Live - Under A Blood Red Sky (Remastered) by U2

While it's great to see the full concert on DVD at last, to a hypercritical U2 obsessive, this seems like another missed opportunity.

Sadly there was a camera malfunction during "I Fall Down", so that track is missing from the concert footage, but wouldn't it have been worth including the audio as an easter egg?

Both CD and DVD feature horrendous edits during "The Electric Co." due to Bono dropping in a snippet of the tune of "Send In The Clowns". Isn't remastering an opportunity to fix these things? How much was Stephen Sondheim asking for?

Otherwise, the package is nice enough - a slipcase, a booklet with plenty of photos, some wallpaper for your computer and a dodgy old screensaver.

I'm going to dig out my original vinyl copy...

Boy, October and War by U2 - Remastered Deluxe Editions

Ouch.

Boy

I have been waiting twenty years to hear the former awaken from the murky, late 70s-style production techniques which swamped the chiming guitars in a welter of bias noise, particularly noticeable when it was originally issued on CD. While this is an improvement, it's not a revelation. New figures don't suddenly leap out of the mix, though it remains perfectly adequate.

More interesting is the bonus disc. An unreleased Steve Lillywhite mix of "I Will Follow" with acoustic guitars to the fore and other ambient sounds coming in all at the wrong times. Fascinating to hear, after nearly thirty years with the original mix it just sounds wrong, though amusing. There are few surprises with the remastered singles, though the single version of "Stories For Boys" sounds more like the version on the Dublin compilation "Just For Kicks" than that which appeared on "U2 Three". Sadly, the sleeve notes point out the 1/4" master of the "Twilight" demo is missing, so this is mastered from vinyl. Not much better than the version I made myself.

The demo of "Speed Of Life" sadly lacks a vocal, while previously unheard "Saturday Night" proves to be the source of the instrumental guitar solo included on the original vinyl and cassette copies of the album.

Lastly, a tantalising glimpse into the live archives. The b-side to "I Will Follow", "Boy-Girl" is complimented by a version of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" from the same Marquee show, while the set concludes with "Cartoon World", a live recording from the 1980 Dublin National Stadium show broadcast on RTE and widely bootlegged. Like a typical obsessive, what I get is never enough and I'm still dreaming of hearing these shows in their entirety in full 16-bit glory.

October

The liner notes repeat the story about the loss of the lyric ideas due to a "stolen" briefcase, though this isn't quite the whole story.

The sound is better than the Boy remaster, but this seems to be due to the source. Nothing jumps out, but the drums seems sharper, the guitars chime and the bass thrums. This needs more comparison, but presumably it's as much of an improvement as The Joshua Tree remaster, if not more.

The second disc is again tantalising. The first five songs are live versions of October tracks taken from a War Tour show at Hammersmith Palais in December 1982, but reordered. "Gloria" was played in the encore, while "I Threw A Brick..." ends slightly early prior to the segue into "A Day Without Me", which sounds very odd to a U2 fan well-versed in bootlegs from that era.

The show was rebroadcast on BBC 6Music recently in similar form to their original broadcast. At the show, Bono had dedicated "I Fall Down" to a fan named Duncan who sadly died on the Monday night during the concert he was supposed to be at after a road accident. I had an e-mail from his sister some time ago saying she had obtained a tape of the show from the BBC, including the dedication. Public service broadcasting.

Three BBC session tracks recorded for Richard Skinner are included, giving hope that perhaps the Boy-era sessions will emerge one day. The remaining tracks include the "A Celebration" single and b-sides and live tracks from the 1981 Boston Paradise Theatre show. There's no "Out Of Control" from the US "I Will Follow" b-side - though this was released on the "Sweetest Thing" single. And, most puzzlingly, "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" which originally segued into "The Ocean" on the "Fire" double single, has been split and reordered.

The disc closes with the live "I Will Follow" from Veronica's Music Mobile released as a single in the Netherlands and the 1996 reworking of "Tomorrow".

War

War was the first U2 album I bought. I knew New Year's Day from the radio and television and I made a trip to Oxford Street the weekend after it was released, only to find window displays featuring the album artwork dominating Virgin and Our Price.

The previous reissue by Mobile Fidelity Sound Laboratories was excellent and included different versions of "Seconds" and "Like A Song". I'd need to sit down and compare side-by-side, but the bass drum resonates nicely under the acoustic guitars at the start of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", so I'm not going to complain.

The second disc starts with b-side "Endless Deep", followed by previously unreleased "Angels Too Tied To The Ground".

The plethora of remixes follows, but there is one missing. We have the single version of "New Year's Day" and the US Remix by Francois Kevorkian, as well as two 1999 remixes by Ferry Corsten. Then there are three remixes of "Two Hearts Beat As One": the Long Mix and USA Mix again by Francois Kevorkian and the Club Version by Steve Lillywhite.

Missing is the Francois Kevorkian version (3:42) from the b-side of the French release of "Two Hearts Beat As One" and the US release of "I Will Follow (live)". This is an edit of the Long Mix. Still, at least this resolves the confusion over the naming of the mixes over at u2wanderer.org!

The disc closes with the tracks from the 12" release of New Year's Day, the b-side and the live tracks - and this time "A Day Without Me" does follow "I Threw A Brick Through A Window"!

Zavvi are offering a free, four-disc slipcase when you purchase any two, so I went for that.

HMV has an exclusive T-shirt edition of each. Must resist...

Achtung Baby and Zooropa by U2 on DCC

Oh dear, but in one fell swoop I completed my collection of U2 DCCs.

Now let's never mention them again.

Urban Hymns by The Verve

I remember when this was out - Radiohead, Travis and The Verve were ubiquitous on every radio in a public place.

"Bittersweet Symphony" was regularly played prior to U2's entrance on the Popmart Tour and the opening bars still make friends of mine who saw up to fifty shows feel a surge of adrenaline whenever they hear them.

Sadly, a couple of big hits weren't enough to get this to stick in my CD player. The drugs don't work... and neither does this.

The Joshua Tree by U2 - Remastered Double CD

Okay, so I haven't opened my copy of the two-CD-and-DVD package yet... and I'm sure I would've wanted this version anyway. Nice liner notes, booklet, pictures...

The sound is even better than the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs version from the 90s. That reissue sounded little different to the original, but this is clearer and has less bias noise evident from as soon as you cue the music.

This'll do until I finally find what I'm looking for.

Against Nature by Fatima Mansions

I saw Fatima Mansions support U2 on the Zoo TV tour in Paris and London.

They were entertaining, fleetingly. And this - a record company freebie - is taking up shelf space.

Only losers take the bus - or hang on to stuff they don't need, want or care about.

Stranger In This Town by Mick Taylor

A freebie from my previous life as a record plugger.

Little surprise the obscure things I've been given free are commanding the highest values.

Mick is now off to another country.

Lifes Rich Pageant by REM

A great album which features one of my all-time favourite REM tracks in "Fall On Me". I bought it quite cheaply after seeing the VHS collection "Succumbs" which feaures lots of early super 8 "videos".

But I have the remastered version with additional tracks, I don't listen to this version any more and I don't need it.

Fall on someone else.

The Joshua Tree by U2 - DCC

U2 issued four of their albums on Philips' Digital Compact Cassette format and as a completist, I want them all. They turn up occasionally on eBay, so when I saw this, I snapped it up. It's even still wrapped, so it's never been played.

And since I don't have a player, it probably never will be.

Rattle And Hum by U2 - Digital Compact Cassette

The first U2 DCC I managed to secure - if only I wasn't such a collector. I can't even play the things.

Still, they look very nice. Kind of like cassettes, but different.

Not that anyone would notice.

The Joshua Tree by U2 - Remastered Deluxe edition

Irresistable and flying off the shelves quicker than you can click confirm, such that prices on eBay are already escalating.

Will doubtless be repressed in a month or so.

City of Sin by This Picture

I first saw This Picture playing a lunchtime set in the big top at Greenbelt 1987. In the programme they professed to be influenced by Led Zeppelin and The Waterboys, a clever way for a rock group to avoid mentioning U2 in the 1980s. Their peformance was understated, but the music was interesting, so I resolved to keep an eye out for them.



A year later they were headlining in the big top on a Saturday night and their confidence had grown measurably. Simon Bye was prowling the stage with an air of practised distraction, resembling a rustic Michael Hutchence in his brown corduroy jacket. Stephen Hughes's remarkable bass playing ensured he wasn't dwarfed by the green-illuminated Trace Elliot stack standing behind him. Top hat-wearing Robert Forrester tore at his guitar while brother Duncan was pounding the drums behind him. This was the template for This Picture live shows for the next couple of years.

I began following This Picture's London shows. I remember two at The Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, supporting Something Happens and Blue In Heaven. At one I cheered the announcement of "Rape The Hillside", only for Simon Bye to pause after the first word of the title leaving me feeling extremely uncomfortable. There was no Underground to Harlesdesn, so I'd borrow my dad's car and drive back to Essex afterwards around a nearly-deserted North Circular Road.

A friend of the group who'd travelled up from the west country kindly made me a tape of their Radio One session for Janice Long and their first demo, both featuring signature song "Naked Rain". Within a year Rough Trade would release a one-off EP featuring a less-interesting version with violins over the introduction.

The group signed to Dedicated Records whose headquarters in Notting Hill weren't far from the office where I worked as a record plugger. I struck up a friendship with Colleen who worked there and popped in regularly to drop off copies of records we were promoting, and - self-servingly - pick up copies of their latest stock. It was great - and slightly rare - meeting people who were as enthusiastic about music as I was.

There was a hiatus as Stephen Hughes was replaced by Austen Rowley on bass. That saddened me, but I continued to follow This Picture across London - The Borderline, Fulham Greyhound and The Underworld - to the mainstage at Greenbelt. They released an album - A Violent Impression - featuring some of the songs they were playing live, alongside newer compositions. It felt slightly unbalanced and the songs sounded like they'd been swamped by the studio during the extended gestation.


I spoke with Simon briefly at The Underworld show, half hoping we might get some plugging work, only to find they were handled by one of the leading pluggers in the business. He told me about Stephen's departure, remaining optimistic for the future. As time went on, the recession deepened. I left the music business. Dedicated Records was disbanded. This Picture ended up on Arista who released this album and then tried to ignore it. Other than the singles, I don't recognise the songs... but it still has its moments.

U2 - Popmart Live From Mexico City (Special Edition)

It seems increasingly unlikely I'll pick this up cheaper.

Whether I'll watch it again is another question.

I wonder if I'm really improving?

Rattle And Hum by U2

Flicking through my U2 LPs recently while updating my website, something I sadly haven't done
for several years, I noticed a hole where the double vinyl version of Rattle And Hum should have been. I had a Canadian copy, a Yugoslavian version and now even a Japanese one, but no UK release.

Scouring the eBay listing, the copies I saw in reasonably condition were all too high-priced - I was even outbid on a couple - so when I came across a couple of decent copies in Cambridge market, I handed over the cash.

It won't take up much room. Will it?

Ni Un Passo Atras, Folkways: A Vision Shared, Common Ground: Voices of Modern Irish Music, Greenpeace Rainbow Warriors - all by Various

My collection of U2 appearances on compilations is impressive, but not exhaustive.

Common Ground was released the weekend I went to Dublin with a couple of friends on a U2 pilgrimage, visiting lots of sites associated with the band, missing them at their studio at Hanover Quay as they worked on Pop (Bono's Bristol was parked outside). I first heard the version of Tomorrow on this album in an HMV store in the centre of Dublin on a Sunday morning (after a night at The Kitchen). I never bought it at the time.

Jesus Christ from Folkways: A Vision Shared was recorded in the Sun Studios session featured in Rattle And Hum, although the track doesn't appear in the film. One of the great compilation songs, I never owned a CD copy before.

Greenpeace: Rainbow Warriors is an archetypal 80s compilation - almost everyone you can think of is on it. It opens with a different edit of the live version of Pride (In The Name Of Love) which appears on Rattle And Hum.

Ni Un Paso Atras! is a compilation I wasn't aware of which features some solo Bono tracks. I wouldn't usually bother.

More for the pile. Forgive me.

Icicle Works by Icicle Works (Deluxe Remastered 3 CD box set)

The Icicle Works were the first band I heard on John Peel and thought "they sound good!"

I was travelling home from a Leyton Orient match in the car with my dad (probably a 2-1 win over Bolton) when a song came on which I didn't recognise. In those days, Radio One shared the stereo frequency 88-91 MHz with Radio Two and John Peel's was one of the few Radio One shows you could listen to in stereo, after the switchover from Radio Two at 10pm.

My dad may not have been a fan of the music, but he had a lot of time for John Peel. This led, several years later, to the rather unlikely situation of me walking into the dining room to find my dad sitting at the table, working and tapping his feet to The Jesus And Marychain's April Skies.

So, discovering this to be the Icicle Works of Love Is A Wonderful Colour fame, I acquired the album and became a fan.

Their career followed an up-and-down path, perhaps peaking with the wonderful Blind in 1987, before the band effectively split, reforming under Ian McNabb for one further album before he went solo.

I managed to see them twice - at The Marquee, Wardour Street in 1985 and Camden Palace in 1986, when they encored with Roadhouse Blues and Should I Stay Or Should I Go - and they were wonderful both times.

And that is why I had to have this..!