"....We Can Break Through...We Can Begin Again...
On New Year's Day..."
U2's third album was unleashed on an expectant
world in late February 1983 and launched them as a genuine global phenomenon.
This long overdue CD Remaster is released today, Monday 21 July 2008 in the UK
and then 22 July 2008 in the USA and other territories. Also released today are
"Boy", their 1980 debut and "October" their second album
from 1981. Alongside Audio Engineers Arnie Acosta and Bernie Grundman, the band’s
guitarist The Edge has personally overseen the remastering of all of them
utilising the same team that brought us the amazing quality re-issue of
"The Joshua Tree" last year (2007).
DISCS:
Here in the
UK - "War" by U2 (like the others) comes in no less than 4 physical
variants. The single CD is a straightforward remaster with an extended and
upgraded booklet (it's one of those new round corner jewel cases) and costs £10
(Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island/Interscope Records 1764647 (Barcode 602517646476).
The second is
this issue - the 2CD Deluxe Version at £20 - the 2nd disc being the B-sides of
singles and new previously unreleased mixes (Universal/Mercury Music
Group/Island/Interscope Records 1761675 (Barcode 602517616752).
The third
variant is a Limited Edition containing the 2CD Deluxe Edition housed in a DVD
sized card box with a T-Shirt of the album sleeve - it costs a frankly
ludicrous £35 and is a waste of space and money in my book (Universal/Mercury
Music Group/Island/Interscope Records 17797994 (Barcode 602517616752).
Last is the
humble 10-track LP of "War" by U2 on Universal/Mercury Music
Group/Island/Interscope Records B0010832-1 (Barcode 602517616745) - it's
housed in a repro of the original gatefold sleeve and is pressed on 180 grams
vinyl with upgraded liner notes - it costs £15 and is a limited edition
(mastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman).
This review
is for the 2CD DELUXE EDITION of "War" by U2 - here's the layout:
CD1 (42:11
minutes):
1. Sunday
Bloody Sunday [Side 1]
2. Seconds
3. New Year's
Day
4. Like A
Song...
5. Drowning
Man
6. The
Refugee [Side 1]
7. Two Hearts
Beat As One
8. Red
Light
9.
Surrender
10.
"40"
Disc 1 is the
10 track original album, issued March 1983 on Island ILPS 9733, remastered 2008
(42:11 minutes)
CD2 (59:29
minutes):
1. Endless
Deep
2. Angels Too
Tied To The Ground
3. New Year's
Day (7" Single Edit)
4. New Year's
Day (USA Remix)
5. New Year's
Day (Ferry Corsten Extended Vocal Mix)
6. New Year's
Day (Ferry Corsten Vocal Radio Mix)
7. Two Hearts
Beat As One (Long Mix)
8. Two Hearts
Beat As One (USA Mix)
9. Two Hearts
Beat As One (Club Version)
10. Treasure
(Whatever Happened To Pete The Chop)
11. I Threw A
Brick Through A Window/Day Without Me (Live)
12. Fire
(Live)
Disc 2 is the
B-sides of 7" and 12" singles from Germany, the UK and the USA along
with two brand new mixes of "New Year's Day" - all tracks remastered
in 2008. It should also be noted that the CD lists 12 tracks, but the booklet
lists only 11 – and in the wrong order! Looks like the track list was changed
at the last minute, but the booklet wasn’t upgraded to reflect this – a bit
sloppy to say the least considering the expensive price of the 2disc set.
Whether this is a mistake or a hidden track - is unsaid, but the song not
listed on the packaging is number two, "Angels Too Tied To The
Ground".
PACKAGING:
Housed in an
outer hard card sleeve is a 36-page hardback booklet with lyrics, album history
by noted writer NIALL STOKES, 7" singles pictured, photo outtakes from the
videos and a detailed breakdown of the tracks on Disc 2. The booklet is
extended over the single CD version by about 12 pages and there are informative
notes by The Edge on how and why some of the B-sides were recorded. Both CDs
are picture discs with 2 members of the band on Disc 1 and the other 2 on Disc
2. A nice touch is the way the card leaves that hold the CDs have slits at
their base to let the disc slide out a fraction (it would have cut through
anyway). It's a small thing, but nice attention to detail. The packaging is
good, and classily presented, but the best bit is the SOUND...
SOUND:
Remastered by
ARNIE ACOSTA at Bernie Grundman Mastering, the tapes and remasters were also
overseen by THE EDGE and the quality achieved is FANTASTIC! I've waited like
most fans for over 20 years to hear "Seconds", "Drowning
Man", "Surrender" and "40" in truly great sound
quality and this re-issue delivers that in dollops. The drums are clear and
loud, the guitars and keyboards passages leaping out of the speakers at you -
the live-in-the studio recordings now brought to the fore and given the real
muscle they needed. As I say - FANTASTIC STUFF. Fans will really delight in
this.
EXTRAS:
The extras,
however, are a very mixed bag. “Endless Deep” is the non-album B-side to the German
and UK 7” singles of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and is a sort of a meandering
instrumental – interesting but hardly great. "Angels Too Tied To The
Ground" is much better though and new to me - it's got to be an outtake
from the sessions - musically it sounds like a rehearsal for "New Year's
Day". It's a fully formed song and would have made a great B-side - it's a
superb little ditty - and without question one of the best surprises on here.
Fans will eat this one up. Unfortunately, tracks 5 and 6 are - in my mind -
absolute travesties. They're 1999 Ferry Corsten remixes of "New Year's
Day" which sound like those endless crap versions that came off the
"Pop" album's CD singles - they're staggeringly inappropriate to an
1983 album and its unique sound. What were they thinking about - tagging these
on here - they're so out of place as to be laughable? "Treasure..."
is the B-side to the UK issue of "New Year's Day" while 10, 11 and 12
make up the 3 other songs on the UK double 7" pack of "New Year's
Day". The live tracks are good, but not that well recorded. All in all,
with 4 mixes of "New" and 3 mixes of "Two", Disc 2 is a
very boring and disjointed experience. In truth, I doubt I'll be returning to
these soon, despite their rarity value.
To sum up,
Disc 1 is 10 out of 10, but Disc 2 is pushing 5.
"War"
is a superb U2 album and still stands up to this day - and this great remaster
has only reminded us of that. Shame that Disc 2 lets the side down somewhat.
Fans will have to own this 2CD Deluxe Edition, while the casual buyer should
opt for the single disc version instead...
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