Smile (single)

[bobni]

Does anyone know if the following single/promo is an official release? I've searched all over the u2wanderer forums but couldn't find any info about it.

U2//SMILE

1. Smile (Single)
2. A Man And A Woman (Single Mix)
3. Mercy (Demo Version)
4. The Fly (Live from Chicago)

Further info:
P 2004 Universal International Music BV
C 2006 Universal Music Company & Univeral Chile

Formato Demo, Solo Para Radios
Prohibida Su Venta.

Code 602498703229

The code is the same as the All Because Of You single.
Smile is the same version as released on the 'Medium Rare Remastered' and Complete U2 'Unreleased & Rare albums.
A Man And A Woman is a different mix from the album version, as well as the acoustic version found on the ABOY single.

This single is found on various torrent websites if you want to check it out.
I just wanted to know if it's official or not.

[Z000]

It's fake.
I was really hoping this was a real release myself, because Mercy remains unreleased and Smile is only on the fanclub promo, the digital album, and as a digital exclusive to U218 on iTunes. It pisses me off when songs as good as these get relegated to such minor releases.

The people here at u2wanderer helped me out:

1. As you pointed out, the UPC code is from the All Because of You single.
2. The mix of A Man and a Woman is actually the introduction from the acoustic version, then the rest of it is the album version. Pretty easy for anyone to splice that together.
3. Mercy has never been released officially. I believe the story is that it was on an early demo cut of HTDAAB that was stolen, but someone else probably knows the details better than I do.

I'm sure there's other evidence I'm leaving out, but that's enough for me.

[bobni]

Thanks for your answer Z000.

I never noticed A Man And A Woman was a spliced together version.
Now that I've listened to it I must agree with you!

I don't know the story behind Mercy either but maybe it'll be released in the future, as a fanclub cd, digital track or a 'lost tracks' compilation...

[Carl]

The story I heard (if I remember correctly) was that a fan was somehow in Bono's car and he had a CDr of the album on and played some songs from it for her... as they left he handed her the CDr and it had Mercy on it as a last track (accidentally or otherwise). 

This was a bit before the actual album release but after it had been leaked?

[Brad]

There is only one version of Mercy in circulation that I know of, and it was ripped from a cassette tape. Lots of hiss. There are some MP3s out there that have been cleaned up, but nothing ripped straight from a CD that I know of.

[Carl]

I thought it was that someone originally ripped it as .wma from a cd that had a rough/unmastered version on it, but I could be remembering it wrong or had read misinformation.