are the relabeling of tracks from albums to make them look like the single version. For example there was a single version of All Because of You done, and it was backed with an Acoustic version of A Man and a Woman for the single release. For this set they’ve just ripped the two tracks from the album, and the actual versions released on the single are forgotten about. The single version of City of Blinding Lights is dropped in favour again of the album mix. Discotheque is the version released on the album instead of the single mix, and the Hexidecimal mix? It’s not the version found on the single, but rather the edited down version that was released years later on the Best of 1990-2000 on the bsides disc. Likewise the Lemon Bad Yard Club mix isn’t the original version of the mix, but rather an edit found on the Melon compilation. Last Night on Earth is the album version instead of the re-recorded and superior single version. When Love Comes to Town was originally released with two remixes, one of God Part II and one of the title track itself. The remix of the title track is dropped completely, and instead of the remix of God Part II, they include the album version of the track which was never used on the single.

In other words? Do NOT attempt to use this set of songs as a guide to what was actually released. They’ve taken liberties with what they put up for each single. In most cases the title track of the single is indeed the album version rather than a single version if such a version did exist. In many cases the b-sides are the easier to find compilation versions rather than the original single versions. The quality is nice, and these are great to listen to when you don’t have your collection nearby, but the set does not include any real rarities, and instead opts to drop tracks and use the compilation versions in many cases. I just wish they would have labeled their sources so people know what they are listening to. I can’t wait to hear that A Man and a Woman (album version) was on the single because u2.com says it was in this set. It wasn’t. :)

Some of the more glaring errors and omissions by single:

I’ll Go Crazy (2009)

No Dave Aude mixes?! No Live versions of Magnificent and Crazy from Somerville?

Magnificent (2009)

Title track is not the single edit, but rather the album version. No Breathe or Vertigo live from Somerville?

Window in the Skies (2006)

No Tower of Song? And they use the album version rather than the single edit of the title track.

All Because of You (2005)

They use album versions of ABOY and A Man and a Woman instead of the Single version, and the acoustic version. No live tracks from this single are included, thus no Miss Sarajevo (Live from Milan) and no She’s a Mystery to Me (Live from Brooklyn).

City of Blinding Lights (2005)

Album version of title track, instead of the single edit. None of the live tracks from the Brooklyn Bridge performance (Out of Control, City of Blinding Lights)

Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (2005)

Uses album version of song rather than single version. Ave Maria (Jacknife Lee) mix is not present.

Vertigo (2005)

Drops all the remixes by Jacknife Lee (10”, 12”, 7”, Instrumental)

Walk On (2001)

Uses the album version of the title track instead of the video version or the single version which were used for the single. No sign of the Acoustic Version of Stuck in a Moment. Gone or Streets (Live from Boston) aren’t on here. Nor is Stay (Live from Toronto).

Elevation (2001)

No Quincey and Sonance Remix of the title track. No Influx mix. No Biffco mix. No live tracks from Irving Plaza: I Will Remember You, New York. No Last Night on Earth (Live from Mexico).

Beautiful Day (2001)

Leaves out the live tracks from Mexico City: Discotheque, If You Wear that Velvet Dress, and Last Night on Earth.

MOFO (1997):

Both tracks are the Mofo (Phunk Phorce Mix). No sign of the Mothers Mix, Black Hole Dub, House Flavour Mix, or Romin Remix.

Last Night On Earth (1997):

The single version is not released, instead they’ve included the album version. No release of Happiness is a Warm Gun (Danny Saber Mix), or of Pop Muzik (Pop Mart Mix) or of Last Night On Earth (First Night in Hell) or Numb (Soul Assassins Mix).

Discotheque (1997):

Main title track is the album version, not the 12” version. None of the mixes are released as they were on the single. Missing: DM Deep Club Mix, Howie B Hairy B Mix, DM Tec Radio Mix, DM Deep Instrumental Remix, DM Deep Extended Club Mix, David Holmes Remix, DM Deep Beats Mix, Radio Edit. The Hexidecimal Remix is not the original mix on the single, but rather an edit from the Best of Album.

Miss Sarajevo (1995):

Forgotten altogether.

Stay (1993):

Forgets the live tracks. The remixes of Lemon included are versions from the Melon fan club CD, not the versions on the original single.

Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (1992):

Includes the Temple Bar Edit of the title track, but doesn’t include the full Temple Bar Version. Doesn’t included the Zooromancer version of Salome in full. Does not include the Triple Peaks remix of Can’t Help Falling in Love.

Even Better Than the Real Thing (1992):

Missing several mixes: Trance Mix, V16 Exit Wound Remix, and some instrumental mixes. But most missed is the Extended Dance Remix of Lady With the Spinning Head, instead we just get the regular version that’s also available on the One single. As expected by now the title track is the album version, and not the single mix at all.

Mysterious Ways (1991):

Missing mixes: Solar Plexus Magic Hour Remix, The Perfecto Mix, The Ultimatum Mix. The track marked Solar Plexus Extended Club Mix is actually the Edit version, which is also included here.

All I Want is You (1989):

The single version of All I Want is You is not included.

When Love Comes to Town (1989):

The version of the song is not the single version, but is instead the album version. The version of God Part II is the album version and not the Hard Metal Dance Mix. And no sign of WLCTT (Live from the Kingdom Remix). Dancing Barefoot is the longer full version, which did not appear on the CD single. Of course, as we’ve come to expect this has been ripped from the Best of 1980 – 1990 instead of the original single.

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