Mercy

[jimbo913]

I found an mp3 of "mercy" on the net.  However, I see that it wasn't part of the complete u2 digital set.  Does anyone know where this MP3 might have originated then?  

I never downloaded HTDAAB before it was released and do not know how much the store bought version differs from the downloaded one.  Can anyone shed any light? Is that the source of Mercy?

[u2rob]

I'd like to know the same thing; I've heard nothing about the origin of this file.  It's almost certainly not from the same source as the album leak; the quality of the Mercy mp3 is not nearly as good, for one thing.

I've grabbed two different mp3 versions that were floating around (one is 192kbps, the other is 256kbps), but I think that they're from the same source (nearly identical audio quality on both - perhaps the smaller one was simply resampled at a lower bitrate to save on download time).

To answer some of your other questions, though:

As far as I can tell, there is no discernable difference between the album mp3 leak and the final retail album release.  The leak seemed to come from Team RNS, an underground-type group that specializes in releasing albums early online.  They have no webpage; I believe they conduct most of their operations through IRC channels.  They supposedly have connections with the labels and insiders at radio stations, etc.

Mercy was slated to be on the album; in fact, it appears in the book that came with the limited edition of HTDAAB.  Supposedly it was one of the final songs to be cut; you can read a bit about that in the November 2004 issue of Blender.

Try http://www.atu2.com/news/article.src?ID=3550&Key=&Year=&Cat=5

The relevant text:

"I have a theory," Mullen begins, and a reverential silence descends as the drummer -- traditionally the first band member to be shouted down in these situations -- states his case. After just five minutes, it has been unanimously decided that the track "Mercy," a six-and-a-half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish, must go.

Hence a song that any self-respecting band would be proud to call a single becomes what Bono immediately anoints "the best B-side you've ever heard."

[jimbo913]

thanks a million u2rob, that answers several questions that have been bugging me.  I really hope that Mercy makes it's way onto a b-side soon.  I love that song.  Seems some are a little cold on it, but to each their own.  

I really appreciate you taking the time to write that up... very kind of you

[u2rob]

Hey, I'm bored at work.  No big deal.  =)

I also hope that Mercy gets released as a future B-side.  I honestly do feel that it's better than a good number of tracks on HTDAAB, and I'm kinda disappointed that it was left off.

Still would like to know where this particular file came from.  If I didn't think the whole "Edge's CD was stolen" bit was just savvy/sneaky marketing and PR by U2, I'd wonder if perhaps it came from that lost CD.

Time will hopefully tell.

[jimbo913]

LOL... me too... but I have a ton to do.  Really dumb of me to be posting... but well... it's Friday.

I really like the song too, and look forward to getting a better version of it soon.  I tend to agree with you that it shouldn't have been taken off.  

I also feel that way about Fast Cars.  I mean, I know why they do it and all, but it seems that every other country besides the US gets it.  I did buy the box set, so I have it, but it does seem that US got the cheap-o HTDAAB -1 version.  I hope that makes sense.

BTW, I lived in Philly for 4 years during grad school.  Lived in Bala Cynwyd (can't remember how to spell it, but you know what I mean).

[Edited on 12/10/2004 by jimbo913]

[Carl]

At work so skimming quickly, but supposedly it was ripped from an early HTDAAB CD that Bono gave a fan, that had that song as the 12th track.  It was ripped using WiMP (bleh) as a wma file.  People then made huge bitrate mp3s attempting to get "better sound".  *sigh*

It is supposedly going to be a b-side to the next single.

[Butter7]

I heard the original .wma file only 96 kbps...

:"(

[Aaron]

Let me add a few words to the discussion...

Mercy was indeed ripped from a CD that Bono gave someone while driving around in a car with them.  I haven't heard that it was a full album, that in fact it only had a couple of songs on it.  One of their "work in progress" CDs that seemed to be prevalent during this recording session.

The CD that was stolen from the photo shoot this summer was another one of these.  Four album tracks and "Mercy" were on that release as well.  It was actually stolen, and it was narrowed down to a handful of people who had access, so it's doubtful that anything will ever show from that test CD.

The album that got leaked in mp3 was a full blown version of the album, and was the finished album as we received it.  There are no differences.  Whoever this RNS group is who are ripping these things, seem to have access to Universal's early promo releases, or the production plant in which they were made.

Finally on Fast Cars - the only people who got this as a bonus track on the regular versions of the album were Japan and the UK.  Far from just the USA got shafted on that one.  The rest of the world got "Fast Cars" in the box set, but not on the single album, or the regular album / dvd version.  

The reason the UK and Japan get special treatment?  Import CDs are actually cheaper in both locations than buying the domestically made CDs.  You can buy an import from Europe or the USA cheaper than buying the one made in the UK.  Thus to help sell more domestic CDs, U2 has the habit of putting an extra track on the releases from these areas...it's been happening since the 90s.

[Carl]

Originally posted by Butter7
I heard the original .wma file only 96 kbps...

128kbps.  It was amusing seeing people making 256kbps mp3s to make it sound better. o_O

Originally posted by Aaron
Mercy was indeed ripped from a CD that Bono gave someone while driving around in a car with them.  I haven't heard that it was a full album, that in fact it only had a couple of songs on it.  One of their "work in progress" CDs that seemed to be prevalent during this recording session.

I did hear it was from a full album (from the person who posted the file).  Given the fact that they chose to rip the damn thing as a wma probably means they aren't tech savvy enough to edit the file tag that says "track 12" which lends further credence to this story.

It would have been lovely if the rest of the stuff was demoish though... I got the feeling Bono just burned an unmastered Mercy at the end of the album because he liked the song, then just gave it to a fan.

[Butter7]

Originally posted by Carl

Originally posted by Butter7
I heard the original .wma file only 96 kbps...

128kbps.  It was amusing seeing people making 256kbps mp3s to make it sound better. o_O

It doesn't sound like 128k...

Have you ever made any 56k wma files for yourself from CDs, I mean U2 songs? They even sound better than the 128k Mercy...

*sigh*

Why Bono didn't give it to us? I promise I would make loseless shn files...

[Edited on 2004-12-12 by Butter7]

[jimbo913]

Thanks Aaron.  I do understand why they put extra stuff on those UK and Japan releases.  It does seem though that US fans are at a disadvantage somewhat.  We no longer get domestic CD singles, nor do we get DVD singles.  US fans do seem to have to work a bit harder to get this stuff than the rest of the world, at least in my opinion.  Of course, I am probably ignorant of a lot of the reasons why this is so.

[Aaron]

Well in the USA the charts are measured based on album sales for the most part.  In other countries you get a bigger focus on who is at the top of the singles chart.  That's the main reason I'm told that the USA isn't getting much in the way of singles anymore.  They don't want to pour money into a single which may take away from album sales...

You guys did get the "7" EP after the ATYCLB album singles stopped coming.  It was something extra for the USA that covered some of the material.  Hopefully they will do something like that again for you guys this time out for those that have a harder time finding things...

[Brad]

Originally posted by Butter7

Originally posted by Carl

Originally posted by Butter7
I heard the original .wma file only 96 kbps...

128kbps.  It was amusing seeing people making 256kbps mp3s to make it sound better. o_O

It doesn't sound like 128k...

Have you ever made any 56k wma files for yourself from CDs, I mean U2 songs? They even sound better than the 128k Mercy...

*sigh*

Why Bono didn't give it to us? I promise I would make loseless shn files...

[Edited on 2004-12-12 by Butter7]

I think the sound quality on this track has more to do with it being a "work in progress" than the bitrate at which it was encoded.

I have a copy of the the "original" WMA file, and there's a lot of white noise (i.e. static) throughout the track, especially at the beginning.

I converted the WMA back to a WAV file and ran it through Soundsoap; it sounds a lot better, but still not "finished."

I'm sure we'll get a properly mastered version as a b-side soon.

[Between Two Worlds]

Cheer up if you're in North America. It may be a little more trouble to get the additional track (downloaded from iTunes music stores) and to burn it on your own CD (with the tracks you bought on the CD) but for the time being it's significantly cheaper than buying the music here in the UK. (This may change if the legal challenge against iTunes preventing UK residents from using other European iTunes stores is successfull but I doubt this will be any time soon.)

[jimbo913]

Thanks all.  I don't want to come off a whining.  I just think it is a little tougher to get stuff here in the USA relative to the rest of the world.  Heck, even our neighbors to the North get stuff we do not.  But such is life, and I will continue to pay near full album (8.99-12.99) price for singles with 1-2 b side songs.  I would be nice to be able to pick these up for 2.99-4.99 like most other singles.