U2 Songs + Experience

[miryclay]

https://shop.hotpress.com/collections/annuals-books/

[Anam]

€50 for Three Chords. Ouch. As a general rule though, Hot Press/ Niall Stokes' stuff is quality. There's a deginite focus on the U2 matket in recent years.

[dagobah]

https://shop.hotpress.com/collections/annuals-books/

Thank you for posting that link.  The product description says it is "a brand new book, which brings Niall Stokes original meisterwork, U2: The Stories Behind The Songs, fully up to date, in a superbly produced, lavish, visually stunning format".  It's amazing to me how people who sell products . . . . . aren't more detailed when they give info about their products.  I don't know if it's laziness or incompetence.

1.  First of all, the product description refers to the original book as U2: The Stories Behind The Songs.  As I type this post, I have the original book in front of me.  They couldn't even get the title correct.  My book is titled
Into The Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song

2.  The product description says "In a special exclusive offer, we are offering copies of the brand new book U2: Songs + Experience, personally signed by the author, Niall Stokes, founder and editor of Hot Press.  Plus, you can specify your own personal dedication, which will be handwritten by Niall Stokes.  Please include your dedication in the notes section when checking out.  Orders will be taken up to midnight November 21, 2018.  Delivery will be asap after that date."  Who cares if the author signs the book?  Who cares about a personal dedication?  This stuff is irrelevant.  They focus on stupid things like that . . . . . rather than giving a relevant detail such as . . . . . . does this new book include the exact song analysis and photos from the original book (which covered songs from Boy up to and including Pop)?  Yes, the description does say this new book "brings that book fully up to date" . . . . . . . but it does not specifically say that it reprints all the previous content.

3.  The product description does not give any page number information nor does it mention anything about "hardcover" or "paperback/softcover".  I went to both Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.  Both say this new book has 192 pages and that its a "hardcover".  Neither website indicates if a "paperback/softcover" version is available.  If there are 192 pages in this new book . . . . . that's only 32 more pages than the original (my original has 160 pages and it is a "paperback/softcover").  If they did repeat the original book's content in this new book, we would need to subtract 160 from 192.  That leaves 32 pages for songs from All That You Can't Leave Behind up to and including Songs Of Experience.  I would think those albums would require more than 32 pages.

I just ordered this new book from Amazon.com.  $22.48 + $1.35 sales tax =  $23.83   Shipping is free because of the current Amazon.com promotion.  But the Amazon order page is weird.  It says . . . . . if I pay $5.99 for shipping, it will be delivered November 19.  That makes sense.  If I choose free shipping, it says it will be delivered January 19.  January 19 does not make sense.  If I don't receive it until January, I'm fine with that.  It just doesn't sound correct.  I'll email Amazon and see what they say.

[Anam]

These will be €5 in easons in January. I'll wait til then I think. Plus the Hot Press Year Book 2019 is due. It often has a U2 bias.

[Aaron]

https://shop.hotpress.com/collections/annuals-books/

Thank you for posting that link.  The product description says it is "a brand new book, which brings Niall Stokes original meisterwork, U2: The Stories Behind The Songs, fully up to date, in a superbly produced, lavish, visually stunning format".  It's amazing to me how people who sell products . . . . . aren't more detailed when they give info about their products.  I don't know if it's laziness or incompetence.

1.  First of all, the product description refers to the original book as U2: The Stories Behind The Songs.  As I type this post, I have the original book in front of me.  They couldn't even get the title correct.  My book is titled
Into The Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song

2.  The product description says "In a special exclusive offer, we are offering copies of the brand new book U2: Songs + Experience, personally signed by the author, Niall Stokes, founder and editor of Hot Press.  Plus, you can specify your own personal dedication, which will be handwritten by Niall Stokes.  Please include your dedication in the notes section when checking out.  Orders will be taken up to midnight November 21, 2018.  Delivery will be asap after that date."  Who cares if the author signs the book?  Who cares about a personal dedication?  This stuff is irrelevant.  They focus on stupid things like that . . . . . rather than giving a relevant detail such as . . . . . . does this new book include the exact song analysis and photos from the original book (which covered songs from Boy up to and including Pop)?  Yes, the description does say this new book "brings that book fully up to date" . . . . . . . but it does not specifically say that it reprints all the previous content.

3.  The product description does not give any page number information nor does it mention anything about "hardcover" or "paperback/softcover".  I went to both Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.  Both say this new book has 192 pages and that its a "hardcover".  Neither website indicates if a "paperback/softcover" version is available.  If there are 192 pages in this new book . . . . . that's only 32 more pages than the original (my original has 160 pages and it is a "paperback/softcover").  If they did repeat the original book's content in this new book, we would need to subtract 160 from 192.  That leaves 32 pages for songs from All That You Can't Leave Behind up to and including Songs Of Experience.  I would think those albums would require more than 32 pages.

I just ordered this new book from Amazon.com.  $22.48 + $1.35 sales tax =  $23.83   Shipping is free because of the current Amazon.com promotion.  But the Amazon order page is weird.  It says . . . . . if I pay $5.99 for shipping, it will be delivered November 19.  That makes sense.  If I choose free shipping, it says it will be delivered January 19.  January 19 does not make sense.  If I don't receive it until January, I'm fine with that.  It just doesn't sound correct.  I'll email Amazon and see what they say.

1. In some countries earlier printings did call it "U2: The Stories Behind the Songs", I think the "Into the Heart" was only added in certain markets / certain printings. I've got five different versions of this one at home from a large hardcover, to a much smaller softcover...here for instance it is called "U2: The Stories Behind Every Song" which would be another alternate title: https://www.amazon.com/U2-Stories-Behind-Every-Songs/dp/1847322875

2. I had a chance to flip through this book in shop in Ireland, and it looked like most of the original song content is there. They changed around some of the latter sections though, I think the material from Original Soundtracks 1 and Million Dollar Hotel and the like were rearranged. That stuff looked shortened. But the album stuff looked complete. I did not buy the book, as I have a copy on the way.  As for the author signing? That's just a perk if you order it from Hot Press.  If you order it anywhere else you get it without and probably save some money.

3. The book I looked over in store was a hard cover. The book has been updated since your 1997 version.  The last version I have, the one linked above at Amazon, covers everything up to the end of No Line on the Horizon. That one was 192 pages in total but was printed without any of the photos that had been found in the earlier editions. 

I'll have a copy in a few days of the book I'm hoping.  When it comes in I am doing a review for the site and will be able to answer questions here. The book isn't limited, so if you want to hold off buying one, we'll try to get more information for you soon.

The book has been released, and is in store in the UK and Ireland. It has not yet been released here in North America that I am aware of. So is the copy you are looking at coming from the UK? If so that may explain a long shipping time if you don't pay the premium shipping.

[dagobah]

I'll have a copy in a few days of the book I'm hoping.  When it comes in I am doing a review for the site and will be able to answer questions here. The book isn't limited, so if you want to hold off buying one, we'll try to get more information for you soon.

The book has been released, and is in store in the UK and Ireland. It has not yet been released here in North America that I am aware of. So is the copy you are looking at coming from the UK? If so that may explain a long shipping time if you don't pay the premium shipping.

Aaron, thank you for the detailed feedback.  I ordered the book when I posted my reply above . . . . . . but you will get your book before I get mine.  Amazon.com said the January 19 delivery estimation was not accurate.  They said I should receive the book in the next 2 weeks.

[Aaron]

Just to follow up on this, I think these are the different versions of the book.  If anyone knows of any additional ones let me know. They tend to follow each U2 album release:

1st Edition: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song
Released: 1996
Zoo TV Cover, 144pg. Soft and hardcover editions.

2nd Edition: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every Song
Released: 1998
Popmart Promo Pic Cover, 160pg. Soft and hardcover editions.

3rd Edition: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every song
Released: 2002
Popmart tour picture cover.

4th Edition: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every song
Released: 2005
Elevation tour picture cover, 224pg.

5th Edition: U2: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song
Released: 2011
Vertigo tour picture cover, softcover, small format, 192pg.

6th Edition: U2: Songs + Experience
Released: 2018
The Joshua Tree 2017 cover, hardcover, large format, 192pg.
Combines the original book with Brian Boyd's book, U2 Experience.

[miryclay]

Aaron,

I think there was one more edition with a Bono silhouette.

https://www.amazon.com/Into-Heart-Stories-Behind-Every/dp/1842222031

miryclay

[miryclay]

Another edition in French:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/2258065879/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6

[Aaron]

Aaron,

I think there was one more edition with a Bono silhouette.

https://www.amazon.com/Into-Heart-Stories-Behind-Every/dp/1842222031

miryclay

That's the 2002 edition.  The hard cover had a different cover than the soft. 

[miryclay]

Aaron,

Good to know. The content remains somewhat similar throughout the editions which leads me to believe there is plenty of copy and pasting going on.

miryclay

[dagobah]

Today, I received the new version of the book from Amazon.com.  By the way, my existing version is the 2nd Edition released in 1998.  Due to limits on my time, I have only glanced at a few pages of the new version.  I love the new version, but I have a few minor complaints.  Example #1  Compared to my existing 2nd Edition, the new version is heavily edited.  I wish the new version would have reprinted exactly each song discussion that my 2nd Edition has.  Example #2  Achtung Baby songs are discussed from page 76 to 86.  As you would expect, those pages include several Achtung Baby era photos.  But page 82 has a photo of Bono and Adam playing live in Denver in April 1987.  I don't like a 1987 photo in a section of the book that discusses 1991-1992.  This happens several times throughout the new book.  That approach is not consistent with the main organization of the book.  The book is organized by discussing each track of each main album chronologically.  Example #3  At the end of my 2nd Edition, there is a neat little basic U2 discography spread out on 2 pages.  Over the years, I have referred to it many times and enjoyed having it as a quick reference.  It's not in the new version.  I realize that we have the incredible U2 discography here at u2songs.com, but sometimes . . . . . I just don't have my computer on (and I don't have an iPhone-type device; yes, I still use a flip phone).

[miryclay]

There is only one U2 discography and that's U2songs. All others are pale imitators.