u2songs.com: Running to Stand Still
Site Related => Discography & Releases => Topic started by: morgan1098 on September 09, 2014, 03:19:51 PM
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So that just happened. U2's new album available NOW, totally free worldwide through iTunes. Unbelievable. Apple might not be able to keep celebrity selfies private, but they did a pretty dang good job of keeping this a secret. :)
A few notes:
*New version of "Every Breaking Wave" is on the album.
*Invisible and Ordinary Love are NOT on the album.
*Production, on various tracks, by Declan Gaffney, Flood, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Danger Mouse
*iTunes exclusive through mid-October, at which point I'm guessing we'll see a CD and vinyl release, and probably with different artwork.
Here's a track-by-track rundown from Rolling Stone. My head is still spinning. I just can't believe this!
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/u2-songs-of-innocence-surprise-album-guide-20140909
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From U2.com:
On October 13th the physical release of Songs of Innocence comes with a 24-page booklet. A deluxe, gatefold double album, contains an acoustic session of songs from the album and four additional tracks: Lucifer's Hands, The Crystal Ballroom, The Troubles (Alternative version) and Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)
The album will also be available as a gatefold, double white-vinyl LP with an exclusive remix of "The Crystal Ballroom".
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Two complaints: 1) would really like "Invisible", in its current edit or otherwise, on physical media and 2) as someone who finds the resurgence in popularity of scratchy vinyl to be a bunch of empty hipster hype, I'm crushed that the vinyl edition gets an exclusive track. Beyond those two gripes, I feel nothing but rapturous astonishment today.
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Tchad Blake worked with Pearl Jam and that mix should be interesting. Also hopefully we will get an acoustic mix of EBW. Yeah, but what a day. And another one on the way!
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Tchad Blake worked with Pearl Jam and that mix should be interesting. Also hopefully we will get an acoustic mix of EBW. Yeah, but what a day. And another one on the way!
I know! Normally I'd laugh off Bono's announcement (Songs of Ascent anyone?), but coming today, as part of this coordinated and masterful release campaign, I'm inclined to take it seriously. Un-freaking-believable. I didn't think U2 could surprise me anymore.
http://www.u2.com/news/title/remember-us
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This might be the artwork for the Miracle of Joey Ramone:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/daghj22dtrv9ql9/U2_TheMiracleofJoeyRamone_single-cover-1-608x608.jpg?dl=0
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More bonus tracks are possible at select retailers:
"U2 and Universal Music Group will face some hurdles due to disgruntled retailers. Sources say Target has a policy of not carrying any title that was first released to digital retail. Target refused to initially carry Beyonce's self-titled album following her surprise iTunes exclusive, and Amazon withheld the usual prime page placement. To entice retailers, Universal is offering four tracks that iTunes will not have until November, according to sources. Some retailers could walk away with more tracks, as sources say Universal has three additional tracks for select retailers."
Full article in Billboard here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6244247/u2-songs-of-innocence-download-numbers
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VIDEO - A studio, exclusive with U2 recording Songs of Innocence...
https://twitter.com/U2/status/510084877891280897
Cheers,
u2expert
September 9th, 2014 - shock, excitement, confusion, rotation, discovery, rotation, sleepless, weakness...
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More bonus tracks are possible at select retailers:
as sources say Universal has three additional tracks for select retailers."
Saw that article last night. I really, really hope "Invisible" is one of those tracks because it feels sorely missing from the new album and would be a perfect thematic fit to it. In fact, for the copy of SoI I made for playing in my car, I put "Invisible" as track one.
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Just posted an update on the front page...there are two different images in use for the cover right now...one on iTunes and one on Beats. If you hit the link on the front page (www.u2wanderer.org) it'll show you both.
http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/view.shtml?images/comparison.jpg (http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/view.shtml?images/comparison.jpg) may work as well.
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Concerning the tracks on Songs Of Innocence:
Every Breaking Wave - I love it
Song For Someone - I love it
Iris (Hold Me Close) - I love it
Raised By Wolves - I like it
Sleep Like A Baby Tonight - I love it
The Troubles - I love it
My initial impression is . . . . . . if U2 had put the above tracks on the album with Ordinary Love and Invisible, I would consider Songs Of Innocence an incredible return by U2. But the remaining tracks are making me work a little.
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Now that I've officially reached the point where I've spun the CD-R enough times that I've lost count, I'm ready to give my high-level thoughts on the album.
A) As someone who finds ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND to be highly overrated by fans (I love all things U2, but ATYCLB is near the bottom for me, personally; it suffers from a surplus of "losing steam" songs) and HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB highly underrated (it's my third favorite of the group's, behind THE JOSHUA TREE and ACHTUNG BABY), I can't quite rank SONGS OF INNOCENCE at the HTDAAB level, but it's not too far under, and it handily bests NO LINE ON THE HORIZON, ATYCLB and POP in the band's recent history. It's probably equal to ZOOROPA in that it features not a single fair or poor song, just a laudable range of good-to-great ones.
B) My favorite tracks are:
1. "Every Breaking Wave" -- I've seen some complaints that this song comes off like "With or Without You"-lite, which is a fair criticism, but that doesn't stop it from still being a devastatingly beautiful, achingly emotional track. If you're a step below "With or Without You", you're still light years beyond the treacle most bands produce in their slower, softer works. I do find it ironic, though, that, due to the fact that it's dying so blatantly in terms of radio airplay, I've been desperate for so long for U2 to bring some good, authentic, fist-pumping, chest-thumping, foot-stomping rock-and-roll back to the fore only for my favorite track to end up being "a chick song"!
2. "This is Where You Can Reach Me Now" -- This one really seems to have fans divided, but I absolutely relish this track. Has U2 created a song this funky and swanky since "Mysterious Ways"? I think not! I always feel that one of the band members seems to "own" each album, their talents coming to the foreground and providing a type of sonic signature to the album. NO LINE ON THE HORIZON featured Bono's strongest, clearest, most striking vocals in many years; THE JOSHUA TREE is an hour-long experience brimming with some of the most confident and trademark guitar work Edge has ever created; Larry has never put his stamp on an album as fiercely as he does in WAR--from the opening beats, you know he'll be leading the band's charge throughout. I say all this to opine that SONGS OF INNOCENCE is very possibly Adam Clayton's finest hour. He charges through the album like a runaway train, taking no prisoners, and "This is Where You Can Reach Me Know" highlights his prowess, offering up such a fantastic backing rhythm, I can't help but shake my butt in a way I've, frankly, never associated with U2 before. This song is sexy, fun, and deliciously off the wall.
3. "Volcano" -- Oh my God. This track is everything U2 wanted "Get On Your Boots" (which I like!) to be but came up short. If this isn't chosen as a single (though, let me be clear, "Every Breaking Wave" needs to be the very next choice), all four band members need a good slap upside the head. Every time I hear this track, I'm waylaid by the unshakable confidence all four members bring to it. This song sounds like the culmination of a band that has, for once, achieved 100% of what they set out to accomplish when the first notes of it were born. I howl this one on the way to and from work like it's the last song I'll ever sing.
My least favorites are "Song for Someone", which is rather lovely, and it is growing on me, but it never seems to fully take flight in the way U2's best slower tracks do (and which "EBW" certainly does), and the track which every other U2 fan on the planet seems to think is one of the album's best--"The Troubles". Now, mind you, most of "The Troubles" is a fine piece of work, anchored by a moving melody and Bono's open-hearted vocals. The trouble (no pun intended) for me (and it's a big one, knocking my appreciation of the overall track down more that a notch or two) are the vocals by Lykke Li. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a fan of them at all. At first, I thought I was just having a knee-jerk negative reaction to the fact that a female voice had worked it's way into the sound of a band that's almost universally presented itself as four working-class-upbringing, calloused-fingered men, but upon further reflection, I realized that can't be it. I was never too bothered with the female background vocalists that have infrequently appeared in U2 tracks (notably, in a song like "Red Light") and I actually cherish the powerhouse contributions of Dorothy Terrell on RATTLE AND HUM's live performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and Sinead O'Connor in "I'm Not Your Baby". It's just that I'm rather repelled by Lykke Li's hesitant, ethereal, fey vocals, especially on the heels of ten such commanding, confident, "you can take the mantle of World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band from our cold dead hands" tracks. I find myself thinking back to the female vocalists I love and it's names like Stevie Nicks, Chrissie Hynde, Courtney Love, Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Siouxsie Sioux that are ones who came to mind, so I guess I just prefer a tougher, grittier, more raw style when it comes to the sound of women vocalists. Lyyke Li's tentative, sleepy stylings come off like a less secure Lorde to me and don't mesh well at all with the power of Bono's. I've seen word that one of the bonus tracks pending on the physical release of SONGS OF INNOCENCE is an "alternate mix" of "The Troubles"; I have my fingers and toes crossed that, musically, it's near identical to what we already have, but eschews Lykke Li altogether in favor of Bono singing the entire track solo. If that's what we mercifully end up with, the current album version will quickly become one of my least played U2 tracks ever. Whoever it was on the production team whose creative thinking brought Lykke Li into the fold goes home without any ice cream.
In closing, I would say that I've lived in no small amount of fear and trepidation of this new album. Five years of incessant tinkering, with more producing "cooks in the kitchen" than the band has ever used before, should have completely neutered the finished album into a milquetoast blend of every least challenging idea. Instead, impossibly, it resulted in the most sure-handed, consistent album they've released in over 20 years. I don't know how U2 continues to pull off magic like this, especially in their fourth decade, but I guess it all comes down to the words of Bob Waugh, PD of adult alternative WRNR Baltimore: "Once a name, always a threat. Until proven otherwise, U2 is still U2."
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Awesome review, God Part II. I'm hoping to post my own thoughts at some point.
In the meantime, listings for the deluxe CD on amazon and elsewhere suggest that it will have different artwork, although the nature of said artwork remains to be seen:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41lPbezjVYL.jpg)
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U2 is on the cover of Time magazine again! The preview below suggests that Songs of Experience will not just be another new album, but also the introduction of an entire new music delivery format that could "save the music industry" (oh wow, more ammo for the U2 haters).
This link is just a preview article. As far as I know the full article online is only available to subscribers.
http://time.com/3393297/u2-apple-new-digital-format/
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U2 is on the cover of Time magazine again!
Just to be clear, U2 is only on the cover of the international edition. Readers in the United States, you're going to have to import yours. *irritated sigh*
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U2 is on the cover of Time magazine again!
Just to be clear, U2 is only on the cover of the international edition. Readers in the United States, you're going to have to import yours. *irritated sigh*
Sorry about that. Yeah, I didn't realize it was the international edition until later in the day. :'(
At the end of the second video interview in the story, Bono mentions that Larry's son Elvis will be on the cover of the album.
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Looks like they are going back to the the Boy theme
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Sorry about that. Yeah, I didn't realize it was the international edition until later in the day. :'(
Now that I read back over what I wrote, I wanted to clarify that my *irritated sigh* was over the frustration of having to import the magazine, not the fact that you didn't mention the U2 cover was only on the international edition. I hope you weren't unintentionally offended.
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Sorry about that. Yeah, I didn't realize it was the international edition until later in the day. :'(
Now that I read back over what I wrote, I wanted to clarify that my *irritated sigh* was over the frustration of having to import the magazine, not the fact that you didn't mention the U2 cover was only on the international edition. I hope you weren't unintentionally offended.
I knew what you meant. No worries!!!
Oh, and is this the cover? Wow.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1017234_459528224187332_7985340721634568811_n.jpg?oh=37c05a23bc4cb6cd1b2cfd6397151cec&oe=54CF53F4&__gda__=1418031805_249af2433857441512e94a55fd587c1c)
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U2 is on the cover of Time magazine again!
Just to be clear, U2 is only on the cover of the international edition. Readers in the United States, you're going to have to import yours. *irritated sigh*
Last time Bono was on the cover of Time it was only on the US Edition I seem to remember. So it's time to reverse that. Hoping Canada gets the International cover. If we do I might be able to help some of you out with copies if you want.
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Don't miss the radio interviews laid out for you on the front page. Jo Whiley and Dave Fanning are the 2 best imho. Tx Aaron.
The Dave Fanning interview I thought was the most entertaining, since they are the oldest of friends and Fanning can apply the needle as well as anyone, plus talk as fast as Bono. Here's a nugget---
Part of the future for digital music on the 'interweb' or 'blogosphere' as B calls it--
Dave Fanning: 'and are we talking hi-res, studio master quality downloads on iTunes?'
Bono: 'Yes'
hmmmm...
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Another interview with Bono: http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/podcasts/Christian-O-Connell-Daily-Choice-Cuts/2014-09-21/20140922075145/
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Thanks Andrey - I caught that one this morning getting up. There's a couple of others listed there now as well. Including KFOG and a German interview I'm having troubles finding a link to. If anyone spots a link to the German one give me a shout and I'll get it added. There's a few more happening later today. I kind of love they are giving all this love to radio. Fits into the looking back they are doing with the album in my opinion.
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According to the interview with Dave Fanning, "Invisible" will also be on the physical release! Interview excerpt on U2.com:
http://www.u2.com/news/title/this-is-about-songs
'Invisible', released earlier this year to support the fight against AIDS, will feature on the physical album, coming in October.
‘Invisible’ is about U2‘s first ever journey to London. In fact, the album is “all about first journeys. California’ is about first time in LA and all of that. ‘Song for Someone’ is about the awkwardness of falling in love and sex...'
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According to the interview with Dave Fanning, "Invisible" will also be on the physical release!
Friend, you just made my whole WEEK! ;D
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According to the interview with Dave Fanning, "Invisible" will also be on the physical release!
Friend, you just made my whole WEEK! ;D
As soon as I read the news, I thought of you, which is weird because I don't actually "know" any of you!
My guess is that it won't be the same version that we got in January. It may be the full (non edit) version or it may have been rerecorded (knowing how the Edge is it certainly was). I still would like to see, as I think you would, an official CD release of the RED Edit version.
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As soon as I read the news, I thought of you, which is weird because I don't actually "know" any of you!
My guess is that it won't be the same version that we got in January. It may be the full (non edit) version or it may have been rerecorded (knowing how the Edge is it certainly was). I still would like to see, as I think you would, an official CD release of the RED Edit version.
If the album version is simply the (RED) Edit plus more, then I won't ever give the (RED) Edit another glance (I hate truncations of original tracks), but if it a re-recording/revised mix, then, yes, you're quite right.
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I love Invisible. If they release a different version on CD, then I hope they expand these two separate sections of the song . . . . . . because they are my favorite parts of the song:
2:54 to 3:05
Definitely my favorite part of the song. There's so much room for Edge to continue playing.
3:35 to the end
You might ask . . . . . "3:35 to the end? what the hell are you talking about?"
I just like the sound that guitar is making. I realize it is audible before 3:35, but all the other instruments are playing and it's hard to hear it. That guitar sound is finally isolated at 3:35. They could extend this instrumental ending for maybe 30 seconds and continue that isolated guitar sound . . . . . and then Edge could play around with it some more.
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I'd really like to know what will actually be on the deluxe edition of the album. The release is two weeks away and all we still know is that there will be "some" acoustic tracks, along with the announced two new songs and two remixes.
What about Invisible? How does that factor in? Is that on the regular release as well?
Will different stores be getting different versions of the album? Let's hope not, but please tell us soon as I'd like to put down a pre-order (okay, I actually already have at Amazon).
Importantly, will the remix of The Crystal Ballroom be made available shortly after to U2.com or perhaps on some future fan club CD? I really, really don't want to waste my money on the vinyl if I don't have to (my collection requires one CD copy of each version of each track, so I do need the track, but I'd prefer CD).
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Based on the information currently out there, here's what I believe will be on all versions of the deluxe:
Crystal Ballroom
Lucifer's Hands
The Troubles (Alternative Version)
Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Tchad Blake Mix)
Invisible (IF the Fanning/Bono interview is to be believed)
Acoustic tracks (how many? that's a great question. One interview seemed to imply that there would be acoustic versions of every track on the album, but I doubt that will happen)
IN ADDITION, Billboard reported that there are three additional tracks set aside for retailer exclusives. So yes, Best Buy and maybe Target will get one or two additional tracks in addition to the above. I'm guessing there will be 6 or 7 acoustic songs on the basic deluxe, with three additional acoustic tracks divided between retailers. Hopefully we'll get a definitive answer soon!
Also, updated cover art:
(https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10670069_715669068519930_3832024192516534840_n.jpg?oh=6f069439cb8c2a7ec27933b61e78e868&oe=54CCC8E2)
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Amazon France is listing "Invisible" as a hidden track on Disc 2 after the Tchad Blake remix. Still no details on the acoustic tracks.
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00NI5RLOW/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A1X6FK5RDHNB96&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=15BB33714KZS5V7G17CB&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455673027&pf_rd_i=405320
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DISC 2 TRACK LIST based on amazon's pre-order for the digital version. I'm still convinced "Invisible" will be a hidden track at the end. Either that or it's one of the three tracks reserved for specific retailers:
Lucifer's hands
The crystal ballroom
Every breaking wave (acoustic)
California (acoustic)
Raised by wolves (acoustic)
Cedarwood road (acoustic)
Song for someone (acoustic)
The miracle (busker version)
The troubles (alternative version)
Sleep like a baby tonight (alternative perspective mix by tchad blake)
http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Innocence-Deluxe-digital-booklet/dp/B00NX53H2W/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1411694991&sr=8-22&keywords=u2+songs+of+innocence
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Also, updated cover art:
(https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10670069_715669068519930_3832024192516534840_n.jpg?oh=6f069439cb8c2a7ec27933b61e78e868&oe=54CCC8E2)
Yeesh. And I thought full-frontal Adam on some covers of ACHTUNG BABY was controversial. Strange, strange cover.
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DISC 2 TRACK LIST based on amazon's pre-order for the digital version. I'm still convinced "Invisible" will be a hidden track at the end. Either that or it's one of the three tracks reserved for specific retailers:
Lucifer's hands
The crystal ballroom
Every breaking wave (acoustic)
California (acoustic)
Raised by wolves (acoustic)
Cedarwood road (acoustic)
Song for someone (acoustic)
The miracle (busker version)
The troubles (alternative version)
Sleep like a baby tonight (alternative perspective mix by tchad blake)
http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Innocence-Deluxe-digital-booklet/dp/B00NX53H2W/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1411694991&sr=8-22&keywords=u2+songs+of+innocence
Thanks for that!
I just re-checked Amazon.ca and noticed they have also updated their page with the new cover image and a track list. The second disc is listed as follows:
Disc: 2
1. Lucifer's Hands
2. The Crystal Ballroom
3. Acoustic Sessions
4. The Troubles (Alternative Version)
5. Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)
They list the vinyl bonus track as "The Crystal Ballroom 12" Mix", so perhaps it's not quite a remix as much as an extended version/
Current pre-order prices are:
1CD: $10.00
2CD: $12.99
2LP: $34.18
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Amazon.uk has track times for all the bonus tracks. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Tchad Blake Mix) is over ten minutes, which is almost a guarantee that "Invisible" is actually a hidden track at the end.
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More details on the deluxe edition packaging from the Island Records pre-order page:
This is a bespoke 6-panel digipak format printed full colour with high-shine clear gloss, spot varnish overprint.
There will be 2 x CD printed wallets inserted either end of the package containing 2 CDs.
Each CD label will have a white printed body with a high-shine clear gloss, spot varnish overprint.
There will also be 2 x 16-panel booklets inserted at either end of the digipak.
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Physical cover courtesy of Amp Visual...
https://twitter.com/AmpVisualDesign/status/515520591462674432
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Physical cover courtesy of Amp Visual...
https://twitter.com/AmpVisualDesign/status/515520591462674432
I'm going to take a moment to thank DON for bringing over all these little bits of news today. Thanks to everyone who brings us info. It's always appreciated.
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It's fun scouring for the latest tidbits of information! :) Not very productive to real life, but definitely fun. Feeling genuinely excited about a new U2 release is something that I didn't think was going to happen again.
That said, the only missing piece of the puzzle now is the three additional tracks that Billboard said the band set aside for retail exclusives. Where will these show up? Here are my guesses:
Target--In the US, Target has generally emerged as the king of bonus tracks. They scored a big victory recently with the deluxe edition of Coldplay's new album with three bonus tracks. Even though they have publicly stated that they won't sell CDs in their stores that were previously online, I think they could come around in this case. I wouldn't be surprised to see the deluxe show up there with two or maybe even all three bonus tracks.
Best Buy--Best Buy's bonus incentives have been pretty weak lately. Still, I could see them getting a bonus track for the deluxe SOI.
Amazon--There have been quite a few recent CD releases with amazon exclusive bonus tracks. The latest Paul McCartney album is a good example.
Barnes and Noble--they still offer the occasional CD with exclusive tracks, but I'd say it's a long shot for the U2 album.
Indie Stores--This is also a long shot, but it's something I'd really like to see happen. Considering the album's themes of growing up as a band in Dublin in the 1970s, this would make perfect sense. It would be AWESOME to have an indie store exclusive with all three bonus tracks. Plus, it would lessen the sting that indie stores undoubtedly felt from the free iTunes release. On the other hand, there probably aren't enough indie record stores even operating any more to justify this. :(
That's my take from a US-centric perspective. Hopefully we'll know soon!
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Indie Stores--This is also a long shot, but it's something I'd really like to see happen. Considering the album's themes of growing up as a band in Dublin in the 1970s, this would make perfect sense. It would be AWESOME to have an indie store exclusive with all three bonus tracks. Plus, it would lessen the sting that indie stores undoubtedly felt from the free iTunes release. On the other hand, there probably aren't enough indie record stores even operating any more to justify this. :(
An indie store exclusive - what a great idea that would be! I didn't realize how just how much giving exclusive tracks to big retailers can hurt the independents.
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I hope hdtracks.com lists the deluxe edition at 196kHz/24bit shortly. Similar to the remastered Achtung Baby album, though that was at 44.1kHz/24bit.
Cheers,
u2expert
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It's fun scouring for the latest tidbits of information! :) Not very productive to real life, but definitely fun. Feeling genuinely excited about a new U2 release is something that I didn't think was going to happen again.
That said, the only missing piece of the puzzle now is the three additional tracks that Billboard said the band set aside for retail exclusives. Where will these show up? Here are my guesses:
Target--In the US, Target has generally emerged as the king of bonus tracks. They scored a big victory recently with the deluxe edition of Coldplay's new album with three bonus tracks. Even though they have publicly stated that they won't sell CDs in their stores that were previously online, I think they could come around in this case. I wouldn't be surprised to see the deluxe show up there with two or maybe even all three bonus tracks.
Best Buy--Best Buy's bonus incentives have been pretty weak lately. Still, I could see them getting a bonus track for the deluxe SOI.
Amazon--There have been quite a few recent CD releases with amazon exclusive bonus tracks. The latest Paul McCartney album is a good example.
Barnes and Noble--they still offer the occasional CD with exclusive tracks, but I'd say it's a long shot for the U2 album.
Indie Stores--This is also a long shot, but it's something I'd really like to see happen. Considering the album's themes of growing up as a band in Dublin in the 1970s, this would make perfect sense. It would be AWESOME to have an indie store exclusive with all three bonus tracks. Plus, it would lessen the sting that indie stores undoubtedly felt from the free iTunes release. On the other hand, there probably aren't enough indie record stores even operating any more to justify this. :(
That's my take from a US-centric perspective. Hopefully we'll know soon!
And maybe Starbucks? They had some exclusives in the past as well
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It's fun scouring for the latest tidbits of information! :) Not very productive to real life, but definitely fun. Feeling genuinely excited about a new U2 release is something that I didn't think was going to happen again.
I feel the same way! I wasn't excited about Ordinary Love, and with Invisible, it happened and then it was done. All this time leading up to the release, I've been just hoping it was good. To be excited is something I didn't expect, and I'm really happy about that.
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The deluxe SOI has appeared on Target's web site. Since they usually don't sell music previously available online, I'm guessing they're selling this one because they've been offered exclusive tracks. While there are no bonus tracks listed YET, I think this listing will be updated soon with one or two exclusive songs.
http://www.target.com/p/u2-songs-of-innocence-special-edition-2-cd-set/-/A-16577635#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=u2+songs+of+innocence
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It should be interesting to hear the Tchad Blake remix. He is the one who recorded Pearl Jams's experimental Bianural album. Here is some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording
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Yeesh. And I thought full-frontal Adam on some covers of ACHTUNG BABY was controversial. Strange, strange cover.
Strange? Yes, I agree.
But it could have been even more strange. What if it had been a photo of Bono hugging his daughter Eve . . . . . and she was not wearing a shirt? :o
I didn't even know Larry had a son. In fact, I hardly know anything about their personal lives.
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THE VINYL IS OUT THERE. Here's what looks like an official "gold label" promo vinyl that someone picked up at Amoeba Records over the weekend:
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y204/cachetbeat/20140928_043634_resized_zps140944ff.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y204/cachetbeat/20140928_043649_resized_zps463b2389.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y204/cachetbeat/20140928_043715_resized1_zps61f65bfe.jpg)
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I think Aaron is going to get on the phone with Amoeba to get the low-down on this, but the current rumor at the Steve Hoffman forums (where lots of music industry insider types post) is that this is an Amoeba exclusive limited to only 100 copies! They put it in stores early to qualify for the Grammys. :(
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I just scored a copy of this by phone from the Amoeba store in San Francisco. The girl told me that it is definitely a WHITE LABEL, not gold. In looking again at the photos above, I think that's the case. The lighting is just bad, thus giving the photos a "gold" look.
Anyway, I should have it in a couple days. I don't even collect U2 vinyl but I'm currently having such a resurgence of U2 fan mania that I couldn't resist.
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Let's see, only 100 copies for sale, maybe another 100 for industry types...doesn't have the extra song so it's a unique track list...
Congrats! That just might get more valuable in the coming years. ;D
Update: Apparently it's available on the east coast at other Indie stores. They're calling it a 'test pressing' ? So there has to be more than 100 copies for sale. But still quite a collectable.
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Yes. From the photos here it looks identical to what Amoeba has:
http://ltcds.com/general-information/u2-lp-test-pressing-for-songs-of-innocence/
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You gotta drive to NY for the Loony ones. :P
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The white label is going for crazy, ridiculous, astonishing prices on ebay right now. Three auctions:
$710.00 with 5 hours remaining
$530.00 with 1 day, 18 hours remaining
$399.00 with 2 days, 15 hours remaining
:o
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Second auction just finished. Over $1000.
Wow.
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Second auction just finished. Over $1000.
Wow.
Now I really hope that this turns out to be (part of) the U2.com subscriber gift. It'd be funny.
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First two copies on ebay went for $200 and $250. That was on Monday before the news was really out there.
Since then the lowest price was $700US, and the high $1007.58 with six in this range (although one is a buy it now that was ended early so not sure what price was offered...) There's a couple of current auctions I've seen over the $1000 mark as well.
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Yeah, there was a buy it now the first day for $200. Should have gone for it. :P
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Here is what looks like an official promo for The Miracle:
eBay item number:281456945906
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Yes, I've got one of those "The Miracle" promos sitting here on my desk right now, and it came from a legitimate source. It's just a CDR that's been printed with information, and a really low quality cardboard case. The label in France seems to be putting these out still, where as most promos have moved to a digital delivery format with this release.
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My wife just called to inform me that the vinyl arrived. Thankfully the mailman didn't try to stuff it in the small mailbox. :)
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When you get it can you please confirm for me if it's got the extra UPC on it as the pics above show? I've seen that on all of the Amoeba ones I've been able to identify but it doesn't seem to have shown up on the other copies. Makes the Amoeba one a bit distinct from the New York ones I think...
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Sent you a message on this, but yes, my Amoeba copy has two UPC stickers on it. The one underneath has a black magic marker line through the barcode, like many promo copies do. My guess is that these were originally intended as free promo copies, but when the decision was made to pursue Grammy eligibility, they printed up new UPC stickers so that the LP would be "scannable" at a retail store.
And yes, from what I can see on ebay, the Looney Tunes copies only have one sticker without any magic marker on it, thus not requiring a second sticker. Strange!
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So, in the U.S., weekly ads for retailers are out. Target doesn't even show the new album, and Best Buy shows $14.99 for the Deluxe Edition, but no mention of exclusive tracks. Uh oh...where'd the retailer exclusive tracks end up?
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My guess is that they scrapped the idea of retail exclusive tracks and just gave everyone the same thing. The bonus CD already has ten songs on it (11 if you count Invisible). How much more could they add?
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So, in the U.S., weekly ads for retailers are out. Target doesn't even show the new album, and Best Buy shows $14.99 for the Deluxe Edition, but no mention of exclusive tracks. Uh oh...where'd the retailer exclusive tracks end up?
Target is listing a deluxe version on the US website, which has the UPC that matches that being sold elsewhere.
Haven't heard anything further about the bonus tracks...or what they might have been.
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So, in the U.S., weekly ads for retailers are out. Target doesn't even show the new album, and Best Buy shows $14.99 for the Deluxe Edition, but no mention of exclusive tracks. Uh oh...where'd the retailer exclusive tracks end up?
Is next week's Best Buy ad online somewhere? The ad for this week doesn't mention the U2 album, as far as I can see.
http://deals.bestbuy.com/?category=featured+deals
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Fourth screenshot in the first post:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=249508
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Thanks God Part II.
I actually had a discussion with a guy at Billboard about possible retail exclusive tracks. He was getting ready to attend a Universal product showcase and said he'd get back to me, but I haven't heard anything yet. I'm guessing if there was "big news" he would have let me know by now.
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U2.com is giving away 12 copies of the elusive white label vinyl:
http://www.u2.com/news/title/vinyl-special
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Stephen Erlewine of All Music says that the "acoustic sessions" on Disc 2 are actually a SINGLE TRACK, running 22:49. He says the songs "aren't strictly acoustic," either.
I'm hoping this "single track" nonsense is just limited to promo copies. :-\
https://twitter.com/sterlewine/status/519228352650313728
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Maybe this idea of a single track incorporating multiple songs is part of the new delivery service U2 is working on with Apple, being that they're talking about how to get people to listen to entire albums instead of just singles.
I'm excited by this acoustic session of multiple songs. It sounds like it could be a case of a producer hitting record while the band jammed in a studio, playing a handful of songs from their album, warts and all, without extra effects, without changing instruments and maybe only stopping briefly to discuss ideas about how to play the songs. I'm obviously using a bit of poetic license in my idea, but remaining hopeful.
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Promos of 'the Miracle...' are showing up now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/U2-THE-MIRACLE-of-JOEY-RAMONE-One-Track-French-Promo-CD-/261613585650?pt=UK_CDsDVDs_CDs_CDs_GL&hash=item3ce96284f2
I'm not the seller though...
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I'm excited by this acoustic session of multiple songs. It sounds like it could be a case of a producer hitting record while the band jammed in a studio, playing a handful of songs from their album, warts and all, without extra effects, without changing instruments and maybe only stopping briefly to discuss ideas about how to play the songs. I'm obviously using a bit of poetic license in my idea, but remaining hopeful.
I agree, but there's no reason they couldn't take a single, 22-minute session and divide it up into separate tracks on the CD. It would be no different than a live concert album that has the tracks divided.
EDIT: Nevermind, U2Valencia just tweeted a photo of the physical deluxe edition and it only has five tracks listed:
1. Lucifer's Hands
2. Crystal Ballroom
3. Acoustic Sessions
4. Troubles (Alternative Version)
5. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Tchad Blake)
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Promos of 'the Miracle...' are showing up now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/U2-THE-MIRACLE-of-JOEY-RAMONE-One-Track-French-Promo-CD-/261613585650?pt=UK_CDsDVDs_CDs_CDs_GL&hash=item3ce96284f2
I'm not the seller though...
They've been showing up for a couple of weeks now. Brad tweeted the cover image of the french promo when it first appeared on the U2W account.
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Maybe this idea of a single track incorporating multiple songs is part of the new delivery service U2 is working on with Apple, being that they're talking about how to get people to listen to entire albums instead of just singles.
I'm excited by this acoustic session of multiple songs. It sounds like it could be a case of a producer hitting record while the band jammed in a studio, playing a handful of songs from their album, warts and all, without extra effects, without changing instruments and maybe only stopping briefly to discuss ideas about how to play the songs. I'm obviously using a bit of poetic license in my idea, but remaining hopeful.
They are still appearing for purchase individually at amazon.com in digital form. So I guess I'll be adding that to the discography as individual songs and then making a note about the CD containing one long track. Hoping that it's split in some countries out there...there's been editing differences in the past...
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Maybe this idea of a single track incorporating multiple songs is part of the new delivery service U2 is working on with Apple, being that they're talking about how to get people to listen to entire albums instead of just singles.
I'm excited by this acoustic session of multiple songs. It sounds like it could be a case of a producer hitting record while the band jammed in a studio, playing a handful of songs from their album, warts and all, without extra effects, without changing instruments and maybe only stopping briefly to discuss ideas about how to play the songs. I'm obviously using a bit of poetic license in my idea, but remaining hopeful.
They are still appearing for purchase individually at amazon.com in digital form. So I guess I'll be adding that to the discography as individual songs and then making a note about the CD containing one long track. Hoping that it's split in some countries out there...there's been editing differences in the past...
I'm hoping this will be an "Autorip" title at amazon. If you buy the CD then you get a free download. That would be an easy way to get the separated acoustic tracks.
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I hate to give any press to the illegal downloaders on Interference, but the bonus disc has leaked online and there are two interesting observations from those who are listening to it:
1. The acoustic songs ARE divided into separate tracks (although this could have been done in an audio editing program by the person who uploaded it)
2. The version of "Invisbile" is the same basic mix, but it is indeed longer than the Red Edit version. 4:44 vs. 3:48
This is just what people are reporting. I'm going to wait until I have the actual CD in hand before I listen for myself.
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It's a beautiful day. Great to be a U2 fan. ;)
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2. The version of "Invisible" is the same basic mix, but it is indeed longer than the Red Edit version. 4:44 vs. 3:48
Glory, glory, hallelujah! ;D
Still bummed that the dangling carrot stick of retailer exclusive tracks got cruelly yanked away, though...
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More tidbits... SPOILERS for those waiting to hear the CD:
1. Sleep Like a Baby has almost totally different lyrics
2. Lucifer's Hands is Return of the Stingray Guitar!
3. Lucifer's Hands has the lyric "I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me" which was of course first heard on "Rejoice" from October
I'm still holding out for the physical CD...
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Wow, all three of those bits of info were mind-blowing. Can't wait for Lucifer's Hands now.
My brother works at a retailer that currently has the CDs embargoed and ready to sell tomorrow, which means I should be able to get a hold of the CD by this time tomorrow, i.e. 24 hours from when this posts (wherever you all are). So that means I can get it on the 10th, despite the release apparently being the 13th. If I can indeed get a hold of the disc, does anyone want me to post what I find on here or just PM it?
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Post here! I'm still not 100 percent sure if the acoustic sessions are broken up into separate tracks or if they are just one long track on the CD. There are conflicting reports.
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you could always do it Audacity if you felt inclined. I am reading that the Japanese deluxe has extra extra versions
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you could always do it Audacity if you felt inclined. I am reading that the Japanese deluxe has extra extra versions
REALLY? Do you have a link or any other info? I've been scouring for information on this.
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for those who are u2.com subscribers site is now streaming "The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix)" on the newest news page:
http://www.u2.com/news/title/the-crystal-ballroom-12-mix-now-streaming
256kbps mp3 file.
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A couple updates related to previous posts:
1. U2.com's pre-order page links to Universal Japan for the Japan version, and there are NO bonus tracks listed. In fact, the acoustic sessions aren't listed at all.
http://store.universal-music.co.jp/fs/artist/u2/uici1134
2. Amazon.com now says that the deluxe edition IS an "Autorip" title, which means if you buy the set from amazon you should get the acoustic tracks as free separate downloads.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NI5RLOW/ref=asliqfspasiniltlie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NI5RLOW&linkCode=as2&tag=intersrecor05-20
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The HMV Japan listing for the deluxe set only lists the same four tracks. But they were late announcing what the acoustic tracks were so perhaps the listings haven't been updated to reflect the new information. The HMV Japan listing has been the same forever.
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2. Amazon.com now says that the deluxe edition IS an "Autorip" title, which means if you buy the set from amazon you should get the acoustic tracks as free separate downloads.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NI5RLOW/ref=asliqfspasiniltlie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NI5RLOW&linkCode=as2&tag=intersrecor05-20
The vinyl also shows auto-rip which I'm hoping means you also get the Crystal Ballroom 12" Mix.
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A guy who ordered the deluxe CD and vinyl from Bull Moose (a famous indie seller) got an e-mail stating that the release is delayed until 10/20. I'm guessing this just refers to the vinyl. Amazon still lists 10/14 for both vinyl and CD. This is likely just an issue with Bull Moose and their distributor, but FWIW...
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PS the Japan domestic cds arrive on October 22, a full eight days after the North American release. I've got both versions on order. Because I'm nuts like that.
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Okay I have the CD waiting for me at home torturing me that I can't play it until I finish work in 6 hours. Interestingly, the retailer in the Australia link on U2.com (JB Hifi) lists the acoustic session as "6 or 7 tracks." Will put that question to bed soon enough. And it's all in a cardboard digipack. If anyone on here wants all the catalogue and barcode info for the discography, and scans, I will post them later.
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Spoilers here. And some poor commentary of the acoustic sessions. Bear with my layman explanations.
Okay this is what I have: Lucifer's Hands is in fact Return of the Stingray Guitar with entirely new lyrics. No mention of the old lyrics at all. The main guitar part is prominent from the original song, though. "I can change the world, but I can't change the world in me," does feature, but the two clauses are broken apart by more lyrics in between.
The Crystal Ballroom is much better in its unremixed form, but this is a subjective view coming from someone that doesn't get into all that dancey remix stuff that they have done in the past.
The acoustic sessions are in fact one entire track. Begins with Every Breaking Wave, just Bono singing with a guitar. This is probably how I want to hear this version live, especially Bono's singing. Absolutely beautiful. Sometimes forget what his voice is still capable of doing. A violin joins in halfway through. I'm typing my immediate reactions as I'm listening and it's unreal how touching it is. At one point, Bono even loses his breath so it doesn't feel like a perfect rendition. Larry's cymbal comes in at the final chorus. Then his drums. As does Adam's bass. Ends too abruptly for me.
California is next. Again more stripped down, but I wouldn't call it acoustic as all four instruments are involved (I don't know what qualifies as acoustic. Don't like the foreign sound that comes in for the chorus. Sounds like a guitar but just... off, along with some horns. Not really feeling this version at all.
Raised By Wolves next, with Edge's acoustic guitar, omitting the percussive breathing effects and going right into Bono's lyrics, but still somehow including that punchy guitar sound after "I Don't Believe Anymore." Larry hitting some woodwind sticks together. Similar horn effect as in the acoustic California when they play the chorus. But Bono's singing sounds way more stripped down and enjoyable to listen to. High pitched keyboard still there, with Adam's bass.
Cedarwood Road next, with just Edge jamming on an acoustic. Edge backing vocals. New humming sound effect joins them. Still no sign of Larry or Adam this time. Bono's singing in fine form again.
Song For Someone next. Guitar sounds electronic to me. Light drumming from Larry and keyboards presumably from Edge. Singing is A1 again.
Ends with The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone). Acoustic guitar only and Edge joins on backing vocals for the oh oh oh parts. Sounds like Bono claps to the beat at parts too. Definitely clapping. No sign of Adam or Larry.
Not understanding the choice to have them as one track as it doesn't appear that they are actually playing them one after the other live.
The Troubles sounds very similar to the original. Lykke Li doesn't feature at all, Bono sings his main part as he originally did, but in a different style, and Angel Deradoorian sings backings. The chorus, "Somebody stepped inside your soul...," is different entirely, replaced with, "Somebody stopped the world I know. Somebody threw a line to me. Somebody tell me what to say." Not a bad version all up, though I don't like the new chorus lyrics, and ultimately I prefer the original because the band felt that was obviously the one that deserved to be on the A side.
Sleep like a Baby Tonight lyrics are 95% different, and all the same musical features are there; the haunting opening chords and the powerful guitar between chorus and verse, that harp, the piano keys, but it all just seems like there are a lot more instruments and noise in this one. I like the original much more because it comes across with the less is more mentality, and to me is more of a lullaby. Larry's drum hits sound A LOT like they do in Zoo Station, that very metallic sound effect.
And finally, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight goes for 11:06 because it does feature Invisible as a bonus track at the end. Baby Tonight goes for approx. 5:15 and then at 6:20, Invisible kicks in, making it 4:45 long (the Red Edit is 3:47). The intro is a bit longer, as is the bit just after that horn (?) sound starts. It actually feels slower than the Red version too, which might account for the extended track time, as there doesn't seem to be 1 minute of extra music. As such, I think Bono has resung this version to the new track speed, as opposed to just having slowed down his vocals along with the song. The bit between the first chorus and the second verse is twice as long. Again, I prefer the original because it has more urgency by not having those extra bits. The outro peters out for longer too. No new lyrics in this version.
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Some images. Scans of relevant info coming later.
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Awesome report. Thanks for the info U2hmtmkmkm!
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So it looks like retail exclusive tracks aren't happening after all. At least not that we've heard.
And retail exclusives aside, this looks like the first time in a while that there aren't any region/country specific bonus tracks either. For the past few albums Australia, Japan, and heck, even the UK got bonus tracks (NLOTH2, Fast Cars, Ground Beneath Her Feet, etc.)
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I've tweeted a number of tidbits from those pics U2HMTMKMKM. Thanks for putting those up. :)
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Autorip in Europe through Amazon did split the acoustic session into individual tracks.
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Spoilers here. And some poor commentary of the acoustic sessions. Bear with my layman explanations.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yeah, u2hmtmkmkm, thank you for the details and for taking the time to post them. That was really kind of you.
And to everyone else posting little tidbits of info, thank you! I'm glad there are just a handful of people posting here. It keeps things simple and efficient. Over at the @U2 forum, I'm probably missing some great stuff, but I just don't have the time to sort through hundreds of irrelevant posts just to discover 10 or 11 interesting comments or informative posts.
So it looks like retail exclusive tracks aren't happening after all.
Well, I hope so. I love when a band offers bonus tracks and remixes, but not if I have to buy the album from 3 or 4 different retailers. Those costs add up and I'm on a budget. Depeche Mode has done the same thing in the past, whether it was different retailers or different European countries . . . . . and it's ridiculous to try to track down all those Depeche Mode remixes. On Youtube, I just listened to The Crystal Ballroom [12-inch Mix] . . . . . the bonus track from the vinyl version of Songs Of Innocence . . . . . . and I'm relieved that I don't feel the track is worth acquiring. If I felt it was worth acquiring, I don't think I would buy the vinyl version just to get one bonus track.
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And to everyone else posting little tidbits of info, thank you! I'm glad there are just a handful of people posting here. It keeps things simple and efficient. Over at the @U2 forum, I'm probably missing some great stuff, but I just don't have the time to sort through hundreds of irrelevant posts just to discover 10 or 11 interesting comments or informative posts.
Ha! Yeah, I'll echo that. Don't get me wrong. I love @U2. But when an album release comes around, it is impossible to keep up with the deluge of posts in their forum. I'm not even trying this time around. I'm relying on the @U2 news and information from this forum to get the relevant info that I want. So kudos to Aaron and U2Wanderer.org. Looking forward to the new version and updates!
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Anyone notice a difference here? The first photo is from U2.com, and it looks like the discs have the tattoo artwork on them. The second photo is from the actual set on Discogs, and it doesn't look like the tattoo design is on the disc. Is it just a trick of the light?
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bz15rMRCEAAL7_y.jpg:large)
(http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-6176071-1412987493-4150.jpeg)
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Hidden artwork:
On the double vinyl, apparently the inner sleeve for Disc 1 has a photo of the Edge, an the inner sleeve for Disc 2 has a photo of Larry. You actually have to "look inside" the slot to see this. I don't have the vinyl so I can't confirm.
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Hidden artwork:
On the double vinyl, apparently the inner sleeve for Disc 1 has a photo of the Edge, an the inner sleeve for Disc 2 has a photo of Larry. You actually have to "look inside" the slot to see this. I don't have the vinyl so I can't confirm.
I just received the vinyl edition this morning.
When you look inside the first opening of the outer sleeve(behind front cover of Larry & son), you can see a replica of the inner right hand side of the gatefold, e.g. Bono & Edge. (you have to look deep into the vinyl slot to see Bono, as he is close to the spine)
It's the same when you open the second outer sleeve, you can see a replica of the inner left hand side of the gatefold.(you have to look deep into the vinyl slot to see Adam as his photo is close to the spine)
Love the packaging, all B & W, the simplicity works well and only one band photo takin gup the full inner gatefold.
I also notice that side 4 only, is on 45rpm, as I flipped it over from 33rpm, did not know I had to change it until the sound came.
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Just back from Target here in Canada.
They are not stocking the 1CD version at my store. They only received the deluxe. The deluxe is stickered with the "Son gs of Innocence" sticker under the stretch wrap - so it's affixed to the digipack itself. And the copyright info on the back is that of the US branches of Interscope. This has happened in the past where the packaging is the US packaging but it holds Canadian discs, but I'll have to wait an hour to find out. I pre-ordered my copy of the deluxe at HMV instead.
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3. Lucifer's Hands has the lyric "I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me" which was of course first heard on "Rejoice" from October
You are correct that Rejoice includes these lyrics:
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
Interestingly, Lucifer's Hands actually switches the words "can't" and "can"
According to the digital booklet (that came with the Amazon Auto-rip while purchasing the physical 2-CD version of Songs Of Innocence), Lucifer's Hands includes these lyrics:
Yes, I can change the world
Yes, I can change the world
The poor breaking bread that's made out of stone
The rich man won't eat, he's eating, alone
That's easy
But I can't change the world
In me.
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Anyone notice a difference here? The first photo is from U2.com, and it looks like the discs have the tattoo artwork on them. The second photo is from the actual set on Discogs, and it doesn't look like the tattoo design is on the disc. Is it just a trick of the light?
The tattoo design is on the disc, but it's done with a varnish type treatment so it only shows up when you move it back and forth in the light. It would be difficult to see in scans and the like.
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Best Buy near me didn't even have the new album. Barnes and Noble had the deluxe version only but they wanted $21.95. Ended up at Target (which was recently hacked and both my wife and I had to get new cards...). Target did not have the single CD, but they had a few of the deluxe version for $16.88.
Of course Target is 'safe' now. Of course you might use cash if you're paranoid about these things, which you should be.
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A Billboard article a while back mentioned that when SOI hit stores, the U2 back catalog would also be available at retailers for a "reduced price." At my local indie, I found this to be the case--except for the "reduced price" part.
The U2 section was much bigger than usual, with brand new copies of all the single disc remasters as well as a few of the deluxe editions. However, the prices were anything but reduced. Single disc remasters were $10.99 or $11.99, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby deluxe were $29.99, and Unforgettable Fire deluxe was a whopping $34.99! These prices are higher than they were when the albums were first released!
EDIT: In fairness, though, my indie was selling SOI deluxe for $14.98, cheaper than Target, Best Buy or amazon...
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Here in the Washington DC area, there is no 'back catalog' of U2. You're lucky to see maybe 1 or 2 albums anywhere and certainly not reduced. Best Buy, Target, or B&N. Guess it depends where you live.
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That's typically the way it is here in Colorado, too. The chain stores have no back catalog. But my local indie store did beef up their selection for this release.
The Billboard article made it sound like Universal was hoping to entice retailers to offer the back catalog at a reduced price, the same way iTunes did with the catalog albums (they were $5.99 on iTunes, I think, and a couple weeks ago literally EVERY U2 album was on the iTunes chart, including October!). But the way CD sales are, I'm guessing not many retailers jumped at the opportunity. :(
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As far as the booklet, which was the only thing I was interested in seeing, there are 2 pieces of paper folded up about 8 times, 1 per sleeve. The first has Bono's blurb found in the .pdf for the iTunes and the production credits, also there before. The second is just lyrics. It has the same lyrics found in the iTunes and also the lyrics for the new songs, minus the acoustic sessions. The tracks are numbered like what appears on the paper sleeve. CD2 is numbered
1. Lucifer's Hands
2. The Crystal Ballroom
3. Acoustic Sessions (No lyrics for these, no lyrics for Invisible)
4. The Troubles (Alternate Version)
5. Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternate Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)
There's a complete line in the booklet for Sleep Like A Baby (Alternate version) that is missing from the recording which I find odd. Of course there's always a few words here and there that Bono changes on the recording, but the whole line seems to have been erased and a small time gap left there. Strange.
Anyone who has the vinyl please chime in if the 12" mix appears on the lyrics booklet.
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Best Buy near me didn't even have the new album. Barnes and Noble had the deluxe version only but they wanted $21.95. Ended up at Target (which was recently hacked and both my wife and I had to get new cards...). Target did not have the single CD, but they had a few of the deluxe version for $16.88.
Of course Target is 'safe' now. Of course you might use cash if you're paranoid about these things, which you should be.
wow. I hate to say this. But here in Canada the single disc was marked $10 at walmart and was cheaper at HMV. The deluxe edition cost me $12.99 at HMV, and was marked $13 at Walmart.
Are our CD prices that much better up this side of the border?
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A Billboard article a while back mentioned that when SOI hit stores, the U2 back catalog would also be available at retailers for a "reduced price." At my local indie, I found this to be the case--except for the "reduced price" part.
The U2 section was much bigger than usual, with brand new copies of all the single disc remasters as well as a few of the deluxe editions. However, the prices were anything but reduced. Single disc remasters were $10.99 or $11.99, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby deluxe were $29.99, and Unforgettable Fire deluxe was a whopping $34.99! These prices are higher than they were when the albums were first released!
EDIT: In fairness, though, my indie was selling SOI deluxe for $14.98, cheaper than Target, Best Buy or amazon...
ummm. and the Achtung Baby deluxe version was $10 at the HMV cash - the two disc version in a digisleeve....
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EDIT: In fairness, though, my indie was selling SOI deluxe for $14.98, cheaper than...Best Buy...
Best Buy's advertised price (which is exactly what it rang up for me) is $14.99, so this isn't really accurate, unless you're being strict to that penny difference.
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EDIT: In fairness, though, my indie was selling SOI deluxe for $14.98, cheaper than...Best Buy...
Best Buy's advertised price (which is exactly what it rang up for me) is $14.99, so this isn't really accurate, unless you're being strict to that penny difference.
Really? It must be a regional thing. The online flier lists $15.99, although I see if you go directly to the listing on their web site it's $14.99. Usually amazon matches BB's price, which they haven't done in this case. Anyway, no offense to Best Buy intended. :)
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Miracle of Joey Ramone video is now featured on iTunes. If you go to the main page in iTunes you'll see a banner ad for it. It doesn't appear to be available for sale yet. But it's streaming through the iTunes store.
<a href="http://promotions.itunes.apple.com/streams/4137C0E6-B767-4865-8748-4F27B26E9C61_Sandcastle_MusicVideo.mp4">This may work too!</a>
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Nice video, I think U2 should play this as the final encore for the night on the upcoming tour. I want to see Edge doing scissor splits then smash his guitar at the end and Larry kick over his cymbals. ;D
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I just finished editing the "acoustic sessions" and separating "Sleep Like a Baby" from "Invisible" in iTunes. Until this album came out, I didn't even know it was possible to do this. It's surprisingly easy. Now I have Disc 2 of SOI properly sequenced as an 11-track album.
Also, here's the 2nd sticker from the US deluxe:
(http://thumbnails111.imagebam.com/35786/948027357855442.jpg) (http://www.imagebam.com/image/948027357855442)
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Regarding pricing for the deluxe edition, mine from Amazon Canada was $11.69. That's an incredible price for a new double-CD release.
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I just finished editing the "acoustic sessions" and separating "Sleep Like a Baby" from "Invisible" in iTunes. Now I have Disc 2 of SOI properly sequenced as an 11-track album.
Ditto, but I did with the CD and a software program called Goldwave. Now I have "Invisible" as the album's first track in my library, and (due to my aforementioned thoughts on Lykke Li's unappealing contribution to the track) swapped the placement of the alternate version of "The Troubles" with the album version.
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This shouldn't be surprising considering CD sales today and combined with the fact that they gave away the album for free, but current estimates suggest that the album will debut in the UK charts at #4 (lowest debut since War), and first-week sales in the US will be around 24,000. :( Hopefully those numbers will be higher when the sales are officially tallied, though...
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New interview (was taped on Wednesday) with Bono and The Edge at Absolute Radio's Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show: http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/podcasts/Christian-O-Connell-Daily-Choice-Cuts/2014-10-18/20141018075052/
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I just finished editing the "acoustic sessions" and separating "Sleep Like a Baby" from "Invisible" in iTunes. Now I have Disc 2 of SOI properly sequenced as an 11-track album.
Ditto, but I did with the CD and a software program called Goldwave. Now I have "Invisible" as the album's first track in my library, and (due to my aforementioned thoughts on Lykke Li's unappealing contribution to the track) swapped the placement of the alternate version of "The Troubles" with the album version.
I use
- Exactaudiocopy to copy the CD and convert in flac,
- CD Wav Editor to split the file and and save it as a cue sheet (but you have to edit with notepad to delete the drive letter e. g. C:\),
- Foobar 2000 to convert to mp3,
- LAME.exe as a mp3 converter,
- FLAC.EXE as a flac converter.
Apologies for the non U2 content.
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In an email I received a couple days ago from U2.com, it stated:
If you got the new album digitally last month, you might want to complete Songs of Innocence on iTunes with the bonus songs, acoustic sessions... and a special surprise.
Did anyone get the deluxe version digitally to know what the surprise is? Is it Invisible? Or did the digital version have something else that I'm not aware of?
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In an email I received a couple days ago from U2.com, it stated:
If you got the new album digitally last month, you might want to complete Songs of Innocence on iTunes with the bonus songs, acoustic sessions... and a special surprise.
Did anyone get the deluxe version digitally to know what the surprise is? Is it Invisible?
I'm positive that's what it is. That said, I'm not buying crap from iTunes as long as CDs still exist in this world.
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Nothing extra in the digital version. I think the reference was to "Invisible"
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I just finished editing the "acoustic sessions" and separating "Sleep Like a Baby" from "Invisible" in iTunes. Now I have Disc 2 of SOI properly sequenced as an 11-track album.
Ditto, but I did with the CD and a software program called Goldwave. Now I have "Invisible" as the album's first track in my library, and (due to my aforementioned thoughts on Lykke Li's unappealing contribution to the track) swapped the placement of the alternate version of "The Troubles" with the album version.
I use
- Exactaudiocopy to copy the CD and convert in flac,
- CD Wav Editor to split the file and and save it as a cue sheet (but you have to edit with notepad to delete the drive letter e. g. C:\),
- Foobar 2000 to convert to mp3,
- LAME.exe as a mp3 converter,
- FLAC.EXE as a flac converter.
Apologies for the non U2 content.
No problem, I am always curious about sound lineage
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From the front page at U2wanderer.org (Yes, we do update there from time to time):
http://www.u2wanderer.org/
2014-10-21> Update on the Japan releases: The one-disc version appears to have no extra tracks. On the two-disc version "Invisible" is listed as a sixth track (yes listed separate from "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight", and "The Crystal Ballroom (12-Inch Remix)" is listed as track seven on the OBI (on the second disc.)
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Where Invisible is listed???
(http://i.imgur.com/Oi79Prz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/eHaZEZk.jpg)
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It's listed on the OBI which isn't present in the photo you posted - I believe that is the Thai release pictured above.
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Deluxe version japan OBI
Track six reads Invisible. Track seven reads The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix) Japan Exclusive Track.
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Deluxe version japan OBI
Track six reads Invisible. Track seven reads The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix) Japan Exclusive Track.
Whoa, whoa, whoa--is this a CD, or just another vinyl?
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Whoa, whoa, whoa--is this a CD, or just another vinyl?
ah, looks like he's talking about the Japanese SOI Deluxe CD package...sweet
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DANG! I was hoping not to fork over money for the Japanese deluxe, but that CD version of Crystal Ballroom 12" Mix is too tempting.
It's strange that there hasn't been any confirmation of bonus tracks on this until it actually arrived in Aaron's mailbox on the other side of the world...
Are there extra Japanese booklets with this release? Anything else of note?
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Son of a...I just knew I was gonna end up having to rebuy this thing...
Okay, next question--where are my best options for buying it? When I go to Amazon.jp, there are multiple listings and most of the text won't translate.
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I just bought a "Like New" copy from amazon.com for $10.00. But the listing is dodgy... I'm not sure what I'll be getting. The record company says Universal Japan, the title of the listing is "Songs of Innocence-Deluxe Edition (2CD Digipak)." But the product details say it's one disc. I could have emailed the seller first to make sure I'm getting the right version, but I didn't want to let it get away for $10 if it really is the Japan 2CD. We shall see!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NJ1MPD2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Deluxe version japan OBI
Track six reads Invisible. Track seven reads The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix) Japan Exclusive Track.
Whoa, whoa, whoa--is this a CD, or just another vinyl?
This is the deluxe CD - the two disc copy. The Japan copy started shipping today. Mine hasn't arrived yet, so I can't confirm all of the details. However I do have a good friend in Japan who will be picking it up when it goes on sale (tomorrow is the actual release date).
All I can promise is that the OBI strip lists the 12" mix as an exclusive. And it also lists Invisible as a separate track. Once I have it in my possession, or Don confirms for me what's on it from Japan, I'll let you know.
I bought mine on HMV Japan - be careful because the Japanese sites will list imports as well as domestic released CDs. Look for the catalog numbers, or something that says a Japan pressing. The listing on HMV still only lists five tracks.
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This is an auction for it showing the front and back OBI (Catalog UICI-1134/5):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELUXE-EDITION-U2-SONGS-OF-INNOCENCE-JAPAN-TRIPLE-FOLDOUT-2-CD-SET-BONUS-TRACK-/351202535886?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item51c54d69ce
If you zoom in you'll see that the OBI lists seven tracks, however the back of the CD case still lists five.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/XDMAAOSwr81URe~O/$_57.JPG)
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If you go to the Universal Japan web site listed on that photo Aaron just posted, you get the 7-song track listing for the bonus disc. I translated the page and it came up with this for Disc 2:
DISC2
1 Lucifer's Hands
2 The Crystal Ballroom
3 Acoustic Sessions
4 The Troubles (Alternative Version)
5 Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Chad Blake)
6 Invisible
7 The Crystal Ballroom (12 inch mix)
http://www.universal-music.co.jp/u2/products/uici-1134/#DeoXljWOCvZW88ou.99 で詳細を読む
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This is an auction for it showing the front and back OBI (Catalog UICI-1134/5):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELUXE-EDITION-U2-SONGS-OF-INNOCENCE-JAPAN-TRIPLE-FOLDOUT-2-CD-SET-BONUS-TRACK-/351202535886?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item51c54d69ce
Thanks. Bought one. Forty unplanned dollars but, c'mon...U2...exclusive bonus track...crystal clear digital glory...not a degradable, hissy, scratchy vinyl. They own me.
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This is an auction for it showing the front and back OBI (Catalog UICI-1134/5):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELUXE-EDITION-U2-SONGS-OF-INNOCENCE-JAPAN-TRIPLE-FOLDOUT-2-CD-SET-BONUS-TRACK-/351202535886?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item51c54d69ce
Thanks. Bought one. Forty unplanned dollars but, c'mon...U2...exclusive bonus track...crystal clear digital glory...not a degradable, hissy, scratchy vinyl. They own me.
They own me even worse. I bought it in advance of knowing any of this. :)
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Am I correct that the Japanese 1 disc version contains 15 songs:
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_U2_000000000004533/item_Songs-Of-Innocence-Deluxe-Edition_5998683
According to google translate this is the tracklist:
01. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) 02. Every Breaking Wave 03. California (Zea Is No End To Love) 04. SONG FOR SOMEONE 05. Iris (Hold Me Close) 06. Volcano 07. Raizudo-by-Uruvusu 08. Cedarwood Road 09. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight 10. This Is Where The You Can Reach Me Now 11. The Troubles 12. Lucifer's Hands 13. The Crystal Ballroom 14. The Troubles (Alternative Version) 15. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Alternative PlayStation Kuti Vu mix by Chad Blake)
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That's the listing for the deluxe version (the two disc version) - the catalog number is the same.
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Not to derail all the Japan CD talk, but here's "Volcano" live on Jools Holland, and it's a rocking full band version. The arrangement is somewhat different from what is on the album, at least during the second half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y1ufyq2FG0#t=148
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Where Invisible is listed???
LOL
You posted Taiwanese version, not Japanese.
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おかげでアーロン
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Taiwan seems to have TCB as well
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Taiwan seems to have TCB as well
Yes, but that obi strip is likely referring to the regular version of Crystal Ballroom, right? Not the 12" Remix?
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Taiwan seems to have TCB as well
Taiwan has the same disc as in other countries. "The Crystal Ballroom" is on that disc in all countries. Japan is getting the 12-inch mix, which is labeled as a Japanese Exclusive Track on the OBI strip itself.
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おかげでアーロン
You are welcome :)
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Since the contents of the bonus disc are still hazy, due in no small part to U2 taking six songs and lumping them together as one, let's review the contents, shall we? :)
WORLDWIDE DISC 2
1. Lucifer's Hands
2. The Crystal Ballroom
3. Acoustic Sessions
*Every Breaking Wave [From Acoustic Sessions]
*California (There is No End to Love) [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Raised by Wolves [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Cedarwood Road [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Song for Someone [From Acoustic Sessions]
*The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) [Busker Version]
4. The Troubles [Alternative Version]
5. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight [Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake]
*Invisible
NOTE: The Acoustic Sessions tracks are not listed anywhere on the CD packaging. However, the songs are separated and listed individually on digital versions of the deluxe edition. Similarly, "Invisible" is not listed anywhere on the CD packaging, but is rather a hidden track after one minute of silence on track 5. "Invisible" is not listed separately on digital versions of the deluxe.
JAPAN DISC 2 [but interestingly, NOT Australia, which usually gets the same bonus track as Japan]
1. Lucifer's Hands
2. The Crystal Ballroom
3. Acoustic Sessions
*Every Breaking Wave [From Acoustic Sessions]
*California (There is No End to Love) [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Raised by Wolves [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Cedarwood Road [From Acoustic Sessions]
*Song for Someone [From Acoustic Sessions]
*The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) [Busker Version]
4. The Troubles [Alternative Version]
5. Sleep Like a Baby Tonight [Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake]
6. Invisible
7. The Crystal Ballroom (12" Mix)
NOTE: Acoustic Sessions are still one track on this CD, but "Invisible" has been separated as Track 6 and a 7th track, "The Crystal Ballroom (12" Version)" has been added as a bonus. This 7th song was previously available only on Side 4 of the vinyl edition, or as a streaming track from U2.com. I'm sure they added "Invisible" separately because it wouldn't really make sense to have a hidden track AND THEN segue into a bonus track. It just makes more sense to present it this way.
It will be interesting to see if "Sleep Like a Baby" still has one minute of silence tagged on at the end on the Japan CD, or if that has been eliminated.
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The Japan Deluxe Edition [JA, UICI-1134]
Disc 2 - Tracks / Times
01 - Lucifer's Hands (3:55.107)
02 - The Crystal Ballroom (4:40.427)
03 - Acoustic Sessions (22:48.947)
04 - The Troubles (Alternative Version) (4:32.293)
05 - Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix By Tchad Blake) (5:18.467)
06 - Invisible (4:45.187)
07 - The Crystal Ballroom (12'' Mix) (7:27.320)
Total : (53:27.747)
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Is there any difference in encoding between the U.S. and Japanese discs (i.e. 16-bit vs. 24-bit)?
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Hey, did anyone get the standard version of the CD in a jewel case? What is the booklet like? Just the band photo surrounded by white, type-written pages? I'm beginning to think that the iTunes digital booklet is really the winner out of all of this because at least it had cool portraits of each of the four band members.
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NOTE: Acoustic Sessions are still one track on this CD, but "Invisible" has been separated as Track 6 and a 7th track, "The Crystal Ballroom (12" Version)" has been added as a bonus. This 7th song was previously available only on Side 4 of the vinyl edition, or as a streaming track from U2.com. I'm sure they added "Invisible" separately because it wouldn't really make sense to have a hidden track AND THEN segue into a bonus track. It just makes more sense to present it this way.
I'm not sure we know that yet. I've not actually seen it ripped yet for contents. The OBI lists things as 7 tracks, but the back of the CD itself lists things as 5 still. I've sent a note to Japan to ask :)
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NOTE: Acoustic Sessions are still one track on this CD, but "Invisible" has been separated as Track 6 and a 7th track, "The Crystal Ballroom (12" Version)" has been added as a bonus. This 7th song was previously available only on Side 4 of the vinyl edition, or as a streaming track from U2.com. I'm sure they added "Invisible" separately because it wouldn't really make sense to have a hidden track AND THEN segue into a bonus track. It just makes more sense to present it this way.
I'm not sure we know that yet. I've not actually seen it ripped yet for contents. The OBI lists things as 7 tracks, but the back of the CD itself lists things as 5 still. I've sent a note to Japan to ask :)
Scarlet's quote above seems to show seven tracks after being ripped, and in answer to my previous question, it looks like the minute of silence at the end of SLABT has been removed. My guess is that bonus track details for Japan were finalized at the last minute, and that's why the track list is correct on the obi but not on the sleeve.
And I'm getting worried that my $10 find on amazon yesterday is just going to be the regular US deluxe edition, not the Japan. I don't see how a US-based seller would have a "Like New" copy up for sale already. :(
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Son of a...I just knew I was gonna end up having to rebuy this thing...
Okay, next question--where are my best options for buying it? When I go to Amazon.jp, there are multiple listings and most of the text won't translate.
>:( The same me! I've been waiting with buying Deluxe Edition 2CD till 14th October (official release date for Poland) and didn't order it in presale - I was hoping that there would be some region specific releases like Japan, Target Exclusive and others with extra tracks. But nothing like that happened so I go and buy Deluxe.
Why there was no proper setlist for Japan before? :P
Forty unplanned dollars but, c'mon...U2...exclusive bonus track...crystal clear digital glory...not a degradable, hissy, scratchy vinyl. They own me.
Yes that's true ::) All in all good to see The Crystal Ballroom 12" Mix in lossless CD quality. Also separate Invisible is a good sign.
Still don't know what was the reasons to put all acoustic session as one track!?!?!?!? Why in digital era, when separating CD tracks is very easy, such things happened? It's very annoying at standalone CD player. :-\
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Scarlet's quote above seems to show seven tracks after being ripped, and in answer to my previous question, it looks like the minute of silence at the end of SLABT has been removed. My guess is that bonus track details for Japan were finalized at the last minute, and that's why the track list is correct on the obi but not on the sleeve.
Ah for some reason I didn't see Scarlet's post on the site i was using. Sorry. And thank you Scarlet!! :)
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Hey, did anyone get the standard version of the CD in a jewel case? What is the booklet like? Just the band photo surrounded by white, type-written pages? I'm beginning to think that the iTunes digital booklet is really the winner out of all of this because at least it had cool portraits of each of the four band members.
It has a front image (Larry and son) and a back image (U2 walking toward us - the same image from the gatefold of the other) other than that the pages are all white, with the lyrics, Bono's essay, credits etc. No additional photos. Just type-written pages.
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Is there any difference in encoding between the U.S. and Japanese discs (i.e. 16-bit vs. 24-bit)?
By my understanding Audio CDs are 16-bit. To burn a 24-bit wave file to a CD it would be down sampled to 16-bit. And these are audio CDs. Not another format.
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Of note, there was/is a French site selling the deluxe format in FLAC with the acoustic sessions as separate tracks
www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/album/songs-of-innocence-u2/0060254706523
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Hey, did anyone get the standard version of the CD in a jewel case? What is the booklet like? Just the band photo surrounded by white, type-written pages? I'm beginning to think that the iTunes digital booklet is really the winner out of all of this because at least it had cool portraits of each of the four band members.
It has a front image (Larry and son) and a back image (U2 walking toward us - the same image from the gatefold of the other) other than that the pages are all white, with the lyrics, Bono's essay, credits etc. No additional photos. Just type-written pages.
For all their talk about how an album needs to be an immersive experience (hints at new format for media, etc), this album has been surprisingly bare on the artwork front. They've not had a good set of album artwork since Pop. Well, ATYCLB has a few gorgeous photos, but they're so few and most of the photos are blurred, so it's still mostly a miss in my mind. Pop was the last album where I really enjoyed sitting down with the book and flipping through it and examining all the pictures and the artwork layout.
In fact, even though the music on SOI album have been really strong, it's probably been my least exciting experience with a new U2 album. Normally I hold out until I have the CD in my hands, and sit and look through each page chronologically along with the songs as they play. But this time, my first experience was with iTunes with the sparse digital booklet with only four or five photos. Then they released pictures of the physical album and I could see there was practically no artwork (less than the free iTunes version to boot). Then the deluxe songs were available on Spotify before my physical CDs arrived in the mail. I had already heard the main album, there wasn't any artwork to be expected in the physical format, so I really had no incentive to wait. I listened to the deluxe songs on Spotify before I got my CDs in the mail. By the time I got the actual CDs, I just opened it to confirm there really was no additional art work, and then stuffed it in my drawer. I've never cared so little about the physical CD before.
I get they probably wanted to keep it simple and pure with this album - make it about the music. But I really hope for the next album they go all out and splatter the album sleeves with artwork like they did in the 90s. Or they better hit a home run with this new album media format they're talking about.
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Confirmation from Bono (ha! as if such a thing could exist) in Rolling Stone that SOI is part one of a trilogy of albums, including the celebratory Songs of Experience and concluding with, yes, Songs of Ascent.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/u2-take-on-the-world-inside-rolling-stones-new-issue-20141023
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:( Sure enough, the Japanese deluxe edition I bought from a seller on amazon.com for $10 was, indeed, just the standard US deluxe. I can return it, of course, but now, like many of you, I'm faced with the prospect of paying around $40 for the prospect of getting only one extra song in CD quality...
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Of note, there was/is a French site selling the deluxe format in FLAC with the acoustic sessions as separate tracks
www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/album/songs-of-innocence-u2/0060254706523
It still hasn't gone live, but Pono Music will also be selling the album in FLAC with the acoustic sessions as separate tracks.
https://ponomusic.force.com/ccrz__CCPage?pageKey=product&oId=of%3A9bb02cfe7c3a480f9edda76dc41888b8&type=Album
Pono Music will be selling a lot of hi-res stuff, but I expect SOI will just be CD quality FLAC. If there was a 24-bit version, I think it would already be available on HDtracks or one of the other hi-res sites.
BTW, Aaron is correct. The redbook CD standard stipulates only 16-bit 44.1 kHz PCM.
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Also, I received the Japanese deluxe CD today. The information Scarlet posted above is accurate. The acoustic sessions is one track, but the Sleep Like a Baby rework, Invisible, and Crystal Ballroom 12" are separate tracks.
The Sleep Like a Baby alt. version is a slightly different edit compared to other releases. It fades out abruptly at 5:18 and jumps straight into Invisible. There is a longer fade of whatever that background noise is on the U.S. version. I had previously edited the track down to 5:25.
My final version of SOI in iTunes is 23 tracks, with the first 20 tracks as they appear on Qobuz and the final 3 ripped from the Japaneses CD2.
...unless something else comes along, of course.
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Which online store would you suggest for japanese edition ? cdjapan.co.jp ?
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I ordered mine from hmv.co.jp but i'm still waiting for it to arrive. It shipped the day before release (Oct 21). I've never had any issues in the past.
There's also a Japan Amazon store front. Best thing to do i think is shop around and compare prices. Any should be able to send the same thing, but you might find a deal with one. If anyone else has any Japan online stores they use in the past, feel free to suggest them. :)
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The shipping from Amazon Japan was incredibly fast. I ordered it Wednesday morning and they sent it DHL Express from Osaka. They actually attempted delivery Friday afternoon but I wasn't home to sign for it, so I had to wait until yesterday.
I'm on the west coast, which probably makes it a bit faster. I've ordered from CDJapan in the past, and it has taken a couple of weeks.
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You can also order it straight from amazon USA, but you'll pay close to $50.
http://www.amazon.com/SONGS-INNOCENCE-DELUXE-2CD-digi-pak-U2/dp/B00NJ1MPD2/ref=tmm_acd_title_2?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1414507498
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Just saw the Japanese liner notes on U2W's Twitter. Ha! Typically incomplete. It looks like Universal Japan just made a guess about the musicians on Invisible and Crystal Ballroom 12" Mix since the only people listed are Bono-Vocals, Edge-Guitar, Adam-Bass, and Larry-Drums.
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The Sleep Like a Baby alt. version is a slightly different edit compared to other releases. It fades out abruptly at 5:18 and jumps straight into Invisible. There is a longer fade of whatever that background noise is on the U.S. version. I had previously edited the track down to 5:25.
I've edited my version to 5:17. I watched that wave file go on forever, barely audible except possibly to your pooch. I tore apart my PC sound card in vain. Maybe someone left a hair dyer on during the mastering session? Is there an alien greeting hidden there somewhere? Maybe if we play it backwards there's some message. Like...the walrus is Paul?
This whole deluxe version is full of editing quirks. Why one track for the US acoustic sessions? With these gazillion promo interviews, has there ever been an explanation?
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Those of you with hang-ups over the single track acoustic sessions clearly never owned Prince's LOVESEXY album. The entire 40+ minute album is mastered as single track. Been a pain in my ass since 1988.
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There's also Coldplay's Viva La Vida, which is really a 14-track album but for strange and pretentious reasons, the band combined 14 tracks into 10 on the CD.
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I updated the U2wanderer tweet from yesterday about SOI collections....
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4gvks8drjrcbmv/Screenshot-%285%29.gif?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4gvks8drjrcbmv/Screenshot-%285%29.gif?dl=0)
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It possible that they wanted fans to listen as a whole. It seems the concept format is playing out here just like how some artists didn't want songs on iTunes to be split up or shuffled.
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I updated the U2wanderer tweet from yesterday about SOI collections....
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4gvks8drjrcbmv/Screenshot-%285%29.gif?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4gvks8drjrcbmv/Screenshot-%285%29.gif?dl=0)
FANTASTIC SHOT!!!
As for the acoustic sessions all as one track, I remain convinced that it has something to do with chart eligibility. I think a deluxe edition can only have a certain number of new tracks and still be counted along with the standard album.
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I think a deluxe edition can only have a certain number of new tracks and still be counted along with the standard album.
I dare to disagree, checkout Manic Street Preachers deluxe edition of last 2 albums - full demo album + 2-4 bonus tracks, each with individual index.
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Fantastic tidbits in this Rolling Stone piece. At one point one of the album producers wanted to "mess up" Larry's live drum track because the drumming was so precise it sounded like a drum machine!
Also, "This is Where You Can Reach Me" was the first track on the album for quite a while. Plus some new tidbits on Songs of Experience.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/18-things-you-learn-hanging-out-with-u2-20141030?page=3
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I read that article and it was interesting. The iTunes deluxe edition has the acoustic tracks listed as single downloads coming out Nov 18 at American Thanksgiving.
I would imagine that this is because as Adam said they want to give the physical copies 'a chance' against the spotifies of the world which he said will come out at a later date. Having all of this music come out in multiple formats over time is just really interesting. When we look back it will be 'as a whole' which is neat.
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Oh, the 12" Mix of "The Crystal Ballroom" on my new Japanese CD is simply bliss. My preferred form of a remix, very much in the vein of "Lady With the Spinning Head" in that it is basically "the normal track with just more music added in" (as opposed to most DJ remixes, which totally alter the song's musical landscape). I don't think the band know what they have with this track, which is a much stronger one than many of the tracks on the album proper, which are already quite strong in their own right.
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I read that article and it was interesting. The iTunes deluxe edition has the acoustic tracks listed as single downloads coming out Nov 18 at American Thanksgiving.
I would imagine that this is because as Adam said they want to give the physical copies 'a chance' against the spotifies of the world which he said will come out at a later date. Having all of this music come out in multiple formats over time is just really interesting. When we look back it will be 'as a whole' which is neat.
Do a search in iTunes for "Songs of Innocence +" - it's a separate album listing for just the Bonus disc in most countries. Doesn't include the first disc. In it the tracks are split up, but "Invisible" remains hidden. And if you pre-order it you get all the acoustic tracks except "The Miracle" as soon as you purchase. No need to wait till Nov 18. :-) This album showed up on iTunes the same day the CDs showed up in shops.
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Just going through my CDs today and looking and ripping and all that.
And I have to say, the one I'm most impressed with for the deluxe versions? The one from India. It's a heavier cardboard used than elsewhere. The inner sleeves that come out are not flimsy paper like the Canadian version, but actual heavy weight card stock. And when you open the CD front cover and see Larry's tattoo symbol? It's not printed there in grey like the Canadian, but is rather done with a technique similar to the CD where it is a different glossy finish on the black matte background.
Also the cds are packed inside of little plastic envelopes inside the card sleeves themselves...the whole package feels more expensive than the Canadian version, or even the Japan version (whose CDs come inside of tissue paper inside the card sleeves).
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There appears to have been some serious quality issues with the Songs of Innocence white vinyl in the USA. I wonder if this is why the release was delayed by a week.
https://twitter.com/u2w/status/528568802754449408
This is a copy bought in the USA (Philadelphia) which featured a bubbled label. The label isn't stuck to the vinyl, only around the edges.
https://twitter.com/u2w/status/528569110096277505
This second one is one I bought myself that was purchased in Halifax, NS. Again the label is all puckered. I noticed this one was loose at the edges, so I peeled it back and sure enough there is a second label underneath.
I've been told about two other instances where the same thing has happened. One was bought on the west coast, and another one was bought here in Halifax. Just wondering if anyone else has opened their vinyl and if they had any similar issues?
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This band and label picked the wrong country to have a mispress. US consumers are notoriously picky when it comes to quality control. I have had records sent back to me as a seller when things aren't 100% correct.
Does the Crystal Ballroom 12" remix CD Japan have any different sources audio issues? I wonder where it was sourced from?
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Does the Crystal Ballroom 12" remix CD Japan have any different sources audio issues? I wonder where it was sourced from?
I imagine it was provided by the band / label as they have done in the past for bonus tracks - it was likely mastered this way. This is common practice for CDs in Japan. They go on sale later usually, and usually at a higher price than domestic CDs, so labels include extra incentives to get people to hold off and buy the domestic product over a cheaper, earlier import.
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Is there any difference in encoding between the U.S. and Japanese discs (i.e. 16-bit vs. 24-bit)?
By my understanding Audio CDs are 16-bit. To burn a 24-bit wave file to a CD it would be down sampled to 16-bit. And these are audio CDs. Not another format.
Sorry to loop back around to this subject, and subsequent research certainly appears to support your assertion, Aaron--but what of this example? I have Thompson Twins' GREATEST HITS (hey, don't judge me!) and, on the back, it reads "20 Bit Digital Mastering From the Original Master Tapes". So this CD is not 20-bit? Is it just the digital master they made from the original master tapes that's 20-bit? But if that 20-bit digital master has to be downsampled to 16-bit for the actual CD pressing, then is the 20-bit origination just a difference which ultimately makes no difference? Apologies if this is all obvious to the rest of you, but color me :o.
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Is there any difference in encoding between the U.S. and Japanese discs (i.e. 16-bit vs. 24-bit)?
By my understanding Audio CDs are 16-bit. To burn a 24-bit wave file to a CD it would be down sampled to 16-bit. And these are audio CDs. Not another format.
Sorry to loop back around to this subject, and subsequent research certainly appears to support your assertion, Aaron--but what of this example? I have Thompson Twins' GREATEST HITS (hey, don't judge me!) and, on the back, it reads "20 Bit Digital Mastering From the Original Master Tapes". So this CD is not 20-bit? Is it just the digital master they made from the original master tapes that's 20-bit? But if that 20-bit digital master has to be downsampled to 16-bit for the actual CD pressing, then is the 20-bit origination just a difference which ultimately makes no difference? Apologies if this is all obvious to the rest of you, but color me :o.
Maybe it's HDCD?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Definition_Compatible_Digital
"HDCD encodes the equivalent of 20 bits worth of data in a 16-bit digital audio signal by using custom dithering, audio filters, and some reversible amplitude and gain encoding; Peak Extend, which is a reversible soft limiter and Low Level Range Extend, which is a reversible gain on low-level signals. There is thus a benefit at the expense of a very minor increase in noise.[3]
That the encoding process is compatible with ordinary CD players (without audible distortion), is disputed: “Not being able to decode the peak soft limiting, a normal CD player will output distorted peaks”.[
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Maybe it's HDCD?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Definition_Compatible_Digital
"HDCD encodes the equivalent of 20 bits worth of data in a 16-bit digital audio signal by using custom dithering, audio filters, and some reversible amplitude and gain encoding; Peak Extend, which is a reversible soft limiter and Low Level Range Extend, which is a reversible gain on low-level signals. There is thus a benefit at the expense of a very minor increase in noise.[3]
That the encoding process is compatible with ordinary CD players (without audible distortion), is disputed: “Not being able to decode the peak soft limiting, a normal CD player will output distorted peaks”.
Huh. Well, I feel a little like a tribble having the ENTERPRISE's engine technology explained to me by Scotty, but I get the gist. Thanks for the clarification!
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Or it could have just been mastered at 20bit and then reduced to 16bit if it is a redbook format audio CD. :) My understanding of audio is vague at best, but one of my best friends is an audio engineer. And I look a lot up on the 'net. (Taking anything from Wikipedia with a grain of salt because I know how bad the U2 section is in places...)
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My first 45, record purchase for that matter, was "Hold Me Now" by the Thompson Twins.
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I see that many peoples here have digital deluxe version of SOI from different sources (Amazon, Qobuz, etc.). And I have only physical one (German pressing CDs). I ripped CDs to FLAC images and want to create additional .cue file with separated acoustic tracks. It would be great if we can create a little database with cue-sheets of SOI's "deluxe part" from different sources. Hope that original master tape is the same for CD and digital versions.
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I see that many peoples here have digital deluxe version of SOI from different sources (Amazon, Qobuz, etc.). And I have only physical one (German pressing CDs). I ripped CDs to FLAC images and want to create additional .cue file with separated acoustic tracks. It would be great if we can create a little database with cue-sheets of SOI's "deluxe part" from different sources. Hope that original master tape is the same for CD and digital versions.
There is no 'master tape' anymore. It's all digital now. I would expect every CD and flac digital download to come from the same source initially. So all CDs and flac files should be identical. The digital master can be sent in seconds anywhere in the world.
If you wanted to get crazy, I guess you could question how the mp3s are made by the different people selling them, i.e., iTunes vs. Amazon, who make their own lossy files. Those might sound different because of a possible difference in the type of mp3 used.
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Here's my take on HDCD.
HDCD was an attempt to improve the sound of CDs. It had a negligible effect on the market because no one could really hear much of a difference. First of all, you needed a CD player that said it was HDCD capable of playing that encoded 20-bit file. Of course the audio manufacturers just looked at it as a way to charge more and make more money for a player (when CD players had become dirt cheap).
The Wikipedia description is as good as any if you want details of the technical process.
We tried all sorts of those players in our store when it first came out. I could never hear much difference. It was a tough sell. We did tons of demos and comparisons. Eventually no one talked about it anymore. Even CDs that did have an option of HDCD playback came out without any mention on the disc at all. You had to go to a HDCD website that had a list of every CD that was encoded with the HDCD process. HDCD capable CDs could be played on any CD player and supposedly deliver the standard CD sound. Even that became controversial.
This format had zero impact for consumers and for a simple reason. Most people just couldn't hear any improvement. But like all things dealing with someone's hearing, there will always be a few who claim it's better.
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I see that many peoples here have digital deluxe version of SOI from different sources (Amazon, Qobuz, etc.). And I have only physical one (German pressing CDs). I ripped CDs to FLAC images and want to create additional .cue file with separated acoustic tracks. It would be great if we can create a little database with cue-sheets of SOI's "deluxe part" from different sources. Hope that original master tape is the same for CD and digital versions.
I'm not sure from where my cds are, but i think i have the South East Asia Version. This is my attempt to split the Acoustic tracks, done with CD Wave Editor (http://www.milosoftware.com/en/index.php?body=cdwave.php).
REM GENRE Rock
REM DATE 2014
REM DISCID 420B0605
REM COMMENT ExactAudioCopy v1.0b3
PERFORMER "U2"
TITLE "2014-10-13 Songs Of Innocence (Deluxe Edition) CD2"
FILE "U2 - Songs of Innocence Disc 2.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Lucifer's Hands"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "The Crystal Ballroom (Album Mix)"
INDEX 01 03:55:08
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Acoustic Sessions (Every Breaking Wave - California - Raised By Wolves - Cedarwood Road - Song For Someone - The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) (Busker Version))"
INDEX 01 08:35:40
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "The Troubles (Alternative Version)"
INDEX 01 31:24:36
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake) - Invisible (Album Mix)"
INDEX 01 35:56:58
OR
REM GENRE Rock
REM DATE 2014
REM DISCID 420B0605
REM COMMENT ExactAudioCopy v1.0b3
PERFORMER "U2"
TITLE "2014-10-13 Songs Of Innocence (Deluxe Edition) CD2 (Split By Song)"
FILE "U2 - Songs of Innocence Disc 2.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Lucifer's Hands"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "The Crystal Ballroom (Album Mix)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 03:55:28
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Every Breaking Wave (From Acoustic Sessions)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 08:35:60
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "California (There Is No End To Love) (From Acoustic Sessions)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 13:04:61
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Raised By Wolves (From Acoustic Sessions)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 16:24:58
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Cedarwood Road (From Acoustic Sessions)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 20:22:21
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Song For Someone (From Acoustic Sessions)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 23:41:30
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) (Busker Version)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 27:17:46
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "The Troubles (Alternative Version)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 31:24:68
TRACK 10 AUDIO
TITLE " "
PERFORMER ""
INDEX 01 35:57:04
TRACK 11 AUDIO
TITLE "Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 35:58:21
TRACK 12 AUDIO
TITLE " "
PERFORMER ""
INDEX 01 41:11:18
TRACK 13 AUDIO
TITLE "Invisible (Album Mix)"
PERFORMER "U2"
INDEX 01 42:18:17
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Some tidbits from a couple of recent interviews in non-English speaking countries (Portugal and Spain):
- Tour will be starting before next summer
- Tour will run over 2 years.
- Some songs tell you what to do. Streets for instance doesn't have any
roof. These songs are songs in rooms. They suggest indoor spaces. But
eventually they'll go outside.
- Bono speaks about innocence. Innocence leaves you when you understand
your own mortality. You can return to innocence in moments of beauty.
- Adam thinks "Volcano", "Song for Someone", "Every Breaking Wave" and
maybe "Cedarwood Road" have legs and will be strong songs, and great live
songs.
- Sleep Like a Baby Tonight - started working on years ago ("good few
years") but never made it past the demo stage. Played it for Danger
mouse and he jumped on it. Five - six days spent on it on the entire
album.
- "The Crystal Ballroom" might be the next single. It's one of the best songs on the album. (Edge)
- There's magic in the acoustic version of "Every Breaking Wave" - also a contender for a single.
- Haven't had a lot of time to think about the 2nd single.
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There is no 'master tape' anymore. It's all digital now. I would expect every CD and flac digital download to come from the same source initially. So all CDs and flac files should be identical.
Yeh, you are right about 'master tape', maybe 'digital master' is the right term.
But I'm not sure that CD and FLACs for disc 2 came from one source. If anyone provide cue-sheets from digital sources we can confirm (or not) that.
And about lossy things. If they came from lossless sources using proper software they must have identical timings with that lossless sources. So cue-sheets from Amazon's MP3s or iTunes AACs is useful too.
Just find out that MP3s from Amazon and other digital stores lists duration of track 21 (with Invisible hidden) as 10:27 or 10:28. This means that at least two or three digital masters available (for CDs, for FLACs and for MP3s/AACs).
I'm not sure from where my cds are, but i think i have the South East Asia Version.
Thanks! This timings are identical to German pressing CDs.
And thanks for hand-made cue-sheet you posted. But I'm really want to see digital store's timings to find out couple of things:
1. Are they identical between each other or not
2. Is the source used same as on CD or not.
And of course this sounds crazy but I prefer to use 'official' timings for the Acoustic sessions.
P. S.: I think 'Invisible' starts at 42:17:70, duration: 4:44.987
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Amazing to think that a song not on the album could be the next single. Or is that a sign of the (lack of) strength of the album's songs? I happen to think there's many hits there and several could be up for single contention. I would be choosing Every Breaking Wave and California as the next singles. But The Crystal Ballroom (for me) is totally worth getting the single treatment as well. It's one of my favourites. I would swap it out with This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now if I was making the album because I am just struggling to get in to it.
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I would swap it out with This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now if I was making the album because I am just struggling to get in to it.
See, that's just crazy to me! I absolutely adrore TIWYCRMN; it nips at "Every Breaking Wave"'s heels as my favorite track from the album, but clearly you're not alone in your opinion. There's been a poll going on over at U2.com for people to pick their favorite track from the "second half" of the new album. Of course, TIWYCRMN got my vote, but it's currently in the very last place, not even able to eke out a double-digit percentage (to add further insult to injury, "Volcano", my second favorite from that half of the album, is the next lowest voted--"how can this be?!", I say!). I find the track's melody to be impossibly funky and playful, yet set at counterpoint with some very cutting and cynically weighty lyrics. One thing's for sure--whenever it's on, whether I want it to or not, it sets my butt a'wigglin'! I'll have to assume you're not a fan of The Clash, because TIWYCRMN sounds precisely to me like a lost recording from COMBAT ROCK. I have a feeling TIWYCRMN is going to be one of those rare songs where the bulk of U2 fans are indifferent to, or outright dislike, it, but a subsection of the fanbase will be passionate, vocal champions of it.
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Just going through my CDs today and looking and ripping and all that.
And I have to say, the one I'm most impressed with for the deluxe versions? The one from India. It's a heavier cardboard used than elsewhere. The inner sleeves that come out are not flimsy paper like the Canadian version, but actual heavy weight card stock. And when you open the CD front cover and see Larry's tattoo symbol? It's not printed there in grey like the Canadian, but is rather done with a technique similar to the CD where it is a different glossy finish on the black matte background.
Also the cds are packed inside of little plastic envelopes inside the card sleeves themselves...the whole package feels more expensive than the Canadian version, or even the Japan version (whose CDs come inside of tissue paper inside the card sleeves).
Wow! Now I'm tempted to get this one too. Did you order from amazon India? Unfortunately I have no experience with purchasing CDs manufactured in India...
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Amazing to think that a song not on the album could be the next single. Or is that a sign of the (lack of) strength of the album's songs? I happen to think there's many hits there and several could be up for single contention. I would be choosing Every Breaking Wave and California as the next singles. But The Crystal Ballroom (for me) is totally worth getting the single treatment as well. It's one of my favourites. I would swap it out with This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now if I was making the album because I am just struggling to get in to it.
This concept has been around for a while. Pearl Jam have a couple huge singles on airplay that were never on a proper studio release at least for a long time. I am thinking about Yellow Ledbetter, Crazy Mary and Last Kiss.
Tick Tock, HMTMKMKM and Miss Sarajevo are also missing from 'proper' studio releases.
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Tick Tock, HMTMKMKM and Miss Sarajevo are also missing from 'proper' studio releases.
Your accurate comments about Pearl Jam aside, I don't think your U2 analogue is particularly salient. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" was released to promote the BATMAN FOREVER soundtrack, so it is directly tied to a proper studio release, just not a U2 album. And "Miss Sarajevo" was released as a single to promote the ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS 1 album, so it was not a stand-alone single. "11 O'Clock, Tick Tock" is a fair example, but it merely highlights how much music-distribution times are different in 2014 from 1980. If "The Crystal Ballroom" is released as a single (which I doubt--my vote is "Every Breaking Wave"--but I wouldn't mind), it would be extremely unorthodox for the band, and an oddity for radio (after all, even your most recent Pearl Jam example was nearly 20 years ago).
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P. S.: I think 'Invisible' starts at 42:17:70, duration: 4:44.987
I checked that, and my version really starts at 42:18:17, duration 4:44:52.
All songs on the cd have silence parts between the songs. I only made a track for the silence between Troubles and Sleep and between Sleep and Invisible.
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And thanks for hand-made cue-sheet you posted. But I'm really want to see digital store's timings to find out couple of things:
i have the following at home:
Canada Deluxe
USA Deluxe
Indian Deluxe
German Deluxe
Taiwan Deluxe
Japan Deluxe
Qobuz Set
iTunes Canada "Songs of Innocence +" acoustic Tracks.
I'm unfortunately away from home at the moment, but when I'm back i'll post the timings of all of the above. By that time my sets from Argentina, Hong Kong, and South Korea might have shown up as well. But so far with the exception of the Japan release, all of the timings have been identical for all of the CDs. That suggests only one master for all the CDs pressed worldwide anyway.
I'll try to post it all on Wed night.
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Amazing to think that a song not on the album could be the next single. Or is that a sign of the (lack of) strength of the album's songs? I happen to think there's many hits there and several could be up for single contention. I would be choosing Every Breaking Wave and California as the next singles. But The Crystal Ballroom (for me) is totally worth getting the single treatment as well. It's one of my favourites. I would swap it out with This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now if I was making the album because I am just struggling to get in to it.
Maybe to them the "Deluxe Version" really is the "album". I can see them thinking that they'd be able to go to retailers and say really, look, we're leaving off one of the best songs, so people will have to buy the deluxe version from you in stores. If the 10 track version hasn't sold well at all, they may also use it to promote the deluxe version being out there. Kind of "we know we gave you the album for free, but if you want the new song its' on the deluxe version".
A lot of pop stars of late package and re-release albums with new material all the time. Katy Perry ran out of singles to release on the last album, so threw out a couple of additional ones, and kept riding the package for that much longer. Gaga has done the same, repacking with a disc of remixes and a few extra tracks. It could be a play on that. Perry's "Wide Awake" wasn't on "Teenage Dream" the first time around. But it was on "Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection". And it drew people in to buy something they already had...
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Just going through my CDs today and looking and ripping and all that.
And I have to say, the one I'm most impressed with for the deluxe versions? The one from India. It's a heavier cardboard used than elsewhere. The inner sleeves that come out are not flimsy paper like the Canadian version, but actual heavy weight card stock. And when you open the CD front cover and see Larry's tattoo symbol? It's not printed there in grey like the Canadian, but is rather done with a technique similar to the CD where it is a different glossy finish on the black matte background.
Also the cds are packed inside of little plastic envelopes inside the card sleeves themselves...the whole package feels more expensive than the Canadian version, or even the Japan version (whose CDs come inside of tissue paper inside the card sleeves).
Wow! Now I'm tempted to get this one too. Did you order from amazon India? Unfortunately I have no experience with purchasing CDs manufactured in India...
eBay was my friend on the Indian one. I'm usually wary of buying stuff from India and some of the asian countries because bootlegs are so prevalent. But i figured buying it early enough meant that the bootleggers wouldn't have time to get product out. It was a nice package, but as I go through i'm realizing the Canadian / USA ones are the cheapest looking ones. They are also a different shape than elsewhere. i'll take a few photos when i get home of the Indian one and post them. Help you make up your mind. :)
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actually thanks to a remote desktop here you go:
Qobuz Version: (Times taken by selecting full track length in Audacity)
Lucifer's Hands
3:55.094
The Crystal Ballroom
04:40.438
Every Breaking Wave (Acoustic)
04:28.979
California
03:19.983
Raised by Wolves
03:57.607
Cedarwood Road
03:18.740
Song for Someone
03:36.580
The Miracle
04:07.046
The Troubles (Alt)
04:32.305
SLeep Like a Baby / Invisible
10:28.131
Songs of Innocence + (These are from iTunes information area, tracks are in reverse order sorry - only acoustic tracks available so far)
Song for Someone (Acoustic)
03:36.580
Cedarwood Road
03:18.740
Raised by Wolves
03:57.607
California
03:19.982
Every Breaking Wave
04:28.978
Japan Deluxe (EAC Rip)
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
---------------------------------------------------------
1 | 0:00.00 | 3:55.08 | 0 | 17632
2 | 3:55.08 | 4:40.32 | 17633 | 38664
3 | 8:35.40 | 22:48.71 | 38665 | 141335
4 | 31:24.36 | 4:32.22 | 141336 | 161757
5 | 35:56.58 | 5:18.35 | 161758 | 185642
6 | 41:15.18 | 4:45.14 | 185643 | 207031
7 | 46:00.32 | 7:27.24 | 207032 | 240580
Canada (EAC Rip)
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
---------------------------------------------------------
1 | 0:00.00 | 3:55.08 | 0 | 17632
2 | 3:55.08 | 4:40.32 | 17633 | 38664
3 | 8:35.40 | 22:48.71 | 38665 | 141335
4 | 31:24.36 | 4:32.22 | 141336 | 161757
5 | 35:56.58 | 11:06.11 | 161758 | 211718
German (EAC Rip)
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
---------------------------------------------------------
1 | 0:00.00 | 3:55.08 | 0 | 17632
2 | 3:55.08 | 4:40.32 | 17633 | 38664
3 | 8:35.40 | 22:48.71 | 38665 | 141335
4 | 31:24.36 | 4:32.22 | 141336 | 161757
5 | 35:56.58 | 11:06.11 | 161758 | 211718
You'll note that the Qobuz version above has a shorter amount of silence between Invisible and Sleep Like a Baby Tonight. Hadn't caught that before now, so thanks. Going to go update the "new site" accordingly. :)
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Thanks Aaron!
Qobuz Version: (Times taken by selecting full track length in Audacity)
If this timings are correct they just a little didn't match CD timings (track 2 and 9). I created cue-sheet from information you provided:
PERFORMER "U2"
TITLE "Songs Of Innocence"
REM DATE 2014
FILE "Qobuz_merged.flac" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Lucifer’s Hands"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "The Crystal Ballroom"
INDEX 01 03:55:07
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Every Breaking Wave (from Acoustic Sessions)"
INDEX 01 08:35:40
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "California (There is no End to Love) (from Acoustic Sessions)"
INDEX 01 13:04:38
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Raised by Wolves (from Acoustic Sessions)"
INDEX 01 16:24:37
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Cedarwood Road (from Acoustic Sessions)"
INDEX 01 20:22:08
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Song for Someone (from Acoustic Sessions)"
INDEX 01 23:40:63
TRACK 08 AUDIO
TITLE "The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) (Busker Version)"
INDEX 01 27:17:32
TRACK 09 AUDIO
TITLE "The Troubles (Alternative Version)"
INDEX 01 31:24:35
TRACK 10 AUDIO
TITLE "Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)"
INDEX 01 35:56:58
Songs of Innocence + (These are from iTunes information area, tracks are in reverse order sorry - only acoustic tracks available so far)
'Acoustic Sessions' looks similar to Qobuz FLACs. Let's wait for full release.
You'll note that the Qobuz version above has a shorter amount of silence between Invisible and Sleep Like a Baby Tonight. Hadn't caught that before now, so thanks. Going to go update the "new site" accordingly. :)
Yep, looks like all digital versions available have SLABT/Invisible ~38 seconds shorter than on CDs.
Do you have access to Amazon 'AutoRip' MP3s? If yes, can you check their timings? I wondering from which source they came from.
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If you look on Amazon.com you can see the mp3 of "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Alt)" is 10:28 in length when you buy the mp3. That suggests they too have the "digital version". The only thing I can't confirm is if that is the version you got with the autorip. Someone had to have gotten it that way....Don? Didn't you say you had?
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If you look on Amazon.com you can see the mp3 of "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight (Alt)" is 10:28 in length when you buy the mp3. That suggests they too have the "digital version". The only thing I can't confirm is if that is the version you got with the autorip. Someone had to have gotten it that way....Don? Didn't you say you had?
Sorry. I wanted to support my local indie so I bought the CD there and edited Disc 2 into separate tracks myself using iTunes. But I'd be surprised if SOMEONE here didn't get a copy from amazon...
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I would swap it out with This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now if I was making the album because I am just struggling to get in to it.
See, that's just crazy to me! I absolutely adrore TIWYCRMN; it nips at "Every Breaking Wave"'s heels as my favorite track from the album, but clearly you're not alone in your opinion. There's been a poll going on over at U2.com for people to pick their favorite track from the "second half" of the new album. Of course, TIWYCRMN got my vote, but it's currently in the very last place, not even able to eke out a double-digit percentage (to add further insult to injury, "Volcano", my second favorite from that half of the album, is the next lowest voted--"how can this be?!", I say!). I find the track's melody to be impossibly funky and playful, yet set at counterpoint with some very cutting and cynically weighty lyrics. One thing's for sure--whenever it's on, whether I want it to or not, it sets my butt a'wigglin'! I'll have to assume you're not a fan of The Clash, because TIWYCRMN sounds precisely to me like a lost recording from COMBAT ROCK. I have a feeling TIWYCRMN is going to be one of those rare songs where the bulk of U2 fans are indifferent to, or outright dislike, it, but a subsection of the fanbase will be passionate, vocal champions of it.
If there's one thing we can agree on, it's Volcano. I think it's awesome. Very groovy. Reminds me a lot of the way I felt when Vertigo first came out, and sounds similar during the chorus, and particularly in the verses with Edge's choppy guitar. And I'm looking forward to positively BELTING that out in concert when they venture down to Australia. I think it benefits more from listening to it after Song for Someone and Iris, as opposed to shuffling it in, because it is a huge change of pace compared to the previous two songs. I haven't however heard that song by The Clash. My musical knowledge and experience, U2 aside, is as limited as it comes. I do expect to like TIWYCRMN at some point because songs I have disliked in the past somehow grow on me. For a while Mysterious Ways and New Year's Day became hard to listen to, perhaps because I heard them so much, and then over time, I learned to appreciate them again.
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http://www.538.nl/programma/14/ruuddewild-nl/nieuws/1411/ruud-interviewt-exclusief-u2
Very interesting video of Bono and Larry being interviewed by a Dutch interviewer.
The first top discussed is Larry's tattoo. He's had the tattoo for 18 years now. He got it when his son Aaron was in the womb. They symbol is a native American symbol for protection of the innocent. They put the symbol on cradles of the new borns to protect them. Larry only told the band of the meaning of the tattoo post-photo shoot. Interesting for sure. :)
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Nov 17-21, U2 will be on Fallon. I hope they do full band versions, maybe some songs they haven't done live yet.
I guess Conan O'Brien is not big enough anymore to start their US promos, which is a shame. Conan let them take over the whole show back in 2005, and btw, he's still Irish. He had the funniest take on the SOI / Apple reactions...killer sarcasm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAxmGAZBBtY
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U2 and Tears for Fears on the same night! Love it!!!!
(https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10676367_573299112802020_2980907958888795450_n.jpg?oh=945a309649df24315c1ba734a4743540&oe=54DC0DFD)
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For anyone who might be interested, I'm making a mashup of sorts of the two versions of Sleep Like a Baby Tonight. I like the original in full but I liked the intro of the alternate version and added that to the beginning of the original. As well as one of the verses in the middle. It's not perfect, but if anyone would like to hear it, PM me and I'll send a copy.
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Not sure where else to post this... Larry, Adam and Edge will be performing as "U2 minus one" for the World AIDS Day Concert in Times Square tonight... with vocal duties handled by Bruce Springsteen and Chris Martin! :o
http://www.u2.com/news/title/u2-minus-1-live-in-new-york-tonight
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The Edge confirmed in an interview that U2 will have to pull out of the KROQ Acoustic Christmas concert due to Bono's injuries. :(
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Releasing that obscure white label vinyl paid off, as Songs of Innocence just got a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Woot!
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The show is Feb. 8th, hopefully Bono is doing his therapy every day. That's going to be here pretty quickly.
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Releasing that obscure white label vinyl paid off, as Songs of Innocence just got a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Woot!
Obscure and in a secure location in my collection :) Thanks to you asking me about it and suggesting i call Amoeba to find out more...
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Every Breaking Wave single cover art
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/q90/p720x720/10846143_882812361750098_2453147357092594603_n.jpg?oh=b20666993d657c98736c152135d8622c&oe=5547653A&__gda__=1425889324_9598c62984b0076db077d952c14962f9)
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Kinda looks like something from the HTDAAB Portgual photo shoot but good nonetheless.
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Kinda looks like something from the HTDAAB Portgual photo shoot but good nonetheless.
I was thinking the same thing! It looks like a lot of photos in the HTDAAB booklet.
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anyone know where that image came from? Because it's reading HTDAAB to me as well. :)
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I saw it first on https://twitter.com/U2UKFanfeed but it could have been easily 'shopped. A couple of dubious promos are on Ebay.
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We've been discussing this on Twitter a bit.
Every Breaking Wave has definitely been released to radio as a single. There is a Billboard article on U2's relationship with iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel) and their selection of EBW as the next single. Judging from what is on the iHeartRadio app, this seems to be the album version and not an edit.
That cover art is on U2's official press photo page, so that's definitely legit. I agree that it looks like a HTDAAB era photo.
I think that those promo CDs on eBay are probably legit. It's interesting that the sticker on them refers to a release date of January 12. I presume that date is for a single, though Aaron's sources are apparently telling him that any release will be digital only. I guess we can hope for a different mix/edit or some b-sides at least.
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6386064/u2-iheartmedia-hit-single-songs-of-innocence
http://cdn.u2.com/rmpphoto/U2_EveryBreakingWave_single_AW.jpg
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4gPqTkIgAAAsbf.png)
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yes, i was told by two sources i trust that it would be digital only that there are no plans for any commercial physical releases on January 12.
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yes, i was told by two sources i trust that it would be digital only that there are no plans for any commercial physical releases on January 12.
It's tough to figure out the rules on the digital frontier. The Billboard article clearly states that EBW is already being played on Clear Channel stations and it's climbing the air play charts (albeit quite slowly). So at least in the US, the single is already "released." I'm not sure what is supposed to be happening on January 12. I'm not expecting a physical release either, but like Brad, I'm hoping we get something interesting like a single remix or a new b-side in digital form.
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Will we get B-sides? Will we get remixes? Will they offer flac?
(Will the Broncos get the ring?)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/nqxp2p.jpg)
Don't touch the water!
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yes, i was told by two sources i trust that it would be digital only that there are no plans for any commercial physical releases on January 12.
It's tough to figure out the rules on the digital frontier. The Billboard article clearly states that EBW is already being played on Clear Channel stations and it's climbing the air play charts (albeit quite slowly). So at least in the US, the single is already "released." I'm not sure what is supposed to be happening on January 12. I'm not expecting a physical release either, but like Brad, I'm hoping we get something interesting like a single remix or a new b-side in digital form.
Sorry. I'm obviously not making myself clear.
The promotional release has already happened. Promotional CDs are circulating and the track has been digitally delivered to radio stations for airplay. This is the equivalent of an old time promotional CD which would show up before the single.
The January 12 date refers to the date the "single" will be made available for purchase in digital store fronts and a push will be put on selling that single. I was told there would not be a physical release, so no CD and no vinyl, just that there will be a digital single available. It could be as simple as the current song with the new artwork. I have no information on whether or not there are going to be additional tracks. It could be just the video for the song being released for individual sale on iTunes (if there is a video separate from the Films project). I wouldn't sit around waiting for bonus tracks...
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If 'The Miracle' was any indication, then I wasn't hoping for much.
(I had to make a small joke for Don) :)
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I'm certainly not holding my breath for anything. Not sure how many digital sales they would get selling an album cut that was available for free for as long as it was, but I guess the fixed cost would be close to zero.
I've also heard that a video of the 60 Minutes Australia performance of EBW was pushed out as a promotional video in November, but don't know if they would try to sell that sort of thing.
I agree that the most likely thing is the album version with new cover art and nothing else.
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yes, i was told by two sources i trust that it would be digital only that there are no plans for any commercial physical releases on January 12.
It's tough to figure out the rules on the digital frontier. The Billboard article clearly states that EBW is already being played on Clear Channel stations and it's climbing the air play charts (albeit quite slowly). So at least in the US, the single is already "released." I'm not sure what is supposed to be happening on January 12. I'm not expecting a physical release either, but like Brad, I'm hoping we get something interesting like a single remix or a new b-side in digital form.
Sorry. I'm obviously not making myself clear.
The promotional release has already happened. Promotional CDs are circulating and the track has been digitally delivered to radio stations for airplay. This is the equivalent of an old time promotional CD which would show up before the single.
The January 12 date refers to the date the "single" will be made available for purchase in digital store fronts and a push will be put on selling that single. I was told there would not be a physical release, so no CD and no vinyl, just that there will be a digital single available. It could be as simple as the current song with the new artwork. I have no information on whether or not there are going to be additional tracks. It could be just the video for the song being released for individual sale on iTunes (if there is a video separate from the Films project). I wouldn't sit around waiting for bonus tracks...
Yeah, I got it. I was only commenting on how strange the idea of a "single" is in the digital world. As you said, the EBW promos are already out there and it is getting radio play. If the purpose of a promo single is to convince people to either 1) buy the single or 2) buy the full album, THEY CAN ALREADY DO THAT! Why wait for January 12? If I heard "EBW" on the radio today and thought, "Oh! I've got to have that!" I could go straight to iTunes and either download the individual song or download the full album. What would be the point of waiting until Jan. 12?
I'm just asking rhetorical questions here. I'm just too old skool to understand 21st century marketing. :)
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So can I put EBW in my "U2 Singles" playlist now, or do I have to wait until Jan. 12? ;D
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I've also heard that a video of the 60 Minutes Australia performance of EBW was pushed out as a promotional video in November, but don't know if they would try to sell that sort of thing.
Is this that video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukyqbZOR5Bc
It's got a couple tiny video edits but it sounds like the Aussie one from 'extra minutes'--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zRKdKxGaHo
It truly sucks that physical media is dead.
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Yeah, that looks like the one.
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"
"North Star," a song from the How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sessions which included a guest organ appearance from Michael W. Smith... Echoes of this song seem to appear in "Song For Someone" on Songs Of Innocence.
"
I noticed this comment on an atu2.com article. Does anyone else agree with that, and can explain where they see the similarities? I'm currently listening to the live version from Miami in 2011 and I don't notice anything.
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I don't hear it. North Star is a superior song IMHO.
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i agree with this one. I never hear "North Star" in there. I'll have to look up the original discussion on that one to see if there's any insight to where that came from...
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The chord changes in North Star are beautiful.
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Kinda looks like something from the HTDAAB Portgual photo shoot but good nonetheless.
I was thinking the same thing! It looks like a lot of photos in the HTDAAB booklet.
Another EBW promo
https://www.facebook.com/U2Market/photos/a.78487989035.76452.75855394035/10152948080414036/?type=3&theater
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I've been given reasons to question these "European/Dutch" promos. I've contacted someone who would be able to provide an answer, hopefully they can shine a light on these.
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Has anyone heard a rip of an EBW promo yet? Just wondering if the ending is edited since the album version flows into California.
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anyone know where that image came from? Because it's reading HTDAAB to me as well. :)
Its on U2 promo site now so must be legit...
http://cdn.u2.com/rmpphoto
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On Youtube, I just listened to The Crystal Ballroom [12-inch Mix] . . . . . the bonus track from the vinyl version of Songs Of Innocence . . . . . . and I'm relieved that I don't feel the track is worth acquiring. If I felt it was worth acquiring, I don't think I would buy the vinyl version just to get one bonus track.
Now that I have listened to The Crystal Ballroom [12-inch Mix] many times since my original post . . . . . . . I think it's brilliant. And I was able to acquire it. :)
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SOOOOO... with the tour kickoff just weeks away, is it too early to begin speculating when Songs of Experience will make its appearance? Early in the tour? Late in the tour? After the tour? And regardless of when the album itself drops, I wonder if the band will insert any preview songs into the setlist?
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A store in the Philippines has a unique cover of Songs of Innocence. It is just a black cover without the Glen L photo:
You can view it on Ebay through this store:
sounds_inc Sounds And Visions Store
Someone has already posted this on discogs:
http://www.discogs.com/U2-Songs-Of-Innocence/release/6435753
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It's the regular version, they just made a mistake when they sealed it
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A store in the Philippines has a unique cover of Songs of Innocence. It is just a black cover without the Glen L photo:
You can view it on Ebay through this store:
sounds_inc Sounds And Visions Store
Someone has already posted this on discogs:
http://www.discogs.com/U2-Songs-Of-Innocence/release/6435753
As y531ly5 says, it's just the regular release, however instead of the cover being on the front the inner flap is folded wrong so that the interior black flap is visible. I'm not sure if it was a mistake or not, as it seems to be the most common way to find it in the Philippines. All the copies there seem to have been done in this manner.
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It's the regular version, they just made a mistake when they sealed it
I wonder because some Asian countries censor international releases through their Ministry of Culture.
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And in a related story: http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6553076/russia-u2-album-cover-apple-homosexuality-laws?mobile_redirection=false
A Russian lawmaker is angry with Apple and U2 for promoting homosexuality by uploading the free U2 album to iTunes last year.
The biggest problem with this theory (beyond the homophobia, of course), is the fact that the free iTunes version of the album didn't even have the Larry/Elvis cover!! What in the world? You can't make this stuff up.
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Now that I have listened to The Crystal Ballroom [12-inch Mix] many times since my original post . . . . . . . I think it's brilliant. And I was able to acquire it. :)
I have been checking link after link for a FLAC of a rip from the CD of the 12" version. LOVE IT. However, I have had zero luck finding it as anything but a vinyl rip. Can you advise (PM) me as to where you were able to find a copy (and also what the source of the audio was)?
Thanks,
JMelrose, who misses u2mp3.com